IDIS to Apo Agua: Obey EIS rules
The watershed advocacy group Interface Development Interventions (IDIS) reminded officials of the Apo Agua Infrastructura Inc. (AAII) to follow the protocols provided by the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) law in conducting public consultations. In a statement IDIS said it has received information from their partner communities in Gumalang and Tawantawan barangays that Apo Agua went ahead with its public consultation regarding its Tamugan Bulk Surface Water Treatment project last November without informing the Watershed Management Council (WMC) secretariat or its representatives to join the consultation. In a report submitted by the Watershed Multipartite Monitoring Team (WMMT) to the WMC, it recommended that the Apo Agua “conduct consultations in all barangays covered by the project including the IP communities with proper narrative and photo documentation to ensure proper documentary evidence and with the presence of the WMMT.”
Walk the talk on renewable energy, ecologists dare P-Noy
DAVAO CITY—Local environmental groups challenged President Aquino to show his sincerity when he bragged about his administration’s push for renewable energy while inaugurating the first of a series of coal plants to be operating soon in Mindanao. “If the Aquino administration is sincere in its rhetoric of inclusive development, it should prioritize community-based renewable-energy solutions. It should be people-led and not corporate-driven,” said Dr. Jean Lindo, cochairman of the environmental network Panalipdan Mindanao. The group has been criticizing Malacañang for alleged “bias for corporate-led development, which favors projects like the coal-fired power plants.”
Coal still “clear, present threat” to Davao water
DAVAO CITY – An official of the Aboitiz Power dismissed the fears of environmentalist on the harmful effects of the newly inaugurated coal fired power plant here saying they will not do anything bad for the city. The 300 megawatts coal fired power plant was inaugurated yesterday in Barangay Binugao, Toril district. The event was graced by President Benigno Aquino III and other national and local officials. The power plant currently supplies power to more than 20 electric cooperatives and distribution utilities in Mindanao.
Reforestation revives ‘baboy ihalas’ population in Davao watershed
MEMBERS of the Bantay Bukid, a Watershed Management Council (WMC)-deputized forest guard volunteer group, have reported frequent sightings of the native wild pigs along the slopes of Mt. Tipolog, in Barangay Tawantawan, in the Panigan-Tamugan Watershed. “In previous years, we have rarely seen the baboy ihalas in these parts. Now, we encounter them frequently, especially when we conduct our regular inspection trek of Mt. Tipolog,” said Stephen Matondo, Bagobo tribal elder and Bantay Bukid team leader for the Sumpitan area. The Philippine warty pig, Sus philippinensis, is categorized by the International Union of Conservation for Nature (IUCN) as a Vulnerable species due to habitat loss, over-hunting and genetic hybridization.
Groups call for ban on aerial spraying on banana plantations
MANILA, Philippines – Various civil society groups on Tuesday called on Congress to pass the long delayed bill banning aerial pesticide spraying in banana plantations nationwide. The groups, including Mamamayan Ayaw sa Aerial Spraying (MAAS), said that the controversial agricultural method brings more harm than good to local communities and the environment. “Beyond its supposed economic benefits, aerial spraying is a daily menace to our communities and to the environment,” MAAS President Dagohoy Magaway said.
Watershed trees lost to ravages of El Niño
DAVAO CITY — About 300 various seedlings out of 1,000 planted in the city’s watershed areas under an agro-forestry program did not survive the dry spell brought about by the prevailing El Niño, the environmental group Interface Development Interventions, Inc. (IDIS) reported. IDIS Program Coordinator Chinke Pelino said the group has temporarily stopped planting activities and intends to resume by June in the hope of rain brought about by the wet season. The Philippine weather bureau has issued an advisory saying that the current mild El Niño could extend to the second half of the year.