international education
campusreview.com.au
From little things
Philippine bill passes
requiring students to plant
10 trees to graduate.
By Kate Prendergast
A
Philippine tradition may be made
into law, with the House of
Representatives green-lighting a
measure requiring students to plant at least
10 trees before they graduate.
Currently, it’s something of a rite of
passage for a graduating student in the
Philippines to plant a seedling – a slightly
more meaningful gesture than tossing up
a funny-shaped hat.
The Graduation Legacy for the
Environment Act applies to all elementary,
high school and college students.
If implemented correctly, it could mean
175 million trees being planted each year –
and 525 billion in just one generation.
“It is the policy of the state to pursue
programs and projects that promote
environmental protection, biodiversity,
climate change mitigation, poverty
reduction and food security,” the measure
states. “To this end, the educational
system shall be a locus for propagating
ethical and sustainable use of natural
resources among the young to ensure the
cultivation of a socially responsible and
conscious citizenry.”
The program would constitute “their
living legacy to the environment and to
future generations of Filipinos”.
The South-East Asian archipelago has
been devastated by deforestation over the
last century, following logging policies
widely criticised as irresponsible and
unchecked. Over the 20th century, total
forest cover dropped from 70 to 20 per
cent, with an estimated 24.2 million acres
cleared from 1934 to 1988. Urbanisation is
exacerbating the ecological threat.
The denuded landscape makes the
nation – comprised of 7641 islands – even
more vulnerable to the effects of climate
change. The Duterte government is a
signatory of the Paris Accord.
The bill has no Senate counterpart
however, casting its idealistic intentions into
doubt. It was introduced by the Magdalo
Party, which represents the urban poor,
youth and retired army personnel in the
House of Representatives.
Magdalo party member Gary Alejano,
who gained notoriety after lodging the
first impeachment complaint against
the president in 2017, is the legislation’s
principal author.
“Even with a survival rate of only 10 per
cent, this would mean an additional 525
million trees would be available for the
youth to enjoy, when they assume the
mantle of leadership in the future,” he said
in the bill’s explanatory note.
The bill has been designed to ensure
students aren’t just tossing seeds into the
soil and calling it a day. Instead, the process
enables the nation’s youth to gain a rich,
holistic and hands-on understanding
of ecology. They must plant species of
tree appropriate to the environment,
taking into consideration location,
climate and topography. Indigenous or
native tree species will be prioritised over
introduced species.
Students will be directed to plant their
seedlings in forest lands, mangrove and
protected areas, ancestral domains,
civil and military reservations, inactive
and abandoned mine sites, and other
suitable lands. Urban areas will also be
‘greened’ under the planning of local
government units.
The Department of Education and
the Commission on Higher Education
are in charge of the bill’s implementation,
in partnership with various other
government agencies, including the
Department of Agriculture, the Department
of Environmental and Natural Resources
and the National Commission on
Indigenous Peoples.
These agencies will help in establishing
nurseries, producing seedlings, preparing
the land, monitoring and evaluation. They
are also in charge of coordinating transport,
security, fire protection amenities and
medical support. ■
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