IDIS launches EcoPol Survey
The Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS), Inc. launches a City-Wide Social Survey that assesses the knowledge in terms of awareness, attitude in terms of satisfaction of the citizens, and the practices in terms of their encounter with the various ecological policies in Davao City, translated in the city ordinances and executive orders. Dubbed as EcoPol or Ecological Policies Survey, the research will consist of a field survey and an online survey. In the field survey, researchers will use Kobo Toolbox, a paperless data collection system in interviewing residents. For the online survey, the researchers will use Google Forms, in which the link will be deployed on the IDIS’s social media page. The goal is to secure one hundred ten (110) respondents for the field survey and one hundred (100) respondents for the online survey. The participants for the field survey will be through Selective-Opportunistic sampling from eleven administrative districts of the city, namely, Poblacion, Talomo, Agdao, Buhangin, Bunawan, Paquibato, Baguio, Calinan, Marilog, Toril, and Tugbok. The researchers will interview 10 residents in each district. The online survey is also programmed and open to all residents in the city only. “Through this research, we will be able to identify what local ecological ordinances and executive orders are common and uncommon to Dabawenyos. The result and recommendations of this research will be forwarded to concerned offices to fill the gaps and strengthen its IEC campaign regarding those policies,” Justin Joshua Pungyan, IDIS Environmental Research Officer, said. The research will ask the participants about the following environmental policies in the city No Smoking Ordinance, Rainwater Harvesting Ordinance, No to Single Use Plastics (SUP) Ordinance, Ecological Solid Waste Management Ordinance, Ordinance Prohibiting the Release of Flying Balloons and Lighted Sky Lanterns, the Watershed Code, Ordinance regulating trekking activities and other recreational activities within the Watershed Areas, the Amended Bicycle Ordinance, Lead-Safe Ordinance, the Dabaw Lunhaw Awards, and the Ordinance on Organic Agriculture. Cumpara baterie de tractiune in Romania https://batteriesromania.com/ . Yvette Balayon-Mahinay, IDIS Knowledge Management Officer, also added, “Majority of these environmental policies have been implemented for more than five years. There are also ordinances that might still be unfamiliar to some Dabawenyos. The study will deliver strategic recommendations on intensifying the campaign to achieve a more sustainable City.”
Everyday Heroes of Brgy Mintal: Mintal Resource Collectors
Even before the pandemic, the city government of Davao and the different environmentalist groups were already anticipating the exhaustion of the 11.75-hectare landfill the City currently uses in Carmen, Tugbok District. City started experiencing the pandemic, waste produced by the City increased from 600 to 650 tons per day. Among the most effective strategies indicated in the Ecological Waste Management Act (RA9003) of waste management, is a systematic recovery and collection of waste as “resource” materials. Brgy. Mintal has been paving the way in providing promising interventions in the City’s solid waste problem. One particular group that has been crucial in this effort is the Mintal Resource Collectors Association (MiRCA). This group is organized and capacitated by PHINLA, a partnership project of the World Vision Development Foundation, EcoWaste Coalition, Kinaiyahan Foundation, and Sustainable Davao Movement, and is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Global Development (BMZ). Brgy. Chairman Rey Amador Bargamento shared that as early as 2013, Mintal had intentionally intensified segregation at the source. There was high compliance, but logistic limitations took a toll on their campaign. They had no clear collection schedule and had only one mini dump truck catering to 23 areas. With the help of PHINLA and MiRCA, they could divert a chunk of their solid waste and help resource collectors earn. From January to March this year, the group has collected more than 18 tons of recyclable wastes, such as cardboard boxes (karton), PET bottles, plastic scraps, etc., earning as much as 138,000 for that span of months. They covered 65% of the households in Brgy Mintal or about 3000 households. MiRCA and their families face greater hardships and challenges despite being an essential part of the City’s solid waste management ecosystem. Often, their efforts are unrecognized by the community and the local government. These heroes and heroines were not born to collect trash, but they do it with pride. Randy C. Irog, MiRCA President, shared that they struggled during the start of their efforts, but throughout the time, they have been welcomed by the households already. They are thankful for the different sectors’ support as they now earn monthly from waste picking/resource picking to support their daily needs. They also aim to expand their coverage and are hopeful that a similar approach will be applied in other Barangays of the City. official zlibrary domain z lib . Find free books Their work is also vital in this time of health crisis and climate change. Along with our health care workers, resource collectors are doing their part in securing everyone’s health by pushing for healthy ecosystems and proper sanitation and waste disposal.
IDIS Statement on the amendment of the South Cotabato Environment Code
We strongly condemn the railroading of the amendment of the Environment Code of South Cotabato, specifically the lifting of the ban on Open-Pit Mining. The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of South Cotabato did not consider the magnitude of the effects their actions have on the people and the environment, not only in South Cotabato. With this action alone, it will affect multiple watersheds of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao and Davao del Sur. Further, it will also threaten the ecological integrities of Allah Valley (102,000 hectares) in Sultan Kudarat, the watershed of the Padada River (120,000 hectares) in Davao del Sur, and the watershed of the Marbel River (122,000 hectares) in the Province of Cotabato. Watersheds are geographical ecological units, and what happens in one part of the watershed will influence the whole watershed from forests, agricultural, urban, and coastal to estuarine ecosystems due to its geomorphological characteristics, connected rivers and tributaries at the surface, and including groundwater reserves. Open-Pit or Strip Mining is a metallic mining method assessed as one of the most extensively difficult to mitigate and manage; its impacts do not focus on one contained area. It also requires mass deforestation and removing 20-30 meters of the laterite zone to access the metallic resources underneath. This Larg-scale industry demands enormous hectares of land for operational processes from stripping, extraction, and tailings treatment, to ship loading and refinery. Furthermore, the Tampakan Open-Pit Mining will demand and use groundwater resources and transport highly toxic wastewater through a 150-km pipe from the Municipality of Malalag draining to Davao Gulf. There is a treatment process presented, however, the risks of overland flow, flooding disasters, or possible collapse of tailings ponds will inevitably impair marine and aquatic biodiversity, fish stocks, and aquaculture in the coastal areas, similar to the incident in Mapagba River in Banaybanay last January 2022. The Open-Pit Mining in Tampakan will hugely affect the long-term viability and sustainability of these watersheds that currently provide ecological services and natural resources to the people of South-Central Mindanao. The Tampakan Open-Pit Mining will become the largest mining in Southeast Asia. According to the project information, it is estimated to extract 2.94 billion tons of metallic resources, 15 million tons of copper, and 17.6 million ounces of Gold. According to S&P Global Market, Open-Pit mining emits a vast amount of greenhouse gases than underground mining methods. On average, copper mining emits 2.3-2.5 tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) per ton of metal and nearly 1 ton of CO2 emitted per ounce of gold produced. Combining both Copper and Gold extractions, it is estimated that around 55 million tons of CO2 will be added to the country’s greenhouse gas contribution. Hence, this is ironic to our country’s commitment during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow that said it is moving ahead with urgency in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and committed to reducing its emissions by 75% in 2030. Our fight does not end here! We call the people of South Cotabato to make their voices louder against open-pit mining. We call on the people of the Davao Region, particularly Davao del Sur, to participate in this issue, as we will also be affected by the impacts of this project. We appeal to the Provincial Governor of South Cotabato, Reynaldo Tamayo, Jr., to listen to the voices of the people and veto the amendments to the Environment Code. As the maxim goes, “Salus populi est suprema lex”. The government of South Cotabato should always keep in mind that the welfare of the people is the supreme law. In these times of pandemic, climate emergency, and increasing population, protecting our watersheds for many generations is not mere compliance but rather an indispensable action of our generation.