The province of Negros Occidental gears up for the Earth Day 2008 celebration on April 22, with a stopover in Bacolod City of the nationwide Earth Day People’s Caravan on April 8 as one of the highlights, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Livino Duran said yesterday.

The caravan hopes to heighten public awareness of the worldwide climate change that directly affects the country’s water source, he said.

The Earth Day Caravan in Negros Occidental will converge in San Carlos City and pass through the coastal road and major throughfares of Bacolod City, Duran said.

Although the province is not included in the list of “critical areas”, Negrenses should support the campaign for water conservation, he added.

Among those expected to join the Bacolod leg of the caravan are DENR Undersecretary Manuel Gerochi and other officials of the environment department in Western Visayas.

Meanwhile, Duran also said the DENR is intensifying its campaign against illegal logging in the province and the department is seriously pursuing cases in court against those charged with violation of the Forestry Code.

He said the designation of special courts handling environmental cases strengthened DENR’s program against violators, adding that Negros Occidental has a 90 percent average in winning cases filed in court.

Since 2005, at least 18 persons charged in court for violating environmental laws have been sent to prison and this should serve as a warning to those who engage in similar activities, Duran said.*NAB

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