Sen.Pia cayetano urges LGUs to protect Cebu's watersheds

Sen. Pia Cayetano has urged local government units (LGUs) in Cebu to protect the Cebu Central Protected Landscape (CCPL) amid growing concerns on the effects of climate change in the country.

Cayetano, who was in Cebu Saturday to speak at an event at Benedicto College, said the strict implementation of Republic Act (RA) 9486, or the Cebu Central Protected Landscape Act of 2007, is needed as watershed areas are under threat from the effects of global warming.

The National Government failed to allocate funds for the law’s implementation, Cayetano said.

RA 9486 was signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to create a management body that would protect the 29,000-hectare CCPL, which covers the watersheds of Buhisan, Mananga and Kotkot-Lusaran and the Central Cebu and Sudlon National Parks. The protected landscape covers the cities of Cebu, Talisay, Danao and Toledo, and the towns of Minglanilla, Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela and Balamban.

The woman senator, who is one of the primary authors of the law, said that in her recent talk with local environmentalists, she learned that the water sources in Cebu are at risk due to the effects of climate change and increasing development in upland areas.

Cayetano accused the national government of neglecting to heed climate change warnings. She claimed it had to wait for the devastating effects of typhoon Ondoy to be convinced about the urgency of the problem.

Cayetano urged LGUs in Cebu, specially those that depend on the CCPOL for water, to be vigilant and pro-active.

She also praised the Cebu Archdiocese, led by archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, for designating 2010 as the year for the environment.

She said any group or person who acts for the welfare of the environment is worthy of praise. (PNA)