The youth of the Philippines are inheriting a future increasingly shaped by climate change. Every year, stronger typhoons, storm surges, coastal erosion, and rising sea levels threaten our communities, livelihoods, and ecosystems. As one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, we cannot afford to continue treating disasters as inevitable. We must invest in nature-based solutions that protect both people and the environment.

Mangrove forests are among the country's strongest natural defenses against coastal hazards. They reduce wave energy, lessen storm surge impacts, stabilize shorelines, store vast amounts of carbon, and provide critical habitat for fisheries and biodiversity. Yet despite their immense value, the Philippines has lost a significant portion of its mangrove forests over the past century due to conversion into fishponds, coastal development, pollution, and unsustainable land use. Many remaining mangroves are fragmented or degraded, leaving millions of Filipinos more vulnerable to climate impacts.

The proposed National Coastal Greenbelt Act offers a science-based, long-term solution. It seeks to establish a National Coastal Greenbelt Program that will restore and protect our coastlines through the rehabilitation of degraded coastal areas. The Act requires the establishment of 100-meter-wide mangrove and beach forest strips along vulnerable coastlines, mandates the creation of a National Coastal Greenbelt Action Plan, empowers local governments to implement localized action plans, reverts abandoned and underutilized fishponds back into mangrove forests, removes illegal structures within designated greenbelt areas, creates a multi-sectoral coordinating council, ensures sustainable funding, and enforces penalties for violations.

This legislation is more than an environmental measure—it is an investment in climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity conservation, food security, and the safety of coastal communities. It recognizes that healthy ecosystems are essential infrastructure for protecting lives and sustaining future generations.

We cannot wait until the next devastating typhoon to act. The Philippines experiences some of the world's most destructive tropical cyclones, and climate change is making these disasters more frequent and more intense. Every year of delay means more communities exposed to stronger storm surges, greater economic losses, and irreversible damage to our coastal ecosystems.

As young Filipinos, we refuse to inherit coastlines stripped of their natural protection. We are not only the leaders of tomorrow—we are stakeholders today. The decisions made by our leaders will determine the future we live in, the communities we call home, and the natural heritage we leave to the generations after us.

We call on the Philippine Government, our legislators, and all decision-makers to immediately pass the National Coastal Greenbelt Act. By protecting and restoring our mangrove and beach forests today, we are protecting lives, strengthening climate resilience, and securing a safer, more sustainable future for every Filipino.

Our coasts cannot wait. Our future cannot wait. Pass the National Coastal Greenbelt Act now.