Plant Two Trees Before Claiming Your Newborn's Birth Certificate? House OKs Bill Mandating It

House Bill (HB) Nos. 9587 and 9588 have been approved on third and final reading in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, December 12, 2023 during the plenary session. HB No. 9587 is the Family Tree Planting Act which requires parents to plant two trees for every child born to them, regardless of whether or not they are married. HB No. 9588 is the Graduation Legacy for Reforestation Act which mandates tree planting before senior high school students are allowed to graduate.

“As an act of public service before they join the country’s labor force, all graduating students in senior high school and college, except physically handicapped and students with special needs, shall plant two (2) trees each as a prerequisite for graduation,” said Section 3 of HB No. 9588.

The Inquirer reports that 250 lawmakers voted in favor of both bills, none voting against or abstaining.

Section 5 of HB No. 9587 states that birth certificates would not be released to parents who fail to present a sworn statement of compliance. Parents are urged to plant two trees within 30 days after the child is born, except in extraordinary circumstances.

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Seedlings will come from Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Agriculture (DA), in partnership with local government units (LGUs) involved.

If enacted, DENR, DA, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) are the primary agencies tasked to implement HB No. 9587.

Are there countries that plant a tree whenever a child is born?

In 2008, a tree was planted for every baby born or adopted in Wales to offset carbon emissions. This was called the Size of Wales, a tree-planting charity.

After national targets were met in 2018, it grew and extended to Mbale, a deforested area in Eastern Uganda. The charity continues to this day but two trees are planted for each baby born, one in Wales and one in Uganda. In 2021, over 15 million trees have been planted in Uganda as reported by Euronews.green.

Each baby receives a certificate made of recycled paper as proof of the feat. Size of Wales is a  government-funded initiative and its name is derived from the unit of measurement ("an area the size of Wales") used to understand the impact of deforestation globally.

What do you think of these two House Bills?