Kiana Marie M.

Fleischer February 26, 2020

GE 7 (STS) – C

Articles on the Environmental Protection Efforts of the Philippine Government

1. Canadian Shipping Containers of Trash

According to an article by Pia Ranada of Rappler, it was reported that about 69

container vans filled with approximately 2,000 tons of waste were illegally transported
from Canada to the Philippines (Ranada, 2019). It is important to note that between 2013
to 2014, Canada had also illegally dumped about 103 shipping containers filled with trash
in the country. However, Canada is not the only country responsible for illegal dumping in
the Philippines as Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Australia have also been reported
to have done it. Lea Guerrero of Greenpeace Philippines had explained that developed
countries prefer to send their waste shipments to developing countries because they have
‘weaker regulation and lower environmental standards’ (Corral, 2019). In response to this
issue, the Philippine government gave Canada a grace period to which they must transport
yet again their container vans. If unable to do so, the Philippine government would dump
the trash on Canadian shores. Hence, the Canadian government has vowed to pay for the
necessary expenditures to ship out the container vans of trash.
2. Boracay Clean-up and Rehabilitation

According to Melvin Gascon of Inquirer.Net, shortly after the presidential

elections, the then newly elected president, Rodrigo R. Duterte, had already put into
projects the rehabilitation of Boracay, a famous destination spot in the Philippines and
considered the crown jewel of tourism in the country. Prior to winning the elections and
during his campaign period in the island, he noticed a distinct smell of foul air. Hence, he
had commissioned certain agencies to investigate the problem to which was confirmed that
the waters were filthy as the sewage systems in the island were poorly designed. The
government decided to temporarily close-off the island from tourists as the issue could
possibly harm not only the reputation of the island but the health of tourists and locals as
well. The Interior Local Government Department has even sued Florencio Miraflores, the
Governor of Aklan with negligence. The town mayor of Malay, Ciceron Cawaling was also
suspended by the Ombudsman over the matter. The government stated that in order to keep
Boracay as a famous tourist destination, it is the “moral obligation of the people and the
government to make it clean, hygienic and safe.” (Gascon, 2018). After a six-month
extensive clean-up, Boracay once again, opened its doors for those that want to marvel in
the beauty of nature. The rehabilitation and restoration of Boracay that was orchestrated by
the Philippine government shows that it is possible to create a positive change if enforced
properly and if people cooperate for the sake of their love for the country (CNN Philippines
Staff, 2018).
3. The ‘Unflushed Toilet’ of Manila Bay

According to an article in Global Citizen by Joe McCarthy, the Philippines is

considered the third ranked country in the world to contribute to plastic pollution in the
oceans (McCarthy, 2019). Despite being one of the smallest countries in the world, it is
quite unfathomable how the Philippines could have ranked in such a large-scale issue.
However, statistics would say otherwise. On the internet, it is not uncommon to see reports
on the disastrous effects of garbage to the animals that thrive in the waters and on land.
More specifically, there are some instances of reports or encounters with dead whales who
wash up onshore with their guts filled with plastic waste. Also, reports on microplastics in
the fish that we eat has also shown itself in our social media timelines. Regarding plastic
pollution, it is quite obvious that this matter should be taken seriously and not for naught.
Manila Bay is one of the country’s famous tourist spots as it was once the place that
held pivotal moments in our country’s rich history and at present it is still considered so.
But as time had progressed, it has also become victim to pollution which is why the water
there is regarded to be unsafe to swim in. Hence, the Philippine Government and the
Philippine Military organized a large-scale clean-up for the Manila Bay to help reduce fecal
coliforms in the water. The participants of the coastal clean-up included employees of
government agencies, members of the academe, and different environmental and civic
groups which approximated to reach 20,000 individuals. The Department of Environment
and Natural Resources spearheaded the cleanup in different barangays in accordance with
the 2008 Supreme Court ruling the DENR and 12 other government agencies to “clean up,
rehabilitate and preserve Manila Bay for the enjoyment of the present and future
generations.” (Villanueva, 2019).
4. Open Dumpsite Shutdown and Sanitary Landfill Temporary Closure

In the month of November 2019, the Philippine Government represented by the

Department of Environment and Natural Resources ordered to shut down four (4) open
dumpsites in Pampanga. The dumpsites located in San Fernando, Bacolor and Porac were
found to have illegally operated. However, the government officials of the municipalities
have denied the allegations thrown at them explaining the matter. For the dump site in San
Fernando, officials have assured that it was not in fact a dumpsite but rather a City Transfer
Station. Open dumpsites pose a threat to not only the environment but to the health of those
in the community to which the area is situated. The trash found in the dumpsites were
domestic and sanitary waste. Under Philippine laws, “the establishment and maintenance
of an open dumpsite is strictly prohibited.”. (Del Rosario, 2019).
On February 20, 2020, Bataan Mayor, Antonio Joseph Inton, temporarily closed
the sanitary landfill exclusive to the province as they are investigating Econest Waste
Management Corporation regarding the environmental violations it has committed.
According to a report from the Udenna Environmental Services Incorporated (UdESI),
toxic chemicals are being concealed in the landfill. To add, a statement from the notices by
the Hermosa LGUs and the EMB-DENR states that Econest Waste Management
Corporation is operating “without a valid Discharge Permit and Hazardous Waste
Generator Registration Certificate, some of its treatment units on their leachate treatment
facilities have no protective lining which may cause groundwater contamination due to
leachate seepage." In response to the information, the Department of Environment and
Natural-Environmental Management Bureau are spearheading the investigation. Hence,
Bataan Mayor padlocked the gate of the facility (Esconde, 2020).
5. The Crime that is Transnational Poaching

The Philippines is home to many wildlife that is native to the country. Many of
these animals and plants are treated as exotic and lucrative forms of income and are often
poached. Wildlife are bought because they are believed to cure illnesses and are used as
medicine and/or they can be collected due to its beauty and rarity and/or they can be
domesticated and taken in as pets and/or they can be eaten and/or they can be used for the
sake of fashion (Mayuga, 2018). That is why, illegal wildlife trade damages the
biodiversity of the Philippines. Evidently, it is not only Filipinos that poach and take
advantage of our wildlife, it is also foreigners who come into PH territories unnoticed like
the Vietnamese fisherfolk who have already committed multiple offenses. In 2018, about
20 Vietnamese fishermen on a Malaysian-registered vessel were apprehended for poaching
in Palawan (Fabro, 2018). Between 2000 to 2017, approximately 667 pangolins were
illegally trafficked in the country. Pangolins are known to have only eight known species
in the world and Philippines is home to one of them. In 2013, 2,820 dead pangolins were
found in a Chinese poaching vessel (BusinessMirror Editorial, 2019). In light of all this,
the Philippine government is doing all it can to protect its natural resources through
imposing due consequences to offenders and through the interventions of the Philippine
Navy who are responsible for patrolling our waters.
 Why the Philippines Biodiversity is in Crisis

There are many reasons to understand why the Philippine Biodiversity is in crisis and to
name a few there is (i) negligence or poor regulation of environmental laws and (ii) overpopulation,
overconsumption, poverty and consumerism.
To explain the first which concerns itself with the lack of strict implementation and need
for stronger policies. The government seems to not heavily impose environmental laws that protect
our environment as many wildlife are taken advantage of and the number of cases of illegal wildlife
trafficking increases annually. Also, the Philippine government is lenient with matters regarding
the observation of waste disposal. Therefore, the mentality of all stakeholders is affected which
means that people may not cooperate in efforts to alleviate such problems and continue to abuse
the environment. Since local governments and private corporations are negligent and mismanage
funds or facilities for the use of environmental protection, people may be affected. An example is
the 900 open dump sites that can be found across the country to which was mentioned in the
preceding articles of this report that it is harmful to the health of the public (Vila, 2018). Also,
since the Philippines is recognized as a developing country, developed countries take advantage
of this and dump their wastes illegally as there is weaker regulation and lower environmental
standards.
For the second reason, overpopulation makes its way into the subject as the influx of people
in the Philippines will only increase the demand for products that are to be extracted from the
environment lawfully or unlawfully. With this increase in consumers, industries will have to
compensate and increase supply, thus affecting the ability of the environment to sustain itself. This
is where consumerism comes in. Many companies or businesses that use raw materials will
prioritize the wants of their consumers that is the reason that companies and businesses tend to get
irresponsible when obtaining the necessary resources to be used for their products – there will be
no corporate social responsibility.
To add, several Filipinos lack the knowledge about taking care of the environment as they
have grown accustomed to burning their trash or have not been acquainted with how or where to
dispose their wastes for example. To add, since there is no proper manner of disposing of wastes
in households, some wastes end up in canals which are poorly designed – hinting that the
Philippines has poor facilities, in this case a proper sewage treatment system. Eventually, the waste
will affect marine and aquatic life and may also affect terrestrial life. Another thing, poverty plays
a role in the biodiversity crisis as people may be forced to poach as a means of living affecting our
rare forms of wildlife.
At present, the Philippines issues with biodiversity only pile up on each other. However,
the government and non-government agencies or organizations try to resolve these issues day-in,
day-out to give the next generation the opportunity or chance to live a better life.
 References

BusinessMirror Editorial. (2019, July). Best defenders against poachers. Retrieved from
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/07/30/best-defenders-against-poachers/

CNN Philippines Staff. (2018, October). Boracay reopens after six-month extensive clean-up.
Retrieved from https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2018/10/26/boracay-reopens-after-
cleanup-denr-aklan.html

Corral, K. (2019, June). UNWILLING DUMPSITE: IT’S NOT JUST CANADA, OTHER
COUNTRIES HAVE ALSO ILLEGALLY DUMPED TRASH IN THE PHILIPPINES.
Retrieved from https://coconuts.co/manila/news/unwilling-dumpsite-its-not-just-canada-
other-countries-have-also-illegally-dumped-trash-in-the-philippines/

Del Rosario, M. D. (2019, November). DENR shuts down 4 open dumpsites in Pampanga.
Retrieved from https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1085874

Esconde, E. (2020, February). Bataan sanitary landfill ordered temporarily closed. Retrieved
from https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1094400

Fabro, K. A. S. (2018, May). 20 Vietnamese fishermen nabbed for poaching in Palawan.

Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/nation/203119-vietnamese-fishermen-poaching-
sharks-rays-palawan

Gascon, M. (2018, July). Duterte ordered Boracay cleanup after catching whiff of foul air.
Retrieved from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1007549/duterte-ordered-boracay-cleanup-
after-catching-whiff-of-foul-air

Mayuga, J. (2018, November). Online illegal wildlife trade: Species extinction at Internet speed.
Retrieved from https://businessmirror.com.ph/2018/11/29/online-illegal-wildlife-trade-
species-extinction-at-internet-speed/

McCarthy, J. (2019, March). Philippines Launches Massive Effort to Clean 'Unflushed Toilet' of
Manila Bay. Retrieved from https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/manila-bay-clean-
up/

Ranada, P. (2019, May). Canada to pay for shipping out 69 container vans of trash –
Malacañang. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/nation/229879-malacanang-says-
canada-to-pay-for-shipping-out-container-vans-trash

Vila, A. (2018, October). Philippines plastic pollution: why so much waste ends up in oceans.
Retrieved from https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health/article/2168819/philippines-
plastic-pollution-why-so-much-waste-ends-oceans

Villanueva, R. (2019, September). 20,000 join Manila Bay cleanup. Retrieved from
https://www.philstar.com/nation/2019/09/22/1953819/20000-join-manila-bay-cleanup