MANILA, 25 September 2021 – In celebration of “Save Sierra Madre Day” tomorrow, the Climate Change Commission (CCC) highlights the importance of preserving our forests, as well as protecting, managing, and regenerating our country's natural resources.
 
September 26th of every year is observed as Save Sierra Madre Day by virtue of Proclamation No. 413 to remind Filipinos of the dangers which a lack of concern and action for the Sierra Madre Mountains may bring about. It commemorates the day in 2009 when Tropical Storm Ondoy brought heavy rains and massive flooding in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces, causing widespread deaths and destruction. The disaster was attributed to the continued deforestation, degradation, and destruction of the Sierra Madre Mountains.
 
The Sierra Madre plays an important role in meeting Metro Manila’s major water supply demands, as well as those of the immediate surrounding provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Quirino, Aurora, Quezon, Rizal, Laguna, and Bulacan.