📷: Protect Sierra Madre for the People – PSM
In the wake of recent typhoons, advocacy group Protect Sierra Madre for the People (PSM) has called on the public and government to recognize the Sierra Madre mountain range not only during disasters, but as a vital, everyday shield against climate-related calamities.
In a statement posted on Facebook, PSM emphasized that Sierra Madre serves as the country’s primary natural barrier against typhoons, reducing wind and rainfall intensity, preventing landslides, and acting as a water recharge zone for rivers and springs across Luzon.
However, the group warned that the mountain range is under daily threat from large-scale economic projects. Activities such as quarrying and mining have led to widespread deforestation, biodiversity loss, and water pollution due to sedimentation and chemical runoff.
PSM also raised concerns over the construction of major dam projects, including Kaliwa, Kanan, Laiban, Wawa-Violago, and Ahunan, which they say will forcibly displace communities, flood agricultural lands and homes, and disrupt critical river systems that sustain Sierra Madre’s ecosystem.
“These projects are being pushed in the name of development,” the group stated, “but in reality, they worsen the climate crisis and endanger the livelihoods of the people.”
Protect Sierra Madre for the People reiterated its call to safeguard the mountain range, not just for environmental preservation but for the safety and future of communities.
“Defend and protect Sierra Madre—for nature, for the future, and for the survival of the people,” the statement concluded. (ZIA LUNA)
