CITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan — Bulacan environmentalists have welcomed President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncement on environmental protection during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Bro. Martin Francisco, chairperson of the Sagip Sierra Madre Environmentalists Society Inc. (SSMESI), said he is glad that the government will give top priority to the protection of the country’s watersheds and the stoppage of open-pit mining as announced by the President in his SONA.
“We hope that soon this will be implemented with political will, with the corresponding legislation to be passed such the Forest Resources Bill and Alternative Peoples Mining Bill,” he said.
On the other hand, Maria Fema Duterte, SSMESI vice chairman and currently a director of the Nayong Pilipino Foundation, disclosed that she took the opportunity to approach Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu after the President’s SONA.
“I informed him about the problems besetting forest rangers/Bantay Gubat who dedicatedly protect the watersheds of Angat and Ipo dams which supply most of the raw water needs for Metro Manila,” she said.
Duterte said she likewise told Secretary Cimatu about the wages that the Metro Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) fails to give on time to the forest rangers.
She said Cimatu has assured that he will call the attention of MWSS.
Meanwhile, Duterte asked her fellow environmental warriors to continue the advocacies in providing forest protection to the watersheds of Bulacan. (Manny Balbin/PNA)
