Mother of mountains

I have been laid low by the infernal flu/cough virus and I swear that as I carry on in years, the bouts and the recovery have been long and draining, almost depressing.

I now fear future possibilities where you literally go two to three nights without sleep due to the sound and feeling of drowning, so much so that we have opened our eyes to finding a used Lazy Boy chair to sleep in upright!

I have also been captured if not enchanted by AI movies that take off from “The Hobbit” and the “Lord of the Rings.” I warn you all before curiosity gets you, it is beyond habit forming that my own daughter calls it my recuperation with addiction binge watching!

Watching warlocks and war dogs has had me thinking of replacing our sweet old Great Dane Missy, while my wife Karen wants to adopt a retired K9 to reward it with a spoiled life.

I don’t know if it’s a sign, but I received an email about K9 obedience search and rescue training for FREE that some of you may be interested in:

The UPMV-K9 Search and Rescue Corps is inviting dog owners in Metro Manila and nearby provinces to train with their canine companions and help prepare their communities for disasters, including the potentially devastating West Valley Fault earthquake known as “The Big One.” Applications for the organization’s 14th training batch are open until Nov. 28. Register here: https://tinyurl.com/UPMVBATCH14

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I received a letter from one of our readers about a serious matter of concern for all Filipinos, especially those living in the Luzon island mass. It is about the current state of the Sierra Madre mountain range.

The subject matter has begun to pick up speed and I have seen a number of posts, vlogs, as well as articles in traditional media, but most of them are buried in the inside pages.

As matter of record, I don’t think I know her personally or what NGO or group she may be part of. In addition, much of the information and claims she states in the letter is of public knowledge. One only needs to Google “Sierra Madre” and AI aligns with the letter of Ms. Chiongbian:

To the Secretary of DENR:

Dear Atty. Juan Miguel T. Cuna,

It is with great concern that I write to you on behalf of myself and all Filipinos who see what is happening with the destruction of our environment: the mining and deforestation of the Sierra Madre Mountains – “protector of lowland farmlands and millions of residents in Central Luzon, the Cagayan Valley and Metro Manila… acting as a physical barrier against Pacific cyclones and super typhoons.”

Not to mention that it is an ecological sanctuary, holding a large percentage of Luzon’s remaining old-growth forests, a vital watershed supplying drinking water, irrigation and power generation to millions of residents in Metro Manila.

A most biodiverse region that is home to thousands of documented plants and animal species. To destroy the Sierra Madre mountains would mean the destruction and decimation of life as we know it in the National Capital Region.

I am aware that as per Republic Act No. 9125, mining the Sierra Madre is not necessarily illegal based on the 1987 Constitution, “provided it is conducted outside strictly protected areas.”

But what really is a restricted area in the Sierra Madre? How do you divide a whole range of mountains according to what should be protected and what should be exploited.

“A total of 9,000 hectares is destroyed every year through illegal logging, mining and quarrying or a total of 130,000 hectares from 2003-2020.” ILLEGAL!!!! So what happened to the strictly protected areas?

Aside from decimating the ecology, the Sierra Madre, being a vital watershed for Luzon, will eventually be affected. What happens if Pax Silica is approved and pushes through? With the massive amount of water (around 110 million gallons of water a year) needed for a data center, losing a major water supply will be catastrophic!!!

To what end then, Atty. Cuna, will the destruction of the Sierra Madre mountains serve? Are the stakes worth the benefits, and benefits to whom?

“MINING SHALL BE PRO-PEOPLE AND PRO-ENVIRONMENT IN SUSTAINING WEALTH CREATION AND IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE” – DENR

Is this pro-people and pro-environment? Wealth creation and improved quality of life for whom? You have the power to stop this!!!

Maria Lourdes Chiongbian

A very concerned citizen

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The problem is the only time humans or Filipinos in particular pay attention and act is when a major calamity strikes or when a catastrophic super typhoon is blocked by the vast range of the Sierra Madre.

Our other problem is that everybody thinks in terms of absolutes instead of cooperation, compromise and real solutions.

In fairness to Secretary Cuna and the DENR, the Philippine government, Congress and leaders have never been interested in managing the environment in a fair and balanced system of regulation. There is in fact no integrity of spirit in the way the DENR was envisioned and established.

The government, and Congress, must split apart the unholy alliance of “Environment” and “Natural Resources” into two sperate super agencies where one cultivates and collects resources and the other checks and regulates the collection, distribution of profits and restoration of source areas.

Don’t wait for the Mother of Mountains to split Luzon asunder!