Envi org lauds latest Bukidnon LGU resolution against plantation expansion
Davao City – The Interface Development Interventions, Inc. (IDIS) welcomed the latest resolution from the Municipality of Maramag in Bukidnon calling for a moratorium on the expansion of bananas and pineapple plantations in the area. “More and more Mindanawons are slowly realizing that watersheds are a valuable resource that is vulnerable to contamination from the harmful pesticides that these monocrop plantations use.”, said IDIS Executive Director Ann Fuertes. Fuertes pointed out that , like Davao City, plantations have been blighting the upland areas of Bukidnon. “Too much reliance on agro-industries like these will result in the irreparable damage to the environment by way of floods and contamination of water aquifers. This effect can be felt even in Davao City because the local watersheds here are part of the Davao River Basin ecosystem, which starts from Bukidnon and ends in Davao.”, she pointed out. The Davao River Basin system is one of the eight major river basins on Mindanao island. So important is this that the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) has made it one of its priorities in its island wide program on watershed management and rehabilitation. Fuertes called the Maramag resolution “a step in the right direction.” “ But to give it more teeth, LGUs should follow it up with an ordinance so that this moratorium can be implemented with the full backing of the law.”, she added. On a national policy level, Fuertes said the Aquino administration should repeal Executive Order 807, issued by former president, Macapagal-Arroyo, to stop plantations from further exploiting the precious forest resource. “The root cause for this unrelentless expansion is because the previous administration has lifted the restrictions in the allowable size for banana plantations.”, she said, citing Executive Order 807 which lifted the limits for allowable hectarage for banana plantations. The restrictions on expansion were previously defined by laws (LOI 58 and LOI 709) made during the Marcos era which specifically puts limits to banana plantation areas to protect the country’s agricultural and forest lands. But EO 807 changed all that. “Now we are seeing the effect of unregulated expansion. From problems with pesticide contamination to soil erosion causing floods, by replacing our precious forest with monocrops, we are endangering the lives of our present and future generations.” “If we are to truly protect our watersheds on a long term basis, we should call for the repeal of EO 807 and impose limits on monocrop plantations .”, she said. (#)
Envi groups look forward to continued engagement with DENR on envi issues
DAVAO CITY – A month after the former Regional Executive Director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources was replaced, local environmentalists are eager to continue their engagement with the agency under its new Executive Director, Joselin Marcus Fragada. Interface Development Interventions, Inc. (IDIS) Executive Director Ann Fuertes said that the series of discussions begun by DENR earlier in the year should be continued so that the issues and concerns which were identified by environmental civil society organizations (CSOs) would be monitored with regards to their resolution. “Understandably, the regional DENR is in transition , following the assumption of the new Regional Director. But we look forward to the immediate resumption of DENR’s Interfacing Dialogue with CSOs so that we can follow up the agreements previously agreed upon so that we can track if these have been resolved.”, said Fuertes. Last January, the DENR XI had begun an interfacing activity with various environmental CSOs to find ways of collaboration among stakeholders for the management and protection of the natural resources in the region. The output of those discussions was the adoption of a matrix of issues and concerns , with their corresponding action points, which was constantly updated at every interfacing meeting. “There was a positive vibe coming off from that activity because it allowed us CSOs to thresh out and clarify issues with the DENR in a participative and collaborative manner.”, recalled Fuertes. “More importantly, it provided an opportunity for a convergence of activities from both sides, all for the goal of protecting the environment.” Among the issues identified for resolution in the matrix were qualified CSO representation in the Multipartite Monitoring Team (MMT) for banana plantations in Region 11 and access of CSOs to MMT reports submitted to the regional Environmental Management Bureau (EMB-XI) in the past five years. Also in the matrix is a commitment from DENR XI to take care of the remaining budget needed for the Watershed Management Council (WMC) activity of delineating the city’s watershed areas. “With the implementation of the Watershed Code already underway, it is imperative that the delineation of the areas protected by law should begin. Now that the City Government has already provided its own fund counterpart, it is about time that we follow up on the DENR’s commitment to provide its own share of technical and financial support as agreed upon during the discussions.”, said Fuertes.(#)
Indigenous trees help save the watershed, says envi org
DAVAO CITY – With more and more corporate social responsibility initiatives focusing on tree planting activities, the Interface Development Interventions, Inc. (IDIS) is calling to prioritize the use of indigenous species of trees in reforestation projects. “The use of indigenous trees takes into account that the local ecology is more conducive for native trees.”, said IDIS Executive Director Ann Fuertes. “If the goal of every reforestation activity is to recreate the forest ecosystem as close as possible to the original state of the forest, what better way to do this than by using native trees.” Until recently, reforestation efforts in the Philippines were undertaken using exotic species like gmelina and falcatta because they were easy to germinate and fast growing. But environmentalists contend that the use of exotic species leads to a negative impact on the local ecology because these are usually invasive and dominant over native species. “For instance, gmelinas are voracious nutrient absorbers. They deplete the environment of water and other nutrients that other plants need.”, Fuertes pointed out. “This is why conventional reforestation efforts failed in the past. The use of exotic species failed to ensure forest biodiversity , leading to the failure of forest habitat restoration.” The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has also embraced this paradigm shift with the emphasis of its National Greening Program on planting indigenous trees. By partnering with CSOs like IDIS, the DENR ensures the establishment of nurseries which will nurture indigenous tree saplings to meet the project demand. Through the NGP , DENR hopes to plant 1.5 billion trees in around 1.5 million hectares of public land for six years, starting from 2011 to 2016. In one such nursery established in Brgy Tawantawan, members of IDIS’s partner people organization, the Mt. Tipolog Bantay Kinaiyahan Association (MTBKA), care for various saplings of apitong, almaciga, lawaan and narra .These saplings will later be used as part of the rehabilitation efforts along the slopes of Mt. Tipolog. “More important, is that the use of indigenous tree species allows us to protect the watershed ecosystem. Since these trees have already adapted to the local soil and climate and generally require less water and fertilizer, the water in the underground aquifers will remain healthy and sufficient for generations of Dabawenyos.”, Fuertes said. (#)
Aquino fails to deliver promise for environment
MEMBERS of the Mamamayan Ayaw sa Aerial Spraying (Maas) gives President Benigno Simeon Aquino III a failing grade. Dagohoy Magaway, Maas president, said the failing grade reflects the dismal record of the President for not fulfilling the promises he made during his electoral campaign, especially the banning of aerial spraying in banana plantations in the country. Magaway said it has been two years since Aquino assumed his post but until now, he has not yet handed down an Executive Order banning aerial spraying which is pending before the Supreme Court. “We’re very disappointed because until now thousands of rural communities are continuously suffering toxic pesticide drift coming from these spraying planes, while we await the court ruling,” Magaway said. Magaway said according to National Task Force Against Aerial Spraying (NTFAAS), a national network of support groups backing up their campaign, the Department of Health (DOH) and Commission on Human Rights (CHR) have already reaffirmed their positions on the matter so that there is no reason for Aquino to ignore their request. Chinkie Pelino, specialist of the Interface Development Interventions (Idis) Police Advocacy, said at the executive level, Aquino tasked the Philippine Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) to consolidate all government actions related to this issue. “But during the course of the consultation-workshop, the Maas was not invited to air their stand on the matter,” Pelino said, adding that this poses a concern for Maas as their position in banning aerial spray might be set aside in favor of the banana agricultural companies. Magaway added that their members have already witnessed the resumption of aerial spraying in agricultural districts in Calinan, where Maas does not have a strong membership base. Magaway recalled that in 2001, they received reports of three barangays in the Third District which use aerial spray. The Maas and Idis reiterated their call to the President to fulfill his promise and stop the dangerous practice of aerial spraying in the country. Magaway said if Aquino wants to be known in history as a President who stuck to the straight road, he should fulfill his campaign promises to bring environmental justice to the countless Filipinos. (Ivy C. Tejano, Sunstar Davao
Upland communities conduct 3D mapping of Davao’s watersheds
DAVAO CITY – For the first time, a detailed three dimensional (3D) map of the Panigan-Tamugan and Talomo-Lipadas watersheds will be created, with representatives from the upland communities taking an active part in its design and creation. Around 78 representatives from 53 local barangays and the Barangay Watershed Management Council (BWMC) turned up at the Tawantawan ElementarySchool in Barangay Tawantawan, Baguio District in Calinan, last Monday to attend an orientation on participatory 3D modelling and land use coding. The activity, which was organized by the environmental non-government organization Interface Development Interventions (IDIS), signalled the launch of the two-week 3D modelling and land use coding activity which aims to creat a model showing the extent of land use activities in the Talomo-Lipadas Watershed, which is the present source of water for Dabawenyos, and the Panigan-Tamugan Watershed, the future source of the city’s drinking water. IDIS Executive Director Ann Fuertes said that this activity will strengthen Davao City’s efforts to implement the Watershed Code. “The output of this activity, which is a 3D relief model of the two watersheds, will further help the city’s efforts to delineate the environmentally critical areas of our watersheds by giving a “bird’s eye view” of the whole environment, enhancing analytical skills and broadening viewpoints , particularly on how the upland is interconnected with the lowland.”, she said. “This will be particularly helpful in dealing with issues and conflicts associated with territory and resource use, especially in the implementation of the Watershed Code.”, Fuertes said. Using USAID funds coursed through the Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE), IDIS commissioned the Philippine Association for Intercultural Development Foundation (PAFID) to facilitate the activity. The PAFID, a nongovernment organization assisting indigenous communities, have long excelled in participatory 3d modelling, having used it with their partner indigenous communities for decades. As a community-based tool, the Participatory 3D modelling combines Geographic Information System (GIS)-generated data and the local community’s indigenous knowledge to create a stand-alone relief model. This provides stakeholders with an efficient and user friendly model which can be used as a basis for planning and management of the watershed areas. Tawantawan Barangay Captain Danny Gumapac, who welcomed the guests to the activity, said that he cannot help but be excited for this activity since this will help clarify issues of land use among upland communities. “ I hope this will be able to help the delineation activity but the success of this modelling is dependent on the cooperation of all the barangays present in the watershed areas. Together, we can make this model as realistic as possible with our total cooperation for this activity.”, he said. The use of 3D models in the context of collaborative natural resource management is not new. Since 1997, 3D models have been used to support the Ancestral Domain Claims of various indigenous groups. The Philippine government also uses this tool for its projects; currently, 8% of the initial 209 components of the National Integrated Protected Area System (NIPAS) have their own 3D models. “When completed, the model will also be an excellent tool for raising awareness on the hydraulics of watershed systems”, Fuertes added, referring to the upstream-erosion and downstream-sedimentation effects. Once finished, the 3D model will be turned over to the City Government which plans to display it in the People’s Park. (#)
18 container vans of logs held in Davao
DAVAO CITY—Operations against illegal logging continue, leading to the seizure on Friday of at least 18 container vans packed with hot lumber at a major port in this city. The National Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force seized the container vans at Sasa Wharf following the seizure of dozens of container vans with illegal lumber in Manila recently. Louie Ceniza, intelligence officer of the task force, said the seized container vans here could be part of a bigger shipment of illegal lumber destined for Manila. Authorities stepped up the campaign against logging after an angry President Aquino, during the anniversary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), declared war on logging syndicates, saying an executive order that he issued putting a stop to all forms of commercial logging is being challenged by logging syndicates. The President said he was “accepting the dare” of the syndicates. Last week, 55 container vans of hot lumber shipped from Davao were intercepted at North Harbor in Manila. Ceniza said the seized lumber on Friday was estimated to be worth at least P4 million. “The joint operation was a follow up to the one in Manila. The team will continue with the investigation and trace the consignees of the confiscated lumber,” Ceniza said. Following the President’s statement on logging, authorities intensified the government’s campaign against illegal logging, focusing on logging syndicates operating in Southern Mindanao and Caraga. More than 30 officials of the DENR in the two regions have been fired after Mr. Aquino said in his DENR speech that he knew of the connivance between logging syndicates and some DENR officials. The environment group Panalipdan, however, said the sacking of the DENR officials in Mindanao did not translate into “pogi points” for the President. Francis Morales, a leader of Panalipdan, said if the President really wanted to make a difference, he should start by removing Environment Secretary Ramon Paje. Morales said the government’s campaign to protect the environment would not be effective if only the small fry were removed from office. Ann Fuertes, executive director of the group Interface for Development Interventions, said her group was “happy” that there was an investigation going on and that it hoped justice would prevail for the environment and for innocent people. “It is high time that we strengthen our monitoring system, to involve the barangays and the local communities. Customs [officials] should be investigated, too, and be involved in the monitoring,” she said. (Ayan Mellejor and Germelina Lacorte, Inquirer Mindanao)