Manila Bulletin
Philippines
National
'Sense of ownership' to push public interest in protecting environment - PBBM
Philippines
National
'Sense of ownership' to push public interest in protecting environment - PBBM
'Sense of ownership' to push public interest in protecting environment - PBBM
By Raymund Antonio and Raymund Antonio
Published Jun 26, 2023 07:29 am
Protecting the environment would require from the public a “sense of ownership” and an understanding of its economic benefits, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said on Monday, June 26, during an event to commemorate Philippine Environment Month.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks during the 160th anniversary of the Philippine Forestry Service in Quezon City on June 26, 2023. (Noel Pabalate/MANILA BULLETIN)
Speaking at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Quezon City for the “Forest For Life: 160th Anniversary of the Philippine Forestry Service”, Marcos underscored the need for the public to realize that environment protection is not only the “right thing” to do but is also includes economic benefits.
He said the concept of ownership could be a “template” for the people, similar to the Forestry Development Project in Ilocos Norte (FDPIN) financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), wherein project beneficiaries were encouraged to care for the trees planted during the project’s phase.
“The only way that we were able to guarantee that this will be a self-sustaining program, that once we leave, that those locales who live in those areas will actually take care of those trees, was to give them a sense of ownership and we did this simply by saying ‘these trees are yours,’” Marcos shared.
“It is up to you to take care of them. It is up to you to use them, and I am happy to be able to report that those trees up to now are growing, are strong, and are continuing to be to cover a great deal of our forest land, and now also the watershed developments that we started,” he added.
The project saw the local government in Ilocos Norte not only planting trees, but also doing watershed development and creating cooperatives for planting.
The Chief Executive hoped that the “model” that started in his hometown could be a “starting point.”
And while there are “many different factors in play now,” Marcos also stressed the need to “take full advantage of the resources that are available to us to preserve our forest land and to give that sense of ownership to our people.”
“So that they will do everything that they can to protect what in essence belongs to them,” he added.
His remarks came after also sharing how developing countries must “take responsibility for the industrial revolution that brought about this emissions, carbon emissions into the air and that started it off.”
With the business community putting a “peso value” to forest lands, the President said these new approaches to environmental protection can make it easier for those tasked to protect forest lands.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks during the 160th anniversary of the Philippine Forestry Service in Quezon City on June 26, 2023. (Noel Pabalate/MANILA BULLETIN)
Speaking at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Quezon City for the “Forest For Life: 160th Anniversary of the Philippine Forestry Service”, Marcos underscored the need for the public to realize that environment protection is not only the “right thing” to do but is also includes economic benefits.
He said the concept of ownership could be a “template” for the people, similar to the Forestry Development Project in Ilocos Norte (FDPIN) financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), wherein project beneficiaries were encouraged to care for the trees planted during the project’s phase.
“The only way that we were able to guarantee that this will be a self-sustaining program, that once we leave, that those locales who live in those areas will actually take care of those trees, was to give them a sense of ownership and we did this simply by saying ‘these trees are yours,’” Marcos shared.
“It is up to you to take care of them. It is up to you to use them, and I am happy to be able to report that those trees up to now are growing, are strong, and are continuing to be to cover a great deal of our forest land, and now also the watershed developments that we started,” he added.
The project saw the local government in Ilocos Norte not only planting trees, but also doing watershed development and creating cooperatives for planting.
The Chief Executive hoped that the “model” that started in his hometown could be a “starting point.”
And while there are “many different factors in play now,” Marcos also stressed the need to “take full advantage of the resources that are available to us to preserve our forest land and to give that sense of ownership to our people.”
“So that they will do everything that they can to protect what in essence belongs to them,” he added.
His remarks came after also sharing how developing countries must “take responsibility for the industrial revolution that brought about this emissions, carbon emissions into the air and that started it off.”
With the business community putting a “peso value” to forest lands, the President said these new approaches to environmental protection can make it easier for those tasked to protect forest lands.