THE House of Representatives (HOR) has approved on third and final reading two proposed pieces of legislation aimed at strengthening the government’s reforestation and greening programs.
They are House Bills (HB) 6930 and 6931, which seek to require parents, legally married or not, and graduating high school and college students to plant trees, respectively.
HB 6930, otherwise known as the “Family Tree Planting Act,” mandates parents to plant two trees for every child born to them. The planting must be done within 30 days after the child’s birth.
The Local Civil Registry where the birth of the child shall be registered will only issue the Certificate of Live Birth upon the presentation of the parents’ sworn statement of compliance to the measure.
The trees will be planted in areas to be designated by the Barangay Council, with the prior approval of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
HB 6931, on the other hand, requires all graduating high school and college/university students to plant at least two trees each as part of their civic duty to protect the environment.
The mandatory planting of trees will be a pre-requisite for graduation in public and private high schools and colleges.
Our people expect the two-chamber Congress to speed up the approval of HBs 6930 and 6931 as part of government efforts to address the worsening problem of climate change.
Climate change, which threatens even the existence of man, is seen to worsen because of society’s addiction to fossil fuels and the continued destruction of the world’s remaining forests.
Thus, we cannot overemphasize the importance crafting legislation aimed at bolstering the government’s reforestation and greening programs across this tropical island nation in the Pacific.
