House OKs bills mandating parents, graduating students to plant trees

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Two bills that would require parents to plant two trees for every child born to them, and students graduating from senior high school to likewise plant two trees, have been approved on third and final reading in the House of Representatives.

During the plenary session on Tuesday, House Bill (HB) Nos. 9587 and 9588 have been approved via nominal voting, with 250 lawmakers voting in favor of both bills, with none voting against it or abstaining.

HB No. 9587 is the Family Tree Planting Act which requires parents, whether legally married or not, to plant two trees for every child born to them.  HB No. 9588 on the other hand is the Graduation Legacy for Reforestation Act, which makes tree planting mandatory before students are allowed to graduate.

READ: House bills ordering parents, students to plant trees OK’d on 2nd reading 

“As an act of public service before they join the country’s labor force, all graduating students in senior high school and college, except physically handicapped and students with special needs, shall plant two (2) trees each as a prerequisite for graduation,” Section 3 of HB No. 9588 said.

READ: House approves bill on mandatory tree planting for building permit applicants 

Meanwhile, under Section 5 of HB No. 9587, birth certificates would not be released if the parents fail to present a sworn statement of compliance.  Parents are urged to plant the trees within 30 days after their child is born, except in extraordinary circumstances.

Seedlings would come from the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Agriculture (DA), in partnership with local government units (LGUs) involved.

Meanwhile, the DENR, DA, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) are the primary agencies tasked to implement HB No. 9587 if enacted.