REP. Fidel Nograles has renewed his call to immediately pass a bill creating a government body tasked with the conservation and management of the 540-kilometer Sierra Madre mountain range, which includes majority of the country’s 68 protected areas.
Nograles filed House Bill 1972 seeking to create the Sierra Madre Development Authority (SMDA) as the country commemorated Save Sierra Madre Day yesterday, and in the wake of super typhoon “Karding” which hit Luzon on Sunday.
“Amid the threat of Karding, Sierra Madre has once again shown just how crucial it is in protecting us against extreme weather events. The Sierra Madre Development Authority (SMDA) will help us preserve this shield in the face of a worsening climate crisis,” Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles said.
The SMDA would also lead the government’s anti-illegal logging and reforestation campaigns, prevent construction of unwarranted and illegal infrastructure, enhance and develop indigenous resources in the areas that can be utilized for development, and educate people on the importance of the mountain range.
The government body is also mandated to conduct a comprehensive survey of the Sierra Madre region’s physical and natural resources and draft a comprehensive plan to conserve and utilize them to promote the region’s social and economic development.
