Senator Cynthia Villar, head of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, underscored the need to protect and conserve the country’s forest cover and waterways to avert flooding.
Villar presided over the virtual hearing looking into the massive flooding in the aftermath of the recent typhoons that submerged some areas in Luzon.
“In our hearing today, we expect to be informed on the green infrastructure needed, referring to an approach that protects and restores natural ecosystem such as forests, watersheds, plants and waterways that provide protection to the communities near them and mitigate, if not altogether prevent, the devastating effects of calamities to these communities,” Villar said.
Senator Risa Hontiveros said the government must answer important questions concerning the enforcement of environmental laws and regulations in the country.
She said the government must answer how effective the laws were in protecting watersheds and forests.
“What have we done to stop illegal activities in protected areas? Why is logging and quarrying rampant despite the many laws that prohibit these acts?” Hontiveros said.
She then urged the government to support “intergenerational” measures that would better address the country’s climate vulnerability.
Concerned over the statement of Wilfredo Moncano, director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources that even if the entire Marikina Watershed was planted with 15-year-old mature trees, it would still require nine times that area to absorb the volume of water poured during typhoon “Ulysses”.
Senator Nancy Binay asked how much volume of rainwater would the watershed hold if quarrying activities were stopped and if the watershed was fully planted.
Binay also asked the DENR to provide her a list of suspended quarrying operators and the history of quarrying suspensions.
Senator Imee Marcos urged local and national government agencies to promote sustainable livelihood programs as a means of eliminating illegal logging and quarrying in protected areas.
Citing her experiences as governor of Ilocos Norte, Marcos said that people living in protected areas like forests and watersheds should be provided access to alternative forms of livelihood, like eco-tourism, to prevent them from engaging in illegal logging and quarrying.
“The Department of Environment and Natural Resources should take the next step and promote these sustainable, resilient and profitable businesses so that the community itself will take care of the environment,” she said.
Meanwhile, Hontiveros flagged the land-grabbing activities seemingly condoned by the DENR that she said were suspected to have caused the recent severe flooding after the onslaught of Typhoons “Rolly” and “Ulysses.”
Hontiveros questioned the mining permits of quarry firms Rapid City Realty and Development Co. and Quarry Rock Group Inc., which were caught encroaching on the Masungi Georeserve earlier in the year. DENR Administrative Order 1993-33 says quarrying and mineral exploration in and around the Masungi limestones are explicitly prohibited.
She slammed the DENR for continuously releasing statements that protected areas such as the Marikina Watershed were “intact and free from human activity”, despite continuous reports from conservation experts saying otherwise.
