SEVERAL celebrities including Regine Velasquez, Winwyn Marquez and Angelica Panganiban lamented the “severely scarred and deforested” state of the Sierra Madre, joining calls for the government to address the matter.
Dubbed the “Great Wall of Luzon,” the Sierra Madre mountain range serves as the country’s natural shield against typhoons coming from the Pacific Ocean, weakening strong winds and helping reduce their impact on the lowlands.
The celebrities expressed their dismay through the comments section of a post by Iskolar ng Bayan, a social media platform managed by University of the Philippines alumni.
In the post shared last Oct. 9, it wrote, “Sierra Madre is now severely scarred and deforested,” showing satellite images of the mountain ranges and citing reports of thousands of trees cut down for large-scale nickel mining operations.
It also noted that the mining operations had secured necessary government permits despite the visible environmental damage they have caused.
“So wala na tayong protection sa mga malalakas na bagyo. Good luck,” Velasquez said.
Marquez, meanwhile, made a mention of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), sharing the sentiment of several other netizens who flocked to the comments section. “Nakakahiya kayo DENR.”
“Totoo ba to?” Panganiban lamented.
Denise Laurel exclaimed, “They’re literally killing our country with their greed which will eventually or already is killing our lives.”
Other celebrities who also expressed concern were Rita Avila, Isabel Oli, Samantha Bernardo, Eric Nicolas, and Tarlac mayor Donya Tesoro. Actor Enchong Dee as well as singers Zsa Zsa Padilla and Darren Espanto shared the post as well on their respective pages.
The Sierra Madre—which stretches about 540 kilometers along Luzon’s eastern coast—is the Philippines’ longest mountain range, serving as a natural barrier for strong wind and rainfall in some parts of Luzon. (Anne Pasajol © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
