to duterte - yonip · from aquino to duterte: is change coming to a country plundered? a...

A publication of theCenter for Environmental Concerns Philippines

FROM AQUINO

TO DUTERTE: IS CHANGE COMING TO A COUNTRY

PLUNDERED?A SITUATIONER ON PhIlIPPINE

ENvIRONMENTAl ISSUES AND STRUgglES

A publication of theCenter for Environmental Concerns Philippines

FROM AQUINO

TO DUTERTE: IS CHANGE COMING TO A COUNTRY PLUNDERED?A SITUATIONER ON PhIlIPPINE ENvIRONMENTAl ISSUES AND STRUgglES

in cooperation with

FROM AQUINO TO DUTERTE: IS CHANGE COMING TO A COUNTRY PLUNDERED?

A Situationer on Philippine Environmental Issues and Struggles

Copyright 2016 by the Center for Environmental Concerns - Philippines

The Center for Environmental Concerns - Philippines is a SEC-registered non-government

organization promoting patriotic, scientific, and people-oriented environmentalism

through education, research and advocacy, and community work with grassroots

communities and sectors.

Office Address: #26 Matulungin Street, Barangay Central, Diliman, Quezon City

1100 PHILIPPINES

Telefax: (632)920.9099

Web: www.cecphils.org

Email: [email protected]

A publication of

Center for Environmental

Concerns-Philippines, Inc (CEC)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Frances Q. Quimpo

RESEARCHER/WRITERS: Lia Alonzo, Rhea Jane Candog, Mutya Camba,

Princess del Castillo, Ronalyn Olea, April Porteria

PUBLICATION DESIGN AND LAYOUT: R. Jordan P. Santos

PRINTING: Southern Voices Printing Press

This publication was produced with the support of the

This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted

without permission from the publisher.

CONTENTS4 ACRONYMS

8 INtROduCtION

10 ChApteR1: UPDATES ON THE PHILIPPINE ENVIRONMENTAL SITUATION10 1.1. Biodiversity15 1.2. Forests16 1.3. Agriculture18 1.4. Mineral wealth22 1.5. Marine biodiversity28 1.6. Water of life30 1.7. Renewable and non-renewable energy32 1.8. Pollution

35 ChApteR2: THE LINk OF ENVIRONMENT AND DISASTER35 2.1. Understanding disasters38 2.2 The Philippines’ Risk Exposure39 2.3 Philippine socio-economic vulnerability48 2.4. Environmental vulnerability49 2.5. Nature as a defense capability of communities against disasters51 2.6. Recent disasters during the Aquino Administration

63 ChApteR3: POLICIES AND PROGRAMS UNDER THE AQUINO ADMINISTRATION63 3.1. Disaster Response70 3.2. Logging71 3.3. Mining72 3.4. Fisheries74 3.5. Military and Defense75 3.6. Climate Change76 3.7. Human Rights

85 ChApteR4: ADVANCING THE STRUGGLES OF THE PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT THROUGH COLLECTIVE ACTIONS85 4.1. Legal Actions86 4.2. Legislative87 4.3. Environmental Investigation Missions,

Fact Finding and Solidarity Missions88 4.4. Partnerships and Mass Campaigns91 4.5. Stop Lumad killings! Campaign

92 CONCluSION: CHALLENGES AHEAD

96 RefeReNCeS

112 tAbleS,IMAgeSANdfIguReS

4

FROM AQUINO TO DUTERTE: IS ChANgE COMINg TO A COUNTRY PlUNDERED? a situationer on philippine Environmental issues and struggles

ACRONYMS

AFP Armed Forces of the Philippines

AIPA ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly

ALCADEV Alternate Learning Center for Agricultural

and Livelihood Development

BAS Bureau of Agricultural Statistics

BMB Biodiversity Management Bureau

CARP Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program

CARPER Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program

Extension with Reform

CAS California Academy of Sciences

CEC Center for Environmental Concerns–Philippines

CMCD Citinickel Mines and Development Corporation

COA Commission on Audit

COC Coal Operation Contracts

COP Conference of Parties

CRRP Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan

DA Department of Agriculture

DAP Disbursement Acceleration Program

DENR Department of Environment and Natural Resource

DND Department of National Defense

5

DOE Department of Energy

DOH Department of Health

DSWD Department of Social Welfare and Development

EDCA Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement

EIM Environmental Investigation Missions

EMB Environmental Management Bureau

ENAP Corruption Environmental Network Against Pork Barrel

and Corruption

EO Executive Order

EPIRA Electric Industry Reform Act

ESA Emergency Shelter Assistance

EU European Union

FFM Fact Finding Mission

GDP Gross Domestic Product

IAMURE International Journal on Marine Ecology

IFMA Industrial Forest Management Agreements

IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature

kAMP katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas

kBA key Biodiversity Areas

ACRONYMS

6


kMP kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas

kPNE kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment

LBP Land Bank of the Philippines

LGU Local Government Units

LLEDP Laguna Lake Expressway Dike Project

LPPCHEA Las Piñas Paranaque Critical Habitat

and Ecotourism Area

MAPASU Malahutayong Pakibisog Alang sa Sumusunod

MGB The Mines and Geosciences Bureau

MMDA Metro Manila Development Authority

MNLF Moro National Liberation Front

MOA Memorandum of Agreement

NDRRMC National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council

NEDA National Economic and Development Authority

NGO Non-Government Organizations

NGP National Greening Program

NNS National Nutrition Survey

NPA New People’s Army

NSO National Statistics Office

NSWMC National Solid Waste Management Commission

OCD Office of the Civil Defense

PAGASA Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical

and Astronomical Services Administration

PAMALAkAYA Pambansang Lakas ng kilusang Mamamalakaya

7

PARR Presidential Assistance for Recovery and Rehabilitation

People’s NICHE People’s Network for the Integrity of Coastal Habitats

and Ecosystems

PMB People’s Mining Bill

PNP Philippine National Police

PPP Public Private Partnership

PSA Philippine Statistics Authority

PSF People’s Survival Fund

RA Republic Act

RAY Reconstruction Assistance on Yolanda

SIBAT Sibol ng Agham at Teknolohiya

SMPC Semirara Mining and Power Corporation

SSM Small-Scale Mining

TSP Total Suspended Particulates

UCAP The United Coconut Association of the Philippines

UCCP United Church of Christ in the Philippines

UN The United Nations

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific

and Cultural Organization

UNICEF The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund

UP-MSI University of the Philippines - Marine Science Institute

UN-FAO The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization

VIP Verde Island Passage

ACRONYMS

8


INTRODUCTION

The spate of disasters in the Philippines in recent years

speaks much of the state of the country’s environment

and the poverty situation of the people. While the

country’s slowly vanishing natural wealth are now in critical

state, the vast majority of the people remain poor and barely

surviving in danger zones – from the river banks, coastal areas,

mountain ridges to city sidewalks. Typhoon Ondoy (2009),

Pepeng (2009), Sendong (2011), Pablo (2011), Yolanda (2013), to

name a few, have exposed how badly managed our resources

and communities are.

Each vital ecosystem has reflected a breach of the limits of

sustainability, yet extraction, destruction and pollution are

relentless. Disasters have become wake up calls, but government

response has not gone beyond tokenism or doublespeak. In the

climate change front, for instance, the Philippines’ leading role

among vulnerable countries at the recent Conference of Parties

(COP) 21 in Paris was easily upset by the Philippine government’s

record approval of more 25 coal fired power plants in the country

in 2015 alone.

9

President Duterte still has to articulate his economic program. His

pronouncement and action to dock the mining industry coupled

with his pro-poor stance bodes hope for the environment, in spite

his record support to coal fired power plants. The challenges are

high but any effort to reverse the trend of destruction, with clear

respect for people’s rights and openness to listen to people’s voices,

are what the Philippine environment needs at this juncture.

This publication on the State of the Philippine Environment provides

an update of the Philippine environmental situation that affects

the lives of grassroots communities and the most vulnerable and

marginalized social sectors in the country. It traces the link between

environmental degradation and disasters and reviewed disasters

that plagued the country during the Aquino presidency. It also

assesses the effects of the actions, programs, policies and laws of

the Aquino administration to the people and the environment. It is

hoped that this publication will help in advancing the advocacy of a

pro-people, patriotic and scientific orientation of the environment.

Center for environmental ConCerns – PhiliPPines

INTRODUCTION

10


ChaptEr 1: UPDATES ON ThE PhIlIPPINE ENvIRONMENTAl SITUATION

The Philippines is among the countries of the world

with the richest biodiversity and ecosystems. However,

it is now facing major degradation and ecological

crisis caused by decades of abuse, over-exploitation and

mismanagement.

1.1. BiodivErsityFlora and fauna species. The Philippines is listed as one of the

17 mega diverse countries of the world (Regalado, 2014). It has

more than 52,177 described species, half of which are endemic.

Its rich biodiversity includes 109 species of amphibians, 20,940

species of insects, 928 total species of terrestrial vertebrate fauna,

and 10,000-15,000 species of plants (Department of Environment

and Natural Resources).

According to the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB)

Director Theresa Mundita Lim, in the last 25 years, at least 370

new endemic species were added to the country’s species list

(Lim T. M., 2014). The Philippines is also labelled as the “tropical

pitcher plant (Nepenthes) capital” of the world for having the

11

most number of Nepenthes species (See Image 1) – 48 species, 17

of which were newly discovered (Pelser, 2014).

Image 1. Tropical pitcher plant

Source: Pitcher-plant.com (n.d.)

In 2015, the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) celebrated

the World Ocean’s Day with over 100 newly discovered species

with the Philippines as the center of its exploration in the Coral

Triangle, specifically in the Verde Island Passage (VIP). Among

these were 40 new varieties of nudibranchs (colorful sea slugs),

barnacles and what was thought to be extinct, the heart urchin

(See Image 2). In addition, live fishes, corals and jelly-like creatures

from dimly-lit, deep-water reefs were also collected for further

study. According to Terry Gosliner, PhD and Senior Curator of

Invertebrate Zoology at the CAS and a Principal Investigator of

the expedition, “the Philippines is jam-packed with diverse and

threatened species – it’s one of the most astounding regions of

biodiversity on Earth” (CAS, 2015).

ChaptEr 1: UpdatEs on thE philippinE EnvironmEntal sitUation

12


In 2016, the Orchideen Journal published the discovery of new

Epicrianthes (Bulbophyllinae) species from Northern Mindanao

named Epicrianthes auinoi and a new Dendrobium species also

from Northern Mindanao named Dendrobium lydiae.

Despite being considered as one of the most biodiverse countries,

the Philippines is now facing a “clear and serious ecological

meltdown” and ranks fourth in the world’s 19 biological hotspots

in 2014. The International Union for Conservation of Nature

(IUCN) even identified over 737 threatened animal and plant

species in the Philippines (The Guardian, 2013).

Critical areas. In 2013, the National Capital Region’s last

bird sanctuary – the Las Piñas Paranaque Critical Habitat and

Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA) became the Philippines’ sixth entry

into the United Nations’ Ramsar List of Wetlands of Ecological

Importance. A Presidential Proclamation in 2007 established the

175-hectare sanctuary, comprised of mangrove forests, shallow

lagoons, as a “critical habitat” for being a sanctuary of threatened,

restricted-range and migratory birds (Ramsar Convention of

Wetlands, 2013). Since then, LPPCHEA has attracted tourists and

birdwatchers, as well as students and researchers in Metro Manila.

Image 2. New specie

of heart urchin

Source: Rich Mooi and

the California Academy

of Sciences (2015)

13

Meanwhile, in 2014, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and

Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inducted the Mount Hamiguitan

Range of Davao Oriental (See Image 3) into the UNESCO list of

world heritage sites. The site boasts of a 100-year-old field of

bonsai trees, known as “pygmy forest” which occupies 225

hectares of the sanctuary. According to UNESCO World Heritage

List page (2014), eight threatened and endemic flora and fauna

species are found only at Mount Hamiguitan. The mountain also

hosts the critically-endangered Philippine Eagle and Philippine

Cockatoo (Ranada, 2014).

In 2005, the Verde Island Passage was dubbed as the “center

of the center of marine shore fish biodiversity” (Conservation

International - Philippines). The 1.14-million hectare marine

biodiversity hotspot is located along the borders of Batangas,

Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro and Romblon. A 2004

survey in a small section of the passage revealed 1,736 marine

species, many of which are globally threatened. A study in Anilao,

Batangas also found out 319 species and 74 genera of hard corals.

Newly discovered species keep coming up every year. The latest

exploration in June 2015 by the CAS discovered more than 100

marine species, some of which are still scientifically unknown.

The national and global significance of the biological diversity in

Image 3.

Mt. Hamiguitan,

UNESCO World

Heritage Site

Source: IUCN Naomi

Doak (n.d.)


14


the VIP, made the latter one of the priority key Biodiversity Areas

(kBA)of the country, through Executive Number 578 passed in

2006 (Official Gazette, 2006).

Despite these government declarations, these sites are threatened

by environmental destruction and exploitation. A national

reclamation plan covering thousands of hectares in Manila Bay

poses risks to the fragile ecosystem of LPPCHEA (Legaspi, 2013),

as well as the wetlands in north-eastern part of the bay. Bio-

piracy by foreign scientists and mining applications threaten the

Mt. Hamiguitan Range (Sembrano, 2014). Large industries such

as proposed coal power plants and mining projects in Batangas

also pose a threat to the marine haven of the VIP.

Biodiversity in the West Philippine Sea is similarly threatened by the

brewing territorial dispute of the country with China and Vietnam.

This area is home to a third of the world’s marine biodiversity with at

least 1,787 fish species. China has been claiming the Spratly Islands

and has taken advanced measures by conducting ocean filling

activities in seven reefs, a total of 808 hectares, to build their base.

The damage has amounted to a loss of $280,000 million per year

in terms of ecosystem services according to the founding director

of the University of the Philippines – Marine Science Institute (UP-

MSI) Dr. Edgardo Gomez (Gomez, 2015).

There are 240 protected areas in the country as identified by

the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

This includes the Northern Sierra Madre which has the biggest

protected area (359,486 hectares) in the country. These areas

cover almost 4.02 million hectares (including land and marine

components), yet more than 50% of the areas have not been well-

managed, according to the DENR.

15

1.2. ForEstsAround 25 to 30 million people living in or near the forest lands

rely on products and services provided by forests; 9.4 to 15

million of these are indigenous peoples living in their ancestral

domains (Chao, 2012). The country’s natural forests also provide

home for animal and plant species of utmost importance. The

Philippine forests host over 3,000 known tree species, including

96 species of medicinal trees comprising the natural pharmacy

of forest people and 70 bamboo species. Forty-six of the world’s

70 known mangrove species which serves as fish nurseries and

natural buffers in coastal areas are also found in the country

(See Image 4).

To be able to sustain the ecological needs and services needed, the

Philippines must have at least 54% of its total land area covered

with forests (Sajise, 2008). More than 90 years ago, the Philippines

was almost totally covered with forests which provided income,

employment, food, medicine, building materials, and water

as well as a healthy environment for the people. By 2013, the

Philippines became the second country with the lowest forest

Image 4. Mangroves

in Puerto Prinsesa,

Palawan

Source: Phys.org (2012)


16


cover in Southeast Asia and its biodiversity considered as one

of the most threatened in the world (Andrade, 2013). According

to government data, only 22.94 % or 6.8 million hectares of

forest cover remain, comprising of 1.9 million hectares of closed

forests, 4.6 million hectares of open forests and 310,531 hectares

of mangrove forests. Meanwhile, reports from the organization,

Conservation International, revealed that only seven per cent of

the Philippine forests remain intact (Conservation International,

2011). Between 1990 and 2005, the country lost a third of its

forest cover with an average of two-per cent deforestation rate

each year (Butler, 2014).

Among the greatest threats to the country’s forests are large-scale

mining and plantations. The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB)

reports that a total of 228 mining permits are operating within 58

out of 92 forest kBA, resulting not only in forest cover reduction but

also in biodiversity loss (Center for Environmental Concerns, 2015).

1.3. agriCUltUrEThe Philippines is an agricultural country comprising of

fertile lands readily available for food production (See Image

5). According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the

country utilizes at least 32.43% of the country’s total land area.

The 9.7 million-hectare agricultural land was divided by 4.82

million farms all over the country (PSA, 2014). Data from the

Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) identified palay (21.4%)

and corn (8.8%) as grown major cereal crops. While other crops

with the highest production were sugarcane (31.3%), coconut

(18.8%), banana (10.9%), pineapple (2.8%) and cassava (2.6%).

The remaining 3.4% consists of other minor crops grown in the

country (BAS, 2012).

17

In 2013, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization

(UN-FAO) declared the country as the second largest banana

exporter in the world. However, despite being an agricultural

country, with tons of crops produced every year and billions

of pesos poured into programs aiming “100% self-sufficiency”

on major commodities, the country still faces problems of food

insecurity and hunger with food inadequacy rate pegged at

23.8% from 2010 to 2012 (Ordinario, 2013).

In 2014, the UN-FAO even ranked the country as the first country

with the highest prevalence of food inadequacy among Asia’s

tiger cub economies. In a study conducted by the National

Nutrition Survey (NNS) in 2011, 36% of adult Filipinos and 23% of

Filipino children distributed all around the country are claimed

to be food insecure (Rodriguez, 2014).

The country has once been considered as one of the world’s largest

exporters of coconut oil. In the first semester of 2014, coconut oil

exports slumped by 40% (from 660,382 tons to 395,456 tons) year-

Image 5. Agricultural

lands in Central Luzon

Source: Manalansan

(2015)


18


on-year, amid the lingering effects of the super typhoon Yolanda

(international name: Haiyan), according to the United Coconut

Association of the Philippines (UCAP) (Domingo, 2014).

Since 2009, the coconut industry has also been

affected by cocolisap (coconut scale insect Aspidiotus

destructor rigidus) infestations threatening about 338

million coconut trees. Losses reached up to P179.6

million in the Calabarzon alone (Tapang, 2014). As

a “solution”, the government has pushed forthe use

of dinotefuran, a pesticide found to be harmful to

pollinators. Environmental and scientist groups staged

a public outcry. Finesa Cosico, spokesperson of AGHAM

– Advocates of Science and technology for the People,

averredthat such move by the government, “will further

damage the coconut industry than abate the problem of

infestation (AGHAM, 2014).

The agriculture’s share in the country’s gross domestic product

(GDP) is only 12% in 2012, or 17% lower than the 29.5% in 1970

(World Bank, 2014). Though the share of employment was

declining over the years, agriculture still contributes highly in

the national economy, in terms of providing employment of

Filipinos. In 2013, agriculture’s share in employment is 31% or

11.84 million out of 38.12 million employed Filipinos (Ratilla,

2014).

1.4. minEral WEalthIn terms of mineral wealth, the Philippines is one of the world’s

most blessed despite its relatively small land area. Around 30%

of the total land area of the country contains deposits of about 7.1

billion metric tons of different metallic minerals such as nickel,

Dinotefuran is included in the Pesticide action network international’s list of highly hazardous Pesticide (hhP) for global phase-out by 2010 due to its toxicity to bees. it was also found by the Us environmental Protection agency to be very toxic to estuarine and marine invertebrates

19

manganese, iron, gold, chromite and copper while five million

hectares contain almost 51 billion metric tons deposit of non-

metallic minerals such as limestone and marble.

The Philippines is the fifth most mineralized country in the

world: third in terms of gold reserves, fourth in copper and fifth

in nickel. The country has about 20% of the world’s total nickel

resources. The estimated total value of the country’s mineral

reserves could range from around $840 billion up to $1 trillion

(Greenlees, 2008). By 2015, the value of mineral production

reached up to 108 billion pesos (MGB, 2016).

Large-scale mining continues to displace indigenous peoples

from their ancestral domain and exploits the country’s natural

wealth (See Image 6). In fact, the number of operating metallic

land mines all over the country continues to increase, from 23 in

2007 up to 44 as of 2015. The number of mining applications also

continues to increase (MGB, 2016) (See Table 1).

Image 6. Lumad

stormed TVI office in

Makati to protest TVI

operations in their

ancestral lands

Source: Manalansan

(2015)


20


Data source: MGB (2014)

taBlE 1.nUmBEr oF mining appliCations From 2008 to 2014 (mgB)Mining ApplicAtions Under process

Type of ApplicATion 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Mineral production Sharing Agreement 1,058 997 839 605 558 566 530

financial or Technical Assistance Agreement 52 52 49 21 28 22 25

exploratory permit 1,496 1,575 1,545 823 910 853 966

industrial Sand and Gravel permit 291 288 294 242 117 217 254

Mineral processing permit 40 42 44 37 19 44 54

Certificate of Accreditation 35

Total 2,937 2,954 2,771 1,728 1,632 1,702 1, 864 not yet available

Data source: MGB (2015)

Reports suggest that illegal operations of magnetite (black sand)

mining also continue to exploit the country’s coastal areas in

Zambales, Cagayan, Ilocos, Negros, Leyte and other coastal

provinces. The operators hide under legal permits such as ‘dredging’

permits released by the local government units (LGUs) (Reyes, 2013)

and Industrial Sand and Gravel Permit from the MGB (See Table 2).

taBlE 2. nUmBEr oF approvEd and rEgistErEd mining opErations From 2008 to 2015Approved And registered Mining operAtions

Type of ApplicATion 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Mineral production Sharing Agreement 339 339 339 339 322

financial or Technical Assistance Agreement 6 6 6 6 6

exploratory permit 113 76 43 36 33

industrial Sand and Gravel permit 192 233 210 196 151

Mineral processing permit 68 76 100 98 59

Certificate of Accreditation 143

Mining patents 181

Total 718 730 698 999 571

21

From the 1960s to the early 1990s, around 31 large scale mines

were closed and abandoned due to low metal costs. These

abandoned mines include mining sites in Zambales, Pangasinan,

kalinga, Benguet, Agusan del Sur, Negros, Marinduque, Eastern

Samar, Albay, Romblon, Palawan, Camarines Norte, Samar,

Surigao del Norte (See Image 7), and Isabela. To date, only the

old Bagacay pyrite mine in Samar is undergoing rehabilitation

(Valencia, 2014).

A scientist already warned communities living near the 31

inactive mine sites on the possibility of great disasters brought

by soil erosion and floods from the abandoned mines (Romero,

2012). Moreover, semi-detailed assessments conducted by the

MGB and Tetra Tech EM Inc. in 2001 showed that all of the 21

assessed sites pose environmental risks of varying degrees.

Results of the study suggest that land and water media near the

sites were contaminated with toxic chemicals that can harm

Image 7. Mining

pollution in Surigao

del Norte

Source: Manalansan

(2014)


22


human health, and even aquatic, terrestrial and wild lives.

Without proper mitigation and rehabilitation, communities

inhabiting near the areas will be continuously exposed to both

physical and chemical dangers of the abandoned sites (Tetra

Tech EM Inc. & MGB, 2001).

1.5. marinE BiodivErsityThe Philippine coral reefs sit in the Coral Triangle region, which

has been dubbed as the “center for center of marine biodiversity”

for supporting one of the highest levels of marine biodiversity

in the world (Dorente, n.d.) (See Image 8). Strategically located

within the northern tip of the Coral Triangle, the Philippines hosts

27,000 square kilometers of coral reefs (Yan, 2014) and considered

as one of the most biologically diverse region on earth. Its rich

marine ecosystems support up to 500 (71%) of the total 700 all

Image 8. Verde Island

Source: Manalansan

(2016)

23

known coral species, as well as the highest concentrations (60%)

of the world’s identified shore fishes (DENR, 2016). More than

3,000 of both freshwater and marine species are also present in

the rich waters, including five species of marine turtles and 3,000

species of marine fishes (Greenpeace, as cited in Bernal, 2013).

At least 1,062 species of seaweeds, including sea algae are also

present in the country’s marine territories (DENR, 2016).

The Benham Rise is a 13 million hectare undersea region located

within 350 nautical miles east of Luzon. It is an extension of

the country’s continental shelf as granted in 2012 by the United

Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. In

the second expedition in 2012, marine scientists saw terraces

of corals and vast and pristine coral reef ecosystem (Tacadena,

2016). Its importance in climate change mitigation is the

possibility for it to become a refuge for shallow reef fishes that

could be disturbed due to increasing temperatures. It could also

help in food security since it is a migration path of fish.

The current conditions of the Philippine coastal and marine

areas are problematic. Despite the distinction of having the

richest coral reefs in the world, this vital resource has been

allowed to deteriorate in the past years. The DENR said that 40%

of the corals are now in poor condition and only one per cent

remains in good condition (Paje as cited in save the Philippine

coral reefs, 2012).

Sedimentation, pollution, over-fishing, coral mining, unregulated

coastal environment and reclamation of foreshore areas for

tourist resorts, ports are some of the identified threats for the

country’s rich marine biodiversity. In 2013, 102 reclamation

projects covering 38,000 hectares of foreshore areas are waiting


24


to be approved, 38 projects of which involving 26,234 hectares

are in Metro Manila alone (Ranada, 2014) including the capital’s

last bird sanctuary, LPPCHEA along Manila Bay areas in Laguna

Lake.

Military operations also threaten the country’s marine wealth.

On January 17, 2013, a US Navy ship named USS Guardian

grounded the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park which is considered

as an UNESCO World Heritage Site (See Image 9). Around 2,345

square meters of the protected coral reefs were damaged. To

date, the P58 million (US$ 1.3 million) compensation for the

damages has yet to be paid by the United States of America

(Ranada, 2014).

In October 2012, another foreign ship, Glenn Defense’s tanker MT

Glenn Guardian, dumped toxic wastes in the waters 37 kilometers

off Subic Bay. The senate committees on foreign relations and

Image 9. USS Guardian

damaged the protected

Tubbataha Reef.

Source: The Philippine

Star (cited in Global

Balita, 2013)

25

environment and natural resources confirmed this. The tanker

was carrying some 189,500 liters of domestic waste and about

760 liters of bilge water which are hauled from Emory Land, a

US Navy ship (Cabacungan, 2012). Several tests conducted by

the Subic Bay Ecological Center also show that all the measure

components in the water samples exceeded the standard and

tolerable limits. This suggests that the dumped wastes can be very

harmful to the area’s marine ecosystem and would definitely kill

fishes and other life forms in the area (Gonzaga, 2012).

Both cases created public uproar not only for the inexcusable

circumstances surrounding the incidents, but also for the

continued evasion of the US military to place its erring personnel

under Philippine jurisdiction and be held liable for its violations

Image 10. Oil spill

in Estancia, Iloilo

Source: CEC (2014)


26


of Philippine laws in Philippine territories. With heightened

military activities going on in the country brought about by the

military agreements the Philippine government forged with the

US like the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Enhanced Defense

Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), Philippine coastal ecosystems

as well asthe rest of its delicate ecosystems are in high risk of

destruction.

Image 11. Oil spill

tainted sea wall in

Estancia, Iloilo

Source: CEC (2014)

Water pollution in particular is one of the main causes of marine

life degradation (See Image 10). Water pollution can also be

deemed as an ecological disaster, considering the areas affected,

the sensitivity, abundance of organisms, physical characteristics

of the area which might help on amplifying the damage caused

by the pollution.

Two major oil spills devastated Rosario, Cavite and Estancia, Iloilo

(See Figure 11) last 2013. In August 2013, Petron oil depot in Cavite

released at least 500,000 liters of oils covering approximately

58.82 square kilometers of the Manila Bay (Esplanada, 2013)

which affected 23 barangays from the municipalities of Rosario,

27

Image 12. Oil Spill

in Estancia, Iloilo

Source: Burgos (2013)

Tanza and Naic (National Disaster Risk Reduction Management

Council, 2013).

In November 2013, an estimate of 893,000-liter oil spill also

struck the coastal area of Estancia and other nearby barangays

in Iloilo (Image 12) after the National Power Corporation’s

Power Barge 103 was damaged at the height of super typhoon

Yolanda (CEC, 2013). A total of 533 families or 2,600 individuals

were moved out of their homes due to the frightening effects

of the oil spill on the people’s health (Philippines News Agency,

2014). Three local residents, two of whom are members of the

oil spill cleanup, died due to respiratory complications brought

by continued exposure to the oil spill’s toxic fumes (Yahoo!

News Philippines, 2014).


28


Image 13. Marina

landscape in Glan,

Sarangani province

Source: Manalansan

(2010)

Both oil spills smothered oil sludge on coral reefs, killed fishes

and shellfishes. The incident has resulted in long-term damages,

affecting the life of marine organisms and the water’s productivity.

1.6. WatEr oF liFEThe Philippines is abundant in freshwater sources having

1,830 square kilometers of rivers and lakes covering 61% of the

country’s total land area (See Image 13). These freshwater sources

include 421 principal river basins (20 are considered as major

river basins), 59 natural lakes and more than 100,000 hectares

of freshwater swamps. There are also four major groundwater

reservoirs in the country namely Cagayan with 10,000 sq km, the

Central Luzon with 9,000 sq km, Agusan with 8,500 sq km and

Cotabato with 6,000 sq km, which when combined with other

smaller reservoirs, would aggregate to an area of approximately

50,000 sq km. If all freshwater sources were combined, the

country’s total water potential can reach up to 146,000 million

cubic meters (DENR, n.d.).

29

Though freshwater sources are very abundant in the country,

access to clean water remains a problem for Filipino families

(See Image 14). In the 2010 Annual Poverty Indicators Survey

of the National Statistics Office (NSO), at least 11.27% (2.12

million families) of the population have no access to clean

water. Almost 4.9% (921,347 families) relies on unprotected

water sources, 2.3% (432,469 families) relies on underdeveloped

springs, and 4.1% (770,923 families) relies on surface water like

rivers, ponds and other unreliable sources (NSO, 2010). These

data clearly show that the Philippine government continues to

failing providing this basic service to the people. After decades

of water privatization, many Filipino families continue to face

unaffordable, inaccessible and inadequate water supply.

Aside from raking in profits from uncontrolled water rates, big

corporations are fast drawing out from the country’s freshwater

Image 14.

Water scarcity

Source: Malasig

(2016)


30


resources, thus contributing to the declining freshwater

availability. The mining firm Benguet Corporation, for instance,

holds a total of 65 water appropriations permit for Benguet’s

springs, creeks and rivers in Itogon. Another example is the Nestle

mineral water in San Pablo City, which is blamed by the local

residents and farmers for the declining freshwater availability

(Water for the People Network Asia, n.d.).

1.7. rEnEWaBlE and non-rEnEWaBlE EnErgyPalawan alone has around 138 million barrels of oil reserves,

excluding the potentials of Mindanao, Mindoro, the Visayan seas

and the Spratlys Island. Meanwhile, the Spratlys Island contains

about 5.4 billion barrels of oil reserves and 55.1 trillion cubic

feet of natural gas reserves (United States Energy Information

Administration, as cited in Gonzales, 2013). There are also

about 3.38 and 3.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves in

Malampaya and Sampaguita gas field, respectively (CEC, 2012).

Moreover, Benham Rise in the coast of Isabela and Aurora

province promises an alternative source of energy. Initial

sampling of the unexplored 13-million-hectare underwater

plateau reported a rich source of heavy metals, like manganese,

31

and natural gas (Benham rise). Also, a team of Filipino experts

recently found 120 percent coral cover in Benham Rise during

their expedition in May 2014 (Luces & Rosero, 2014). Scientists

and government officials are now pushing to explore the

5,000-meter deep continental shelf for potential gas deposits.

The country is also abundant in alternatives and other renewable

energy sources like geothermal, hydroelectric, wind (See Image

15), wave, biomass and solar energy.

Despite having tons of alternative energy sources, the country

still faces problems on energy generation. According to initial

data of the Department of Energy (DOE), the demand growth

forecast of 6.6% a year may lead to a shortage in Luzon’s power

supply (Elchico, 2013) of approximately 400-500 megawatts

(SyEgco, 2014) and total energy deficit of 711 megawatts for the

whole country in 2015.

Coal power plants are one of the most primitive and

environmentally destructive forms of obtaining energy (See

Image 16). Despite this fact, the country still relies 29.19% of

its energy generation from coal. As of 2012, a total of 60 coal

Image 15.Windmills

in Ilocos Norte.

Source: Philippine Star

(2014)


32


operating contracts (COCs) from 46 contract holders, including

29 exploration permits and 31 development and production

permits were approved by the DOE (DOE, 2012).

Moreover, the privatization of energy through the Electric

Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) has led to unabated power rate

hikes.

1.8. pollUtion1.8.1. GarbaGe MisManaGeMentDespite being rendered as illegal, as of February 2006, dumpsites

remain to be the most commonly used disposal facility in the

country. Eight years after the passage of the Republic Act (RA)

9003 or the law on ecological solid waste management, hardly

any punitive actions were meted out against violating local

governments.

According to the National Solid Waste Management Council

(NSWMC), even the nation’s capital region Metro Manila does

not have its own sanitary landfill. Metro Manila has to transport

the bulk of its garbage to a sanitary landfill in a neighbouring

province, while the remaining waste is being disposed in active

dump sites within the metro.

The solid waste management program in the country

remains underfunded and reliant on private operations, thus

compromising the full implementation of RA 9003. According

to RA 9003 and the Local Government Code, it is the LGUs’

responsibility to allocate resources for waste management

systems. These laws, however, do not provide financing

mechanisms and cost recovery measures for LGUs (CEC, 2014).

33

1.8.2. air Pollution and increasinG airborne and resPiratory illnessesParticulate emissions in Manila largely come out of motor

vehicles (84%), solid waste burning (10%) and industries (5.5%)

(Burgonio, 2007). In 2013, the Metro Manila Development

Authority (MMDA) recorded 3.3 million registered vehicles in

Metro Manila and almost 326,504 of these pass through EDSA

every day (Frialde, 2013).

In spite of improvements recorded by the DENR in the past

10 years, pollution level in Metro Manila is still higher than

acceptable levels set by law. The air quality data recorded by the

DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau as of 2013 showed

that the level of total suspended particulates (TSP) in Metro

Manila reached 118 micrograms per normal cubic meter (ug/

Ncm), still exceeding the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999’s 90ug/

Ncm which is the standard healthy guideline value for TSP (Yap,

2014) (See Figure 1).

Source: Switch

Policy Report -

EMB (2013)


FigUrE 1.air qUality oF mEtro manila in thE past 9 yEars (2004-2013).

34


Air pollution is also one of the major causes of respiratory diseases

in the Philippines. According to the 2007 research by the DENR

and World Bank, about 18 million Filipinos living in urban areas

are exposed to unhealthy levels of airborne particulate matter.

The study also reported that nearly 4,968 premature deaths occur

in Manila alone, due to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases

from exposure to air pollution (Ty, 2012).

Research suggests that inhaling polluted air causes colds, cough,

and asthma, and if not properly treated, can gradually develop

into serious respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia and lung

cancer (Department Of Health, n.d.). As of 2011, three out of

ten most common diseases that cause death to Filipinos are

respiratory diseases including pneumonia, tuberculosis in all

forms, and chronic lower respiratory diseases.

Air pollution, along with poor sanitation and water pollution

among other environmental problems, contributed to an

estimated 22% of reported cases of diseases and nearly 6% of

deaths. The estimated costs of treatment and loss of income caused

by air pollution reach up to P14 billion per year (Environmental

Management Bureau, 2012).

The environmental degradation comes with a cost also to the

lives of people. The imbalance that this causes ecosystems

leaves communities more vulnerable to hazards that can lead to

disastrous events.

35

ChaptEr 2: ThE lINk OF ENvIRONMENT AND DISASTER

Disasters have stood out as one of the most pressing issues

of the Philippines environment, if not in the recent

Philippine history, especially in the Aquino administration.

In 2012, two big typhoons hit Mindanao, crushing communities and

livelihoods and further stalling development in areas considered

to be the poorest regions in the country. No one could forget 2013’s

Yolanda, the monster typhoon that killed thousands of people and

underscored the country’s overall incapacity and government

ineptitude in disaster response. Still there were many other

disasters that followed and preceded it. But before we come to

analysethesituation,letushaveadefinitionofthisconcern.

2.1. UndErstanding disastErsIt has become common notion that natural occurrences in the

country such as typhoons equate to disaster. Studies on disaster

risks, however, explain that it is not necessarily so. Natural

occurrences, natural hazards or simply, hazards, become

disastrous only if these impact on communities, i.e., communities

that are vulnerable and do not have the capacity to cope with their

impacts.

36


It should be noted that disasters have been happening in the course

of our history as a developing country. These natural hazards have

actually increased in strength and frequency in recent times due

to climate change. However, the compounded effects of these

occurrences are being aggravated because of unabated destruction

of the environment and worsening poverty of our people.

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Response (UNISDR)

has defined disaster as “a serious disruption of the functioning of

a community or a society involving widespread human, material,

economic or environmental losses and impacts, which exceeds

the ability of the affected community or society to cope using

its own resources.” Though disasters used to pertain to impacts

of natural hazards, later usage has included events which are

human induced or man-madeoccurrences. The key to the concept

is the scale of suffering, ecological disruption or loss, requiring

support from outside the affected community.

In addressing disasters, societies have already looked beyond

immediate humanitarian response or provision of rehabilitation

support. Human societies are already striving to understand and

to address disaster risks as well as building resilience, not just

rehabilitation or bouncing back, but building back stronger to

withstand the next hazard.

Disaster Risk, as portrayed in the conceptual equation below,

isthe result of the interplay of factors of hazards, people’s

vulnerability, capacity, and exposure (UNICEF, 2013).

r = risk H = frequency or magnitude of hazard v = vulnerability level c = capacity to cope

Risk Assessment (R = H x E x V/C)

37

The risk or the threat of an unfortunate event on humans is

influenced by the characteristics (magnitude, location, etc.)

of a hazard, and may be compounded by the vulnerability or

susceptibility to loss or damage (poverty, education, age, etc) of

a group, community or society. Meanwhile, exposure which is

related with vulnerability is that factor that brings the community

or group closer to harm’s way. Capacity, which is inversely

related to disaster risk, pertains to the ability of the group to

deal with the effects of a disaster. This equation explains why

the Philippines, a renowned pathway of typhoons and a country

faced with wealth inequality, ranks high in the Global Climate

Risk Index—7th in countries most devastated from 1993-2012,

and 2nd in the most affected in 2012 (kreft & Eckstein, 2013).

The magnitude of destruction brought by disasters, however,

cannot be singly attributed to the strength and force of natural

events such as typhoons (See Image 17). The experiences of

countries like Cuba and Japan show that casualties and damages in

property caused by disasters can be reduced through preparedness

and proper socio-economic infrastructures (kahn, 2003).

Image 17. Typhoon

Ondoy damage in

Metro Manila

Source: Typhoon

Ondoy (2009)

ChaptEr 2: thE link oF EnvironmEnt and disastEr

38


2.2 thE philippinEs’ risk ExposUrEDue to its geographical and geological characteristics, the

Philippines has an affinity for natural hazards. Located in the

Western Pacific basin, the country sits in the pathway of turbulent

typhoons, attracting an average of 20 per year (AIPA, 2011). Since

the country is part of the Circum-Pacific Seismic Belt, the 33,900

kilometers-long coastline also stands prone to tidal waves and

storm surges (Borlaza, 2016).

CasE stUdy: CUBa and Japannot all poor countries are highly vulnerable to disasters. cuba has been renowned globally for their exemplary disaster risk management scheme that even the United nations used them as a case study. one of their most successful stories was evacuating 17% of their population (1.9 million people) as a precaution for the arrival of Hurricane ivan in 20014. As a result, no casualty was reported in their country.

Disaster preparedness, prevention and response became part of the cuban culture as people in school and work are continuously informed and trained to cope with natural hazards.

proper infrastructure planning such as enforced building codes and provision of adequate road system also played a vital role in preventing damages and casualties and sending quick response and aid. Moreover, their quick mobilization is powered by social, professional and political organizations that work hand in hand to aid the entire population during a disaster.

on the other hand, Japan served as a role model in disaster risk reduction for developed countries. Being a country located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, Japan is susceptible to destructive earthquakes and tsunamis. learning from their past experiences, Japan developed a ‘culture’ of risk prevention by investing in disaster preventive infrastructures such as early warning systems, earthquake indicators, flood prevention tanks and earthquake-resistant structures. Aside from these investments, the people of Japan know how to respond to such warnings and they know how to organize themselves to get to safety and to relay information.

cuba and Japan show that proper planning teamed with strong political will and social cooperation is the main ingredient in reducing the vulnerability of a country.

39

The country’s unique position between two tectonic plates

meanwhile explains why earthquakes are common fare in

the country. Climatic extremes such as drought or rain-heavy

monsoons also occur in varying intervals (Heijmans, Victoria, &

Asian Disaster Preparedness, 2000).

As the disaster equation portrays, mere natural setting does not

make a disaster. It is how this factor interplays with the other

factors that define the risk of disasters. Yet, in a developing

country like the Philippines, which economic programs have

for years followed neoliberal policies, such inherent exposure

of the country to natural hazards are compounded in many

ways than one. Economic liberalization programs and policies

have rendered our mineral and other natural resources prone

to unscrupulous exploitation by local and foreign corporations,

leaving logged out, mined out, or depleted ecosystems dry and

un-rehabilitated. Deregulation policies, coupled with corruption,

erode the government’s capacity to support its people when

and where they need it. Privatization policies and measures are

holding resilience platforms hostage to market forces and become

profit-driven rather than life-saving. This is not to mention the

impacts of anthropogenic climate change.

2.3 philippinE soCio-EConomiC vUlnEraBility2.3.1 landlessness and rural underdeveloPMentAs an agricultural country, cultivating land is one of the main

sources of living known to majority of Filipinos (See Image 18).

The intensifying land grabbing and reconcentration of land

to few families and big corporations have left most farming

Filipinos, landless, poor, or migrating to other places – other

provinces, cities or countries to support their families. Filipino

peasants become not only prone to exploitative land rentals,


40


usurious debts and work abuse from landlords, but this situation

drive many of them to resettle in public lands – upland areas,

mountain ridges, river banks, coastal zones, and live in decrepit

houses.

Image 18. Farmer

from Davao Del Sur

Source: Manlupig

(cited in Bulatlat, 2011)

According to a study of the Ruth Casa Editorial in 2012, land rent

in the country ranges from 30% to as high as 200%, in which 20%

of the production costs are shouldered by the peasants. Likewise,

usury or high interest loan rates further pushes farmers into

lifetime indebtedness reaching as high as 75 to 90% of their

harvest.

Land monopoly also intensifies as agribusiness corporations,

commercial producers and the landlord-elite further expand

their landholdings and production for exports. The control of

traders and big agribusiness corporations expand through credit,

41

marketing and processing while agricultural trade liberalization

further reinforces the export-oriented import-dependent model

of Philippine agriculture.

In the total number of farmers in the country, 90% are considered

as small farmers (Houtart & Tiejun, 2013). More than 7 out of

10 Filipino farmers do not own the land they till. In 2009, the

kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (kMP) identified that only

9,500 families own almost 21% of the agricultural lands while

almost two million farmers own less than three hectares each

and divide among themselves only 18.5% of the total agricultural

lands. Corporations also control 7,590 farms nationwide with a

total area of 214,316 hectares, of which 89% are located in just

534 corporate-run farms (Houtart & Tiejun, 2013).

Ibon Foundation revealed that landholdings still remain

undistributed despite the fact that the government has paid

an astounding amount of P192 billion from 1988 to 2012 to

landlords (Olea, 2014). Farmers still could not afford to pay for

land amortization under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform

Program (CARP)/Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program

Extension with Reforms (CARPER). Data from the Land Bank

of the Philippines (LBP) show that only 9.7% of agrarian

reform beneficiaries were awarded lands after paying full land

amortization. Data also suggest that only 14.5% of the beneficiaries

are paying, 75.8% are not. IBON’s research also shows that the

leasehold farmers have increased from 555,232 in 1988 to 1.22

million in 2012. The same is true with the lands under leasehold

arrangements, increasing from 582,476 hectares in 1988 up to

1.74 million hectares in 2014 (Olea, 2014). Majority of Filipino

farmers are still tenants and into sharing arrangements, ranging

from 75% to 90% of their produce being given to their landlords.


42


The partnership between and among the ruling class, elite,

government and transnational corporations explain why the

intensifying re-concentration of land contributes to the misery

of small farmers.

Reports also reveal that foreign countries are starting to

buy incredible amounts of land in the Philippines. In 2012,

Saudi Arabia purchased more than 273 hectares through

the Eastern Renewable Fuels Corporation, while the United

kingdom purchased more than 687,965 hectares through the

NRG Chemicals. Both land purchases were claimed to be for

agricultural use (khetani, 2012).

Conspiracy between landlords and government also drives the

use of ‘high yielding varieties’ (or hybrids), which are highly

dependent on chemical inputs, making higher consumption

of chemical inputs for farmers. Aside from land, modern

technologies, infrastructures and equipment including vital

agricultural services like irrigation were controlled by landlords

and corporate owned farms instead of being provided by the

government as state subsidy.

The landlessness, lack of subsidy in agriculture and backward

farming methods are proof of the rural underdevelopment that

has plagued the country and has not significantly improved

during the Aquino administration. These age-old problems

aggravate the effects brought even by natural occurrences that

eventually lead to disasters.

A glaring example is the el niño phenomenon on 2015-2016 that

caused extreme hunger in many provinces in the country. It

should be noted that the el niño phenomenon has been naturally

43

occurring and has been recorded for decades. As early as March

2015, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical

Services Administration (PAGASA) declared the onset of el niño.

In August of the same year, local and international weather

bureaus stated that the 2015-2016 El Niño may be worse than

that experienced in 1997-1998 and might even be the worst El

Niño in history. It was predicted to peak on December 2015 to

January 2016. It was also announced by PAGASA that around 32

provinces will be affected by the dry spell. Mindanao, being the

major island closest to the equator was predicted to be the most

affected because of its proximity to the equator.

This proved to be true since on March 2015, Maguindanao, North

Cotobato, South Cotobato, Cotobato City and Zamboanga City

declared to be in a state of calamity. These areas experienced

100% crop damage for rice and corn according to Oxfam, an aid

agency based in Britain. An estimated 11,929 farmers have been

affected with 103.7 million peso damage in crops (Ranada, 2015).

According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), it has primarily

conducted cloud seeding operations to mitigate the effects of el

niño and trainings for farmers on planting drought resilient

crops. These efforts turned out to be futile since the drought has

already caused starvation in many municipalities. It reached

the level where the farmers and Lumads from North Cotabato

barricaded in kidapawan along the Davao-Cotabato Highway

in front of the National Food Authority warehouse demanding

for rice subsidy. This was answered by violent dispersal leaving

2 killed, at least 116 injured and dozens illegally detained. The

lack of preparatory measures that would have prevented or

mitigated the effects of el niño left the farmers only aggravated

their vulnerability to a disaster.


44


2.3.2. overexPloitation of our natural resourcesWhile the Philippines has rich mineral deposits needed for

the nation's industrialization, these finite supplies have been

usurped for private and foreign profit (See Image 19). There is

hardly any being left for the country’s development, and not

even to rehabilitate the community and the ecosystem which

have been destroyed and exploited.

The government’s policy of liberalization, including the Mining

Act of 1995 and the Executive Order (EO) 79, has left the mining

industry stunted at the level of extraction. No downstream

industries which are value adding and can create more jobs

have been developed. The industry, which is largely owned and

controlled by big foreign transnational corporations, caters to

the foreign market than on the country’s demand to develop (see

Table 3).

Image 19. Open pit

mining in Cebu

Source: Philippine

Online Chronicle (2010)

45

taBlE 3.nUmBEr oF opErating landminEs in thE philippinEs From 2011 to 2015.nUMber of operAting MetAllic Mines

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

copper (with gold) 1 1 1

copper (with gold and silver) 3 3 2 3 2

copper (with gold, silver and zinc) 1 1 2 1

Gold (with silver) 5 6 6 6 6

chromite 2 3 3 3 3

nickel 18 21 24 24 27

iron 1 2 3 5 5

Total operating Metallic Mines 30 36 41 43 44

Source: MGB (2016)Logging also continues to intensify, clearing the forests, which

increase flooding risks. Though EO 23 “banned” applications

of commercial loggings in the country, the said executive order

fails to cover existing logging concessions. Concessionaires with

existing commercial logging permits continue their operations,

therefore contributing to the rapid degradation of forests in the

country especially in the regions of Mindanao.

In the case of the municipality of Sta. Cruz, Zambales, typhoon

Lando brought reddish orange mud in the landslide along with

logs that flowed downstream. The reddish orange color of the

mud was due to the nickel from the mining operations. The mud

settled and took a long time to be cleared causing health problems

to the community members. The logs also from the mines uphill

devastated the houses and other property. The typhoon in the

municipality caused a great deal of damage not only to the

nearby communities but up to the coastal communities, causing

a great decline in fish catch.

Overexploitation of natural resources often results in rapid

environmental degradation, which, often contributes to the

occurrence of disasters.


46


2.3.3 MilitarizationMilitarization of communities principally harm the people and their

environment. It disturbs peace, brings about human rights violations

and derails the capacity of already marginalized people trying to resettle

in the uplands and cope with the already challenging environment.

Military operations often come with construction of bases, forest

clearings, firing practices, war games, unexploded ordnance, and

other terrestrial, water and air disturbances. These are what are

termed as collateral or incidental damages to armed conflicts. They

cause pollution or accumulation of solid and toxic wastes in water

tables, as in the former US military bases which until today remain

unrehabilitated; and the destruction of ecosystems which could result

in biodiversity loss, as in the case of the Tubbataha grounding in 2013

(CEC, 2014).

Aside from these, militarization also forces communities to

evacuate and relocate to more precarious areas (See Image 20). The

evacuation of indigenous people from their ancestral domains greatly

contributes to their vulnerability and survival. Some big transnational

corporations use the military to displace indigenous people to be able

to start explorations for potential mining operations and commercial

use (Bautista, 2014).

Massive evacuation of Lumads and other indigenous people in the

CARAGA region in 2015 were triggered by militarization (Santiago,

2015). One of the provinces where most of the evacuees hailed from is

Agusan del Sur. Aside from evacuations, there were also mass killings

of Lumads and other indigenous people from the region. Agusan del

Sur is the poorest region in the province even though it is the one

of the richest in gold and coal. Because of this, it is also the target

of mining corporations, using the military to clear the area for their

operations (See Image 21).

47

Militarization makes the community vulnerable to different

human rights violations such as extrajudicial killings and

harassments. According to Global Witness in 2014, Philippine

environmental activists are the most at risk in the Asia Pacific

region. From 2012-2013, 67 environmental activists were killed,

in which most of the killings (42) are related to the mining sector,

especially in areas where there is opposition to mining activity

(ABC News, 2014).

Image 20.

Militarization in the

Pantaron Range,

Davao del Norte

displacing Lumads

and threatening

biodiversity

Source: Opinyon (2014)

Image 21.Lumads

from Agusan del Sur

fleeing their homes

due to militarization

due to pending mining

operations

Source: Kilab

Multimedia (cited in

Anakbayan Toronto,

2013)


48


2.3.4. cliMate chanGe iMPactsClimate change is an inevitable challenge that the world

must face. The Assessment Report 5 in 2014 conducted by the

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggests that

though the frequency of tropical cyclones is likely to decrease, they

will come with higher intensities and wind speeds. The study also

pointed out that storm surges, coastal flooding and sea level will

also continue to rise, increasing the risks of death, ill-health, injury,

displacements and more extreme weather events like drought and

high temperatures might affect crop productivity in the coming

years (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2013).

In this time of climate change impacts, the Aquino administration

has failed to prepare communities for disasters with its dreary

leadership over the disasters that happened and the inaction

over policy reforms. For one, the Aquino administration has only

paid lip service to the issue of global warming since it allowed

the construction of more coal-fired power plants in the country

(See Image 22).

2.4. EnvironmEntal vUlnEraBilityVulnerability is defined as the characteristics and circumstances

of a community, system or asset that make it susceptible to

Image 22. Human

activities causing

climate change

Source: Inequality.org

(2015)

49

the damaging effects of a hazard. It is a set of prevailing or

consequential conditions arising from various physical, social,

economic and environmental factors which increase the

susceptibility of a community to the impact of hazards and can

be expressed as the degree of loss resulting from a potentially

damaging phenomenon or hazard. It is therefore the extent to

which a community will degrade when subjected to a specified

set of hazardous conditions.

The magnitude of each disaster, measured in deaths, damage,

or costs (for a given developing country) increases with the

increased marginalization of the population.

As natural resources continue to degrade, the range of options

available to communities becomes more limited, reducing the

availability of coping solutions and decreasing local resilience to

hazards or recovery following a disaster. Over time environmental

factors can increase vulnerability further by creating new and

undesirable patterns of social discord, economic destitution and

eventually forced migration of entire communities.

2.5. natUrE as a dEFEnsE CapaBility OF COMMUNITIES AgAINST DISASTERSThough different ecosystems alone cannot halt the occurrence of

disasters, increasing number of evidence suggests that healthy

ecosystems can reduce the impacts and risks, serving as a

natural buffer for human communities against natural hazards.

Several studies from different countries revealed that natural

infrastructure and intact ecosystems also help in reducing

risks of hazards and vulnerability. According to a review

performed by the Nature Conservancy, compared to the cost

and maintenance of engineered or structural flood protection,


50


natural infrastructures can provide a cost-effective first line of

defense against storms (The Nature Conservancy, n.d.)

Healthy coral reefs can reduce wave energy approaching coasts

by more than 85 percent, helping to reduce risks to the nearly

200 million people worldwide that live in low, at-risk coastal

areas, thus helping on coastal resilience. Mangroves and beach

forests (also called as “greenbelts”) serve as protective barriers,

absorbing impacts of storm surges and huge waves, reducing the

damage in coastal areas. It also helps in reducing soil erosion

and stabilizing the shorelines (See Image 23). Unfortunately, the

country already lost almost all of the country’s beach forests

and almost half of the mangroves over the last century (Long,

Napton, Giri, &Graesser, 2014).

Image 23.

Natural buffer

Source: Coastal Zone

Management Unit

Barbados

Our forests are commonly utilized as a wood source of valued

goods and services but according to a research and increasing

evidence, healthy forests also provide protection for communities

and resources against severe damages of hydro geomorphic

51

hazards such as flood, erosion and landslides (Sakals, Innes,

Wilford, Sidle, & Grant, 2006). According to Sakals, et. al. “The

protection was categorized into two ways: 1) indirect protection,

which refers to the general role of forests in reducing soil erosion

or improving watershed condition and air quality; and 2) direct

protection forests specifically protect people, buildings, or utility

corridors.” Healthy forests provide great soil stability and low

levels of soil mass movement and surface erosion. They also give

stable hydrological systems and strongly influence the quality

and quantity of water from watersheds and lower storm flows

and water run-offs for any given input of rainfall.

Aside from protection, healthy environment can also enhance

people’s coping capacity and directly influence adaptive

capacities in the event of disasters. In times of disaster, food

supply and fresh water can be in intact and healthy environment.

Healthy environment also provides greater planning options for

reducing vulnerability and risks (Dietrich, 2012).

2.6. rECEnt disastErs dUring thE aqUino administrationThe Aquino administration was marked with disasters both

related to natural occurrences and human activities. Disaster

risk reduction management could have prevented or reduced

these negative effects but the lack of people-oriented action

and projects, during the disaster and after it, betrays a level

of criminal negligence as it caused great damages to life,

property and environment and continued suffering to this day.

Human activities on the other hand are direct actions and, in

the cases that will be stated, are government instigated that

have led to disastrous effects on the lives of the people and the

environment.


52


2.6.1. tyPhoonsThe Aquino administration experienced disastrous typhoons

like Typhoon Sendong (2011), typhoon Pablo (2012) and typhoon

Yolanda (2014) (See Table 4).

taBlE 4.list oF maJor disastErs ExpEriEnCEd By thE philippinEs From 2012-2015.nAtUrAl HAzArd

cAsUAlties Affected dAMAge of properties

(billions of pesos)deAd injUred Missing fAMilies individUAls

Habagat (Aug. 2012) 109 14 4 934,285 4,236,151

3

pablo (Dec. 2012) 1,067 2,666 844 711,682 6,243,998 36.949

Habagat (Aug. 2013) 27 30 4 689,527 3,096,392 0.689

Bohol earthquake (oct. 2013) 222 976 8 671,103 3,221,248 2.26*

yolanda (nov. 2013) 6,300 28,689 1,061 3,424,593 16,078,181 89.6

Glenda (Jul. 2014) 97 460 6 330,433 1,600,298 7.45

Ruby (Dec. 2014) 18 916 - 944,249 4,149,484 5.09

Seniang (Dec. 2014) 66 43 6 124,305 579,549 1.27

lando (oct. 2015) 35 24 25,000 907,267 6.57

ToTAl 9,125 38,930 1,927 6,918,241 36,082,417 146.318

Data source:

NDRRMC (2015)

*infrastructures

only

The case of typhoon Sendong and Pablo highlights how

environmental destruction can lead to greater disasters. The

communities battered by typhoon Sendong in Mindanao are

provinces plagued by logging — Iligan (See Image 24) and

Cagayan de Oro. In these areas, 33 logging companies operate. In

2014, there were 37 Industrial Forest Management Agreements

(IFMA) holders (See Table 5). Northern Mindanao, Davao

region and CARAGA. Independent scientist groups and people’s

organizations identified the deforested lands as the cause of the

53

flash floods, which were made more destructive by logs pushed

downstream by the current.

Image 24. Flash

flood in Iligan City

Source: GMANetwork.

com (2011)

taBlE 5. list oF thE indUstrial ForEst managEmEnt agrEEmEnts (iFma) holdErs From northErn mindanao, davao rEgion and Caraga that WErE grEatly aFFECtEd By rECEnt disastErs.

province nUMber of perMits AreA covered (HectAres)

Bukidnon 2 240,748

Misamis oriental 2 12,034

Davao del norte 2 19,853

Davao del Sur 3 2,478

Davao oriental 15 80,075.39

Agusan del Sur 7 224,605

Agusan del norte 1 2,772.19

Surigao del Sur 4 113,763.96

Surigao del norte 1 9,328

Total 37 705,657.54


Source: CEC (2014)

With regards to the Yolanda rehabilitation, according to Social

Watch, only half of the funds needed were released as of

November 2015 (De la Cruz, & Rey, 2015). There was allegedly

a lack funds and yet there were billions of donations from local

and international non-government organizations (NGO) that

up to now is not completely audited. There is also a lack in the

54


capacity of agencies to implement rehabilitation projects and an

absence of a clear system as well as an authoritative body that

will implement and monitor all projects.

The victims were made to go through the impact of the disaster

for almost three years. Still living in relocation centers or low

quality housing, survivors have been enduring the worsened

lack of social services and livelihood. The blame has been passed

from one agency and one person to another. During these times,

the president has the greatest accountability. President Aquino

should have intervened since this disaster may be the biggest

one ever to have hit the country in recent history. Until now, the

disaster survivors cry out for justice.

2.6.2. bohol earthquake (2013)A 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the Bohol province less than a

month before the typhoon Yolanda hit Eastern Samar. It was the

strongest that hit the country in a span of two decades.

As of August 2014, only 505 of 1,079 rehabilitation projects have

been completed, 141 million pesos of rehabilitation projects

remain unutilized and hundreds of food packs and sacks of rice

buried because they have remained undistributed and no longer

good for human consumption.

In 2016, 1 billion pesos in funds from the Office of the Civil

Defense (OCD) remains unutilized. These were all supposed to be

used to help rehabilitate the damage of the earthquake and help

build better lives for the victims, while the Aquino administration

chose to boast of its huge savings because of efficient spending

(Dejaresco, 2016).

55

2.6.3. el niño-related disasterThe El niño phenomenon that started in March 2015 was poorly

prepared for that it led not just to a loss of income to the peasants

but to their starvation. This spread through many parts of the

CARAGA region. At least 25,000 farmers were affected by the

drought. Despite of the calls of the people in affected areas for

aid in the form of food and agricultural subsidy, the local and

national administration maintained their stand that they have

done enough through cloud seeding and other measures.

This drove more than 6,000 farmers and Lumads from North

Cotabato to stage a barricade at the National Food Authority

warehouse along the Davao-Cotabato Highway. They demanded

for rice subsidy and calamity assistance. Their peaceful protest

turned into a massacre when the local government sent

policemen armed with rifles. They shot at the farmers with the

aim of dispersing the barricade which killed 3 farmers, injured

116 and illegally detaining 70.

The criminal neglect that almost killed farmers of starvation was

compounded by the actual act of killing in the massacre. Up to

now, the DA, Philippine National Police (PNP) and the LGU have

not been held responsible and justice is still far from the victims

of this disaster.

2.6.4. MininG-related disastersMajor mine tailings spills in recent years include those of the

Philex Mining Corporation’s Padcal mine in Tuba and Itogon

(2012) and of the Citinickel Mines and Development Corporation

(CMCD) in Palawan (2012 and 2014).


56


The Philex mine spill is the biggest mining disaster in the country

in terms of volume. The failed tailings pond released around 200

million metric tons of untreated mine tailings, ten times more

than the infamous Placerdome-Marcopper tailings mine spill

in Marinduque in 1996. The Philex tailings flowed into water

channels such as the Balog and Agno River and may even have

reached the multipurpose San Roquemegadam. Because of this

spill, Balog Creek was declared biologically dead. Even after this

incident, Philex was awarded by the government for its mining

practices (Dinglasan, 2012) and was allowed to operate the

notorious Tailings Pond 3, amid protests and unanswered calls

from the CEC, the scientist organization AGHAM – Advocates of

Science and Technology for the People and kalikasan-PNE for

transparency in the repairs of the mine facility.

In June 2014, the CMCD, a subsidiary of Oriental Peninsula

Resources Group, Inc., which operated in Barangay Pulot,

Sofronio Española and Palawan had a spill due to the siltation

control facilities’ breach. The sediments flowed into the Pasi and

Pulot Rivers. The company was suspended due to this incident

on the same year by the MGB and was also previously suspended

due to an earlier spill in its Toronto nickel mine in Narra, Palawan

that polluted the Pinagduguan River that affected 6.8 hectares of

farmlands (GMA News, 2014).

On December 2014 the suspension in the Sofronio Española,

Palawan mine was lifted following the lifting of the suspension

in the Toronto mine in Narra, Palawan on July 2014.

Aside from mine tailings spills, there was also an incident

of a collapse of the mining pit of Semirara Mining and Power

Corporation (SMPC), owned by Consunji, on July 2015 in the

57

Panian open pit in Antique. This buried at least 9 miners. This

was the second major accident of the SMPC, with the same part

of the mining site collapsing earlier in 2013.

These mining companies are the biggest in the country and also

incurred the largest damages in the environment and the people.

Despite these, they are still able to operate by simply paying

fines or carrying out tokenistic rehabilitation measures that

are nothing compared to the income derived from their mining

operations or the damage they caused on the environment

and the people. President Aquino’s Executive Order No. 79

has hindered efforts to exact accountability for the damages

mining corporations caused, subverted the rights and power of

the local government units to legislate codes that protect their

environment and implement mining moratoriums, in exchange

for token or dualistic measures to protection the environment.

2.6.5. oil sPillsMarine ecosystems were greatly devastated by oil spills that

affected vast coastal areas in the provinces. The spills involved

the biggest oil companies operating in the country.

On February 2012, Marine Tanker Panglao Island of Chevron

Philippines Inc. docked at Pier 1 of Poro Point discharging

automotive diesel oil from a pipe leak. The spill affected the

livelihood of the fisher folk in Sitio Tawi-tawi, San Fernando City

and La Union. No compensation was given to the affected fisher

folk as well as rehabilitation efforts in the affected areas.

On August 2013, Marine Tanker Makisig of Petron Corp., spilled

an estimated 500,000 liters of diesel in the coast of Cavite and

Manila bay. Around 10,000 fisher folk in Rosario and Tanza,


58


Cavite were affected and could even spread to other towns

in the province according to Pambansang Lakas ng kilusang

Mamamalakaya (PAMALAkAYA). The damage done was

estimated to affect the ecosystems and fisheries sector for up to

two generations according to the study of IAMURE International

Journal on Marine Ecology (Gatdula, 2013). Seven years prior to

this incident, the same company spilled almost the same amount

of bunker fuel from its contracted oil tanker Marine Tanker Solar

1 in the coast of Guimaras (Salamat, 2013).

On November 2013, during the height of typhoon Yolanda, Power

Barge No. 103 spilled at least 800,000 liters of oil in the coast of

Estancia, Iloilo. The oil spill destroyed the coastal ecosystem that

teemed with sea grasses and other marine life that provided

food and livelihood for the poor coastal barangays of Estancia.

The oil smothered the mangroves that thrive in the area up to

10 kilometers downstream. The situation aggravated the already

difficult recovery efforts on the impacts of typhoon Yolanda. The

fishing and urban poor community did not only need housing

assistance, but they need further assistance to address health

impacts of the spill, lost coastal livelihood that can go on for

decades, as well as helping in the full recovery of the devastated

the coastal ecosystem.

On September 2015, Solid Cement Corp. operating in Barangay

San Jose, Tagbac, Antipolo City spilled around 2,000 liters of oil

into a creek that flowed into the rivers in the towns of Teresa and

Morong. Reports showed that among the rivers affected are the

Tagbac and Bombongan. It is feared that the oil spill will reach

up to the Laguna Lake (Mayuga, 2015).

59

The oil spills have not been completely cleaned up. According

to All the way to the Ocean, a single gallon of oil spilled can

create around 3 hectares of slick on surface water (Biosynthetic

Technologies, n.d.). This can cover shores, mangroves and water

surfaces threatening the lives of animals and plants and the

livelihood of people along with it. These oil spills happen because

of a lack of monitoring and implementation of regulations.

The so-called rehabilitation by the companies, if any, do not

compensate for the loss of lives and livelihood of the fisher folk,

the community and the environment. There is also a lack of

accountability on the part of the company, government agencies

involved, local government unit and the national government.

2.6.6. the PliGht of the LumadsThe land resources of Mindanao have long been targeted for

plantations, logging and mining operations. Under the aegis of

the government and the military, the initiators of these projects

are local and foreign corporations that hope to push through

their plundering projects at any cost for their business and profit.

Ancestral lands of Lumads have not been spared. Instead

of receiving equal protection from the Armed Forces of the

Philippines (AFP), the Lumads are eased out and silenced by the

same army, backed up by paramilitary forces to clear the way

for businesses and foreign investors. This includes harassments,

killings, rape of individuals, and occupation and destruction of

property, especially of those resisting the projects.

Of the 68 indigenous people victims of extrajudicial killings

under Aquino administration, 53 were Lumads. These killings

appeared to be aimed at suppressing dissent over the destructive

projects of local and foreign corporations, and such measures are


60


incorporated in the Aquino administration’s counterinsurgency

program, known as the Oplan Bayanihan.

While 9 out of every 10 Lumad children do not have access to

education, 87 out of 146 Lumad schools were attacked through

aerial bombings, threat, intimidation, harassment, divestment

and destruction of school facilities. The pretext was that these

schools were schools of the New People’s Army (NPA). According

to the Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC), there were 214 such

attacks by the AFP and the military-backed paramilitary group.

The paramilitary also vandalized and occupied these schools

(Cruz, 2015).

The militarization caused mass evacuation making those who

left their homes internally displaced persons. In the aftermath of

the killings in Surigao del Sur on September 2015, 4,000 Lumads

went to neighbouring villages. There are still some 700 refugees

at the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP)–Haran,

Davao City, from Davao del Norte, Bukidnon and Surigao del Sur

since March 2015. As if the situation in their home villages were

not bad enough, these evacuation centers are further subjected

to attacks. These attacks include the raid of the UCCP Haran

evacuation center in July 2015 by Davao police and a paramilitary

group and the February 2016 burning of the evacuation camp in

Davao city leaving 5 wounded (Santos, 2016).

Although this situation is instigated by the AFP, the aftermathis

deemed a disaster based on the extent of the effects on the

people. This is one disaster that could have been avoided, had

humane values prevailed on the government and the military.

It is unfortunate that the situation has reached this extentall in

the name of corporate interest or profit. While the plight of the

61

Lumads have shaken the country, and received national and

international attention, President Aquino remained indifferent

to their issues and concerns.

2.6.7. zaMboanGa sieGe of sePteMber 2013 The Zamboanga siege was an armed conflict between the AFP

and a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF),

which tried to seize control of Zamboanga City and hoist their

flag at the City Hall. A standoff arose which degenerated into an

urban warfare, lasting for 20 days.

After the siege on September 28, 166 were killed from the rebels,

18 from the AFP, 5 from the PNP and 12 from the civilians. Almost

10,000 houses were destroyed and burned in an area of about

30 hectares (Evangelista, & Manlupig, 2013). The aerial bombing

and strafing of military aircraft were against the Protocols of

War and international humanitarian law since this was done in

the presence of civilians. Many of those killed cannot be actually

identified as MNLF fighters or civilians. The clashes caused the

displacement of more than 100,000 people. The Zamboanga

International Airport was closed down and there was a slowdown

of economic activity in the city.

Almost two years after the siege, 218 people were reported dead.

They were not killed during the siege but were killed because of

the effects of it. They died in evacuation centers and transitory

sites across the city due to diarrhoea, pneumonia, dehydration,

suspected measles diseases related to unsanitary and unhygienic

living conditions.

As of December 2014, around 7,000 people were still at the

Joaquin F. Enriquez, Jr. Sports Complex while 200 were still at the


62


Zamboanga City East West Central School. Mampang Transitional

Site I is one of the relocation sites for the victims of the siege.

There is no electricity, toilets are shared by families, water is

rationed by trucks and there is no proper waste disposal system

(Evangelista, 2015). As if losing loved ones, home and livelihoods

were not enough, the victims of the siege has to endure this

disastrous situation for years.

63

ChaptEr 3:POlICIES AND PROgRAMS UNDER ThE AQUINO ADMINISTRATION

The state of the Philippine environment is at a very

critical juncture. The spate and increasing magnitude

of disasters as years passed should be enough reminder

of how dangerous it has become for people, especially the poor

and vulnerable communities to be living in many parts of the

country. Yet the Philippine environmental situation continued

to worsen and destruction was not abated. President Aquino’s

administration pursued the neoliberal policies in the country

as if resources are limitless and people are able to survive

every tragedy that comes to their lives. Were measures laid

out to address or mitigate these economic impacts on the

environment of such policies or to carry out disaster risk

reduction efforts?

3.1. disastEr rEsponsE3.1.1. iMPleMentinG the disaster risk reduction and ManaGeMent law of 2010Approved in May 2010, following pressures underscored when

Super typhoon Ondoy and typhoon Pepeng hit the country in

2009, the law was put to test when the country experienced

64


Sendong (2011), Pablo (2012) and the most challenging Super

Typhoon Yolanda in Central Philippines in November 2013 (Rufo,

2013).

President Aquino however started off by vetoing a provision in

the 2011 budget that allocates money for disaster preparation

under the P5-billion Calamity Fund. Following Typhoon Sendong

that badly hit Mindanao, the President tried to redeem himself

in the following year and allocated P7.5 billion for calamity fund

and P14.2 billion for “disaster risk education and management.”

The measure could have fared better had a proper disaster

preparedness and management framework been laid down to

ensure that the budget would be put to good use.

Unfortunately failures manifested when Typhoon Pablo again

hit Mindanao and more especially when Super Typhoon Yolanda

made landfall in 2013, leaving more than 6,300 individuals dead,

about 4 million individuals displaced and around 90 billion

pesos worth of damages (NDRRMC, 2014). Typhoon Yolanda

unmasked the Aquino administration disaster preparedness,

when everything from communication to transportation and

relief distribution failed and a growing number of victims were

crying for help.

The failures pushed the affected communities to protest in

the streets demanding immediate relief and meaningful

rehabilitation. Balsa Mindanao clamoured for relief distribution

after Typhoon Pablo. The People Surge, —an alliance of Typhoon

Yolanda survivors in the Eastern Visayas was also formed and

marched the streets of Tacloban to Metro Manila to demand

assistance from the government (See Image 25).

65

3.1.2. no build zone/no dwellinG zone PolicyAfter Super Typhoon Yolanda, when the slogan was “build back

better,” an emerging issue was the lack of adequate shelter

assistance being provided by the government to those whose

houses were totally and partially destroyed. Over twelve

million people have been displaced, with many being unable

to return to their original places of residence as of January 29,

2014. There were also about 1 million households whose houses

were destroyed and severely damaged (Commission on Human

Rights, 2014).

A few weeks after Yolanda, the Aquino government released an

order to establish “no build zones” on coastlines purportedly to

ensure transfer of residents to safe resettlement areas (kalikasan,

2014). This policy is set to prohibit coastal residents from returning

to their fishing villages and rebuilding their homes inside the

40-meter zone measured from the shoreline (Murcia & Pulta,

Image 25. Yolanda

survivors and People

Surge protest for the

slow implementation

of rehabilitation

program.

Source: People’s Surge

(2015), lifted from

the Facebook page of

People Surge

ChaptEr 3: poliCiEs and programs UndEr thE aqUino administration

66


2014). The national government has since modified this policy and

recommended a 40-meter “no dwelling zone” instead from the

high water mark to be implemented by LGUs in all areas affected

by Typhoon Yolanda. The idea behind a “no dwelling zone” policy

was to encourage livelihood regeneration and tourism but will

prevent any residential structures from being built. The policy

has been criticized for the lack of social acceptability, feasibility

and not taking into consideration livelihood concerns of the

displaced families in the issue of relocation.

Image 26. The groups

called for the scrapping

of the No Build Zone

policy imposed over

Yolanda-affected

coastal communities

Source: Santos (2014)

International human rights law has explicitly recognised the

right to an adequate standard of living and to the continual

improvement of living conditions for individuals and their

families, as well as the right to be free from arbitrary interference

with one’s privacy and family. By this law as well as the Human

Rights Standards on Housing, Land and Property Rights of

Populations, the government has the responsibility to ensure

adequate housing and resettlement for all residents affected by

67

Super Typhoon Yolanda that might be affected by the “no dwelling

zone” policy. There should also be a genuine consultation, and

this should be carried out before the implementation of the

policy. In many occasions, up until now, government units have

been trying to evict the informal settlers even when government

has not yet set up adequate housing and resettlement. Yolanda

survivors continue to demand for rehabilitation support.

As corruption, political wrangling and injustice continuously

surround post-Yolanda rehabilitation and recovery efforts, the

affected communities also continue to suffer from the government’s

own actions. The “no build zone” or “no dwelling zone” policy have

been regarded by typhoon survivors as a mere ruse to make way

for ecotourism businesses and commercial establishments. As

long as concerned communities are not consulted and adequate

housing, where typhoon survivors are able to truly find alternative

livelihood, and sustain decent lives are provided, such knee jerk

policies and arbitrary eviction cannot resolve the prevention

of disasters in coastal areas. The policy only reflects how anti-

people and anti-poor the existing laws and policies on disaster risk

reduction and management the country has. The disaster cycle

demonstrated by the recent spate of typhoons will only continue

unless the government implements nationwide and well–planned

disaster and climate change adaptation measures that will provide

a culture of safety to the most vulnerable sectors.

3.1.3. Presidential assistant for recovery and rehabilitation (Parr)In December 2013, Panfilo Lacson was appointed by Aquino

as the Presidential Assistant for Recovery and Rehabilitation

(PARR). It took nine months before Aquino received the 170.9

billion peso master plan of Yolanda rehabilitation, also called


68


as the Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan (CRRP)

(Calonzo, 2014). Lacson then resigned from the post, earlier

complaining of turfing issues among government agencies.

Despite having the CRRP, months after Yolanda, rehabilitation is

still slow. The billions of pesos received as aid was spent in band-

aid solutions such as relief foods and temporary shelters instead

of a holistic and long-term rehabilitation plan. (See image 27)

Image 27. Temporary

housing in Yolanda

affected communities

Source: Sun star (2015)

3.1.4. reconstruction assistance on yolanda (ray)A month after Yolanda, the Philippine government through the

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) launched

the RAY with an estimated budget of 360.8 billion pesos that will

be disbursed for four years. With its theme “Build Back Better,”

its objective is to reconstruct safer and disaster-resilient facilities.

Included in the program is a “no build zone” policy that prohibits

the construction of buildings in coastal areas. Moreover, RAY

enforced a privatized reconstruction effort by promoting public-

private partnerships, allowing big corporations to invest in

the rehabilitation areas. The program has allowed businesses

to expand rather than provide a genuine rehabilitation to the

disaster victims.

69

3.1.5. tide eMbankMent in tacloban cityDisplaced families continue to increase months after Yolanda.

Moreover, many families still live in bunkhouses and tent cities

that are far from their livelihood and without basic facilities such

as electricity and water supply. But instead of prioritizing these

issues in relocation and housing, the government is focusing on

building a 7.9 billion tide embankment project that will serve

as protection from storm surges and tsunamis in Tacloban, Palo

and Tanauan. The project with a 27.3 kilometer of stretch steel

and concrete seawall will start from the shorelines of Barangay

Diit in Tacloban, passing by the city proper, extending to the

town of Palo, and ending in Barangay Ambao, Tanauan. This

is yet to be constructed, but experts are already expressing

warnings over environmental concerns and massive relocation

of all communities residing in the coastal areas, as communities

are being evicted again without people’s consultation and

presentation of the technical and environmental studies of the

project, not to mention clear and adequate resettlement sites.

3.1.6. eMerGency shelter assistance (esa)The Emergency Shelter Assistance (ESA) is among the most

controversial response by the Aquino administration to post-

Yolanda. Administered by the Department of Social Welfare and

Development (DSWD), the ESA was not able to fulfil its role, as

emergency assistance for it was released almost two years after

Yolanda. Families with totally damaged houses are supposed to

receive 30,000 pesos while 10,000 pesos have been allocated for

those families with partially damaged houses.

However, families had a hard time applying for this grant due

to a long list of requirements. They complained of not receiving

the aid due to the “unreasonably stringent” requirements set by


70


the DSWD’s Memorandum Circular No. 24 series of 2014 for ESA

applicants (Alcober, 2015). The DSWD reportedly disqualified

households with a combined income of 15,000 pesos and above,

households receiving any assistance from relatives working

abroad and households living within the 40-meter danger zones.

The circular is blatantly defeating the emergency nature and

purpose of the said assistance program.

Several resolutions were filed in both House of Representatives

and the Senate to investigate the “irregularities,” the high

requirements set by the DSWD and the failure of disbursing the

funds to the 468,732 homeless beneficiaries. According to the

COA, only 142,348 beneficiaries (worth 3 billion pesos) were

provided with shelter assistance (Cabacungan, 2015).

3.2. logging3.2.1. executive order 23 and 26 of 2011Following a series of landslides and flash floods, President Aquino

issued EO 23 on February 1, 2011 declaring a moratorium on

the cutting and harvesting of timber in the natural and residual

forests, and creating an anti-illegal logging task force. Shortly

afterwards, DENR-Memorandum Order No. 52 suspended the

issuance of new logging contracts. The EO 23 has not revoked

or categorically banned commercial logging but only stopped

the DENR from granting new contracts while reviewing existing

contracts. Loopholes such as allowing logging in plantation

forests and mining concession areas and failing to cancel existing

permits remain a challenge.

Following EO 23, President Aquino issued EO 26 on February 24,

2011, or the National Greening Program (NGP) that aims to plant

1.5 billion trees from 2011 to 2016. This ambitious project, while

71

commendable, is haunted by issues of corruption and weak

or faulty implementation (CEC, 2012). The NGP, which aims to

restore the country’s degraded forests, is considered as one of the

banner programs of the Aquino administration. From more than

1.17 billion peso-budget in 2010, the budget was boosted up to 5.8

billion pesos in 2013 (NGP, n.d.) and up to 6.2 billion pesos in 2014

(Ranada, 2014). It became the single biggest budget allocation of

the DENR. However, according to the Foundation for Philippine

Environment (FPE) Director Godofredo Villapando during the

Green SONA forum in 2014, various anomalies such as unplanted

seedlings, questionable deductions on cheque encashment, ghost

seedling suppliers were reported in the project. The DENR, the

implementing agency for the program, claimed that as of the

first half of 2014, 392 million trees were already planted in over

683,000 hectares. On the other hand, the COA declared the NGP

as unsuccessful, stating that the NGP was not able to attain its

objectives due to failed implementation and lack of monitoring

mechanisms (Ramos, 2015).

3.3. mining3.3.1. executive order 79While Mining Act of 1995 remains in force, Aquino instituted

EO 79 that aims to open further the mining industry to the

corporate sector by overriding local government codes and

environmental laws. The EO has received numerous criticisms

from environmental advocates, particularly, as it is being used

as a way to green wash the mining program and pave the way

for smoother implementation of foreign and large-scale mining.

The EO 79 will also be limiting areas available to traditional small-

scale miners (Section 11). Rather than support and develop the

domestic small-scale mining (SSM) industry which will support


72


more poor and unemployed. The EO seems to be more interested

in allowing foreign large-scale players take over the areas for

expansion (CEC, 2012).

3.4. FishEriEs3.4.1. fisheries code (ra 8550 or the PhiliPPine fisheries law of 1998) and the aMended fisheries code (ra 10654)Since the implementation of RA No. 8550 or the Philippine

Fisheries Law of 1998, exports of marine products rose to 120%

in 2012 reaching a total of $808.8 million with major markets in

the United States, Japan and EU consuming 18% of our total fish

production. But despite this increase in export, importation in the

last 17 years is also continuously increasing (PAMALAkAYA, 2016).

The law allocated 250 million pesos for the development of

commercial fishing vessels and 50 million pesos for aquaculture

investment, in spite the fact that the 100,000 million peso-

Municipal Fisheries Grant, supposed to be appropriated annually

for fisher folks, still has no clear audit report as of 2015 (France,

cited in InterAksyon, 2015). The Fisheries Code was also seen

to further coastal grabbing due to the openness of corporate

interventions in seaside and coastal area management.

An amended version of the Fisheries Code (RA10654) was passed in

2014 that allows private companies to own coastal lands and water

areas for commercial fishing and aquaculture for up to 50 years. It is

also open for offshore mining and furthers Joint Venture Agreements

between local and foreign commercial fishing companies.

The amended Fisheries Code, according to PAMALAkAYA, with

all its new unjustified and prejudicial restrictions and penalties,

reinforces, in a massive and wanton way, the exclusion of

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ordinary fisher folk from rightfully gaining access to the country’s

fishing waters.

The restrictions provided in the said amendments are likewise

biased against small and medium commercial fishing and could

mean, according to PAMALAkAYA’s projections, the loss of

livelihood of approximately 15,000 fish workers in Navotas alone.

In July 23 and September 2, 2015, thousands of small fisher folk

launched a fish holiday, a protest action calling for the scrapping

of the Fisheries Code amendments such as the requirement for

all commercial vessels to install a vessel monitoring system

when this should only be required of operators who export

their products, the deployment of “fisheries observers” on board

fishing vessels, and the exorbitant fees and penalties that go with

these restrictions.

Regulation is disguised as high fines and penalties in the Fisheries

Code and is worsened further of the recent amendments. This

will affect more the small fisher folk than the big commercial

fishing companies since they are less able to pay unlike the

favored commercial fishing companies. Exorbitant fees are also

imposed by local government units like registration fee of fishing

vessels and gears and even identification cards.

Small fisher folks under the group PAMALAkAYA, have been

criticizing the governing law, even in its amended form as it had

only benefitted the big and foreign fishing corporations at the

expense of their survival.

The amended Fisheries Code still allowed commercial fishing

vessels to fish within the 15-kilometer municipal fishing ground,


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by virtue of a conflicting 7-fathom rule provision in the code. The

7-fathom rule should have no place in the municipal fishing ground

as the Philippine coastal floor is by nature undulating. Thus, there

are cases when the commercial fishers ease out the small fisher folks

in the 15-kilometer municipal fishing area forcing them to go farther

to sea causing greater expenses in gasoline, oil and food, not to

mention greater time spent in sea and greater risks in open waters.

The fisher folks led by PAMALAkAYA asserts it is because of this anti-

fisher folk law that their sector ranks highest in poverty incidence

among other social-economic groups in the country. It calls for its

repeal not its mere amendment, as the substance of the law will only

worsen their sorry situation

3.5. military and dEFEnsE3.5.1. enhanced defense cooPeration aGreeMent (edca)An agreement signed in March 2014 between the Philippines and the

United States of America (USA) has raised criticisms and warnings of

future environmental concerns. The EDCA was signed, as claimed by

the Aquino government, to support the country’s external defense

against China in the claim for the West Philippine Sea. However, it

is not very clear in the agreement what would be the role of the US

with only minimal commitment to fight for the Philippines.

Also, contrary to the claims by the Aquino government that the defense

pact between the United States and the Philippines contains ‘robust

provisions’ on environmental protection, progressive organizations

believe that the agreement would not benefit the country and would

bring about grave impacts to the environment, safety and security of

the Filipino people (AGHAM, 2014). The said agreement is silent on

the entry of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction

in the country. The agreement also gives the US the go-signal to re-

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establish and even build more naval bases throughout the country.

These only warn us of the amount of toxic wastes and contamination

and the environmental degradation that follows.

3.6. ClimatE ChangE3.6.1 conference of Parties (coP 21)The Philippines is a signatory to the lauded Paris Agreement, an

outcome of the recent COP 21 held in December 2015 in Paris, France.

Hundreds of stakeholders including governments, civil society and

private sector have joined together to address the issue of climate

change thus, resulting to the historic Paris Agreement.

However, the agreement bound to be ratified by the countries that

have signed it, has provided much leeway for big industrialized

countries to continue their current carbon emissions. No concrete

actions have been defined to ensure the attainment of the 2 degree

Celsius target pathway, let alone 1.5 degrees goal. Countries will

only be guided by their respective Intended National Determined

Contributions (INDC) that has no clear link to the goal.

Furthermore, while the Paris Agreement managed to retain principles

of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) which

developed countries are trying to water down, and clearer targets on

finance and expressed language on IPR which is a major stumbling

block in technology transfer, have not been made.

The Paris Agreement, while preserving the negotiating table among

countries to address climate change, has put on a heavy burden

on developing countries, and especially the emerging economies,

to do much more climate actions, including mitigation, sans clear

pathways to effective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.


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Right after the Philippine government acted as a champion in its

fight for climate change at the COP21, President Aquino went to

announce that there are newly approved coal-fired power plants

that will be installed around the country.

3.6.2 PeoPle’s survival fund (Psf)The People’s Survival Fund (PSF) is an annual fund created

under the RA 10174 that aims to support climate change

adaptation projects of LGUs and accredited organizations. There

is a 1 billion peso-fund available under this program that can

be accessed annually. The PSF was signed into law by President

Noynoy Aquino in 2012 and was made available for access in

October 2015.

This is a novel initiative of the government to develop more

avenues to push LGUs in smartly designing ways to address

climate change adaptation. While the fund is small relative to

the country’s need for adaptation, it may be deemed a good

start. The fact that it is also internally generated shows that the

country is serious in addressing the climate change problem,

while it relentlessly pursues developed countries for financing

under the principle of CBDR. There is much to see how this fund

evolves to be one that is guided by a national and integrated

adaptation framework that is indeed people driven and made

more accessible to communities. Much of its success will be seen

in how the fund promotes technological and environmental

soundness and people’s participation, while remaining clean and

transparent.

3.7. hUman rightsThe human rights situation under the Aquino administration is

no better than his predecessors. The entry of corporations to the

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resource-rich lands of indigenous communities often results to

many violations such as killings, displacements and harassments

being committed by the military and paramilitary hired as

guards by the big businesses.

Environmental advocates oftentimes in the line of duty are also

experiencing different kinds of violations. Since 2001, a total of 74

environmental advocates – not including unaccounted cases – have

been killed in the country, and more than 70% of whom are anti-

mining activists. As of 2013, at least 23 cases of harassment suits,

three cases of enforced disappearances, seven cases of frustrated

murder and 29 cases of illegal detention involving environmental

advocates have been recorded by the Task Force – Justice for

Environmental Defenders. An international watchdog, Global

Witness, even identified the Philippines as the third deadliest

country, next to Brazil and Honduras, and the “most perilous” in

Asia, for environmental defenders (InterAksyon, 2014).

3.7.1. MininG-related killinGsTen out of the 28 mining-related victims killed since Aquino

assumed office in 2010 were opponents of the Tampakan gold

and copper mining projects in South Cotabato of the Glencore-

Xstrata-SMI group of companies. The Lumads or the indigenous

peoples of Mindanao have expressed strong opposition to the

projects resulting to widespread protests that converged as

the Manilakbayan or caravan protest to Metro Manila held in

November 2015. (See Image 29)

One of the more prominent cases is the massacre of a B’laan family

opposed to a mining project. On October 17, 2012, elements of the

27th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army sprayed bullets

into the hut of Juvy Capion, who was pregnant at that time, and


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her two sons John and Pops. Juvy’s husband, Daguil is one of the

most active and vocal leaders against the said project.

From August 9 to August 14, 2014, three indigenous people

were killed in separate incidents in Agusan del Sur and

Bukidnon (Ayroso, 2014). Among the suspects were members

of a paramilitary group linked with the Philippine Army’s 4th

Infantry Division, and an official of a palm oil company.

• Armando Campos. On August 9, 2014, Campos was shot dead

in Ebro village, San Francisco, Agusan del Sur. He is one of

the farmers who wanted to reclaim the 4,000-hectare palm oil

plantation being leased to Filipinas Palm Oil Plantation Inc

(FPPI).

• Datu Roger Alaki. Still in Agusan del Sur, Alaki was shot

dead by a certain Berting Aldo, identified as a member of

the Bagani Force. The Bagani Force, along with soldiers of

the 26th Infantry Battalion, had been harassing residents

of Sitio Mintakei, Lydia Village in the town of La Paz.

Before the incident, members of the Bagani Force had been

threatening those who refused to sign the Memorandum of

Agreement (MOA) with the Malampaya mining company. The

paramilitary group also warned of launching “pangayaw” or

armed campaign against those who rejected the MOA.

• Marcel Labon. On August 14, 2014, Labon was shot dead

while waiting for his crops to be milled in a local store. He was

a member of Pigyayungaan, a local organization of kalumbay,

the regional organization of indigenous peoples in CARAGA

region.

The government’s war against the Lumad people intensifies under

Aquino’s administration, with a total of 71 indigenous people

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killed through the Oplan Bayanihan. Included were Emerito

Samarca, Executive Director of the Lumad school, Alternative

Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development,

Inc., (ALCADEV), killed on September 1, 2015 in Lianga, Surigao

del Sur, Dionel Campos, Chairman of Malahutayong Pakibisog

Alang sa Sumusunod (MAPASU, Persevering Struggle for the Next

Generation) and Jovillo Sinzo, a tribal leader of Sitio kiwagan.

Prior to these killings, on August 26, 2015, 57 homes were

ransacked by elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Seventeen of them were arrested while 13 are still facing

trumped-up charges and are detained in Malayabalay, Bukidnon.

Eleven were Manobo tribal and farmer leaders in kitaotao.

Image 28.

Manilakbayan

Source: Aryoso (2015)

3.7.2. illeGal detention of environMental advocatesEnvironmental advocates also face harassments even in the

line of duty. The government continues to slap environmental

defenders with trumped-up charges and accuse them of being

related to insurgent groups.


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• Kim Gargar. He is a former Physics professor and CEC staff.

He was illegally arrested on October 2, 2013 by elements

of the 67th Infantry Battalion while doing fieldwork for a

project in typhoon Pablo devastated areas. Accused as an

NPA member, Prof. Gargar was detained for nine months

over trumped-up charges (The Manila Times, 2015), that

includes Commission on Election (COMELEC) Gun Ban, Illegal

Possession Explosives, four (4) Attempted Murder and one (1)

Frustrated Murder and additional case of multiple frustrated

murder. He was finally released on August 1, 2014 after being

granted bail due to “weak” and fabricated evidence presented

by the military (Condeza, 2014). At present, four of the five

cases have been already dismissed. Only the additional case of

multiple frustrated murder is still filed at the DOJ is pending

action. This is a success resulting from the relentless campaign

organized by fellow scientists and advocates in the field.

• Romeo Rivera. An anti-mining activist and a carpenter,

Rivera was arrested on the suspicion that he is Felix Armodia,

a top NPA leader who is said to be responsible for several

Image 29. Free

Kim Gargar!

Source: Human

Rights Philippines

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raids on mining and construction firms in Davao del Sur and

the Cotabato provinces. He was arrested on May 2, 2014 from

his home in Barangay San Roque in koronadal. He remains

detained to this day.

• Genasque Enriquez. known as a leader opposing the Taganito

Mining Corporation, Enriquez was arrested on August 22,

2014. He was charged with murder and frustrated murder and

implicated in the July 21, 2012 attack of the NPA against the 75th

Infantry Battalion of the Philippines Army in Bunawan, Agusan

del Sur. Enriquez is a Manobo leader under the indigenous

people’s alliance kalumaran and a staunch opponent of

destructive large-scale mines and agro-industrial plantations

in the CARAGA region of Mindanao (kalikasan, 2014).

3.7.3. harassMents of indiGenous PeoPles and civiliansIn 2014, about 1,300 Pantaron Manobos evacuated from their

homes in Talaingod (See Image 31). For opposing the entry of

logging, mining and dam projects in their ancestral lands, the

Manobos experience different forms of harassment from the

military (Arkibong Bayan, 2014).

Image 30. Green

groups staged a

protest action in

front of Department

of National Defense

(DND) against Human

Rights (HR) violations

of SMI Xstrata

Source: Manalansan

(2014)


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Even professors and students from the University of the

Philippines (UP) were not spared from harassments. On May 31,

2014, 3 professors and 12 students were held up for more than

six hours by 13 heavily armed security personnel of FCF Minerals

Corporation and local policemen in civilian clothes in Sitio

Bit-ang, Barangay Runruno, Nueva Vizcaya (kalikasan, 2013).

The victims are members of a university-based environmental

organization who were supposed to conduct a tree-planting

activity (kalikasan, 2013).

3.7.4. Mass evacuations or “bakwit”Up to 2,700 Lumads were evacuated and displaced from Lianga

and other towns of Surigao del Sur and CARAGA region and

700 more from Talaingod, Davao del Norte. Close to 3,000 also

evacuated to Tandag City, Surigao del Sur because of the killing

of the ALCADEV executive director (See Image 32).

There were supposedly ‘rescue’ missions headed by North

Cotabato Second District Representative Nancy Catamco in

UCCP Haran compound last July 23, 2015. The evacuees were

supposedly to be taken home. But it turned out to be a violent

dispersal with 500 policemen and government agents present. A

14-year old girl that was supposedly rescued reported that three

military men raped her. The education of the Lumad children

was also put to a halt since 87 Lumad schools are suffering from

various forms of military violence. All of these human rights

violations are intertwined with the operations of big mining

corporations in the region.

According to kalumaran Secretary General Dulphing Ogan,

“These areas are the best spots to extract gold, nickel and copper.

And these areas are also the remaining forests in Mindanao.”

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It is estimated that 500,000 hectares of mining concessions are

granted to multinational corporations, and 80% of the 131 mining

agreements and permits in Mindanao are located in the Lumad

areas. Examples of these are the ancestral lands of the Lumads

in Lebak, Sultan kudarat wherein the XR Mining and Sagittarius

Mines are operating large-scale open pit mining.

Image 31. Forced

evacuation of Lumads

in Diatagon, Lianga,

Surigao del Sur due to

militarization.

Source: Guda (cited in

Pinoy Weekly, 2015)

3.7.5. Kidapawan Massacre

The kidapawan Massacre that resulted from the El Niño-related

disaster is among the most violent protest dispersals in the

recent years after the Hacienda Luisita Massacre in 2004. The

6,000-strong protest of poor farmers and Lumads from North

Cotabato was due to the lack of government support to El Niño-

affected populations. But instead of providing what they demand,

which is rice and other food subsidy, the kidapawan LGU ordered

local policemen to disperse the protesting farmers by shooting

them. The shootout resulted to 3 death and more than a hundred

injured protesters.

But the LGU did not stop the shooting. Its police forces continued

to harass the farmers still taking refuge in the nearby church

compound. The local policemen together with the military


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surrounded the compound, cut the power and prohibited the

farmers and their supporters to entry or leave the compound. The

media are also not allowed to cover and shoot in the perimeters.

The local police also arrested around 43 people, which includes

pregnant women and senior citizens.

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ChaptEr 4: ADvANCINg ThE STRUgglES OF ThE PEOPlE AND ThE ENvIRONMENT ThROUgh COllECTIvE ACTIONS

Due to the continuing failure of the government to

address different environmental problems, grassroots

communities and environmental activists have

embarkedoncampaignstofighttheextraction,exploitationand

plunder of the country’s natural resources. Over the years, people

have increasingly started to embrace and support the people’s

struggle and continuous pursuit for environmental justice and

right to a healthy ecology.

4.1. lEgal aCtionsThe Writ of kalikasan is one the main legal “armours” used by

environmental activists to prevent environmentally destructive

projects such as large-scale reclamation and mining to protect our

country’s natural wealth against such threats and exploitation.

It is a legal remedy, offered by the judicial system, which hopes

to provide protection to one’s right to “a balanced and healthy

ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature,” as

provided for in Section 16, Article II of the Philippine Constitution.

Several Writs of kalikasan have been filed with the Supreme

Court involving different environmental issues including the

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proposed coal power plant in Subic, Zambales, Tubbataha

grounding by the USS Guardian in 2012, and road projects being

undertaken at Mount Sto. Tomas Watershed in Tuba, Benguet

that started in 2014, among others.

Image 32. Campaign

to pass the People’s

Mining Bill

Source: CEC

(as cited in Leon, 2011)

4.2. lEgislativEThe need to change current policies and laws governing the use

and management of our natural resources was exemplified in

the filing of progressive legislation such as House Bill 4315 or

the People’s Mining Bill (PMB) in Congress (See Image 33). The

PMB “seeks to reorient the current policy on the ownership,

management and governance of metallic and non-metallic

minerals, quarry resources, and gemstones towards a rational

manner for national industrialization and local development”

(Adlawan, 2012). The filing of the bill which is a product of

various local, regional and national consultations reflects the

people’s desire to break free from the unjustified and treasonous

Mining Act of 1995 that relentlessly brings hardships and human

rights violations to the people. While there is not much hope that

a radical law such as what the People’s Mining Bill exemplifies

87

will be passed by an elite-dominated legislature, the bill provides

the public with an articulation of an alternative policy regime on

mining.

Countless other bills and resolutions have also been filed in

Congress and the Senate, including resolutions regarding the 11

billion peso-worth mega dam project in Jalaur and the oil spill

in Estancia in Iloilo. These are responses to the ecological and

people’s concerns, reflecting the need to rethink and challenge

current environmental policies and practices.

4.3. EnvironmEntal invEstigation missions, FACT FINDINg AND SOlIDARITY MISSIONSScientists, environmental activists, and other organizations

strengthen claims against environmentally destructive actions

through conducting Environmental Investigation Missions (EIMs)

and Fact Finding Missions (FFMs). The EIMs and FFMs assess

pre, during- or post- environmental and socio-economic impacts

of environmentally destructive activities and aim to expose

the nature and/or impacts of the projects to the communities,

through the interaction of scientific experts and the community

residing in the affected areas. These serve as technical basis to

warrant accountability from the destructive companies and later

used for appropriate legal or legislative actions.

Several EIMs and FFMs have been done in different parts of

the country including those conducted in Iloilo, Nueva Vizcaya,

Albay and Isabela, among others. Majority were held in mining

affected areas.

The most recent EIM was conducted in November 2015 in Sta.

Cruz, Zambales wherein four big mining companies are currently

ChaptEr 4: advanCing thE strUgglEs oF thE pEoplE and thE EnvironmEnt throUgh CollECtivE aCtions

88


operating. The EIM was conducted post-typhoon Lando and has

concluded that the mining operations have worsened impacts of

the typhoon to the communities. The EIM in Sta. Cruz, Zambales

was followed by a solidarity mission in February 2016 where

national organizations were invited to express solidarity with the

residents of the barangays in protest of the mining operations.

4.4. partnErships and mass CampaignsPartnerships and mass campaigns have been forged to address the

people’s needs, educate communities and demand accountability

from the government for its negligence. The CEC, with different

organizations, has formed different group alliances to address

specific environmental and people’s concerns.

4.4.1. PeoPle’s nicheIn response to the threats of large-scale reclamation the People’s

Network for the Integrity of Coastal Habitats and Ecosystems

(People’s NICHE) was established in 2012. People’s NICHE is an

alliance calling for the restoration, instead of reclamation, of

the coastal waters of Manila Bay and other areas targeted for

reclamation developments under the National Reclamation Plan.

At present, there are still threats of reclaiming parts Laguna de

Bay for the Laguna Lake Expressway Dike Project (LLEDP) that

aims to build a highway connecting Bicutan/Taguig to Calamba/

Los Baños, and said to mitigate flood impacts and facilitate traffic

flow. However, experts have expressed warnings that reclaiming

a huge part of the lake would lead to more flooding and more

dangerous conditions during earthquakes. Another area that

is under the threat of reclamation is in the coast of the Manila

Bay including the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and

Ecotourism Area (LPCHEA), which is a known bird sanctuary

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and a bio-diverse reserve in the south of Manila. There is also

another proposed 360 hectare reclamation project in Pasay just

this June 2016.

4.4.2. PeoPle surGeIn January 2014, the People Surge was established by Yolanda

survivors coming from different towns in Leyte and Samar to

forward their demands for genuine rehabilitation and calls for

accountability from the Aquino administration. People’s Surge

has since become a platform for many other disaster-related

issues such as climate change and governance. Environmental

advocates also took part in the campaigns led by People Surge.

4.4.3. environMental network aGainst Pork barrel and corruPtion (enaP corruPtion)The Environmental Network Against Pork Barrel and Corruption

(ENAP Corruption) is established in July 2014 by different

environmental organizations led by the kalikasan People’s

Network for the Environment (kalikasan - PNE). The network

was established to respond to the construction of a mega-dam

project in Panay being funded by the controversial Disbursement

Acceleration Program (DAP) of Aquino’s administration in

partnership with korea Eximbank. The ENAP Corruption is

convened by kPNE, AGHAM, CEC, Alay Bayan Inc., BUkAL

Batangas, CARAGA Watch, Ecological Society of the Philippines,

kalikasan Youth-UMak, National Union of People’s Lawyers-

Environment Desk, Panalipdan Southern Mindanao, Saribuhay-

UP Manila, Save the Bay Alliance, Sibol ng Agham at Teknolohiya

(SIBAT), Sibuyan Island Sentinels League for the Environment,

SOCSkSARGENDS Agenda, Zero Waste Philippines, and 350.org

Pilipinas.


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The alliance also supported the push for the People’s Initiative that

aims to abolish all forms of pork barrel, including the itemized

congressional pork barrel and the presidential or executive pork

barrel (Salamat, 2014) (See Image 33).

4.4.4. scraP MininG act of 1995 networkThe Scrap Mining Act of 1995 Network led by kalipunan ng

mga katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (kAMP) together

with environmental advocates and church organizations, is

an alliance formed with the objective to repeal the RA 8371 or

the Philippine Mining Act of 1995. The alliance is conducting

different fora discussing the impacts of the law to the indigenous

communities being displaced and destroyed by foreign mining

corporations. The network through the progressive party-list

law-makers is also primarily pushing for the legislation of the

PMB in the House of Representatives.

Image 33.

Environment groups

in SONA ng Bayan

Source: Manalansan

(2014)

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4.4.5. daluyonGDaluyong is a national network of disaster survivors that

calls for transparency and accountability from Aquino’s

administration’s response to relief and rehabilitation. The

government’s management of disaster funds received many

criticisms, particularly, accusations of massive corruption led

by government agencies and local government officials. This

was evident in the substandard housing and poor services in

relocation sites of disaster survivors as seen in the aftermath of

Super Typhoon Yolanda.

4.5. stop lUmad killings! CampaignThe continuous plunder of the country’s natural resources

have pushed communities of indigenous peoples to fight and

launch different campaigns to seek support from the broad

groups of advocates. The consecutive killings of Lumad people

(or the indigenous peoples of Mindanao) have launched the

Manilakbayan protest caravan alongside the Stop Lumad

killings! Campaign – a national campaign against militarization

and human rights violation in Mindanao.

Environmental advocates also show their support through

mobilizations and protest actions, also to condemn the

government’s brutality to the indigenous peoples and its link

to the increasing foreign and elite ownership of the country’s

natural resources. The Manilakbayan was held from October

to November 2015 in the UP-Diliman, and provided spaces for

interaction and exchange between the different sectors and the

Lumad communities from Mindanao. The campaign shed light

on the plight of the indigenous peoples in Mindanao due to the

continuing harassments and killings related to mining and agri-

business corporations.


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CONClUSION: ChAllENgES AhEAD

Reports and studies have shown that there is a great

relationship between a healthy ecology and the

people’s communities. Plunder of resources and the

continuous exploitation of the country’s rich havens have led

to massive displacements and destruction of many cultures.

Corporate interventions have increased, primarily, because

of the different neoliberal policies and programs being

implemented by the government. It is therefore necessary for

the people to continue asserting their rights to a healthy and

balanced environment. Movements that call for sustainable

and grassroots-led management of resources are much needed

in this phase of neoliberal globalization. Under the six years

of the Aquino regime, the people have suffered more from the

different policies and programs that does not really address

the root causes of the problem. It is time to end these different

anti-people and anti-environment policies to pave the way for a

scientific,patrioticandpeople-centereddevelopment.

The Center for Environmental Concerns challenges the next

administration to address the particular issues:

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• Defend our national patrimony and strategic resources

from plunder. The Philippines is endowed with rich and

vital resources to sustain its people and provide for its

development. While these resources are in critical state due

to decades and centuries of abuse, the Filipino people remain

poor and continue to live in abject poverty conditions. Thus, it

is necessary to protect our remaining ecological frontiers for

the future of the people, and against the plunder of the elite

and foreign extractive industries.

• Disaster Risk Reduction and Response. Disasters are

among the challenges to the people’s livelihood and

survival. Thus it is a policy recommendation to the

government and other stakeholders that effective climate

change preparedness and disaster risk reduction measures

be implemented. The country has one of the highest risks of

disaster in the world. With more than 20 typhoons visiting

every year, high possibilities of earthquakes and extreme

weather events, the need for a new and effective climate

change adaptation and disaster risk reduction measures is

urgently needed.

• Accountability and Governance. The government has

failed to be accountable and transparent as exposed by

the different corruption cases filed against high ranking

government officials, particularly, that of the president and

some of his cabinet members. The issue of the use of public

funds also heightened during the rehabilitation period post-

Yolanda and the questionable existence of the Presidential

Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) that led to a

Million People March in 2013. Thus, it is high time to address

the issue of corruption and call for investigation and file

cases against the involved government officials including

the outgoing President Noynoy Aquino.


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• Justice for all the victims of human rights violations.

Violations of rights including killings, harassments and even

the negligence that led to large-scale disasters should get

the justice that victims deserve. We call on the pulling out

of troops in Mindanao and in different indigenous people’s

ancestral domains.

• Work for a more sustainable and equitable socio-

economic system. In defense of national patrimony, the

people seek economic development through the use of

local human and natural resources that is managed in a

purposive way, following the land reform and redistributive

justice and national industrialization pathways of

developed countries, sans the depletion and destruction of

vital resources that may still be enjoyed by future Filipino

generations.

• Advocate for scientific, patriotic and people-centered

policies. In this system where the elite rule and serve their

own interests, advocates must push for environmental policies

that will truly serve the people and protect the country’s

environment and natural resources.

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The review of the current state of the Philippine environment

shows that environmental degradation persists, and that control

over natural resources remains in the hands of the few elite

serving foreign interests. The people’s communities and the

environment continue to suffer due to this unequal access to

resources. Thus, the country’s rich resources should be utilized to

radically change this relationship and pave the way for genuine

development. Only through genuine land reform and national

industrialization can the Philippines rise from poverty.

Image 34. Advocating

for a progressive,

scientific, patriotic

and pro-people

orientation on the

environment

Source: Kalikasan PNE

(cited in Leon, 2011)


96


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www.cecphils.org

Center for Environmental Concerns Philippines

This publication on the State of the Philippine Environment

provides an update of the Philippine environmental situation

that affects the lives of grassroots communities and the most

vulnerable and marginalized social sectors in the country. It traces the

link between environmental degradation and disasters and reviewed

disasters that plagued the country during the Aquino presidency. It

also assesses the effects of the actions, programs, policies and laws of

the Aquino administration to the people and the environment. It is

hoped that this publication will help in advancing the advocacy of a

pro-people, patriotic and scientific orientation of the environment.

to duterte - yonip · from aquino to duterte: is change coming to a country plundered? a...

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