SPEAKER Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III has called for stronger protection of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range as heavy rains and typhoons continue to heighten the risk of flooding in Metro Manila and other areas.
Dy said recent flooding underscored the need to protect forests, watersheds and other natural ecosystems that serve as the country’s first line of defense against extreme weather.
“Flood control cannot be about infrastructure alone. We also have to protect our forests, watersheds, and natural ecosystems because they form part of our first line of defense against the growing impact of extreme weather,” Dy said.
The Speaker made the statement as a House technical working group resumed discussions on a proposed law creating the Sierra Madre Mountain Range Authority (SMMRA). Dy is the author of House Bill No. 3538, which serves as the mother bill for the proposed substitute measure.
The technical working group of the House Committee on Government Enterprises and Privatization, chaired during the meeting by Bukidnon Rep. Jose Manuel Alba, is working on a framework that would establish the SMMRA as the central policy, coordinating and regulatory body for the management of the Sierra Madre.
Under the proposal, the authority would oversee the ecological governance of the mountain range and implement a 25-year Sierra Madre Master Plan focused on conservation, restoration and sustainable development.
The measure also adopts a “nature-based solutions-first” policy, prioritizing the protection and restoration of natural ecosystems in addressing environmental and climate-related risks.
Dy said flood mitigation should take a comprehensive approach that combines infrastructure development with environmental protection, proper land-use policies and disaster preparedness.
The Speaker also emphasized the need to provide sustainable livelihoods for communities living in and around the Sierra Madre, saying environmental protection and economic opportunities should go hand in hand.
“Conservation will be more effective and sustainable when the communities who have lived with and cared for these resources are given opportunities to become our partners in protecting them,” Dy said.
The proposed SMMRA is among the priority measures recently identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council, strengthening efforts to establish a long-term framework for protecting the country’s longest mountain range.
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