MANILA, Philippines - If a lawmaker would have his way, Filipino parents would be required to plant two trees for every child born to them.
Rep. Edwin Olivarez (1st District, Parañaque) filed House Bill 6087 to be known as the "Family Tree Planting Act of 2012," which mandates couples residing in the Philippines, whether legally married or not, to plant or cause to plant two trees for every child born to them.
Olivarez said the trees may be planted either within the premises of their family home or in the areas to be designated by the Provincial Environmental and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) or Community Environment and Natural Resources (CENTRO) where they reside.
The bill provides that before the Local Civil Registrar of the city or municipality where the child was born can issue a birth certificate, the parents or parent should secure a joint affidavit or affidavit attesting that they have planted two trees in compliance with this act and present it to the civil registrar.
 |
The Punong Barangay will issue the affidavit of compliance where they reside if the trees were planted within the premises of the family home or the appropriate legal officer of the PENRO or CENRO if the trees were planted in government sites. "The certificate of compliance will be a prerequisite for the release of a Certificate of Live Birth of the child to ensure compliance of this compulsory measure," Olivarez said.
HB 6087 provides penalty for the civil registrar, who will issue the birth certificate even if the parent/ parents failed to present a certificate of compliance. Penalty would be a 15-day suspension or P5,000 fine or both for the first offense; one month suspension and/or P10,000 fines for the second offense; and for the third offense, the erring official will be dismissed from the office. "The prosecution of violation committed by the erring Local Civil Registrar shall be without prejudice to the filing of a criminal case against the guilty parents or parent," Olivarez added.
"Deforestation has been identified as one of the causes of flash floods associated with climate change and global warming, which has become a global concern, as more countries are beginning to experience climate change and its negative effects. In the past three years, typhoons Ondoy, Pepeng, Pedring, and Sendong resulted to wide spread flash floods due to our denuded forest and water reservoirs. Flash floods claimed thousand of lives, left numerous families devastated, and sent small and medium scale businesses in the affected areas reeling in the ground," Olivarez said.
Posted in: news
0 comments:
Post a Comment