Groups, netizens renew call to save Sierra Madre

Cagayan, Philippines – Many groups and netizens took to social media to call for the preservation of the Philippines’ longest mountain range amid the onslaught of Super Typhoon “Karding.”

Sierra Madre which spans some 500 kilometers from Cagayan province to Quezon with a highest peak of 6,069 feet, is considered the barrier or backbone of Luzon that protects the island from storms.

The longest mountain range is also said to play an important role in meeting Metro Manila’s major water supply demands including those of the immediate surrounding provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Quirino, Aurora, Quezon, Rizal, Laguna, and Bulacan.

In 2012, Proclamation No. 413 was issued, declaring every September 26 of each year as “Save Sierra Madre Day” to remind Filipinos of the dangers which a lack of concern and action for the Sierra Madre Mountains may bring about.

The event commemorates the day in 2009 when Tropical Storm Ondoy brought heavy rains and massive flooding in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces, causing widespread deaths and destruction. The disaster was attributed to the continued deforestation, degradation, and destruction of the Sierra Madre Mountains.

Social media users shared contents concerning Sierra Madre to reiterate its importance.

Philippine Parks & Biodiversity, for one, posted asking to “help us sustain our reforestation activities at Ipo Watershed — one of the critical watersheds of the Sierra Madre.”

Further, the Climate Change Commission urged everyone to “ramp-up nature-based solutions part of climate action: plant and grow more trees, report illegal activities, and advocate for the preservation and conservation of forests.”

Meanwhile, Araceli Mercado, the Chairperson of Save Sierra Madre Network Inc. disclosed that more destructive activities are being done in the present than the previous years, therefore calling the public to actively engage in environmental preservation.

"Ang buhay ng Sierra Madre ay buhay nating lahat, kailangan natin siyang mapanatiling buhay para maibigay niya ang kaniyang strength na iligtas tayo sa mapanira at malakas na mga bagyo," Mercado stated through ABS-CBN News.

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