MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda today stressed on the responsibility of every citizen to protect the environment, stressing that “we should be stewards, not destroyers of nature.”
Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, made the statement after a forest fire, which is believed to be man-made, transpired at the top of Mt. Banahaw, affecting about 10 hectares of forest land.
“It is unfortunate that even our protected areas are not safe from such a tragic event. If the forest fire was indeed man-made, we must condemn and punish such irresponsible acts, ” she said.
“This is a gruesome crime against nature, the species that live in the area, and the resources that we are tasked to conserve. Our responsibility is to protect our forests and undertake further efforts towards reforestation and biodiversity conservation. We must not betray our purpose as stewards of our natural resources. We must be accountable for the environmental impact of our actions,” Legarda added.
The Senator assured that her committee is working on proposed measures, including the National Land Use Act, the Final Forest Limits Act, and the Protected Areas Declaration Act, that will put into place tougher safeguards to protect the country’s natural resources and ensure sustainable development planning.
