SENATOR Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. filed a measure requiring all graduating elementary, high school and college students to each plant at least 10 trees as a prerequisite for graduation.

Senate Bill 1538 or the proposed Graduation Legacy for the Environment Act of 2022 aims to address the alarming effects of climate change.

The measure seeks to complement the Enhanced National Greening Program.

In his explanatory note, Revilla cited the data provided by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority that forest cover totalling more than 154,000 hectares have been lost in the past 12 years.

“The depletion of the country’s forest resources leads to grave environmental and economic losses. With the country now being tagged as one of the world’s most severely deforested countries, policies to promite forest conservation and environmental sustainability are of priority,” he said.