Cagayan de Oro 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez refuses to give up on his twin pro-environment measures, which have always hit a snag once they are elevated to the Senate.
“We will not tire of filing and refiling these bills because these will save precious lives, property and the environment. A single life or piece of property saved will be more than worth the effort,” he said in a statement Tuesday, Aug, 23.
Rodriguez was referring to House Bill (HB) Nos.966 and 967, which the House Committee on Natural Resources chaired by Cavite 4th district Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. recently approved in the fledgling 19th Congress.
"An Act imposing a logging ban in Cagayan de Oro City and providing penalties for violations thereof" is the the full title of HB No.966. On the other hand, HB No.967's full title is "An Act declaring the city of Cagayan de Oro a mining-free zone and providing penalties for violations thereof."
While the two bills have been approved by the House of Representatives on third and final reading in previous Congresses, they have gathered dust in the Senate for the past 15 years, according to Rodriguez.
Rodriguez said the proposals were first introduced in the 14th Congress, and refiled in the 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th Congresses. Unfortunately, he said senators had inexplicably failed to act on the environment-friendly bills.
The lawmaker added that residents of Cagayan de Oro and Mindanao need not remind senators, some of whom are from the island, of the immense loss of lives and public and private property and infrastructure caused by massive flooding generated by Typhoon "Sendong" in December 2011.
Rodriguez pointed out that over 1,400 died in the aftermath of the typhoon, 900 of whom were residents of Cagayan de Oro City, which bore the brunt of the storm.
“Sendong brought about the worst destruction in the history of Cagayan de Oro. The destructive flooding was blamed on unabated logging and mining operations in the city and neighboring areas,” he stressed.
At any rate, the Mindanaoan thanked Barzaga for endorsing the two bills in the first month of the 19th Congress. Early endorsement by the committee will give the House enough time to approve them on third and final reading, he said.
“We hope that this time, senators will see the omnipresent danger from logging and mining our people in Cagayan de Oro face every day of their lives. We pray that our good senators will finally act on our bills,” Rodriguez said.