SM Malls in San Jose del Monte, Marilao, and Baliwag in Bulacan, recently opened its door to its students, teachers and even to environmental advocates to watch various video materials about the environment through the Green Film Festival that opened on Tuesday.
The Green Film Festival is a joint initiative of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) and SM Cinemas, in cooperation with the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education. The festival aims to educate and raise the awareness of students on the state of the Philippine environment, as well as to promote environmental sustainability.
The materials shown during the screening included documentaries, short films and videos from the DENR and its various bureaus, offices and attached agencies, as well as films on various environmental topics like climate-change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, air and water pollution prevention, solid-waste management, and sustainable and eco-friendly schools.
These materials “aimed not only to showcase the beauty of our planet, but to also teach the value of preserving our environment and natural resources, and educate young minds by looking back on how strong typhoons and other natural calamities attacked the people.”
Cristina Sanchez, administrative officer V of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) of San Jose del Monte, thanked and recognized the SM management on giving such awareness to the schools and students in the community.
“The challenge is on us, on how we are going to accept it. The schools really have big roles to maintain the order and cleanliness of our environment in our community,” Sanchez said after the screening.
The Green Film Festival is one of the many initiatives of the DENR-EMB, in compliance with Republic Act 9512, or the Natural Environmental Awareness and Education Act, which is now on its 10th year of enactment.