CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY–At least 300 seedlings of “lambago” trees were planted on Friday by different government agencies and city government departments to mark the 19th anniversary of the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (Clenro) here.
Engineer Armen Cuenca, head of Clenro, said that the seedlings were donated by Rhona Canoy, daughter of former city mayor Reuben Canoy, who is currently running for a city council seat.
 The “lambago” (Hibiscus family) trees were planted along the banks of the Cagayan de Oro river fronting Duaw Park, beside the City Hall.
The “lambago” tree is widely considered as an important symbol in the city’s history. Before the city was named Cagayan de Oro, it was known by the natives as “Kalambagohan.”
“We are hoping that we can plant more (lambago) trees all throughout the banks of Cagayan River… let’s hope that these trees will be back in the river and would again thrive here,” he said.
Meanwhile, Clenro, in partnership with Nestlé Philippines, will launch later this month a facility for “eco-bricks”, which are made of plastic wastes as a core component. It will be operated in the old sanitary landfill by a cooperative composed of former garbage scavengers, Cuenca said. -PNA
