ISABELA — The House of Representatives on Thursday conducted an aerial inspection and site visit over the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park in Isabela province as lawmakers intensified efforts to strengthen protection and sustainable development of the Sierra Madre mountain range.

Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III led the initiative alongside members of the House Committee on Government Enterprises and Privatization, chaired by Parañaque Rep. Eric Olivarez, together with environmental officials and technical stakeholders.

The group flew over key areas of the mountain range to assess forest conditions, watershed systems, biodiversity zones, and communities vulnerable to illegal logging, deforestation, and climate-related disasters.

The inspection forms part of legislative efforts to advance House Bill No. 3538, authored by Dy, which proposes the creation of the Sierra Madre Conservation and Development Authority (SMCDA).

Dy said the proposed body would ensure long-term protection and development of the mountain range.

“The Sierra Madre is not just a mountain range. It is our natural defense against calamities, our source of biodiversity, and a lifeline for millions of Filipinos,” he said.

Stretching more than 540 kilometers along eastern Luzon, the Sierra Madre contains about 40 percent of the country’s remaining forest cover and acts as a natural barrier against typhoons entering the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

The range spans 10 provinces—Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Nueva Ecija, Rizal, Bulacan, Laguna, and Quezon—and is said to help protect more than 50 million residents in Luzon.

In the explanatory note of the bill, Dy cited past instances where the mountain range helped weaken strong typhoons before landfall, including Super Typhoon Lawin in 2016, Typhoon Ompong in 2018, and Typhoon Ulysses in 2020.

Dy warned, however, that continued deforestation, illegal logging, slash-and-burn practices, and outdated forestry policies threaten the ecosystem and increase risks of flooding, landslides, and stronger typhoons.

The proposed Sierra Madre Conservation and Development Authority would be tasked to formulate and implement a long-term plan covering forest protection, watershed management, biodiversity preservation, ecological restoration, and sustainable development.

It would also coordinate national government agencies and local government units to strengthen environmental governance across the Sierra Madre corridor.

Under the measure, the agency would be granted regulatory and planning authority over projects within the region to prevent ecological degradation while promoting climate-resilient development.

The bill also seeks to boost watershed and flood control management, environmental research, eco-tourism, and sustainable industries aligned with conservation goals.

Dy stressed that protecting the Sierra Madre is essential not only for environmental preservation but also for disaster preparedness and national resilience.

The Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park in Isabela is among the country’s most biodiverse protected areas and is part of its remaining old-growth forest system, home to several endemic and endangered species.