Taking stock of the National Greening Program six years hence

Abstract

The National Greening Program (NGP) is a priority initiative of the Aquino administration that targets poverty reduction, promotion of food security, environmental stability and biodiversity conservation, and enhancement of climate change mitigation and adaptation. With a total budget of PHP 31 billion, it seeks to plant 1.5 billion seedlings in 1.5 million hectares of land nationwide from 2011 to 2016 (Calderon 2016). Throughout its six-year implementation, the NGP has undergone several assessments done by the Commission on Audit (COA) through its Annual Audit Reports (AARs) and by state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) through its NGP Impact Evaluation Project. The Forest Management Bureau (FMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has also provided regular reports on the progress and performance of the program. This Policy Note reviews the performance of the NGP from 2011 to November 30, 2016 (latest available data) and discusses the results of the aforementioned analyses of the program conducted by the COA and PIDS. It aims to provide the government and other stakeholders a summary of the performance of the NGP and the issues and problems encountered during its implementation. This Note also proposes policy recommendations that have special significance given the government’s decision to extend the program to 2028.