TACLOBAN CITY- Leyte Vice Governor Carlo Loreto said that they have passed several measures that would help in the preservation of the already fragile condition of the environment of the province which was severely hit by supertyphoon Yolanda more than six months ago.
The United Nations had earlier acknowledged that Yolanda, considered to be the worst typhoon to make a landfall in the world’s recorded history, was due to climate change.
Last April 22, government agencies and other stakeholders observed the Mother Earth Day to serve as a reminder to the people to take good care of the environment.
Among the landmark environmental legislations passed by the Leyte provincial board were ordinance on anti-illegal logging and timber poaching; the provincial environmental code; the amendatory ordinance on sand and gravel; Clean Air Code; the ordinance declaring all schools in Leyte as pollution-free and the ordinance preventing the burning of rice straws.
Loreto said described these measures as “important legislative contributions” the provincial board has enacted to preserve the environment.
He said that political machineries are not only means for winning elections, but could be an effective tool for effecting reforms in the government.
“It is imperative that we reconcile the urgent need for prosperity with the shared duty to protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced ecology, in accordance with the rhythm and harmony of nature,” Loreto said. (AHLETTE C. REYES)
