October 28, 2021, University of the Philippines Los Banos – In a blended setting with some participants joining face-to-face while most tuned in via Zoom, representatives from the Society of Filipino Foresters Inc. (SFFI) Forest Management Bureau (FMB), Forestry Development Center UPLB CFNR, Ago Magsaysay ARB Multi-Purpose Cooperative (AMARBEMCO), Forestry Development Center CFNR-UPLB, Food, and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Forest Sustainability Lab, Zamboanga Sibugay Media Club, Energy Development Corporation and Ago Magsaysay ARB Multi-Purpose Cooperative (AMARBEMCO) came together for the Strategic Planning Seminar.
The activity was kicked off by SFFI National Council President Tommy Valdez acknowledging the participants and briefly discussing the highlights of the SFM Bill rollouts, especially the passing of the bill in Congress in February. “This is the result of the integration of four bills with Congressman Lawrence Fortun as the principal sponsor.” However, it has yet to move in the Senate, perhaps due to more pressing matters, especially the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Dean of the UPLB-CFNR, Forester Marlo Mendoza followed with a strong message, “This has been languishing for 40 plus years. Kung hindi natin ito pagtutulungan, magbibilang tayo ng taon. (If we will not collaborate on this, it can take several years more) Why don’t we join forces and form a strong alliance… We can all agree that forestry is a powerful engine for national development.”
Notable guests, DENR Committee Secretary Raul Terso, and FAO coordinator Karl Villegas also gave a few important words. Forester Marcial C. Amaro Jr., Assistant Secretary for Policy Planning of the DENR expressed his commitment with the following words, “We are one with you. We all share the passion in seeing this through and you can always count on the support of the Department.”
It had become evident that a stronger push was needed to have the Bill approved in the Senate, with the identification of the key personalities in the upper house who could help champion the SFM Bill.
Representing the Indigenous People Organizations, Datu Kalamboan from the CARAGA Region expressed renewed support offering to personally fly in from Mindanao to appear before the good senators if it would help push the cause further up.
Further recognizing the important role of social media in gaining more advocates, all participants agreed that increased activity and engagement can boost the online buzz surrounding the Bill until it captures the attention of the right people. The Zamboanga Sibugay Media Club pledged to help in the coverage and dissemination of all campaigns and info drives.
