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| Provincial Board Committee on Environment and Natural Resources held at the Vice Governors Hall, 3rd Floor of Capiz Provincial Capitol, Roxas City, October 23. |
ROXAS City — Sangguniang Kabataan Provincial Federation president Zoe Maria Felipe Herrera is pushing for the declaration of April 22 of every year as “Earth Day” in Capiz.
In a proposed ordinance, Herrera said the an Earth Day celebration in Capiz every April 22 coincides with Republic Act 10176, the “Arbor Day Act of 2012,” which President Benigno Aquino III signed into law on September 12, 2012.
The Provincial Board Committee on Environment and Natural Resources held a committee hearing on Herrera’s proposal yesterday.
The said committee, chaired by Board member Eduardo Magallanes, also sponsors the proposed measure.
According to the proposal, the Arbor Day Act mandates all local government units from provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays to specify a fixed date every year that may be the proper time and season for planting trees in their respective areas.
“It is the responsibility of each and every one to take care of our Mother Earth amid the threats of global warming brought by the effects of solid waste generation, air and water pollutions, mining and illegal logging,” the proposed ordinance said.
The governor and an Earth Day celebration committee shall approve an annual theme a month before the observance of the Earth Day, the proposal said.
The provincial government shall allocate an annual budget of P500,000 for Earth Day activities, it said.
The Earth Day celebration committee shall lead all national and provincial officials and employees to conduct a tree-planting activity and cleanup drives, and spearhead consultations or symposia on environmental issues, and shall encourage the private sector to do the same, it added.
The Provincial Board will deliberate on the proposed ordinance in its next session. (Felipe Celino/PN)
