The Philippines’ House of Representatives has passed the new environmental bill to combat climate change and deforestation. This new law requires school and college students to plant at least 10 trees before graduating. Now, students graduating from elementary school, high school, or college will have to follow this law.
Gary Alejano, a representative of the Philippines’ Magdalo Party, explained, “This initiative, if properly implemented, will ensure that at least 175 million new trees would be planted each year. In the course of one generation, no less than 525 billion can be planted under this initiative,”
“Even with a survival rate of only 10 percent, this would mean an additional 525 million trees would be available for the youth to enjoy, when they assume the mantle of leadership in the future.”
Philippines lost about 32.3 percent of its forest cover from 1990 and 2005
However strict laws taken to control country’s widespread illegal logging and such initiatives have resulted in slight increase in forested area since 2015.
For the success of this initiative, Departments of Education, Agriculture, and Environmental and Natural Resources, and the National Commission of Indigenous People will work together. A number of government agencies will be in charge of establishment of nurseries, seedling production and preparation of sites.
It is a great initiative by Philippines Government, all countries around the world should also learn the lesson and should work to save present forests and mitigate some of the deforestation damage already done.
