LECTURE NO.

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Philippine Environmental Advocacy and Education

I. FORESTS
 A focal ecosystem.
 Plays a very crucial ecological role in soil and
water conservation.
 Acts as carbon sink that traps carbon dioxide
released in the atmosphere (a hectare of
vegetated forests can trap a ton of carbon
dioxide every year).
 Can moderate local climate
 Serves as efficient watersheds, collecting and regulating the flow of water
supply which can be tapped for household and industrial use, or
agricultural irrigation.
 Prevents flash floods, control soil erosion and water pollution.
 Source of wood, water, and power
 Host one of the world’s richest plant and animal species

CRITICAL ISSUE: Massive deforestation

Table 1. Change in Forest Land Area

Forest Cover Proportion to Total Deforestation Rate
Year
(million hectares) LAND AREA (%) (hectares / year)
1575 27.5 92.0 22,917
1863 20.9 70.0 35,088
1920 18.9 64.0 78,571
1934 17.8 57.3 191,667
1970 10.9 36.3 350,000
1980 7.4 24.7 120,000
1990 6.2 20.7 120,000
1997 5.4 18.0 114,286
Source: Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, IBON Foundation Inc, 2000

Major causes:
1. Large scale logging activities (legal and illegal) either to produce timber or
to clear lands for other purposes.
2. Natural calamities such as forest fires, volcanic eruptions, weather
disturbance

Environmental Issues:
1. Increasing number of endangered plant and animal species
2. Deforestation-induced erosion, causing flash floods
3. Destruction of watersheds, causing siltation problems
4. Displacement and dislocation of the indigenous peoples and upland
dwellers.

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II. AGRICULTURAL LANDS

 Crucial life-support system

 Its cultivation has been developed by society to
regularly meet food needs and to provide raw
materials basic for the needs and development
of a society.
 13 million hectares (93%) of the 14.2 million
hectares of alienable and disposable land are
classified as agricultural lands.
 Primary agricultural crops: rice, corn, coconut
and sugar cane.
 Philippine soils are classified to define the best suitable crops and land
use. The basis for land classification are slope criterion, soil type drainage,
climate and soil cover.

CRITICAL ISSUE: Land degradation

Table 2. Extent of Soil Erosion by Island Grouping, 1993 (in percent)

Erosion Classes Luzon Visayas Mindanao
No apparent erosion 57.7 16.9 25.4
Slight 46.6 19.3 34.1
Moderate 48.2 17.0 34.1
Severe 32.7 21.2 46.1
Unclassified 50.0 25.0 25.0
Source: Bureau of Soils and Water Management, IBON Foundation Inc, 2000

Major Causes:
1. Erosions in grasslands and pasturelands
2. Destructive practices such as deforestation, rampant misuse of farm
chemicals

Environmental Issues:
1. Topsoil loss results in the loss of soil’s organic matter and moisture
holding capacity, which then causes increased run-off, reduced infiltration,
and poorer seedbed qualities.
2. Heavy reliance on farm chemicals has resulted in increased soil acidity,
increased nutrient load of surrounding water bodies due to fertilizer run-
off, decreased pest resistance and genetic erosion accompanied by
increased crop vulnerability to pests and diseases.

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III. Coastal and Marine Resources

 Provide food, raw materials and ecological

balance.
 The Philippine archipelago has the longest
discontinuous coastline in the world.
 The country’s marine area (classified as
coastal and oceanic waters) measures about
seven times its land area.
 The country’s coral reef area, the breeding ground of marine life, is
identified to be the richest in the world with 488 species in corals in 78
genera.

CRITICAL ISSUE: Depletion of fish resources

TABLE 3. Volume and Value of Municipal Fish Production

Proportion Value Proportion
Year Volume (MT)
to total (million P) to total
1990 1,131,866 45.2 19,300 36.9
1991 1,146,765 44.1 22,133 36.8
1992 1,084,360 41.2 22,656 34.6
1993 1,013,969 38.5 22,031 31.3
1994 992,578 36.4 24,475 30.5
1995 972,043 34.9 26,464 31.8
1996 909,248 32.8 25,373 30.5
1997 942,466 34.0 27,393 33.9
1998 891,146 31.9 28,966 34.1
1999 918,781 32.6 30,751 34.2
Source: Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, IBON Foundation Inc, 2000

Major causes:
1. Overfishing
2. Degrading coral reefs
3. Mangrove conversion
4. Marine pollution

Environmental Issues:
1. Rampant coral reef destructions is attributed to siltation due to logging-
induced erosion and mining waste, and destructive fishing practices like
blast fishing, muro-ami fishing, and cyanide fishing, which all results to low
fish productivity.
2. Mangrove conversion into fishpond areas results to loss of natural nursery
grounds to numerous plant and animal species abound the area.
3. The quality of coastal water has deteriorated over time due to sewage and
industrial effluents from urban areas, mine tailings, oil from shipping
operations, and agricultural run-off.

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IV. Freshwater Resources

 Crucial life support system; can be used for

drinking, for household use, for irrigation in
agriculture, and for industrial and energy use.
 Rivers, streams and lakes are pathways for the
circulation of water on the planet.
 Rivers draining mountains are vehicles of
mineral nutrients and materials like silt,
pebbles, stones, rocks and live organisms.

CRITICAL ISSUE: Water shortage

Table 4. Summary of Water Grant Rights by Usage as of December 1999 (in Liters
per second)
Usage Surface Water Ground Water TOTAL
Domestic 126,182.26 37,144.53 163,326.79
Irrigation 1,981,159.03 24,250.36 2,005,409.39
Power 3,225,010.34 253.00 3,225,263.34
Industrial 187,527.77 10,682.13 198,209.90
Commercial 115.00 758.33 873.33
Livestock 2.63 309.15 311.77
Recreation 5,277.33 1,848.64 7,125.97
Fisheries 21,828.00 1,773.19 23,601.19
TOTAL 5,547,102.36 77,019.33 5,624,121.68
Source: National Water Resources Board, IBON Foundation Inc, 2000

Major causes:
1. Deterioration of water quality
2. Poor management and graft corruption

Environmental Issues:
1. Water quality degradation is attributed to various pollutive practices such
as direct waste dumping by domestic and industrial sources,
sedimentation by logging-induced soil erosion, siltation by mining, and
other ecologically disturbing agricultural practices.
2. Groundwater exploitation has resulted in salination or salt-water intrusion.
3. Polluted water and water quality degradation has been estimated to be the
cause of up to 80% of diseases such as cholera, diphtheria, typhoid,
amoebiasis and dysentery.

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V. Urbanization and Industrialization

 The result of rapid economic growth which

requires the development of centers of
industry, trade and other economic activities.
 The country’s level of urbanization as of 1990
is pegged at 48.6%. It was at 29.8% in 1960,
31.8% in 1970, and 37.5% in 1980.
 The country has 1,600 urban areas, 123 of
which are considered major and account for
45.5% of the country’s total population

CRITICIAL ISSUE: Pollution and overcrowding

TABLE 5: Squatter and Slum Population in 123 Major Urban Centers, 1990
Estimated
Urban Poor
Regions Number of Squatters % Population
Population
Areas
NCR 387 3,487,909 1,987,066 0.57
CAR 133,215
I 11 159,597 14,416 0.09
II 3 56,715 3,336 0.06
III 27 428,232 94,135 0.22
IV 14 389,068 39,162 0.10
V 16 265,467 32,544 0.12
VI 52 687,561 192,982 0.28
VII 44 790,980 95,397 0.12
VIII 9 149,776 28,302 0.19
IX 19 201,653 35,536 0.18
X 15 396,456 44,148 0.11
XI 10 590,368 286,942 0.49
XII 11 207,150 43,736 0.21
Philippines 618 7,944,147 2,897,702
Source: Philippine Commission on Urban Poor, IBON Foundation Inc, 2000

Major Causes:
1. Industrial development
2. Rural poverty and overpopulation

Environmental Issues:
1. The Philippine brand of “urbanization” has been equated to increased
garbage and waste generation and pollution.
2. Deterioration of air, water, and soil quality in premier metropolises and
industrialized sectors.
3. Congestion due to overpopulation.
4. Energy problems

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CASE STUDY 2A: Philippine Logging Policy, A Sustainable Development?

People thought that the period of Aquino would

be marked by the democratization of natural
resources and responsible utilization. It was
marked, instead, by intense debates on the
logging policy: Would it be for commercial
logging only or for all logging activities? Would
it be selective or total? A selective ban was
imposed, but it did not stop denudation which
reduced forest cover further to six million
hectares by 1991. A 12-year commercial ban
was approved in a Congressional committee, which nevertheless allows Timber
License Agreement (TLA) holders to shift to industrial tree plantations. However,
the national elections in 1992 caught up with the bill.

The new “democratic space” also provided a venue to push for land rights,
particularly to the ancestral domains. The distribution of Certificates of Ancestral
Domain Claims is a function of the DENR. However, in cases involving disputes
between the indigenous people and the loggers, the DENR favored the latter, as
in the case of C. Alcantara and Sons (Alsons) and the Ata-Manobos of
Talaingod. After the DENR favored the Alsons, the Ata-Manobos declared a
pangayao, a tribal war, to resolve the issue.

Part of Ramos rhetoric was the concept of “sustainable development” and yet
administration favors the implementation of the Forestry Code which allows
commercial logging. Ramos was once a shareholder in Greenbelt Wood
Products, Inc. which used to operate on a 45,440-hectare concession in Sultan
Kudarat. It was reported in 1991 to have continued operations even after its
license has expired.

Essentially, forestry still consists of timber extraction for export. However, the
Ramos government banned wood exports and opted to import wood and export
wood-processed products. It has essentially carried on the same weak policy on
forestry of the Marcos and Aquino Administration.

Philippine forestry is on a general decline. Who’s accountable?

Source: IBON Foundation Inc, 2000

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CASE STUDY 2B: Genetically Modified Food in the Philippines

Genetically modified (GM) food may be the object of

controversy abroad, especially in Europe, but here it
seems our government officials are oblivious to the
debate.

In 2000, local newspapers announced that the

National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines
(NCBP) has approved “in principle” experimental sites
for field tests of a GM variety of paddy rice.

Officers of the International Rice Research Institute

(IRRI) and the Philippine Rice Research Institute
(Philrice) said the NCBP had given its informal nod to
their proposed field test sites in Los Baños, Laguna
and Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, respectively (Business
World, 27 June 2000).

Translational agricultural firm Agroseed Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of US-

based Monsanto, already cultivated Bt corn from December 15, 1999 to March
18, 2000 in its research station in Bgy. Lagao, General Santos City (Business
World, 15 May 2000). Bt corn is designed to be resistant to the corn borer pest,
which is reported to destroy as much as 30% of the country’s yearly corn
harvests. The Department of Agriculture also announced that it was preparing
guidelines for the commercialization of GM farm commodities.

The project was implement under a technical assistance program funded by the
Accelerated Growth Investment and Liberalization with Equity (AGILE) Group, a
policy consultancy firm financed by the United State Agency for International
Development (USAID) (Business World, 26 May 2000).

Concerns have been raided that crops engineered to resist specific pests are
more prone to being infested by the very same pests that are suppose to fight.
The risks posed to human by GM organisms have also been strongly debated
over the past decade.

Source: IBON Foundation Inc, 2000

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CASE STUDY 2C: Philippine Marine Water Pollution

The quality of our coastal water has also

deteriorated over time. Major causes are
sewage and industrial effluents from
urban areas, mine tailings, oil from
shipping operations and agricultural run-
off.

No data is consolidated to show the

quality of coastal waters except that the DENR uses parameter to determine the
general condition of monitored bays which have been previously identified as
deteriorating. These are Manila Bay, Calancan Bay in Marinduque – the site of
tailings discharges of Marcopper Mining, and Honda Bay which exhibited high
levels of Mercury.

Pollution in Manila Bay peaked at the close of the eighties until 1991 when
coliform counts continuously increased. It is said to be on the downward trend
from 1991 to 1993.

Dissolved oxygen, nutrients and oil and grease are also found in Manila Bay. The
nutrient concentration, phosphates and nitrates, indicates that the pollution is
caused by run-off and urban wastewaters. On the other hand, the oil and grease
is to be expected. Manila Bay is the center of international and domestic shipping
operations. In general, Manila Bay is no longer recommended for swimming.

Calancan Bay is natural embayment in the northern portion of Marinduque. In the

mid-seventies up to the close of eighties, the bay was the dumping ground of
Marcopper Mining Corporation. It exhibits high concentrations of copper,
mercury, cadmium and lead.

The data of oil levels in selected marine waters is not updated. However, one
may conclude that the coastal waters very close to shipping and industrial
pressures exhibit high oil levels.

One indirect measure of water quality is the quality of marine products harvested.
Seven commercially important fish species and two shellfish species from 11
regions were tested and analyzed for metals and pesticide residues. Heavy
metals included copper, lead, mercury and zinc. Pesticide residues found were
Aldrin, a-BHC, Endosulfan, Endrin, among others.

“Red tide” is a marine involving an algal bloom. Usually, this is quite harmless.
However, in sheltered bays with restricted outflows, the algal bloom can kill fish
and other types of marine life. In some cases, the organisms may possess toxic
substances harmless to fish but fatal to humans.
Source: IBON Foundation Inc, 2000

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CASE STUDY 2D: Killing the Waters of Life

According to the DENR, not one among

then country’s 158 major rivers is safe
for drinking in its natural flowing state.
Fifty of the total 421 rivers in the country
including the four major rivers in Metro
Manila, four in Cebu, and four in Negros
Occidental are already considered
biologically dead. While the country’s 58
lakes have not been monitored on a
regular basis, the case of the
extensively studied Laguna Lake area
can be considered an example. The
Pasig River epitomizes the fate of river
systems in the country.

Monitoring of the quality of rivers, although not constantly done, uses measures
such as the level of dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration and the biochemical
oxygen demand (BOD). A low DO indicates that the water body renders the
water body fit for nothing else but navigation.

Data showing Pasig River rehabilitation efforts resulted in a 30% reduction in

BOD loading by 1996. While DO levels inn 1999 have improved, they are still
below desirable Class C DO levels (DAO 34), i.e., appropriate for fishery,
recreational and industrial water supply (manufacturing after treatment)
purposes. Water quality in four other rivers in Metro Manila has also deteriorated
over time due to indiscriminate dumping of raw sewage. San Juan River, one of
the two tributaries to the Pasig River is considered its dirtiest branch. On the
other hand, the Marikina River which connects to the Pasig River near the
Napindan Hydraulic Control Structure is relatively clean with its upper portion
classified under Class C. However, the river actually deteriorated from its quality
in 1975 when it was classified under Class A, i.e. appropriate for public water
supply. Class D rivers, i.e. appropriate only for agriculture, irrigation and livestock
watering are the Navotas-Malabon-Tullahan-Tinajeros River System and the
Paranaque-Zapote River System.

The freshwater ecosystems present various ironies. One, the country has vast
resources of freshwater, but is actually experiencing water shortages due to lack
to resources to bring water to the general populace. Two, freshwater resources
are degraded even before the entire population can benefit from them, primarily
because of a utilization pattern that does not give due regard for the government.
The third irony is that due to lack of other social services, housing and waste
management particularly, households as minor contributors to the degradation
are the ones who suffer much from waterborne diseases.
Source: IBON Foundation Inc, 2000

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CASE STUDY 2E: Urban Congestion

Urbanization is closely related to economic

growth. In the Philippines, however,
urbanization is simple defined s the increase in
population. There is a weak link between
urbanization and manufacturing activity and
employment. It appears that “urbanization” in
the Philippines has been driven largely by
urban population growth due to rural out-
migration.

Exploring one’s “fate in the cities” seems to be a popular option for rural folk
mired in poverty stemming from backward agriculture and unequal access to
resources. In addition, heavy militarization, the impact of government
infrastructure projects, and other negative repercussions of private forestry,
mining and plantation, resulted in the crowding of urban areas as unskilled
workers troop, only to find a similar plight. Eighty percent of these new urban
entrants ultimately find themselves in slum areas.

The Philippines has a housing backlog of 41,000 units yearly. From 1993 to
1998, the country’s housing deficiency was estimated at 3.726 million housing
units, but the National Shelter Program (NSP) committed to provide assistance to
only 1.2 million urban households. Of the housing need, 11.51%, or 429,000 will
cover the homeless and those in “danger areas” that need to be relocated. The
government can only assist 30% of these.

The government has actually defaulted on its obligation due to lack of funds. A
total of P188 billion was needed to realize the NSP target. But government could
only shell out P40 billion or 21% of the needing funding. The remaining P148
billion is expected to come from the private sector. This just goes to show that
population is not the cause of the deteriorating condition in the urban centers, but
the illusion of urban development which fails to cope with the influx of the
impoverished rural migrants. The failure rests primarily on the kind of
development that is actually happening and, at the very least, on the government
for turning over its responsibilities to the private sector.

Source: IBON Foundation Inc, 2000

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