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FPE Echoes Call for Wholeness and Reconnection for Save Sierra Madre Day 2015

Posted on September 29, 2015

September 26, 2015 was an important day for the Philippine environmental conservation community, as it marked the commemoration of Save Sierra Madre Day. The special date recognizes the anniversary of Tropical Storm Ondoy, one of the devastating typhoons to hit the Philippines, ravaging Manila in 2009.

Celebration of Save Sierra Madre Day was declared in August 2011 through Proclamation No. 233 by President Benigno S. Aquino III in recognition of the unique ecological value of the extensive mountain range.

The Sierra Madre mountain range is a very important, yet increasingly threatened natural landscape in Luzon. (Aivan Herzano/FPE file photo)

In 1997, the Sierra Madre mountain range was the only area in the Philippines that did not suffer from rain deficit that took place due to the El Niño phenomenon. This was due to the large tracts of intact rainforest across the continuous landscape at the time. Historically, Sierra Madre also served as one of Luzon’s most reliable buffer areas against storms and cyclones originating from the Pacific Ocean, slowing wind speeds of potentially destructive storms. More than that, the mountain range also serves the invaluable role of providing for the primary water supply needs of Metro Manila, as well as the immediate surrounding provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Quirino, Aurora, Quezon, Rizal, Laguna, and Bulacan.

By now, however, Sierra Madre is growing more and more vulnerable due to the continuous fragmentation of its forests and various ecosystems due to extractive activities such as logging, mining, road building, and conversion of land to agricultural and settlement areas. More forthcoming threats identified are the establishment of large dams such as the New Centennial Water Source Project, the construction of the Ilagan-Divilican road that will cut across the mountain range, as well as ongoing coal mining projects.

In response to the growing danger to the environmental integrity of one of the country’s most valuable natural landscapes, the Save Sierra Madre Network (SSMN) has called on the National Government to stand up “against those who are blinded by greed and do not see Sierra Madre as a mother who also needs to be nourished.” SSMN called out extractive industries operating in the Sierra Madre to stop manipulating the resident indigenous people, of the area and allow them to be well-informed of the condition of their natural resources and, by that knowledge, define their development.

Not only does the Sierra Madre range provide for Metro Manila and surrounding provinces' water supply needs, it also helps protect northern Philippines from adverse weather conditions such as tropical storms and typhoons. (Aivan Herzano/FPE file photo)

Further, SSMN also called for public support, echoing the challenge raised by Pope Francis to recognize man’s actions that contribute to the worsening climate change situation. The Network called upon everyone to be more aware of people’s connection and relationship with nature. Specifically, SSMN appealed to the Filipino public to “look into alternative solutions to the dams, which entails learning how to consume only what we need, caring for the earth, and opposing projects that fragment the Sierra Madre.”

The Save Sierra Madre Network is a coalition of 32 civil society organizations, networks, Church-based groups, peoples’ organization and indigenous communities working for the conservation, preservation, and restoration of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range. SSMN’s campaign initiatives are supported by FPE and the Missionszentrale Der Franziskaner.