The luck of the draw?

If the revenues to government were the same, which would be a better proposition: supporting an industry that builds up structures, develops destinations and create jobs, or an industry that unearths, blasts, drills and displaces communities?

In the on-going debates about mining in the Philippines, I have not heard anyone make such a comparison. Some have talked about tourism as an alternative to mining but no one actually spelled out the physical difference in the over all impact of each industry.

While the DENR always talks about environmental impact, isn’t it strange that the DENR or the government has always been tough regarding the environmental impact of building hotels and resorts on one hand and then actually issues permits to mining companies that cause a million times more damage on the environment simply by the nature of its operations?

Hotels and resorts incorporate every available technique in order to be cost efficient and environmentally friendly. They add more plants, trees and even adopt xeriscaping where they choose plants that require little water. More than landscaping, the idea is to bring down temperatures in their location and maintain cool environments. Many resorts are directly responsible for creating marine sanctuaries, restoring and protecting coral reef areas and educating thousands of tourists annually on how to care for marine life.

Mining companies “need” to tear up the earth, cut down mature trees in order to make access roads. Only after they cut their way through, do they replant seedlings that will take 20 to 30 years to mature if the disturbed areas are actually left suitable for such. Hotels and resorts outside Metro Manila also build access roads but in contrast they avoid cutting down trees and even add more to create the proper ambience.

The biggest difference in REAL and truthful terms is that hotels and resorts build up tourist destinations and tourist attractions. Every place tourism sprouts, the first to directly benefit are ordinary local residents who offer native style bed and breakfast, the sari-sari store, the tri-cycle driver, the fish vendor, the local beautician and masseur. When resorts or hotels come in, individuals get employment, small businesses come on line for the supply chain and a lot of idle land begins to gain value. Soon lots of people with lots of money come in.

When mining firms come in, the first thing you notice perimeter fences, armed guards, heavy equipment and mine waste. Once things become profitable for the mining company, the more armed guards they hire and the less welcoming they are to the public most especially to the media.

While I would like to have a “live and let live” attitude, the above comparison is an eye opener even for myself. Perhaps, President Noynoy should take his sweet time before selling the Philippines to the mining firms. Maybe he can set up a research committee to study the comparative benefits and experiences of ASEAN nations between Mining and Tourism. That should only take 3 to 4 weeks at the most. Then he would have an ASEAN wide perspective and not just of lobbyists.

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Once in a while the COMELEC does something that makes sense to me and I therefore throw in a vote of support for their efforts. Recently the COMELEC decided that the listing of Party list groups will no longer be done in alphabetical order but will be done in random.

I believe this decision reflects wisdom and fairness especially for the little known groups who truly represent marginalized sectors. It’s bad enough being an unknown entity struggling for representation, but it starts becoming a bum deal when your group lands in the very bottom of the list because of the alphabetical order.

While many may agree with the COMELEC decision, it seems that the Bayan and Gabriela groups have expressed their strongest objections to the random listing because they fear that “voters might get confused” and perhaps find it difficult if not tedious to search for the party list group they wish to vote for.

This perspective really caught my attention because from what I’ve known about the party list system, voters who choose to vote for a party list group do so because the group represents the marginalized sector that the voter belongs to or comes from. It’s almost like voting for your own relative, or Pinoys voting for the only Filipina or half-Filipina in American Idol. You vote with a purpose and a pre-determined choice. The only difficulty or discomfort would be sifting through the jumbled or random list of groups.

If anything, the COMELEC decision may reduce the “incidental” or “lazy” votes of people who go to the polls without a pre-determined party list group in mind and just pick the first “familiar” name in the list. In this case, Bayan and Gabriela may possibly lose those lazy votes. Either way, Bayan and most especially Gabriela have enough numbers and national prominence.

However things turn out with the random listing, Bayan and Gabriela already have enough public support to be worrying about their luck at the draw.

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As much as we reacted to the proposed House bill of party list Congressman Raymond Palatino, it’s only fair that we admire him for responding positively and quickly to the protests against his proposed bill. Palatino as reported in the news even went as far as giving an apology for creating such an uproar.

While disagreements are bound to happen in life, even passionate disputes, we must always give recognition to those who graciously give way in great debates for the greater good. In the mean time, it is also well worth the effort to study or reflect on Congressman Palatino’s perspective so that all of us can be considerate of others as well as moderate our “religious” fervor. Just like any right or privilege, once we abuse or offend others, those same rights will either be challenged if not taken away. We not only need to defend them, but we must also use them wisely.

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