Kimberly Jane Tan
GMA Network
December 7, 2011
The Senate has adopted a resolution urging government agencies to work together to save the Ifugao or Banaue Rice Terraces, which was once dubbed as the eight wonder of the world, from degradation.
Senate Resolution 650, authored by Sen. Francis Pangilinan, expresses the “sense of the Senate…to urge government agencies to work collaboratively to save the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras from degradation.”
“The rice terraces symbolize the rich culture and traditions of the Filipino people. They are national cultural treasures that offer local and international tourists a sight to behold,” said the resolution.
“Considering the vulnerability of the rice terraces to damage caused by environmental factors, the government should support efforts to preserve the rice terraces and save them from further degradation. Government agencies should work together to rebuild the damaged rice terrace walls caused by the typhoons,” it added.
A statement released by the Senate on Wednesday cited a report from the Philippine Rice Research Institute which said that worms had damaged the roots of germinated rice seeds and eroded the terraces by digging out their walls.
It likewise said that super typhoons Pedring and Quiel, which ravaged the country this year, had reportedly destroyed 102,663 cubic meters of the terraces.
The Ifugao Rice Terraces were built around 2,000 years ago and is approximately 1,500 meters above sea level, covering around 10,360 square kilometers of the mountainside.
In 1995, the site was included in the World Heritage List by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Senate Resolution 650 was co-authored by Senators Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, Loren Legarda, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Teofisto “TG” Guingona III, Pia Cayetano, Antonio Trillanes IV, Ralph Recto, Panfilo Lacson, Manuel Lapid, Manny Villar Jr. and Gregorio Honasan II.
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