Congress has passed on second reading the proposed “Graduation Legacy for the Environment Act” requiring all graduating elementary, high school and college students to plant at least 10 trees as a prerequisite for graduation.
Magdalo Party-list Rep. Gary Alejano authored House Bill 8728 declaring that the State shall pursue programs and projects that promote environment protection, biodiversity, climate change mitigation, poverty reduction, and food security.
He said the educational system should be used as an avenue for propagating ethical and sustainable use of natural resources among the youth to ensure the cultivation of a socially responsible and conscious citizenry.
Deputy Minority Leader and Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano, Rep. Strike Revilla of Cavite, Noel Villanueva of Tarlac, Mark Go of Baguio City and Pablo Ortega of La Union co-authored the proposed measure.
The bill mandates the Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education to implement the bill, if passed into a law, in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Budget and Management, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Health, Department of Transportation, Department of National Defense, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Justice, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.