Speedy resolution of environmental cases is now possible with the designation of the Negros Occidental Regional Trial Court Branch 44 as one of the Environmental Courts in the country, Assistant Secretary Gerardo Calderon of the DENR yesterday said.

Calderon, who joined the Earth Day Caravan yesterday from San Carlos City to Bacolod City, said Judge Rodney Bolunia will exclusively hear cases on violations of environmental laws.

The green courts, he said, were established all over the country to speed up the backlog of cases against the environment, he said.

It will also serve as a deterrent to those who are contemplating of committing crimes against the environment such as illegal logging, DENR provincial officer Livino Duran said.

Meanwhile, convenors of the Earth Day People’s Caravan yesterday signed the Bacolod and Negros Earth Day 2008 Ten Demands that call for the strengthening of the solid waste management program.

The group demanded that the public make recycling a habit and practise composting, re-using and implementation of waste reduction and diversion.

The Earth Day 2008 convenors in Bacolod City, led by Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, also called to the public to stop hunting and to refrain from buying wildlife.

Promoting organic agriculture, the group expressed its opposition to the genetically modified organism technique in the industry.

This year’s Earth Day celebration also called for water conservation. The Earth Day 2008 convenors also appealed to the public to plant trees in watershed areas, springs, wells and other natural sources of water.

The group is also launching a signature campaign for its “Commitment Sheet for Mother Earth” which calls for the regreening Western Visayas, strict implementation of the solid waste management program, and preservation of air quality in the region.*NAB

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