Persistently calling for the protection of environment, President Arroyo has signed into law a bill placing Laguna’s Mt. Banahaw and San Cristobal in Quezon province as the country’s “protected area.”

In a simple ceremony, Mrs. Arroyo signed Republic Act (RA) 9847 establishing Mt. Banahaw and San Cristobal in the provinces of Laguna and Quezon, respectively, as protected areas under the category of protected landscape.

The signing was held at the regional center in Barangay Mapagong, Calamba, City in Laguna, shortly after the President led the groundbreaking ceremony for the Calabarzon Regional Center in the province.

Mrs. Arroyo was briefed on the Climate Change commissioner’s weekly report and on the Copenhagen visual report.

Last month, the President also signed two anti-logging ban bills, prohibiting logging activities in Southern Leyte and Negros Occidental’s third district.

RA 9772, also known as “An Act Imposing a Logging Ban in the province of Southern Leyte,” and RA 3680, which seeks to protect Northern Negros Natural Park’s remaining forest cover, were signed on November 3 and November 13, respectively.

The newly signed laws allow, however, harvesting of planted species within tree plantations and tree-cutting activities for projects approved by the government and only for basic services such as, but not limited to, public works, energy development or water utilities.

Under the law, any harvesting or tree cutting will comply with all pertinent environmental and forestry laws, rules and regulations.

As this developed, the President tasked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to issue the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of the new laws.