Tanauan requires a tree planted for every newborn baby

TANAUAN CITY, Philippines – A city ordinance dubbed “A Tree for Every Newborn Baby of 2014” has been launched in a simple ceremony at the Tanauan Gymnasium 2 here.

Mayor Thony Halili, who led the launch along with officials from the city hall and the provincial office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, hailed Ordinance 2014-17.

Authored by Councilor Joseph Castillo, the ordinance is Tanauan’s participation in the national greening program.

The ordinance aims to instill the importance of planting trees by each Tanaueño family. It requires parents of newborn babies to plant a tree before their baby can be issued a certificate of live birth.

Citing the devastation brought by Typhoon Glenda and the cocolisap pests, Halili stressed the need for a serious and concerted effort to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Halili said his administration’s other environment-friendly initiatives include the activation of “Task Force Kalinisan,” the establishment of a material recovery facility, the segregation-at-source of household waste, the 20-meter easement rule along the Taal Lake shore, and a ban on fish cages within the city’s waters.

The ceremony, which was preceded by a tree-planting activity, was attended by Miss Philippines-Air Diane Carmela Querrer of Tanauan and Jose Elmer Bascos, provincial environment and natural resources officer.