Manila: The House of Representatives on Thursday conducted an aerial inspection and site visit in the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park in Isabela province as lawmakers intensified efforts to protect and sustainably develop the Sierra Madre mountain range through a landmark measure filed by Speaker Faustino 'Bojie' Dy III. Dy and members of the House Committee on Government Enterprises and Privatization, chaired by Para±aque Rep. Eric Olivarez, led the inspection.
According to Philippines News Agency, lawmakers, environmental officials, and technical stakeholders flew over key areas of the Sierra Madre to assess the condition of protected forests, watershed systems, biodiversity zones, and communities vulnerable to illegal logging, deforestation, and climate-related disasters. The activity comes as the chamber pushes for the passage of House Bill No. 3538, authored by Dy, which seeks to establish the Sierra Madre Conservation and Development Authority (SMCDA), a specialized government body tasked to oversee the long-term protection, rehabilitation, and sustainable development of the Sierra Madre region.
'The Sierra Madre is not just a mountain range. It is our natural defense against calamities, our source of biodiversity, and a lifeline for millions of Filipinos,' Dy said in a statement. Stretching more than 540 kilometers along the eastern coast of Luzon, the Sierra Madre contains about 40 percent of the country's remaining forest cover and serves as the island's natural shield against powerful typhoons entering the Philippine Area of Responsibility.
The mountain range spans 10 provinces - Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Nueva Ecija, Rizal, Bulacan, Laguna, and Quezon - and helps protect more than 50 million Filipinos living in Luzon. In the explanatory note of the bill, Dy cited how the Sierra Madre significantly weakened some of the country's strongest typhoons before they reached inland communities. He noted that in 2016, Super Typhoon Lawin weakened from Signal No. 5 to Signal No. 3 after hitting the Sierra Madre, while Typhoon Ompong's winds slowed from 200 kilometers per hour to 160 kph in 2018.
Dy also pointed out that in 2020, the mountain range helped weaken Typhoon Ulysses from 155 kph to 130 kph, underscoring the Sierra Madre's critical role in disaster mitigation and climate resilience. However, Dy warned that continued deforestation, illegal logging, slash-and-burn practices, and outdated forestry policies continue to threaten the Sierra Madre ecosystem and place millions of Filipinos at greater risk from floods, landslides, and stronger typhoons.
The proposed SMCDA would formulate and implement a comprehensive long-term development and conservation plan covering forest protection, watershed management, biodiversity preservation, ecological restoration, and sustainable economic development across the Sierra Madre region. Under the bill, SMCDA would coordinate and unify the efforts of local government units and national government agencies to ensure stronger environmental governance and enforcement across the Sierra Madre corridor.
The measure also grants SMCDA regulatory and planning powers over projects and activities within the Sierra Madre region to ensure that development initiatives will not result in deforestation, ecological destruction, or environmental degradation. The bill likewise seeks to strengthen watershed and flood control management, promote scientific and environmental research, support eco-tourism and sustainable industries, and provide infrastructure planning consistent with environmental protection and climate resilience goals.
Dy stressed that preserving the Sierra Madre is vital not only for environmental protection but also for national survival and disaster preparedness. The Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park in Isabela is considered one of the most biologically diverse protected areas in the Philippines and forms part of the country's remaining old-growth forest system, home to numerous endemic and endangered species.
