HISTORY IN MAN MADE FOREST IN BILAR BOHOL PHILIPPINES

In the later part of 1940's particularly after World War II, most of the public land of Bohol particularly the central mountainous portion were deforested by the people who seek refuge to the forest for safety during the war. For their daily needs they make "kaingins" or clearing in the forest as farmlands for their livelihood. When peace was restored in 1946 the goverment was confronted on the problem of how to reforest the barren areas which had caused continued soil erosoins and flooding during raining season and mountain speings easily dried up at dry time greatly affecting loboc river where a hydro electric power plant for bohol was constructed. In those years the Provincial Goverment of Bohol headed by then Governor Conrado Marapao (1942-1947) and succeeded br Jacinto C Borja ( 1948-1951) proposed to establish a reforestation project in the mountain areas of Bohol . The dream was conceptualized the incumbency of then Governor Juan Pajo (1952-1958) and carried forward during the incumbency of then Governor Esteban Bernido (1958-1967) and strictly enforced and protected during the incumbency of then Governor Lino I. Chatto (1967-1978) during the Marcos regime.

The name of reforestation project was Loboc Watershed Reforestation Project ( RWRP) because the objective was to insure abundant supply of water to Loboc River where the hydro Electric Power Plant for Bohol was constructed. LWRP as an agency of the National Goverment under the administration of then Administrator Jose Viado was tasked to implement reforestation projects of Bohol. This reforestation project was formally launched in december 1953 but because there was insufficient fundings, the full implementation was delayed. LWRP consist of thirteen (13) municipalities of Bohol. Lila Liboc Bilar Sevilla Butuan Carmen Sagbayan Catigbian Balilihan Sierra Bullones Valencia Garcia and Jagna with a total land area of 19,410 hectares. Full implementation of project started on April 958 under the leadership of then forester Hipolito Amihan with the estblishment of an office and central Nursery at Cambuyo, Garcia Hernandez, Bohol and sub-nurseries were established in even the municipality included in the reforestation project.