Group pushes environmental agenda to manage Philippine resources

MANILA, Philippines - A multi-sectoral group has proposed to the next administration the need for a new environmental agenda and nationwide cooperation to properly manage the country’s dwindling natural resources for the sustainable economic benefit of the people.

Dindo Manhit, president of Stratbase ADR Institute (ADRi) said:  “It is high time that genuine stakeholders push for an environmental agenda as we look forward to the next administration – an agenda that is truly responsible to the needs of our people without compromising sustainability for the sake of future generations.

 Carlos Primo “CP” David, Stratbase ADRi trustee, said that there are several issues and legal loopholes that the next government should address such as the scientific evaluation of biodiversity based on accurate base line data to ascertain the scientific basis for no-go zones as in the case of extractive industries such as mining.

 Under the present setup, David said the government allows local executives to give small-scale mining permits even if there is no capacity at the local level to monitor the impact and compliance to environmental regulations.

 Marlo Mendoza, associate professor of the University of the Philippines for forestry and natural resources, revealed that the alarming degradation of natural resources has been unabated for decades.

To illustrate this, Mendoza reported that during the 1900s the per capita of forest was at least 2.6 hectares per person which further decreased to only half a hectare in the 1960s and now with the population at 100 million, the per capita is down to a shocking 750 square meters per Filipino.

Artemio F. Disini, chairman of the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, said sustainable management of mining resources “means sustaining economic growth and development in a sustained manner so that the needs of the people are met and as well as the needs of those that are yet to be born.”

“Since the requirements of man in terms of raw materials can only be drawn or mined in terms of the natural environment, we need to consider both the resources and the environment on how it can be managed to provide future generations while also meeting the increasing needs of the expanding population,” Disini pointed out.

Ysan Castillo, secretary general of the Philippine Business for Environmental Stewardship stressed the urgency of an environmental agenda that integrates all sectors of the country and the need for government to upgrade the capacity of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Environment Management Bureau and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau to strictly enforce existing regulations.

“We should have some measure of what is sustainable by practicing environmental economics that integrate statistics to determine the environmental impact for a given economic activity,” said Castillo.