To protect the province's 8,000-hectare reforestation initiative, which was impacted by a number of forest fires last year, the Ilocos Norte government plans to bring in 226 more barangay ranger officers (BROs) this year.
BROs and members of the Philippine Army and Marines will make up the preventive squad, which will assist with foot patrols in the wildfire-prone hilly regions of Ilocos Norte.
This comes as the news of wildfires ravaged the state of California in the United States.
New suppression team
Members of the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and other local rangers will make up the suppression team.
Conversations will be held between the provincial administration and local government units and kaingeros (people engaged in slash-and-burn operations), animal hunters, and honeybee collectors.
Around 100 hectares of forest area were patrolled and maintained by 218 village rangers in 2024, according to the Environment and Natural Resources Office.
Crucial prevention
Wildfire prevention is essential for safeguarding people, property, and the environment. It is more crucial than ever to take preventative action since climate change is making fires more likely.
While protecting the designated area from various threats, BROs can also plant high-value crops like ginger, taro, and sweet potatoes as supplementary sources of income in addition to planting and raising thousands of forest tree seedlings and fruit-bearing trees in the upland forests and watersheds.
