More protection sought for remaining Phl forests

MANILA, Philippines - Environmentalists have called for more vigilance in protecting what remains of the country’s dwindling forests as the country celebrates the International Day of Forests.

At the same time, Greenpeace lamented reports of the recent fire that razed Mt. Banahaw in Quezon and Mt. Cristobal in Laguna.

“We are made unwilling participants of forest destruction when we buy products that contain dirty palm oil. Filipino consumers must be more aggressive in asking their favorite brands to consider nature, making sure that they buy only from palm oil suppliers that are not involved in forest destruction,” said Beau Baconguis, program manager for Greenpeace Philippines.

Greenpeace has been actively campaigning to protect Southeast Asia’s fragile forests, particularly the Indonesian rainforests, considered the third largest after the Amazon and the Congo Basin.

However, these forests are decimated at the pace of 620,000 hectares a year with the palm oil sector as the single biggest contributor of deforestation from 2009 to 2011.

Palm oil is an important ingredient in products such as soaps, detergent, shampoo, cosmetics and food items such as chocolates, cookies and cooking oil.

Greenpeace recently launched a worldwide campaign to challenge consumers to guard against everyday products that may be using palm oil sourced from forest destruction.

“Whether big or small acts, we can take action and do something for our forests. As regular consumers of these brands, Filipinos have the power to change how these corporations behave and do business. It’s time to stand up against unsustainable practices that leave our forests as wasteland,” Baconguis said.