He added that he
himself has promoted Green Projects through supporting the vast tracts
of land in Gandara which was empty by providing some 50,000 coconut
seedlings for farmers to plant.
Another must he pushed
them to do is Mangrove Tree-Planting.
“Water is a major
source in Samar, we can use water for power generation, irrigation,
and simply return it to the seas still clean and sanitary,” Sarmiento
said.
“We therefore should
use water the nature or God’s way. God placed mangroves to clean the
water from microbes in protecting our fish and other marine life,
thus, the need to plant more mangroves,” he said.
“Let us walk the
talk,” Sarmiento said.
“The government is the
people, each one should do his role in the value chain,” he added.
He alluded to the
German private partner who said that the private sector cannot do it
all alone without the government support.
“Every sector and
individual should therefore help [one another]. That’s why I’m asking
all national government agencies (NGAs) present today, to provide me
with a Score Card indicating what you need to ensure the funds we
need. I will do my share, my best…. As the new Vice-Chairman for
Appropriations in the House of Congress!” he emphasized.
Samar’s First District
Representative raised the importance of the proper execution of
disaster risk reduction-related laws, while Mayor Ramon Ilagan of
Cainta stressed that communities must be able to withstand the impact
of worsening disasters and climate change.
Sarmiento said that
"laws such as the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, the
Climate Change Law, and the Solid Waste Management Act, should be
translated into concrete actions that would build the resilience of
our country to disaster and climate change impacts. We have had too
many disasters in the past years and these catastrophes have stalled
our progress as a nation. We have to ensure that the policies we have
are implemented well, otherwise, the laws we have worked hard on would
not truly serve their purpose."
Sarmiento was among
the participants of the Legislative Workshop on Effective Disaster
Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in the Philippines, held
in Incheon, South Korea in July 2011 and signed the Incheon
Resolution, which primarily urges members of the legislature to
exercise their oversight function in the effective implementation of
DRR and CCA laws.
