As the Philippines joined the rest of the world in the celebration of Earth Day yesterday, Filipinos were encouraged to ponder on what they can do to help address recurring ecological problems, especially the declining population of animal species.
“We have an obligation to take care of this planet we all share and Earth Day is a great time to start thinking more about the environment and all the little things we can do to make the world a better place,” Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu said.
Over one billion people in more than 190 countries were expected to take part in the celebration of the 49th anniversary of Earth Day, making it the largest civic observance in the world. This year’s theme is “Protect Our Species.”
Cimatu said the Earth Day 2019 theme is a reminder that keeping the planet from destruction also means actively working on slowing down the decline of the country’s threatened and endangered species such as the Philippine monkey, flying lemur, giant flying fox, and tarsier.
He pointed out that this is indeed timely as the country just witnessed series of law enforcement operations that resulted in massive seizures of live wild animals and arrest of wildlife criminals – proof that the Philippines remains steadfast on its commitment to fighting illegal wildlife trade that is driving endangered species to the brink of extinction. (Ellalyn Ruiz)
