The employees of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) in the province of Capiz together with DENR 6 Regional Executive Director (RED) Livino B. Duran joined the Earth Day celebration by putting up the “Serbisyong Pangkalikasan Booth” at Robinsons Place Roxas last April 22-29, 2022.

The “Serbisyong Pangkalikasan Booth” with DENR Capiz staff distributed different Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials aimed at raising awareness to the public and provide an easy access to information concerning the protection of our environment.

In his message, RED Duran emphasized the importance of raising awareness about environmental protection in order for us to become proactive stewards of the environment.

“In order to address the current environmental issues that we face, we must instill in ourselves the duty to know more about our environment and how our actions affect Mother Earth. Through the “Serbisyong Pangkalikasan Booth”, we aim to provide the public an easy and convenient access on information about our environment and how we can create a sustainable future for the generations yet to come,” he said.

RED Duran also empathized with those who were affected by the recent onslaught of Typhoon Agathon. He also said that kaingin and forest degradation may have contributed to the flooding and landslide in some areas.

“The flooding and landslide in some areas in Northern Iloilo were aggravated due to forest degradation and kaingin. If we put an end to these activities and instead put an effort in the restoration of our forestlands, this may help prevent the problems that we face during rainy season,” said RED Duran.

After the activity, RED Duran visited and assessed the situation in PENRO Capiz and CENRO Sara in Northern Iloilo which were hardly hit by the typhoon to discuss the possible environmental issues that may have caused flashfloods and landslides in some areas and the possible action plans to prevent the same in the future.

Earth day, also known as International Mother Earth day, is celebrated each year on April 22. This year’s theme is: “Invest in Our Planet,” which aims to encourage governments, societies, institutions, and businesses to build a framework for supporting a stable future and to take the benefit of a green economy by adopting it.

DENR 6 recognizes the importance of investing in the protection of our forestlands and how it can help us prevent or mitigate the impact of natural calamities and build a sustainable future. Thus, several campaigns and information dissemination activities are made in the region to educate the public./DENR 6