PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday presented a program to place the Philippines at the forefront of a worldwide effort to combat global warming, starting with the teaching of climate change as a subject in public schools.

“Educating young Filipinos on this global scourge will lead to the inculcation of personal discipline, which is vital to check the problem. Without this personal discipline, the best policy and official initiatives will be wasted,” Mrs. Arroyo told non-government organizations involved in environment protection, and on the occasion of Earth Day.

She sought the public’s cooperation in carrying out the Green Philippines Plan drawn up by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. She said the plan would include reforestation, preservation of reefs and waterways, removal of land and air pollutants, and energy independence.

Mrs. Arroyo said the full implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, officially known as the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, was the guidepost behind the country’s green program.

She repeated her standing order to the environment department to speed up the reforestation of denuded forests and the protection of watersheds.

“We must reforest the land and bring back the beauty of the Philippines that we all love and want,” she said.

She announced she would be visiting New Zealand next month, and that she looked forward to discussing a reforestation and eco-tourism cooperation program with Prime Minister Helen Clark. She recalled that when Clark visited the Philippines last year, they agreed on projects to maximize the potential of eco-tourism sites here including Pamalican Island in Bohol, a sure tourist draw because of its dolphins and whales.

She said she wanted to turn the Philippines’ coral reefs and beaches into national parks and international maritime sanctuaries.

She said the government would rid villages of trash, build more river parks, and clean up industrial sites. Fel V. Maragay