SAMPLE POSITION PAPER

Forest degradation is heavily driven by fuel wood harvesting (DENR-FMB and CoDe REDD-plus Philippines, 2010).
Charcoal production has been steadily eating into forest resources since wood is a major source of energy. Consumers include an
estimated 8.14 million households, as well as small- and large-scale industries. Most households use fuel wood for cooking and
heating water. Small-scale industries include tobacco flue curing, baking, potteries, brick making and furniture production.
Among these small-scale industries, bakeries are the largest user for fuel wood, consuming an estimated 4.82 million cubic
meter in 2000 (DENR_FMB, 2009). Rising fuel prices may push more people to use fuel wood thereby further reducing or
preventing the regeneration of secondary forests.
Climate Change Secretary, Heherson T. Alvarez said in an interview that the battle against deforestation should now
also take into account the impacts of charcoal production, branding the industry as the “silent killer of the Philippine Forest”. He
said that the failure to curb rampant charcoal production contributes to massive depletion of the country’s forests, which
consequently causes more disastrous cyclones entering the Philippines. He lamented that the charcoal producers cut trees
indiscriminately, even chopping down juvenile trees in the forests and has employed a technology that enable them to sustain
their business as an all-season activity. Moreover, he pointed out that the forest is vital in addressing climate change because
trees help in the capture of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Alvarez stressed that the atmosphere is now loaded with
greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide which causes global warming and climate change.
On behalf of the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officer (MERNO), Mr. Ceasar Tonogan, Mr. Conejar
said that “He is obviously not in favor of cutting down trees for charcoal production. In the first place, the government has been
seeking budget from the International Funding Agencies like KFW, formerly KfW Bankengruppea German government-owned
development bank, based in Frankfurt. Its name originally comes from Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau.
It was formed in 1948 after World War II as part of the Marshall Plan which is geared for the rehabilitation of our
environment which is through tree planting activities in many areas in Valderrama”. He added that, “The illegal cutting activities
which are proliferate in the municipality must end, so he is taking the opportunity to re-establish resilience if the environment
through tree planting activities and he is encouraging a lot of people especially the IP’s or the Indigenous People to plant trees to
rehab our environment”.
One should not take the responsibility for oneself, for the well-being of own self, and for sacrificing others. If people
love their life, they must love the world and other people. The cutting down of trees due to charcoal production must end. It is a
threat to the lives of people and to the life of earth.
Save Mother Earth, Save the Future, Save the Future of the Children and Strengthen the Environment so that the world
will not be prone to disasters, because a resilient environment is a defense against disasters.
https://frances11blog.wordpress.com/2016/11/05/a-position-paper-on-environment/
ACTIVITY 6, TASK B: Identify at least 4 manifestos for 20 points from the sample position paper provided above. Put the
authorities and their manifestos in the template provided.

Authorities from the MANIFESTOS

Sample Position Paper