Marcos wants stricter law enforcement vs illegal logging

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, September 4, said the government must be stricter when it comes to illegal logging, describing it as a matter of life and death.

Following the devastation caused by Severe Tropical Storm Enteng (international name: Yagi), Marcos conducted aerial inspections of some of the hardest-hit areas, including Antipolo and Marikina.

During a press briefing onboard his inspection flight, Marcos expressed dismay at the sight of deforested areas. When asked by reporters if he had observed the damaged mountain areas, a visibly frustrated Marcos lamented the bare forest.

“We have to be much stricter about it. We cannot allow that kind of…because now it’s not a question of illegal activities, it’s life and death already,” Marcos said. 

“The laws are all there, it’s the implementation and enforcement,” he added. 

Marcos noted that compared to last year, the once-forested mountains are now bare, making them highly susceptible to landslides.

“Everywhere you go after the storm, if you see what collapsed, look at it from above. That area wasn’t barren last year; now it’s bare, which is why we’re seeing landslides,” Marcos said in a mix of English and Filipino.

The president said a viable option was creating impounding stations at the top of the river to prevent the rush of water downstream towards communities during a cyclone. 

Enteng wreaked havoc across Luzon, including Metro Manila and Rizal. The cyclone claimed at least 15 lives, with 21 people still reported missing.

The Masungi Georeserve management team has linked the flooding in Rizal to quarrying and land conversion in the Masungi and Upper Marikina Watershed areas. They noted that only a small portion of these areas remains protected.

“Land conversion and encroachments are at the heart of these issues, and serious reforestation and ecosystem restoration efforts by civil society must be supported, empowered, and scaled. With insufficient resources and a history of mismanagement, this is the only way the government can fulfill its responsibility to the people present and future,” the Masungi Georeserve said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.