MANILA, Philippines – House Bill Nos. 9578 and 9588 was approved on Tuesday with 250-0 votes, requiring parents and graduating students to plant trees.
The bills are created to raise public awareness about climate change and the essential role of reforestation. It seeks to promote tree planting as a collective responsibility for families, engaging them as active participants in addressing global warming, according to information provided by the Special Committee on Reforestation.
In Section 5 of HB No. 9587, the provision says that birth certificates will only be released if parents present a sworn statement of compliance, emphasizing the completeness of planting trees. Parents are encouraged to carry out the tree planting within 30 days following the birth of their child, except in exceptional circumstances.
Legislators have also approved House Bill 9588, which mandates all graduating senior high school and college students to plant two trees each as a civic responsibility for the protection and preservation of the environment
This will be a requirement for graduation, except for students who are physically unable and have special needs, Both bills are already submitted in the senate.
Seedlings for this activity will be supplied by the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Agriculture (DA), in collaboration with relevant local government units (LGUs).
Meanwhile, the DENR, DA, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) are the primary agencies tasked to implement HB No. 9587 if initiated.
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