More environment warriors needed

Compliance to environmental regulations is regarded as one of the biggest challenges in the Philippines. Not only is the government, which shoulders the biggest responsibility of ensuring compliance, beset by financial and human resource problems, but it also has to contend with wide-spread politicking.

If there is one good side to the country’s struggle to keep its environment safe from irresponsible businesses and uncaring humans, it is the fact that there are already adequate laws and regulations on the ground that would cover its intentions.

As early as 1977, the Philippines had issued its first basic law environment, the Philippine Environmental Policy, that was to become the basis for future acts that would further refine and improve governance intended to protect the environment for the current and future generations of Filipinos.

Even during those early years, this presidential decree issued by no less than former President Ferdinand Marcos already embellished the concept of sustainable environmental protection “to create, develop, maintain and improve conditions under which man and nature can thrive in productive and enjoyable harmony with each other.”

Over time, additional laws and regulations would be added on to the body of laws that we now have. For now, the national and local governments are adequately guided by conditions that govern the country’s air, land and water bodies to ensure the “attainment of an environmental quality that is conducive to life of dignity and well-being.”

An activist’s role

The basic evidence against weak compliance of environment laws through past decades is the emergence of the environment activist. Individually or through organized groups, this has served to refine laws governing the protection of our air, water and land.

Sometimes, the activist may take a radical position that results in a stalemate especially in terms of a business undertaking. An example of this would be our mining and other extractive sectors, which has generally been always at loggerhead with the environment warrior.

But overall, the presence of non-government organizations (NGOs) that advocate for more relevant environment laws as well as keener adherence to existing rules and regulations have had a positive effect, at least towards securing a better place for future Filipinos.

Pro-business activists

On the other side of the fence, but not to be considered as lackeys of business, are environment activists that believe in working within the system, specifically in trying to augment the enforcement role of government.

Such organizations, like the newly formed Philippine Business for Environment Stewardship, act as watchdogs of business by adopting their own scorecards to measure the compliance of companies with regards environmental stewardship.

These organizations, many of which have international affiliations and accreditations, are able to help to bring environmental activism to a more sophisticated level, especially with the global resources that they are able to mobilize.

The Philippine government, after all these years, clearly needs any help that can be gotten to ensure that there is compliance in enforcing its environment laws and regulations. The challenge indeed can be overwhelming when understanding the scope of environmental protection.

Industrial waste management

In the country, there are over 10,000 manufacturing plants that have to be monitored. Half of these can be found in the main urban centers including Metro Manila.

A cursory glance of the diversity of interests that are represented by industry, i.e., pulp and paper, alcohol and distilleries, food processing, textiles, plastics, will show the extent of potential pollution that can be expected.

In Metro Manila alone, it is estimated that about 35 percent of river pollution comes from industrial sources. This is separate from solid waste generation that comes from the manufacturing processes alone – or the air pollutants as well as heat generation that is produced.

Other sources of pollution

Of course, there are other sources of pollution aside from industry. In the metropolis, a large part of river pollution still comes from domestic liquid waste and uncollected solid waste that reaches the waterways when swept by rains.

The main government body responsible for this is the respective local government, but the task is one that could be more daunting than policing the ranks of business.

For this, more environmental activists are needed to augment those that generously donate their time and effort. The task is not just getting the actual pollutants away from the environment, but also changing people’s attitudes and lifestyles.

Thankfully, through the years, community initiatives such as recycling have helped reduce the amount of garbage that is produced by our modern “throw-away” society. A good example of this would be the proliferation of junk shops that incidentally have turned out to be successful micro-businesses.

A lot more needs to be done to help ensure that the environment laws that guide us will be enough to fulfill the social and economic requirements of present and future generation of Filipinos.

Technology has become a solid partner of humans in helping bridge the need for a sustainable environment with comfortable and decent living. Here, too, are environment activists that are trying to surmount the challenges of pollution in our everyday world.

Earth Hour

On Saturday, March 29, at 8:30 p.m., join millions of people all over the world in observing an hour of switching off all unnecessary electrical appliances and devices.

The act may not be much in terms of saving electricity, as many critics allege, but it helps raise awareness on how vulnerable our environment is now, and going into the future. It also underscores the importance of each and every one of us in doing his share for the environment.

By way of a personal temporary “switch-off,” I will go on my annual sabbatical leave starting April 1. My commentaries on issues of the day will resume on the 15th of April, 2014.

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Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 25th Floor, 139 Corporate Center, Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at [email protected]. For a compilation of previous articles, visit www.BizlinksPhilippines.net.