Groups push mangrove reforestation as coastal defense

MANILA, Philippines — Several groups are pushing for mangrove reforestation for coastal defense while urging government to stop land-use conversion, destructive mining and infrastructure projects to address flooding, especially during typhoons.

In a statement yesterday, militant fishers’ group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) urged the Marcos administration to pursue reforestation of mangroves as a measure to prevent intense flooding caused by sea-level rise, devastating storm surges and other threats of climate change.

“The destruction of mangrove forests exposes fishing families to damaging floods and storm surges. Mangroves are vital to marine ecosystem and biodiversity as they serve as fish sanctuaries, pollution filters and defense for coastal communities,” Pamalakaya national spokesman Ronnel Arambulo said.

The group said it was under President Marcos’ late father’s regime when mangrove forests were wiped out in favor of massive conversion of coasts into fishpond areas, which culture aquatic species for export.

Enacted in 1975, Marcos Sr.’s Presidential Decree 704 allowed massive destruction of mangrove forests through its Fishpond Lease Agreement provision.

“In the 1920s, mangrove forests used to cover almost 450,000 hectares. But just two years after the PD 704 was enacted, mangrove forests drastically shrunk to 220,243 hectares due to rapid conversion of coastal areas into fishponds owned by big-fishing and exporting firms. Unless Marcos Jr. recognizes that it was during his late dictator father’s term when vast tracts of mangroves and forest covers were wiped out, his statement for tree planning is nothing but pure lip service,” Arambulo said.

But more than tree planting, government should stop environmentally destructive projects such as large-scale mining, quarrying and land reclamation activities to restore the environment.

“Environmental protection is more than just tree planting and recognizing the climate crisis; it is taking concrete steps to protect our natural resources against destructive and profit-driven activities such as reclamation and land-use conversion,” Arambulo said.

“For starters, the Marcos administration can openly reject reclamation projects in Manila Bay and instead restore its mangrove forests and seagrasses that were cleared for reclamation and conversion over the years,” he added.

In the same vein, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) also said the “administration must rein in and decisively stop large-scale mining operations, illegal logging, quarrying and other destructive projects.”

KMP chairman emeritus Rafael Mariano said preservation of forests should start with an effective moratorium on land-use conversion projects and the rescinding of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order 130 that lifted the ban on new mining agreements.

The group said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is said to be fast-tracking the approval process of mining projects in Caraga and Zamboanga peninsula involving Earth Tools and Development Corp., Holcim Resources and Development Corp., CEKAS Development Corp. and the TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc.

The agency also recently approved at least 35 mining explorations permits.

KMP also called for significant relief and rehabilitation efforts for flood victims – farmers from hard-hit provinces of Quezon, Panay, Negros Occidental and Cagayan Valley and fisherfolk from Aklan and Cavite.

The group likewise called on the national and local governments to be thoroughly transparent on the utilization of calamity funds and quick response funds.

Based on annual Commission on Audit (COA) reports, the annual utilization rate of available calamity funds is below 60 percent.

The farmers’ group said it will ask Congress to exercise its oversight function to probe if the calamity funds are conscientiously disbursed.

Compensation

Ahead of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of Parties (COP27) next week, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said the Philippines should ask for calamity fund resulting from climate-related disasters.

Salceda, House committee on ways and means chairman, said countries like the Philippines should ask for “more direct compensation mechanisms and funds that can be activated as soon as climate-related disasters take place.”

“If the world won’t achieve consensus on loss and damage, we at least need a global ‘quick response fund’ similar to our calamity fund but funded by countries according to their pollution contributions and accessed by countries as soon as climate-related disasters affect them,” he said.

Salceda said the fund can be administered by a committee where both developed and developing countries are represented.

“Mitigation and adaptation measures are not enough. They’re good, but not enough. And coming from a disaster like Paeng, we have the moral duty and moral ascendancy to make demands to the world’s biggest polluters,” he said.

Earlier, Salceda said the country should continue to push for acknowledgment and compensation for “loss and damage” from climate change-related calamities.

“Climate change kills. There is loss and damage. And countries like the Philippines that are the most at-risk due to its impacts have a moral responsibility and the moral ascendancy to fight for the principle of loss and damage,” he added.

Salceda, who used to be co-chair of the United Nations Green Climate Fund, will be part of the Philippine delegation to COP27 to be held from Nov. 6 to 18 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

Land use law

Without a national land use law that will prohibit communities from locating in disaster hazard zones and an honest-to-goodness disaster preparedness drills done in the barangay down to the sitio level, the country will continue to suffer disasters with a big number of casualties.

Science Secretary Renato Solidum said there was already a good database in the country of hazard maps identifying so-called danger or “red zones” prone to landslides and severe flash floods where houses should not be built.

“I think the issue is there is no land use act yet that must be followed,” Solidum said in a virtual interview with “The Chiefs” on Cignal TV’s One News Tuesday night.

While such land use regulations can be done at the local level, a national regulation that can be enforced by the national government is needed.

“But we can have it at the national level and then strictly enforced. But if there is no law prohibiting people to stay within certain areas, then it cannot be implemented,” Solidum said.

“Now, the other thing that must be done is to really have a landslide and flash flood evacuation,” he said. “We must have a procedure. Even if there is warning but if the people don’t understand what the procedure will be, then there will be casualties.”

This two-pronged effort, Solidum said, could bring about the institutionalization of efforts in terms of preparedness, especially for landslides and flash floods.

“Unless we have an institutionalized disaster risk reduction and management system, and this would trickle down to the local level and (get the community to) participate in drills, we will see this as a problem,” he said.

Get act together

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr., a civil engineer by profession, said the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) should be coordinated in their efforts to take pro-active measures to prevent the loss of lives during calamities.

Gonzales highlighted the need for such an arrangement between the two departments, particularly because areas near Mt. Arayat in the town of Arayat, Pampanga have complained of debris cascading down the mountain.

The House official who hails from the 3rd District of Pampanga also appealed to the local government of Arayat as well as the provincial government of Pampanga to help the DPWH and the DENR prevent such occurrences in the future.

The DPWH proposed the installation of debris flow barriers along Sapang Maeyagas creek. These barriers are composed of interlinked rings able to stop larger debris flow and absorb energy.

Water and other small materials may pass through the system.

Other recommendations are the construction of slope protection structures, delineation and avoidance of risk areas, installation of effective early warning devices and evacuation, dredging and maintenance of original drainage and water flow and clearing creeks.

‘Evacuation better than rescue’

Salceda added that timely evacuations should be the goal as it is better than later resorting to search and rescue operations that could have been avoided.

“I would argue that evacuation would be more important than rescue. Rescue missions risk the lives of first responders, as we just experienced a few weeks ago in Bulacan. And, if things go really bad, rescue is often too late,” he said.

Along with early evacuation, the congressman underscored the importance of an organized and systematic preparation and pre-positioning of relief goods, particularly in low-lying areas that have always been prone to flooding.

For Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr., efforts to repair and reconstruct damaged roads and bridges must be expedited by government as they badly affect people’s livelihood.

The chairman of the Senate committee on public works wrote the DPWH to ask for the hastening of efforts to the repair and reconstruction all road and bridge infrastructure damaged by Paeng.

In his letter to Secretary Manuel Bonoan, he mentioned the Bantilan Bridge linking Sariaya, Quezon and San Juan, Batangas; the Paliwan Bridge connecting the Antique towns of Laua-an and Bugasong; the Nituan Bridge in Parang, Maguindanao and the collapsed Romulo Bridge in Bayambang, Pangasinan. – Sheila Crisostomo, Rainier Allan Ronda, Delon Porcalla, Cecille Suerte Felipe