Ondoy aftermath

It came and shocked all of us. We never expected that it would come this early. Although we’ve been warning people that in the near future our environment would show us its full force, we never thought that the near future we’re talking about refers to the present already.

The destruction that Ondoy brought us made many of us realize that it is high time that we take our environment seriously. Being the stewards of the environment, we’ve been tasked to make sure that the next generation would still have adequate resources for them to be able to have a life that not only facilitates physical but, more importantly, human development. 

The problem, however, is that instead of working together, people, especially the powers that be, have started the blame game. Nobody wants to take responsibility (except for Bayani Fernando who, admitted his responsibility for the flooding). The DENR Secretary wants to sue the LLDA Chair. The LLDA Chair, on the other hand, blames the DENR Secretary. The local government officials concerned are very silent as to what they have failed to do to prepare for a deluge like Ondoy. These officials should be reminded that the management of the environment is one of the services decentralized to them.

I believe that every one of us should be blamed for what had happened. It is not just the government. The people’s way of living also aggravated the effects of Ondoy. The world has seen how we have been helping each other during and after the deluge that’s Ondoy. It is high time that we show to the world that we are ready to take our responsibility as stewards of the environment. 

JUNE IS THE MONTH OF THE MOUNTAINS

On 15 April 2002, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo issued Presidential Proclamation no. 176 declaring the year 2002 as the “Year of Mountains” as well as the month of June of every year as the “Month of the Mountains” in the Philippines. The said Proclamation was the answer to the United Nations General Assembly’s call for the sustainable development of forest resources. 

For the commemoration of the Month of the Mountains to be more effective, I believe that the policies of the National Government with regard to forest resources (e.g. logging, mining, etc.) must shift from highly extractive to regenerative economics. To do this, the following are my suggestions so that President GMA would have a legacy once she leaves the Presidency: 

1. Delineate and specifically identify the metes and bounds of forest lands, national parks, and other protected areas. Once boundaries are identified, provide clear boundary delineations such as the use of improvised fences. This is in accord with the provision of the Constitution. The President’s job is to make sure that it is implemented before she leaves the Office.

2. Establish measurable targets for the annual reduction of forest cover.

3. Establish in specific terms (e.g. percentage points) on how much of the forest covers could be used and how much should remain.

4. Formulate the National Land Use Plan Framework. Sec. 20(c) of the Local Government Code mandates LGUs to prepare a comprehensive land use plan (CLUP) enacted through a zoning ordinance. Majority of the LGUs have yet to formulate their respective CLUPs. As the Chief Executive, she has the authority to call on these local government officials to implement the law. To help them craft their respective CLUPs, it would be better if the National Government has a National Land Use Plan which would serve as a framework for the local CLUPs.

5. With regard to minerals, the policy should focus on the use of minerals based on the concept of carrying capacity. At the rate we’re going, it is crucial for the National Government to issue a moratorium on the issuance of mineral permits and licenses.

I believe that if the President would follow these simple suggestions, we would be able to give flesh to the letter of Proclamation no. 176. And in doing so, the commemoration of the Month of the Mountains would be more than just lip service. 

THERE’S NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE?

In one of the late night news a few weeks ago, I heard Senator Zubiri saying something like ‘wala na tayong magagawa, andyan na yan’ referring to the two high-rise building condominiums being built by a Korean investor within a watershed forest reserve in Subic. I cringe by the mere fact that here is the Chair of the Senate Committee on Land Use who appears to have given up the fight early on. Does the Honorable Senator know that we have more than 100 environmental laws to look at which will provide us with very good options on what to do with those buildings within a watershed?

I suggest that we bring them (the buildings) down if it has been proven that the construction has violated environmental laws. (Apparently the construction had and continues to violate not just environmental laws but our moral laws as well). This may appear to be a drastic recourse but it would be the best for the forest reserve. It would be the best not just for the current generation but, more importantly, for the future generations to come. Our intergerational responsibility requires us to conserve our environment and make sure that the future generations enjoy the same environment that we enjoy today. The money spent for the construction of those buildings is incomparable to the destruction of the forest reserve ecosystem. A single tree brought down in an ecosystem would mean a drastic change in that ecosystem following one of the laws of nature that every thing is interdependent. Hence, we should not be so worried about the construction costs being put to waste.

 I believe that the Honorable Senator, being an environmentalist that he is, would stand up for what is right not just for economic development but for the plight of our environment. There are a plenty of options to do with those eye sores within the Subic Forest Watershed Reserve.

Too Late…

Last Monday, we witnessed the former speaker who had his "ten long minutes" to voice out his anger. On the verge of being ousted from his post, the poor fellow from Pangasinan gave a speech that, I believe, only his fanatics could stomach.

The former Mr. Speaker appeared to be a ‘kid’ whose lollipop was taken. He gave a litany of what he has done for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. It appeared to me that the former Mr. Speaker would want to show to the public that he was the ‘king maker’- that, if not for him, Gloria would not be in Malacanang right now. He said that he did this and that. His speech was actually teeming with fallacious arguments. Instead of rantings, the former Mr. Speaker should just have focused on the issue on why he should not be removed from the Speakership.

I believe that what he did last Monday was just a ploy to defer his impending ouster. And of course, the question of why only now lingers.