Honoring Sierra Madre
Published Sep 28, 2022 12:05 am
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL
Dr. Jun Ynares
As we write this column, Super Typhoon Karding had just made landfall in the town of Burdeos in Quezon Province, battering Polillo Island and Baler, Aurora with winds of up to 195 kilometers per hour and gustiness of more than 200 kilometers per hour.
We are writing this column on a Sunday afternoon. Just a few hours ago, Antipolo City, most of Rizal province and the National Capital Region were wrapped in what we call the proverbial “calm before the storm.” People had gone to church earlier during the day, praying that Karding would not be as strong and devastating as news reports had predicted.
There has been one interesting development during the day: in social media and Twitter in particular, the hashtag “#Sierra Madre” trended. There were close to 40,000 tweets by the afternoon, hailing the protective role of this mountain range, citing the “shield” it has provided most parts of Luzon, and calling for its preservation and for it to be spared from further damage.
One twitter mirrored the sense of gratitude shared by many.
She tweeted: “Goosebumps. We’re so lucky to have the Sierra Madre. With more powerful storms and extreme weather today, we really have to do our best to protect and preserve the mountain range”.
Former Commission on Elections Commissioner Rowena Guanzon tweeted: “Sierra Madre doing all the work keeping all those winds away from Luzon.”
Another tweet summed up the sentiment of the 40,000-plus posts using the hashtag: “Feel so sad that people only remember Sierra Madre when they needed protection.”
We agree. It is about time that Sierra Madre is given the honor, respect and recognition that this God-given gift deserves. It is unfortunate that it had to take a giant howler to get the public to see the value of this
There was a brochure published in the past by a non-governmental organization of which Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno is a member of the Board of Trustees - the Forest Foundation Philippines. In the brochure, the Foundation described Sierra Madre as “the backbone of Luzon”.
“Rising above the flatlands of northeastern Luzon, the majestic Sierra Madre Mountain Range serves not only as a sanctuary for the flora and fauna within it, but also as a stalwart protector against the typhoons that affect the Luzon,” the Foundation brochure said.
That the Sierra Madre is Luzon’s “backbone” is true scientifically, geographically and visually.
Photos of the map of Luzon highlighting the Sierra Madre proliferated in social media as the island awaited the onslaught of Karding. The highlighted mountain range visually resembled the human spine, curved like the backbone of a mother protecting her child wrapped in her arms and clutched in her bosom.
With the photos of the Luzon “spine” came calls for Filipinos to protect Sierra Madre.
The call has been sounded many times in the past. Typhoon Karding and Twitter made that call sound even more urgent and for good reason.
The Forest Philippine Foundation pointed out in its brochure that Sierra Madre is our “storm wall.” “Sierra Madre’s elevation makes it an effective barrier against storms coming into the eastern Luzon area from the Pacific Ocean,” the Foundation said. “Any storm passing through the range is slowed, allowing more time to spread rain,” it pointed out.
“The slowed movement also gives meteorologists and disaster risk reduction agencies time to identify and notify areas that need to be evacuated,” it added.
In addition, Sierra Madre is home to many of our unique plants and animals, including the Philippine eagle and rare species of crocodiles and turtles. It houses many of the ancestral land of native brethren. It is the sanctuary of 44 percent of the country’s remaining forest cover. Its rivers and streams irrigate countless hectares of farmland from Cagayan Valley in the north to Quezon province in the south.
Sierra Madre needs protection – from illegal loggers and from human activities, many of which are legal under Philippine laws – which threaten its rich resources and ability to protect and nurture life. These include mining and quarrying – commercial activities that are permitted by national government agencies and which abound in portions of Sierra Madre located in Rizal Province.
These activities pose serious risk to the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape, used to be referred to as the Marikina River Watershed – an area where the river that flows through the Antipolo City and the Rizal towns of Montalban, San Mateo, Tanay and Baras empties into the Lower Marikina River which flows through its namesake city.
Rizal province and Antipolo City local governments have attempted several times to put a permanent halt to these legal activities. Concerned national government agencies opposed the move, and the court has ruled that the province and the city do not possess the power to stop them.
With the rediscovery of Sierra Madre’s value to our existence, we hope that there would be greater collaboration at all levels of government to protect this valuable resource – so that Sierra Madre can continue on with its role of protecting and nurturing life.
(For feedback, please email it to [email protected] or send it to Block 6 Lot 10 Sta. Barbara 1 cor. Bradley St., Mission Hills Subd., Brgy. San Roque, Antipolo City, Rizal.)
Dr. Jun Ynares
As we write this column, Super Typhoon Karding had just made landfall in the town of Burdeos in Quezon Province, battering Polillo Island and Baler, Aurora with winds of up to 195 kilometers per hour and gustiness of more than 200 kilometers per hour.
We are writing this column on a Sunday afternoon. Just a few hours ago, Antipolo City, most of Rizal province and the National Capital Region were wrapped in what we call the proverbial “calm before the storm.” People had gone to church earlier during the day, praying that Karding would not be as strong and devastating as news reports had predicted.
There has been one interesting development during the day: in social media and Twitter in particular, the hashtag “#Sierra Madre” trended. There were close to 40,000 tweets by the afternoon, hailing the protective role of this mountain range, citing the “shield” it has provided most parts of Luzon, and calling for its preservation and for it to be spared from further damage.
One twitter mirrored the sense of gratitude shared by many.
She tweeted: “Goosebumps. We’re so lucky to have the Sierra Madre. With more powerful storms and extreme weather today, we really have to do our best to protect and preserve the mountain range”.
Former Commission on Elections Commissioner Rowena Guanzon tweeted: “Sierra Madre doing all the work keeping all those winds away from Luzon.”
Another tweet summed up the sentiment of the 40,000-plus posts using the hashtag: “Feel so sad that people only remember Sierra Madre when they needed protection.”
We agree. It is about time that Sierra Madre is given the honor, respect and recognition that this God-given gift deserves. It is unfortunate that it had to take a giant howler to get the public to see the value of this
There was a brochure published in the past by a non-governmental organization of which Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno is a member of the Board of Trustees - the Forest Foundation Philippines. In the brochure, the Foundation described Sierra Madre as “the backbone of Luzon”.
“Rising above the flatlands of northeastern Luzon, the majestic Sierra Madre Mountain Range serves not only as a sanctuary for the flora and fauna within it, but also as a stalwart protector against the typhoons that affect the Luzon,” the Foundation brochure said.
That the Sierra Madre is Luzon’s “backbone” is true scientifically, geographically and visually.
Photos of the map of Luzon highlighting the Sierra Madre proliferated in social media as the island awaited the onslaught of Karding. The highlighted mountain range visually resembled the human spine, curved like the backbone of a mother protecting her child wrapped in her arms and clutched in her bosom.
With the photos of the Luzon “spine” came calls for Filipinos to protect Sierra Madre.
The call has been sounded many times in the past. Typhoon Karding and Twitter made that call sound even more urgent and for good reason.
The Forest Philippine Foundation pointed out in its brochure that Sierra Madre is our “storm wall.” “Sierra Madre’s elevation makes it an effective barrier against storms coming into the eastern Luzon area from the Pacific Ocean,” the Foundation said. “Any storm passing through the range is slowed, allowing more time to spread rain,” it pointed out.
“The slowed movement also gives meteorologists and disaster risk reduction agencies time to identify and notify areas that need to be evacuated,” it added.
In addition, Sierra Madre is home to many of our unique plants and animals, including the Philippine eagle and rare species of crocodiles and turtles. It houses many of the ancestral land of native brethren. It is the sanctuary of 44 percent of the country’s remaining forest cover. Its rivers and streams irrigate countless hectares of farmland from Cagayan Valley in the north to Quezon province in the south.
Sierra Madre needs protection – from illegal loggers and from human activities, many of which are legal under Philippine laws – which threaten its rich resources and ability to protect and nurture life. These include mining and quarrying – commercial activities that are permitted by national government agencies and which abound in portions of Sierra Madre located in Rizal Province.
These activities pose serious risk to the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape, used to be referred to as the Marikina River Watershed – an area where the river that flows through the Antipolo City and the Rizal towns of Montalban, San Mateo, Tanay and Baras empties into the Lower Marikina River which flows through its namesake city.
Rizal province and Antipolo City local governments have attempted several times to put a permanent halt to these legal activities. Concerned national government agencies opposed the move, and the court has ruled that the province and the city do not possess the power to stop them.
With the rediscovery of Sierra Madre’s value to our existence, we hope that there would be greater collaboration at all levels of government to protect this valuable resource – so that Sierra Madre can continue on with its role of protecting and nurturing life.
(For feedback, please email it to [email protected] or send it to Block 6 Lot 10 Sta. Barbara 1 cor. Bradley St., Mission Hills Subd., Brgy. San Roque, Antipolo City, Rizal.)