BONGABON, NUEVA ECIJA–The Rotary Club of Holy Spirit District 3780 of Quezon City supports journalists in Central Luzon in their “Save Sierra Madre, Save Lives, Save the Future,” photo competition and exhibit project.
Teresita Suzanne Palattao Yu, Magical Club President, Alberto Benavides Sevilla Sr., Past President and Club Membership Chair and Emelinda C Palattao, Past President and Club Vice President, on March 21 motored to Sierra Madre mountain ranges in Barangay Labi, Bongabon Nueva Ecija for the tree planting activity which signals the official kick-off the photo competition.
The Central Luzon Media-Citizen Council (CLMCC) and the Central Luzon Media Association (CLMA) including key sector partners launched the project as part of their campaign to help address the perennial flooding in the region during strong rains and typhoons.
In a statement, CLMCC and CLMA said that addressing the flooding in the region particularly in the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, Zambales, Tarlac, Bataan and Nueva Ecija which are the subjects of their articles and news materials during typhoons and strong rains are not confined in the might of their pens but also through other calls.
A stronger public awareness of the current state of the Sierra Madre has to be started and initiated somewhere. There is no other better way than photos, other than video footage to also present and expose the actual realities, the statement added.
Yu said Quezon City, which also partly lies along the Sierra Madre mountain ranges, also experiences severe flooding during typhoons and strong rains. She said, abuses and degradation of the forests and mountains of Sierra Madre pose a huge risk not only to the preservation of the environment but more so, to the safety and security of the people in flood-prone areas in the region and including in Metro Manila. Concerted efforts by all stakeholders are very vital, she said.
