TACLOBAN CITY – The city government of Borongan stepped up its commitment to protect the environment during the first-ever Forest Summit recently.
The Borongan Forest Summit called for the conservation of the Samar Island Natural Park where majority of the city’s forestlands belong and sought collaborative partnerships for the protection of Borongan's forest ecosystem.
The summit cited the vital role that forests play in the survival of humanity and the glaring necessity to save them.
Borongan Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda highlighted the event’s significance to building collective defense against natural calamities since for the past several years, the environment has protected them from calamities, especially typhoons.
"From super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ until now, Borongan has not been directly hit by any typhoon because of our forests. Sixty-two percent of our land area is forest, and we will do everything to make it remain as it is.”
Agda said that businessman Michael Bloomberg of the United Nations and Bloomberg Philanthropies pledged $100,000 (about P5.5 million) for Borongan’s environmental projects, provided that the city comes up with written proposals for these measures.
He added that his attendance at international conventions on climate resilience marked a crucial development in their vision of forging partnerships with relevant agencies and organizations concerned with climate adaptation and environmental conservation.
A ceremonial turnover of the Borongan City Environmental Code was held alongside the summit as part of the city government’s initiatives for environmental conservation.
The new set of statutes on environmental protection is a revision of the initial code implemented in 2006 that seeks to fortify the city’s undertaking to protect natural resources.