LIKE other Southeast Asian countries, one of the main problems in the Philippines is the spreading loss of its remaining forests not only in Luzon but throughout the country.

And more and more Filipinos, including the ordinary citizens, acknowledged that the loss of forests carries a grim warning, according to worried conservationists.

In fact, if the destruction continues, impoverished Philippines may soon be called “a former paradise because many of its exotic plants and animals are just relics found in musuems.”

That’s why there’s that urgent need for the state to come up with highly-effective measures aimed at protecting our remaining virgin forests for the sake of the Filipino people.

In some far-flung areas, villagers destroy forests to plant their crops, like corn or vegetables. After a season or two, these modern-day “kaingeros” move to another area.

But it is to the credit of the government that there is now a concerted effort to protect the remaining forests and reforest denuded mountains with the help of the private seector.

In the view of various quarters, if the Philippines is to avoid the ecological disaster it is heading for, then the people have to turn from being destroyer to protector of forests.

“Kailangan talagang tumulong ang taumbayan dahil hindi lahat ng oras ay mababantayan ng mga otoridad ang mga bundok at kagubatan natin,” a barangay official said.

Certainly, the government cannot do it alone because of the acute lack of manpower and financial resources.

And the authorities, through the country’s local goovernment and barangay officials, should encourage the citizens to plant trees in their respective communities.

Dapat lang!

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