51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Groundbreaking Nature-Based Greening Program replaces ‘No Vehicle Wednesday’ Policy

by Office of the Campus Secretary | Dec 12 2025

In a landmark decision during its en banc meeting at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø-Marawi on December 9, 2025, the Mindanao State University (51³Ô¹ÏÍø) Board of Regents unanimously approved the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Nature-Based Campus Greening & Climate Resiliency Program (NBCGCRP) proposal for implementation at the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø-IIT campus.

This innovative policy immediately replaces the longstanding “No Vehicle Wednesday” (NVW) initiative, which restricted vehicles on campus every first Wednesday of the month, marking a bold shift from emission controls to ecosystem regeneration.

The NBCGCRP transforms 51³Ô¹ÏÍø-IIT from a traditional campus into a “living laboratory” of climate resilience. 

51³Ô¹ÏÍø-IIT Chancellor Alizedney M. Ditucalan hailed it as “environmental care as creation,” positioning 51³Ô¹ÏÍø-IIT as a national model for resilient, regenerative campuses.

Unlike the NVW policy—which aimed to cut greenhouse gases but lacked measurable data and created unintended issues like higher emissions from older public transport, accessibility barriers for vulnerable groups, and off-campus parking woes—the NBCGCRP focuses on nature-based solutions (NbS). Listening sessions with faculty, staff, students, and local businesses revealed NVW’s limitations, including increased bureaucratic paper use and safety risks from external parking. 

“We’re moving from symbolic restrictions to scientific regeneration,” the policy rationale states, prioritizing ecological absorbers over behavioral controls.

The policy was crafted by 51³Ô¹ÏÍø-IIT’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives (OVCSI).  Vice Chancellor Mark Anthony Torres explained that the NBCGCRP is not an isolated environmental project but a whole-of-institution strategy that mobilizes academic expertise, administrative coordination, and community participation across colleges.

Anchored under the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Enterprise (OVCRE), NBCGCRP leverages ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) backed by IPCC, FAO, and DENR studies. It features risk-informed planting: large canopy trees like Apitong (Dipterocarpus alatus) and Molave (Vitex parviflora)—capable of sequestering up to 4 tons of CO2 per tree over 10 years—go to community rainforestation sites via the WE CARE extension program that is implemented by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs (OVCPA). 

Medium native trees, shrubs like Santan (Ixora coccinea), and groundcovers such as Vetiver Grass stabilize soil, filter runoff, and boost biodiversity on campus.

The WE CARE Office’s Rainforest 360 initiative extends efforts to nearby barangays, training communities in carbon measurement, bamboo enterprises, and verified carbon credits. Social fencing assigns “adopter units” to plant clusters, incorporating Maranao and Higaonon knowledge.

A scientific Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) system ensures accountability, with AI canopy mapping, annual MRV reports, and metrics tied to performance scorecards. 

Grounded in laws like RA 9729 (Climate Change Act) and SDGs 13 & 15, NBCGCRP takes effect immediately, starting with pilot zones. 

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