Former Department of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol. INQUIRER.net file photo / CATHY MIRANDA
MANILA, Philippines — Former Agriculture secretary and now senatorial aspirant Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol said Wednesday that the country needs legislation that would declare the “regreening of bald mountains” as a national campaign.
In making this call, Piñol shared on Facebook photos taken in 2017 and 2018 showing the deforested areas in the Sierra Madre and Caraballo Mountain Ranges and the siltation of the Cagayan River.
Piñol said he took the photos when he “travelled repeatedly” to Cagayan Valley to assess the damage caused by floodwaters from the overflowing Cagayan River.
“Four years after these shots were taken, there is hardly any improvement in the tragic conditions of the mountains. Legislation which would declare as a national campaign the regreening of the bald mountains of the country is what we need to do this fast,” he said.
Piñol said he has been pushing for measures to prevent flooding even before he decided to run for senator.
“Ito ang sagot ko sa mga kritiko na nagsasabing ngayon ko lang daw ito ginagawa dahil tumatakbo akong senador. Matagal ko na pong adbokasiya ito pero wala masyadong nakikinig. Kung binabaha tayo, saka lang pinag-uusapan at may kasama pang sisihan,” the former Agriculture head said.
(This is my answer to people who say that I am only doing this now because I am running for senator. This has long been my advocacy but not many people were listening. The only time we talk about this while blaming others is when we have already experienced flooding.)
Piñol also noted that he previously recommended to President Rodrigo Duterte the dredging of Cagayan River as an immediate relief in the aftermath of Typhoon Lawin in October 2017.
He said Duterte issued the order during his visit to Tuguegarao after the devastation of the typhoon.
“Some dredging works are done now in the longest river of the country,” said Piñol.
“The root cause of the problem, however, must be addressed and that is the need to bring back the trees and vegetation in those mountains,” he added.
Piñol said the legislation that would declare the reforestation of bald mountains as a national campaign should follow the government’s “whole of nation approach” which would require all government agencies, private corporations, and Filipinos to participate.
“The problem is so huge and the threat to food security is so scary that we cannot leave this task to the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources alone. This must be done now. Tomorrow will be too late,” he said.
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