Bill Seeks to Create Permanent Agency That Protects Sierra Madre from Deforestation

The Philippines is subjected to an average of 20 typhoons per year due to its geographical location, and the effects are always devastating. But we could have had it worse if it weren’t for the Sierra Madre protecting us. Sadly, people only remember the importance of this 540-kilometer mountain range when calamity strikes.

To give back to the “backbone of Luzon,” representatives from legislative districts are proposing bills to protect the Sierra Madre from deforestation.

“As sad as it may be to think about it, we only remember the Sierra Madre when it break[s] up the super typhoons in Luzon. So, it’s time Mr. Chairman, that we provide a permanent agency to take care of it,” Isabela Rep. Faustino Dy IV said during his sponsorship speech on Tuesday, Nov. 22, as reported by Inquirer.

House Bill No. 1214, which Dy authors, aims to create the Sierra Madre Conservation and Development Authority. It will be an agency responsible for studying and surveying the potential of the mountain range, preserving its ecology, and collecting regulatory fees if an activity takes place on its lands.

House Bill No. 1972 by Rizal Rep. Juan Fidel Nograles, on the other hand, seeks the creation of a Sierra Madre Development Authority.

Similar bills were also filed in the previous years to protect the cities from the destructive effects of typhoons.