CITING the need to institute policy reforms and programs that create a peaceful balance between economic development and the environment, presidential frontrunner Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., announced that part of his priority program is environment protection and preservation.
“Nature has its rights that should be protected. It should be allowed to flourish, reproduce and attain its abundance side by side with human civilization in perfect balance and harmony with our growing communities,” he said during a recent sidelines interview while on a provincial sortie.
“We should do this if we want to safeguard the most vulnerable members of our society from the onslaught of natural calamities,” he added.
Part of his programs is to create the Department of Disaster Resilience, taking a leaf from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as an effective model of disaster resilience that integrates many other agencies.
“It should be integrated in the agencies like DOST [Department of Science and Technology] for the forecast of the weather, LGUs [local government units] for the preparedness, DSWD [Department of Social Welfare and Development] for response and Neda [National Economic and Development Authority] for rehabilitation among others,” Marcos explained.
Promoting reforestation and pushing for stricter anti-illegal logging laws will also be prioritized by his administration. Likewise, he will push to set up industrial forest plantations to supply market demand for wood.
In mining, Marcos seeks a collaborative relationship with all stakeholders to guard against abuse, while making the sector part of efforts to help the economy recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
He will also push for the creation of a Department of Water and Resources Management to make clean and potable water available to every Filipino.
Marcos added he will also focus on solid waste management, including “waste to energy programs” that will be an income-generating initiative of his administration.
On the other hand, the presidential frontrunner said he envisions an ecology-based Disaster Risk Reduction program to be addressed from the point of view of environmental degradation, especially of forests, wetlands, coastal and marine and drylands.
The country is blessed with abundant natural resources such as minerals, forest and agricultural lands, water, fisheries, the former senator noted. The nation should maximize such resources to hasten economic recovery, he said.
“The Philippines is even recognized as one of the leading producers of nickel in the whole world which is widely in demand abroad,” he added.
Image credits: Roy Domingo