As part of the government's program on forest rehabilitation and mitigating the effects of climate change, Senator Jinggoy Estrada filed a bill that seeks tree planting as a requirement for building permits nationwide.
Last November, Estrada filed the Senate Bill Np. 1444 or the "Green Measures Act" stating that before getting building permits, at least five trees are required for developers to plant to enhance environmental quality, and preserve the environment for present and future generations.
In the said measure, any person, firm, corporation, department, office, bureau, agency, or instrumentality of the government intending to construct, alter, repair, or convert any building or structure is mandated to plant trees to set aside and properly maintain areas adequate for planting and maintaining trees and flora.
Moreover, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), alongside the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Agriculture (DA), shall issue the Implementing Rules and Regulations and also be tasked to monitor the trees planted.
Estrada emphasized that the said agencies will determine the number of trees to be planted, which take into account at least one tree for every 500 square meters for commercial or industrial permits - one tree for every 250 square meters for housing and development projects.
He said that the same agencies will determine the kind of tree to be planted and must give priority to indigenous species, considering climate ang topography.
