QUEZON CITY, Philippines (UCAN) --
A priest in Albay province, southeast of Manila, blames a mining operation for fatal landslides and possibly toxic spills during a recent typhoon, but a company lawyer rejects the allegations.
On Dec. 11, Father Felino Bugauisan told UCA News his parish had buried 13 adults and children, including the unborn child of a pregnant woman among the victims. He said they were killed on Nov. 30 afternoon, at the height of Typhoon Durian, when floodwaters rose, and mud and boulders from an area near the mine site on Rapu-Rapu Island wreaked havoc on two nearby villages.
Father Bugauisan, of the Society of Our Lady of the Trinity, serves as assistant parish priest at St. Joseph the Worker Parish on Rapu-Rapu, about 365 kilometers southeast of Manila, where Lafayette Mining Incorporated, a joint Australian and Philippine venture, runs a metal-mining operation.
His parish is among the 46 that belong to Legazpi diocese, which covers Albay, where 93 percent of 1.21 million people are Catholics. The priest was in the Manila area in early December to follow up a court petition for a temporary restraining order to stop mining activities on Rapu-Rapu, east of the mainland part of Albay and Sorsogon province.
The Lafayette mining site is near the villages of Malobago and Tinopan. A landslide engulfed houses in Malobago after a retaining wall on the Lafayette site collapsed during the typhoon, according to Legazpi priests.
Father Bugauisan said Merildo David, who was rescued from the landslide, suffered leg and arm injuries. David's daughter and two nieces died after being trapped in debris that buried his house.
Radio reports reaching Legazpi City said that at least 24 people might have been trapped in landslides, according to Father Paulo Barandon, who heads relief operations for the diocese. He spoke with UCA News on Dec. 11 from Legazpi City, 335 kilometers southeast of Manila.
Lafayette mining structures also were damaged by the storm, Father Bugauisan reported. He said water from holding ponds in some parts of the site overflowed during heavy rain, and he is concerned that some of the pools holding toxic mine tailings may have collapsed. He also spoke of damage the mine waste brought to the port facility below the open-pit mine.
In the priest's view, Lafayette's "constant dynamite blasting, denudation of the mountainous cover and open-pit type mining operations exacerbated" the impact of Typhoon Durian. "Rapu-Rapu is in a typhoon belt and the open-pit mining they use will always end in disaster," he maintained.
In May a commission the government set up with Bishop Arturo Bastes of Sorsogon as its head recommended closing the mine until Lafayette developed "new technology" that could guarantee safer operations.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had created the commission to investigate two Lafayette tailings spills that caused health problems and a massive fish kill as a result of two spills on Oct. 11 and 31, 2005.
However, in June the environment department allowed Lafayette to resume operations on a test basis after it paid a 10.7-million- peso (US$ 214,000) fine. The test permit was then extended.
In Manila, Lafayette spokesman Bayani Agabin, a lawyer, told UCA News Lafayette shut down operations after Typhoon Durian while restoring electricity and buildings destroyed by typhoon winds. However, he insisted there was no environmental damage at the mine site.
"Let me stress the damage is to the physical plant, and there is no recorded damage to the environment," the lawyer stated.
He said he was unaware of any claims made by Father Bugauisan related to typhoon damage but added that if the priest says the landslides were caused by Lafayette's operations, then the claim has no basis.
According to Agabin, "The area where the landslides occurred is two kilometers and two ridges away from the mine site." He also said Lafayette rescuers "were the first to respond and pulled out two buried victims."
As of Dec. 14, the National Disaster Coordinating Council reported 579 people killed and 608 missing from Typhoon Durian. All search operations for people buried in mudslides ended that day. In the Bicol peninsula, where Albay is located, some 165,484 homes were reported destroyed and 208,573 damaged.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Thursday, December 07, 2006
By Conrado R. Banal III, Inquirer –
http://business. inq7.net/ money/columns/ view_article. php?article_ id=36819
December 7, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer....
ALL RIGHT, so they say that our untapped mineral resources (i.e. still under the ground) could be worth P2-P3 trillion, easily.
And what are we doing? For one, we are making headway in the mining industry by having no clear policy on 1) the mining business itself, and 2) how to mitigate its effects on the environment.
Almost 10 years ago, sure, Congress passed the Mining Code. But in no time at all, the code was questioned before the Supreme Court.
After a couple of years, the Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality.
This rejuvenated the mining industry somehow, and investors started coming in. And so that's the end of the story? Not quite!
Last Tuesday, we reported on another decision of the Supreme Court that might yet again dampen interest in the industry.
We quoted University of the Philippines (UP) law professor Harry L. Roque, director of the Institute of International Legal Studies of the UP Law Center, who talked about the case of Apex Mining vs. Southeast Mindanao Gold Mining Corp. The Supreme Court decided in favor of Apex Mining. Roque said the decision was alarming investors again.
That's because, in effect, a division of the Supreme Court ruled that the law prohibited the transfer of "mineral rights." Roque believes that the ruling was against established jurisprudence that mineral rights were property rights (i.e., you can transfer them).
I thought Roque made an important point. And that is, the Supreme Court en banc, and not just a division of the Court, should decide on such a big case.
To think, the new ruling even overturned other earlier rulings of the Supreme Court on cases involving the mining industry. Hmm.
Now, word in the mining industry has it that the Supreme Court is rushing the case. For instance, the Supreme Court scheduled the promulgation of its decision for Dec. 6, which was yesterday, although the Office of the Solicitor General had asked for an extension to file its comment, which should have scheduled the promulgation on Dec. 20.
Know what? Somebody is retiring from the Supreme Court very soon. And that somebody happens to chair the division that made the ruling.
http://business. inq7.net/ money/columns/ view_article. php?article_ id=36819
December 7, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer....
ALL RIGHT, so they say that our untapped mineral resources (i.e. still under the ground) could be worth P2-P3 trillion, easily.
And what are we doing? For one, we are making headway in the mining industry by having no clear policy on 1) the mining business itself, and 2) how to mitigate its effects on the environment.
Almost 10 years ago, sure, Congress passed the Mining Code. But in no time at all, the code was questioned before the Supreme Court.
After a couple of years, the Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality.
This rejuvenated the mining industry somehow, and investors started coming in. And so that's the end of the story? Not quite!
Last Tuesday, we reported on another decision of the Supreme Court that might yet again dampen interest in the industry.
We quoted University of the Philippines (UP) law professor Harry L. Roque, director of the Institute of International Legal Studies of the UP Law Center, who talked about the case of Apex Mining vs. Southeast Mindanao Gold Mining Corp. The Supreme Court decided in favor of Apex Mining. Roque said the decision was alarming investors again.
That's because, in effect, a division of the Supreme Court ruled that the law prohibited the transfer of "mineral rights." Roque believes that the ruling was against established jurisprudence that mineral rights were property rights (i.e., you can transfer them).
I thought Roque made an important point. And that is, the Supreme Court en banc, and not just a division of the Court, should decide on such a big case.
To think, the new ruling even overturned other earlier rulings of the Supreme Court on cases involving the mining industry. Hmm.
Now, word in the mining industry has it that the Supreme Court is rushing the case. For instance, the Supreme Court scheduled the promulgation of its decision for Dec. 6, which was yesterday, although the Office of the Solicitor General had asked for an extension to file its comment, which should have scheduled the promulgation on Dec. 20.
Know what? Somebody is retiring from the Supreme Court very soon. And that somebody happens to chair the division that made the ruling.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Dear or no dear
By Conrado R. Banal III, Inquirer
http://business. inq7.net/ money/columns/ view_article. php?article_ id=36399
Published on page B2 of the December 5, 2006 issue of the
Philippine Daily Inquirer
And now, the not-so-dear news: The Supreme Court just ruled that the transfer of "mineral rights" is unconstitutional (i.e., NOT okay), and it is already alarming investors.
The bad news came from University of the Philippines (UP) professor Harry L. Roque, director of the Institute of International Legal Studies of the UP Law Center, in a UP-sponsored forum.
To Roque, the ruling will dampen interest in mining. So what else is new, prof?
In another case, you see, the same Supreme Court said the government scheme called financial and technical assistance agreements (FTAA), allowing foreign investments in existing mines, is constitutional (i.e., OKAY).
But then came the Supreme Court ruling on Apex Mining vs. Southeast Mining Gold Mining Corp., declaring the transfer of "mineral rights" as unconstitutional.
Based on established jurisprudence, according to Roque, "mineral rights" are property rights and, thus, may be transferred.
And so what went wrong? Roque theorizes that the Supreme Court mistakenly equated "mining permit" with "mineral rights."
In fact, the Supreme Court had another earlier ruling that said "mining rights," but not permits to mine, could be assigned.
Because of possible mix-ups in the future, Roque fears that the latest Supreme Court ruling could ruin the mining industry.
To think, only a division of the Supreme Court made the ruling.
Roque suggests that if it is such a big issue, something that in fact can make or break this country, the Supreme Court en banc should make the ruling.
Hmm. I don't know, but does it mean that the ruling could have been . well, "cooked?"
http://business. inq7.net/ money/columns/ view_article. php?article_ id=36399
Published on page B2 of the December 5, 2006 issue of the
Philippine Daily Inquirer
And now, the not-so-dear news: The Supreme Court just ruled that the transfer of "mineral rights" is unconstitutional (i.e., NOT okay), and it is already alarming investors.
The bad news came from University of the Philippines (UP) professor Harry L. Roque, director of the Institute of International Legal Studies of the UP Law Center, in a UP-sponsored forum.
To Roque, the ruling will dampen interest in mining. So what else is new, prof?
In another case, you see, the same Supreme Court said the government scheme called financial and technical assistance agreements (FTAA), allowing foreign investments in existing mines, is constitutional (i.e., OKAY).
But then came the Supreme Court ruling on Apex Mining vs. Southeast Mining Gold Mining Corp., declaring the transfer of "mineral rights" as unconstitutional.
Based on established jurisprudence, according to Roque, "mineral rights" are property rights and, thus, may be transferred.
And so what went wrong? Roque theorizes that the Supreme Court mistakenly equated "mining permit" with "mineral rights."
In fact, the Supreme Court had another earlier ruling that said "mining rights," but not permits to mine, could be assigned.
Because of possible mix-ups in the future, Roque fears that the latest Supreme Court ruling could ruin the mining industry.
To think, only a division of the Supreme Court made the ruling.
Roque suggests that if it is such a big issue, something that in fact can make or break this country, the Supreme Court en banc should make the ruling.
Hmm. I don't know, but does it mean that the ruling could have been . well, "cooked?"
Monday, December 04, 2006
Didipio mine project gets A-M loan
By MELODY M. AGUIBA,
http://www.mb. com.ph/BSNS20061 20481422. html
4th December 2006
The Didipio copper-gold project is drawing down this week A million from an ANZ-arranged syndicated loan as it also anticipates A0-million multi-financial instrument deal with a New York-operating international financier. All set to be constructed as the first large-scale mine in Region 2, the Didipio project is nearly complete with all financing requirements totaling to A0 million.
"The forty million Australian dollars, we’ll get that next week. For the 170 million Australian dollars, we’ve had offers from financial institutions in New York, Toronto, London, and Australia," said Stephen Orr, chief executive officer of New Zealand-based Oceana Gold Ltd. (OGL), in an interview during a certificate of merger signing. The A million was syndicated by ANZ Investment Bank together with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The on-going negotiation with several equity institutions which may be finalized in two weeks will involve either a convertible bond or a highyield debt or a combination. OGL, New Zealand’s biggest gold producer, is extra bullish about the prospect of mining in the Philippines both in geologic potential and government policies.
"In terms of geologic prospectivity, it’s one of the best in the world in undeveloped ore deposit particularly copper gold porphyry. In terms of government support, we’ve gotten absolutely positive government support through every department we’ve spoken to from the president down," Orr said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who was present at the merger signing of OGL with Australia’s Climax Mining, said the Didipio project along with five other Australia-New Zealand mining projects is among the foreign investments the Philippines had been expecting to host. The copper-gold project in Nueva Vizcaya-Quirino holds a Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) which needs approval of the Office of the President. OGL finds its acquisition of the project strategic not only with its vision in geographic expansion but also in extending its environmental practice outside of New Zealand.
"To us our acquisition of Didipio is transformational. We have a strategy to be a consolidator in the Pcific Rim, and this is our first step. And one of the things we’re looking forward to is in New Zealand, we operate in the highest environmental standard. We want to operate in the Philippines in the same standard," he said. OGL is spending A to A million in exploration for the Philippines as it anticipates more discoveries here. It is separately spending A to A million in exploration in New Zealand.
"Part of our financing was to raise money for exploration. We believe that within one year, we’ll be able to announce a new discovery in the Philippines. That’s how prospective we believe it is. Don’t be surprised to see us drilling in northern Surigao. It will be one of our big focuses. We’re quite optimistic," he said. With the Didipio acquisition, OGL is raising its ability to produce gold from 180,000 ounces to 300,000 ounces as the project is set to be constructed early 2007.
"We acquired a largescale orebody in the Philippines that gave us geopolitical diversity which we didn’t have before and gave us additional revenue sources other than gold because Didipio has copper," he said. While some exploration and mining executives have downgraded the country’s mining environment in a Fraser Institute survey, OGL believes much of a project’s success lies internally in corporate management.
"The Philippines is not any worse than any other place in the world. Companies who have vested interests have to promote their interest to convince the government. And we work very hard to do that and the government has been very supportive," said Orr. The OGL buyout into Didipio also enabled entry of Brazil’s SCRCOR which owns seven percent of OGL and Ospraie Management of New York which holds 11 percent interest. The Didipio project is believed to be the beginning of a string of discoveries in this area. The company has identified new prospects here including the True Blue and the D’Fox which may extend the life of this single mine over many years.
http://www.mb. com.ph/BSNS20061 20481422. html
4th December 2006
The Didipio copper-gold project is drawing down this week A million from an ANZ-arranged syndicated loan as it also anticipates A0-million multi-financial instrument deal with a New York-operating international financier. All set to be constructed as the first large-scale mine in Region 2, the Didipio project is nearly complete with all financing requirements totaling to A0 million.
"The forty million Australian dollars, we’ll get that next week. For the 170 million Australian dollars, we’ve had offers from financial institutions in New York, Toronto, London, and Australia," said Stephen Orr, chief executive officer of New Zealand-based Oceana Gold Ltd. (OGL), in an interview during a certificate of merger signing. The A million was syndicated by ANZ Investment Bank together with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The on-going negotiation with several equity institutions which may be finalized in two weeks will involve either a convertible bond or a highyield debt or a combination. OGL, New Zealand’s biggest gold producer, is extra bullish about the prospect of mining in the Philippines both in geologic potential and government policies.
"In terms of geologic prospectivity, it’s one of the best in the world in undeveloped ore deposit particularly copper gold porphyry. In terms of government support, we’ve gotten absolutely positive government support through every department we’ve spoken to from the president down," Orr said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who was present at the merger signing of OGL with Australia’s Climax Mining, said the Didipio project along with five other Australia-New Zealand mining projects is among the foreign investments the Philippines had been expecting to host. The copper-gold project in Nueva Vizcaya-Quirino holds a Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) which needs approval of the Office of the President. OGL finds its acquisition of the project strategic not only with its vision in geographic expansion but also in extending its environmental practice outside of New Zealand.
"To us our acquisition of Didipio is transformational. We have a strategy to be a consolidator in the Pcific Rim, and this is our first step. And one of the things we’re looking forward to is in New Zealand, we operate in the highest environmental standard. We want to operate in the Philippines in the same standard," he said. OGL is spending A to A million in exploration for the Philippines as it anticipates more discoveries here. It is separately spending A to A million in exploration in New Zealand.
"Part of our financing was to raise money for exploration. We believe that within one year, we’ll be able to announce a new discovery in the Philippines. That’s how prospective we believe it is. Don’t be surprised to see us drilling in northern Surigao. It will be one of our big focuses. We’re quite optimistic," he said. With the Didipio acquisition, OGL is raising its ability to produce gold from 180,000 ounces to 300,000 ounces as the project is set to be constructed early 2007.
"We acquired a largescale orebody in the Philippines that gave us geopolitical diversity which we didn’t have before and gave us additional revenue sources other than gold because Didipio has copper," he said. While some exploration and mining executives have downgraded the country’s mining environment in a Fraser Institute survey, OGL believes much of a project’s success lies internally in corporate management.
"The Philippines is not any worse than any other place in the world. Companies who have vested interests have to promote their interest to convince the government. And we work very hard to do that and the government has been very supportive," said Orr. The OGL buyout into Didipio also enabled entry of Brazil’s SCRCOR which owns seven percent of OGL and Ospraie Management of New York which holds 11 percent interest. The Didipio project is believed to be the beginning of a string of discoveries in this area. The company has identified new prospects here including the True Blue and the D’Fox which may extend the life of this single mine over many years.
Friday, November 10, 2006
DENR says inactive mine dam is safe
By Delfin Mallari Jr.InquirerLast updated 02:54am (Mla time) 11/10/2006
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view_article.php?article_id=31685
Published on Page A16 of the November 10, 2006 issue of the
Philippine Daily Inquirer
LUCENA CITY—The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has assured the local government and residents of Marinduque that the mine structures and waste facilities of Marcopper Mining Corp. in Sta. Cruz town were intact but vowed to keep a close watch on the inactive mine in the wake of a recent earthquake that hit the province.
“The results of an onsite investigation made by DENR experts showed that there were no manifestations of cracks in any of Marcopper’s structures nor were there seepages along the slopes and toe of its dams,” Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes said in a press statement.
On Oct. 20, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake jolted the sea floor between the islands of Mindoro and Marinduque.
The tremor’s epicenter was located offshore at about 35 km west of Boac town in Marinduque.
Reyes said he immediately sent a three-man team from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in Region 4-B (Mimaropa) to the mine site following a request from Marinduque Rep. Edmund O. Reyes and Gov. Carmencita O. Reyes to look for any possible impact of the earthquake on the mine’s structure.
He said he particularly ordered regular clearing of materials along spillways and toes of dams in order to facilitate the monitoring of seepages.
“I have already instructed our men in the field to continue monitoring the site and for the company to institute measures to provide better access for monitoring activities,” said Reyes.According to the DENR report, the MGB team thoroughly checked the various structures of the mine.
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view_article.php?article_id=31685
Published on Page A16 of the November 10, 2006 issue of the
Philippine Daily Inquirer
LUCENA CITY—The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has assured the local government and residents of Marinduque that the mine structures and waste facilities of Marcopper Mining Corp. in Sta. Cruz town were intact but vowed to keep a close watch on the inactive mine in the wake of a recent earthquake that hit the province.
“The results of an onsite investigation made by DENR experts showed that there were no manifestations of cracks in any of Marcopper’s structures nor were there seepages along the slopes and toe of its dams,” Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes said in a press statement.
On Oct. 20, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake jolted the sea floor between the islands of Mindoro and Marinduque.
The tremor’s epicenter was located offshore at about 35 km west of Boac town in Marinduque.
Reyes said he immediately sent a three-man team from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in Region 4-B (Mimaropa) to the mine site following a request from Marinduque Rep. Edmund O. Reyes and Gov. Carmencita O. Reyes to look for any possible impact of the earthquake on the mine’s structure.
He said he particularly ordered regular clearing of materials along spillways and toes of dams in order to facilitate the monitoring of seepages.
“I have already instructed our men in the field to continue monitoring the site and for the company to institute measures to provide better access for monitoring activities,” said Reyes.According to the DENR report, the MGB team thoroughly checked the various structures of the mine.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
JPEPA timeline
Inquirer
Published on Page A23 of the October 25, 2006 issue of the
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Dec. 4, 2002 -- The Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) is initiated during a visit by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to Japan. Discussions begin in a working group and a joint coordinating team from the two countries.
May 2003 -- The Philippine Coordinating Committee is created to study and negotiate the proposed JPEPA. The committee is headed jointly by Department of Trade and Industry Senior Undersecretary Thomas G. Aquino and Foreign Undersecretary Edsel Custodio.
February 2004 -- Formal negotiations between the Philippines and Japan start.
November 2004 -- Party-list Representatives Mario Joyo Aguja and Lorenzo Tañada III call for an inquiry into the JPEPA after receiving complaints that the DTI had denied requests for a copy of the proposed JPEPA.
Nov. 29, 2004 -- President Arroyo and Japan Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi agree on major elements of a JPEPA that would lead to the immediate removal of tariffs on certain fruits, vehicles, steel products, electronic appliances and garments.
Feb. 28, 2005 -- House Special Committee on Globalization starts hearings on the JPEPA but still fails to secure a copy of the proposed JPEPA from DTI.
Nov. 2, 2005 -- Aquino informs Aguja that the draft JPEPA will be provided after a review of the proposed agreement has been conducted.
Dec. 6, 2005 -- Party-list lawmakers and NGOs go to the Supreme Court to seek a restraining order to prevent the government from signing JPEPA.
May 25, 2006 -- Solicitor General Antonio Eduardo Nachura tells Supreme Court it has no jurisdiction over treaties being negotiated.
Sept. 9, 2006 -- President Arroyo and Prime Minister Koizumi sign the JPEPA in Finland ahead of the Asia-Europe Meeting.
Sept. 11, 2006 -- DTI furnishes Congress with copies of the JPEPA on the first working day after the treaty was signed. It also uploaded the text of the JPEPA in its website at http://business. gov.ph/filedirec tory/JPEPA. pdf.
Published on Page A23 of the October 25, 2006 issue of the
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Dec. 4, 2002 -- The Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) is initiated during a visit by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to Japan. Discussions begin in a working group and a joint coordinating team from the two countries.
May 2003 -- The Philippine Coordinating Committee is created to study and negotiate the proposed JPEPA. The committee is headed jointly by Department of Trade and Industry Senior Undersecretary Thomas G. Aquino and Foreign Undersecretary Edsel Custodio.
February 2004 -- Formal negotiations between the Philippines and Japan start.
November 2004 -- Party-list Representatives Mario Joyo Aguja and Lorenzo Tañada III call for an inquiry into the JPEPA after receiving complaints that the DTI had denied requests for a copy of the proposed JPEPA.
Nov. 29, 2004 -- President Arroyo and Japan Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi agree on major elements of a JPEPA that would lead to the immediate removal of tariffs on certain fruits, vehicles, steel products, electronic appliances and garments.
Feb. 28, 2005 -- House Special Committee on Globalization starts hearings on the JPEPA but still fails to secure a copy of the proposed JPEPA from DTI.
Nov. 2, 2005 -- Aquino informs Aguja that the draft JPEPA will be provided after a review of the proposed agreement has been conducted.
Dec. 6, 2005 -- Party-list lawmakers and NGOs go to the Supreme Court to seek a restraining order to prevent the government from signing JPEPA.
May 25, 2006 -- Solicitor General Antonio Eduardo Nachura tells Supreme Court it has no jurisdiction over treaties being negotiated.
Sept. 9, 2006 -- President Arroyo and Prime Minister Koizumi sign the JPEPA in Finland ahead of the Asia-Europe Meeting.
Sept. 11, 2006 -- DTI furnishes Congress with copies of the JPEPA on the first working day after the treaty was signed. It also uploaded the text of the JPEPA in its website at http://business. gov.ph/filedirec tory/JPEPA. pdf.
From incinerator ash to used surgical gloves
From incinerator ash to used surgical gloves
Inquirer
Published on Page A1 of the October 25, 2006 issue of the
Philippine Daily Inquirer
THE Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) mandates zero tariff for the following types of waste:
• Ash and residue (other than from the manufacture of iron or steel) containing arsenic, mercury, thallium or their mixtures, of a kind used for the extraction of arsenic or those metals or for the manufacture of their chemical compounds.
• Ash and residue from the incineration of municipal waste.
• Waste organic solvents -- halogenated.
• Pharmaceutical waste.
• Residual products of the chemical or allied industries.
• Municipal waste.
• Clinical waste, like used surgical gloves, adhesive dressing, gauze.
• Waste of metal pickling liquors, hydraulic fluid, brake fluid and antifreeze.
• Worn clothing and other worn articles, including rags, scrap twine, cordage, rope and cables of textile materials.
• Polychlorinated biphenyls.
• Halogenated chlorofluorocarbons .
These types of waste are among over 100 environmentally sensitive products, including chemicals, persistent organic pollutants and ozone-depleting substances that would not be taxed upon entry into the country as soon as the JPEPA takes effect.
Inquirer
Published on Page A1 of the October 25, 2006 issue of the
Philippine Daily Inquirer
THE Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) mandates zero tariff for the following types of waste:
• Ash and residue (other than from the manufacture of iron or steel) containing arsenic, mercury, thallium or their mixtures, of a kind used for the extraction of arsenic or those metals or for the manufacture of their chemical compounds.
• Ash and residue from the incineration of municipal waste.
• Waste organic solvents -- halogenated.
• Pharmaceutical waste.
• Residual products of the chemical or allied industries.
• Municipal waste.
• Clinical waste, like used surgical gloves, adhesive dressing, gauze.
• Waste of metal pickling liquors, hydraulic fluid, brake fluid and antifreeze.
• Worn clothing and other worn articles, including rags, scrap twine, cordage, rope and cables of textile materials.
• Polychlorinated biphenyls.
• Halogenated chlorofluorocarbons .
These types of waste are among over 100 environmentally sensitive products, including chemicals, persistent organic pollutants and ozone-depleting substances that would not be taxed upon entry into the country as soon as the JPEPA takes effect.
RP-Japan accord 'toxic' swap
RP-Japan accord 'toxic' Swap of health workers for hospital waste
By Blanche Rivera
InquirerLast updated 06:27am (Mla time)
Published on Page A1 of the October 25, 2006 issue of the
Philippine Daily Inquirer
A NEW DUMP for toxic waste may soon open for Japan -- and it has 7,100 islands.
This is how concerned environmentalists see the likely effect of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) which President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi signed on Sept. 9 in Helsinki on the side of the Asia-Europe Meeting.
In exchange for the export of nurses and caregivers, the Philippines will allow the entry of toxic and hazardous waste under the JPEPA, according to environmentalists.
The top Philippine negotiator in the trade talks, Senior Trade Undersecretary Thomas G. Aquino, told the Inquirer that the accord covered a broad range of products. But only regulated waste would be allowed into the country once the pact is ratified by the legislatures of the two countries and goes into effect, Aquino said.
This is the first time a bilateral trade and investment agreement will include and encourage trade in hazardous waste, including the highly toxic incinerator ash, a practice banned by the Basel Convention to which the Philippines and Japan are signatories.
Former Environment Secretary Michael T. Defensor, now the presidential chief of staff, twice opposed the inclusion of hazardous and prohibited waste in the JPEPA.
Sought for comment yesterday on whether he maintained his position after the Helsinki pact, Defensor said in a text message to the Inquirer: "Yup. Still my stand but I'm sure Prez [President] wasnt able to read the details of that."
Alarmed environmentalists and nationalist trade advocates are now scrambling to convince the Philippine Senate, the country's treaty ratifying body, to reject the JPEPA when it is transmitted to Congress.
To them, the deal with Japan is simply an elaborate exchange of health care for health care waste.
"We are going to get poisoned here. We're sending them healthy bodies, doctors and nurses who will take care of their health, and what do we get? Poison," Green Initiatives Inc. chief executive officer Mimi Sison said in an interview.
Trade experts described the pact covering 11,300 tariff lines or commodities as a mega-treaty that could set the tone for future bilateral agreements.
A briefing paper prepared by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) says 141 of these items are "environmentally sensitive products deemed potentially hazardous to health and the environment if not handled properly."
RP can't treat own waste
The Philippines, which has its own laws against the importation and transport of toxic and hazardous waste, is already struggling -- often unsuccessfully -- to dispose of and treat at least 2.5 million tons of locally generated hazardous waste each year.
"We cannot even handle our household waste, and we have no recycling industry," said Sison.
The types of toxic and hazardous waste listed in the JPEPA were initially dubbed by the government as recyclable materials, which are legally traded goods.
Article 29 of the basic agreement of the JPEPA, however, stipulates that the trade covers articles "which can no longer perform their original purpose ... nor are capable of being restored or repaired and which are fit only for disposal or for the recovery of parts or raw materials."
Scrap and waste derived from manufacturing or processing operations or from consumption which are, again, "fit only for disposal or for the recovery of raw materials," as well as raw materials and parts "which can no longer perform their original purpose nor are capable of being restored or repaired" are also included.
Fit for disposal only
"How can you say this is for recycling if the agreement says they are only fit for disposal?" said Tanya Lat, Akbayan legal counsel and trade law expert who has been following the JPEPA negotiations.
Akbayan was one of the petitioners that asked the Supreme Court to compel the Department of Trade and Industry to provide the special committee on globalization in Congress with a copy of the JPEPA draft and to restrain the DTI from concluding or signing the JPEPA or transmitting it to the President until full disclosure had been made.
The Supreme Court failed to decide on the petition for mandamus and prohibition filed in December last year until Ms Arroyo and Koizumi signed the treaty in Helsinki.
The JPEPA is the Philippines' first bilateral trade accord since the 1946 parity agreement with the United States. It is seen as a move to strengthen economic integration between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Japan is the Philippines' No. 1 trading partner in Asia and No. 2 in the world. It is also one of the biggest providers of official development assistance to the Philippines.
"This is a new kind of agreement," Aquino said during a hearing of the House special committee on globalization on Feb. 28, 2005.
A month after the unveiling of the JPEPA, environmentalists and nationalist trade experts were fuming over the inclusion of waste, like incinerator ash and health care discards, on the list of goods to be traded.
'This is treason'
"It's unspeakable ... this is treason," Mother Earth founder Odette Alcantara said of the list of zero-tariff waste under the JPEPA.
Alcantara, whose group lobbied for years for the passage of Republic Act No. 8749, or the Philippine Clean Air Act, that banned incinerators in the country, said the JPEPA would defeat the law as it encourages the entry of the highly toxic incinerator ash.
"We did not pass the Clean Air Act only to import incinerator ash. That's distorted. We banned incinerators here precisely so we would not have incinerator ash, and yet we'll import it?" Sison said.
Metodio Palaypay, a waste management expert from the University of the Philippines, said there was a known technology to immobilize incinerator ash but it was not available in the Philippines because it was too expensive. The United States and Europe have the technology.
"There is no way you can recycle incinerator ash; it's 20 times more toxic than what you put in," Palaypay said.
Unfounded
In its briefing paper, however, the DENR stressed that no provision in the JPEPA explicitly allows the trade of banned items or liberalized entry of regulated products.
Environment Undersecretary Demetrio L. Ignacio said the environmentalists' concerns were unfounded.
He said Republic Act No. 6969, or the Toxic Substance and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Act of 1990, prohibits the entry of hazardous waste into and their disposal within the country for whatever purpose, including transit. The law sets a penalty of 12 to 20 years imprisonment for violators.
"It (JPEPA) will not violate our laws in the sense that they (toxic and hazardous waste) will not be coming in because they are banned in the first place," said Ignacio.
"The objective of the Philippines was to get the JPEPA approved, and the environment is not a concession actually because it has no effect on our laws, that's why there is no harm, in other words," Ignacio said.
By Blanche Rivera
InquirerLast updated 06:27am (Mla time)
Published on Page A1 of the October 25, 2006 issue of the
Philippine Daily Inquirer
A NEW DUMP for toxic waste may soon open for Japan -- and it has 7,100 islands.
This is how concerned environmentalists see the likely effect of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) which President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi signed on Sept. 9 in Helsinki on the side of the Asia-Europe Meeting.
In exchange for the export of nurses and caregivers, the Philippines will allow the entry of toxic and hazardous waste under the JPEPA, according to environmentalists.
The top Philippine negotiator in the trade talks, Senior Trade Undersecretary Thomas G. Aquino, told the Inquirer that the accord covered a broad range of products. But only regulated waste would be allowed into the country once the pact is ratified by the legislatures of the two countries and goes into effect, Aquino said.
This is the first time a bilateral trade and investment agreement will include and encourage trade in hazardous waste, including the highly toxic incinerator ash, a practice banned by the Basel Convention to which the Philippines and Japan are signatories.
Former Environment Secretary Michael T. Defensor, now the presidential chief of staff, twice opposed the inclusion of hazardous and prohibited waste in the JPEPA.
Sought for comment yesterday on whether he maintained his position after the Helsinki pact, Defensor said in a text message to the Inquirer: "Yup. Still my stand but I'm sure Prez [President] wasnt able to read the details of that."
Alarmed environmentalists and nationalist trade advocates are now scrambling to convince the Philippine Senate, the country's treaty ratifying body, to reject the JPEPA when it is transmitted to Congress.
To them, the deal with Japan is simply an elaborate exchange of health care for health care waste.
"We are going to get poisoned here. We're sending them healthy bodies, doctors and nurses who will take care of their health, and what do we get? Poison," Green Initiatives Inc. chief executive officer Mimi Sison said in an interview.
Trade experts described the pact covering 11,300 tariff lines or commodities as a mega-treaty that could set the tone for future bilateral agreements.
A briefing paper prepared by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) says 141 of these items are "environmentally sensitive products deemed potentially hazardous to health and the environment if not handled properly."
RP can't treat own waste
The Philippines, which has its own laws against the importation and transport of toxic and hazardous waste, is already struggling -- often unsuccessfully -- to dispose of and treat at least 2.5 million tons of locally generated hazardous waste each year.
"We cannot even handle our household waste, and we have no recycling industry," said Sison.
The types of toxic and hazardous waste listed in the JPEPA were initially dubbed by the government as recyclable materials, which are legally traded goods.
Article 29 of the basic agreement of the JPEPA, however, stipulates that the trade covers articles "which can no longer perform their original purpose ... nor are capable of being restored or repaired and which are fit only for disposal or for the recovery of parts or raw materials."
Scrap and waste derived from manufacturing or processing operations or from consumption which are, again, "fit only for disposal or for the recovery of raw materials," as well as raw materials and parts "which can no longer perform their original purpose nor are capable of being restored or repaired" are also included.
Fit for disposal only
"How can you say this is for recycling if the agreement says they are only fit for disposal?" said Tanya Lat, Akbayan legal counsel and trade law expert who has been following the JPEPA negotiations.
Akbayan was one of the petitioners that asked the Supreme Court to compel the Department of Trade and Industry to provide the special committee on globalization in Congress with a copy of the JPEPA draft and to restrain the DTI from concluding or signing the JPEPA or transmitting it to the President until full disclosure had been made.
The Supreme Court failed to decide on the petition for mandamus and prohibition filed in December last year until Ms Arroyo and Koizumi signed the treaty in Helsinki.
The JPEPA is the Philippines' first bilateral trade accord since the 1946 parity agreement with the United States. It is seen as a move to strengthen economic integration between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Japan is the Philippines' No. 1 trading partner in Asia and No. 2 in the world. It is also one of the biggest providers of official development assistance to the Philippines.
"This is a new kind of agreement," Aquino said during a hearing of the House special committee on globalization on Feb. 28, 2005.
A month after the unveiling of the JPEPA, environmentalists and nationalist trade experts were fuming over the inclusion of waste, like incinerator ash and health care discards, on the list of goods to be traded.
'This is treason'
"It's unspeakable ... this is treason," Mother Earth founder Odette Alcantara said of the list of zero-tariff waste under the JPEPA.
Alcantara, whose group lobbied for years for the passage of Republic Act No. 8749, or the Philippine Clean Air Act, that banned incinerators in the country, said the JPEPA would defeat the law as it encourages the entry of the highly toxic incinerator ash.
"We did not pass the Clean Air Act only to import incinerator ash. That's distorted. We banned incinerators here precisely so we would not have incinerator ash, and yet we'll import it?" Sison said.
Metodio Palaypay, a waste management expert from the University of the Philippines, said there was a known technology to immobilize incinerator ash but it was not available in the Philippines because it was too expensive. The United States and Europe have the technology.
"There is no way you can recycle incinerator ash; it's 20 times more toxic than what you put in," Palaypay said.
Unfounded
In its briefing paper, however, the DENR stressed that no provision in the JPEPA explicitly allows the trade of banned items or liberalized entry of regulated products.
Environment Undersecretary Demetrio L. Ignacio said the environmentalists' concerns were unfounded.
He said Republic Act No. 6969, or the Toxic Substance and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Act of 1990, prohibits the entry of hazardous waste into and their disposal within the country for whatever purpose, including transit. The law sets a penalty of 12 to 20 years imprisonment for violators.
"It (JPEPA) will not violate our laws in the sense that they (toxic and hazardous waste) will not be coming in because they are banned in the first place," said Ignacio.
"The objective of the Philippines was to get the JPEPA approved, and the environment is not a concession actually because it has no effect on our laws, that's why there is no harm, in other words," Ignacio said.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Global forests disappearing for a pittance -- World Bank
Agence France-Presse
Last updated 09:37am (Mla time) 10/24/2006
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/breakingnews/world/view_article.php?article_id=28377
WASHINGTON -- Global warming caused by rapid deforestation could be curbed if developing countries were paid the proper rewards for maintaining their woodland, a World Bank study said Monday.
The report noted that the world's forests are disappearing at a rate of five percent a decade as woodland is cleared for timber and production of in-demand commodities like beef, coffee and soybeans.
But the land would have far more value if the forests were preserved and developing countries were then rewarded on global carbon markets.
Such markets are an offshoot of the Kyoto agreement against global warming, letting countries that struggle to meet targets for industrial emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) pay other countries that keep their own emissions down.
About a fifth of global CO2 emissions come from tropical deforestation but these have not been harnessed into carbon markets such as the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme, the report said.
It said that in Latin America, dense jungle is often cleared to create pastures worth as little as 300 dollars a hectare while releasing 500 tons of CO2 per hectare.
This implies a "CO2 abatement cost" of less than one dollar a ton.
The report said it was believed that tackling climate change requires paying about three dollars a ton for CO2 abatement, while EU members are currently paying up to 20 dollars a ton.
"In other words, deforesters are destroying a carbon storage asset theoretically worth 1,500-10,000 dollars to create a pasture worth 200-500 dollars per hectare," the World Bank said.
"Yet carbon markets, such as those under the Kyoto Protocol and EU Emissions Trading Scheme, do not reward forestholders for reduced emissions from avoided deforestation."
But such rewards would require a "global commitment" against climate change, the report said, while the United States and Australia have refused to ratify the Kyoto pact in its current guise.
"Global carbon finance can be a powerful incentive to stop deforestation," said the World Bank's chief economist, Francois Bourguignon.
"Compensation for avoiding deforestation could help developing countries to improve forest governance and boost rural incomes, while helping the world at large to mitigate climate change more vigorously," he said.
The report noted also that global concern about the loss of rare species should be harnessed to compensate countries for not chopping down their forests.
In the Kerinci-Seblat National Park, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, "avarice and opportunity" threaten an area containing 4,000 plant species and three percent of the Earth's mammal species -- including threatened ones such as the clouded leopard and small Sumatran rhinoceros.Properly regulated logging in such places would give locals a stake in keeping their forests managed, to ensure a long-term income from timber, the report said.
Last updated 09:37am (Mla time) 10/24/2006
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/breakingnews/world/view_article.php?article_id=28377
WASHINGTON -- Global warming caused by rapid deforestation could be curbed if developing countries were paid the proper rewards for maintaining their woodland, a World Bank study said Monday.
The report noted that the world's forests are disappearing at a rate of five percent a decade as woodland is cleared for timber and production of in-demand commodities like beef, coffee and soybeans.
But the land would have far more value if the forests were preserved and developing countries were then rewarded on global carbon markets.
Such markets are an offshoot of the Kyoto agreement against global warming, letting countries that struggle to meet targets for industrial emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) pay other countries that keep their own emissions down.
About a fifth of global CO2 emissions come from tropical deforestation but these have not been harnessed into carbon markets such as the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme, the report said.
It said that in Latin America, dense jungle is often cleared to create pastures worth as little as 300 dollars a hectare while releasing 500 tons of CO2 per hectare.
This implies a "CO2 abatement cost" of less than one dollar a ton.
The report said it was believed that tackling climate change requires paying about three dollars a ton for CO2 abatement, while EU members are currently paying up to 20 dollars a ton.
"In other words, deforesters are destroying a carbon storage asset theoretically worth 1,500-10,000 dollars to create a pasture worth 200-500 dollars per hectare," the World Bank said.
"Yet carbon markets, such as those under the Kyoto Protocol and EU Emissions Trading Scheme, do not reward forestholders for reduced emissions from avoided deforestation."
But such rewards would require a "global commitment" against climate change, the report said, while the United States and Australia have refused to ratify the Kyoto pact in its current guise.
"Global carbon finance can be a powerful incentive to stop deforestation," said the World Bank's chief economist, Francois Bourguignon.
"Compensation for avoiding deforestation could help developing countries to improve forest governance and boost rural incomes, while helping the world at large to mitigate climate change more vigorously," he said.
The report noted also that global concern about the loss of rare species should be harnessed to compensate countries for not chopping down their forests.
In the Kerinci-Seblat National Park, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, "avarice and opportunity" threaten an area containing 4,000 plant species and three percent of the Earth's mammal species -- including threatened ones such as the clouded leopard and small Sumatran rhinoceros.Properly regulated logging in such places would give locals a stake in keeping their forests managed, to ensure a long-term income from timber, the report said.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
3 aftershocks felt after 5.2-quake jolts islands
By Norman Bordadora, Marlon Alexander Luistro, Madonna Virola
Inquirer
Last updated 02:27am (Mla time) 10/22/2006
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view_article.php?article_id=28001
Published on page A3 of the October 22, 2006 issue of the
Philippine Daily Inquirer
A MAGNITUDE 5.2-earthquake shook the sea floor between the islands of Mindoro and Marinduque at 10:30 Friday night, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported yesterday.
Phivolcs said the earthquake was felt on the two islands, parts of Southern Tagalog and Metro Manila. It generated three aftershocks yesterday—one at 1:27 a.m., another at 6:09 a.m. and the last at 10:53 a.m.
It added that the quakes did not indicate a bigger quake was coming.
There were no reports of damage or loss of life.
Rodrigo Medrano, Phivolcs research specialist in Tagaytay City, said the earthquakes were not strong enough to damage property or cause death. “They cannot also cause cracks among road infrastructures and buildings,” he said.
Despite the offshore location of the earthquake’s epicenter, Phivolcs said no tsunami lashed the coastal areas of Southern Luzon as the quake and its aftershocks “had magnitudes that are not capable of generating destructive tsunamis.”
Tsunamis were usually generated by a quake with a magnitude of about 7.0, the institute said.
“However, Phivolcs still expects aftershocks to continue occurring in the next few days which may be felt, especially within the vicinity of the epicenter,” it said in its Saturday morning bulletin. “Because of this, Phivolcs is continuously monitoring the area and any new development will be relayed to all concerned.”
Phivolcs said aftershocks normally exhibited lower magnitudes than the main quake but might vary in intensity.
Phivolcs reported the earthquake to have been felt with intensity five in Marinduque, Naujan in Mindoro Oriental, Batangas City and Bauan in Batangas; with intensity four in Manila, Lipa City in Batangas and San Pablo City in Batangas; with intensity three in Makati, Puerto Galera in Mindoro Oriental, Talisay in Batangas and Lucban in Quezon; with intensity two in Quezon City, Tagaytay City in Cavite and Guinayangan in Quezon.
Magnitude-five quakes and lower could just cause container spills and hanging objects such as chandeliers to sway, Medrano said. With an AFP report
Inquirer
Last updated 02:27am (Mla time) 10/22/2006
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view_article.php?article_id=28001
Published on page A3 of the October 22, 2006 issue of the
Philippine Daily Inquirer
A MAGNITUDE 5.2-earthquake shook the sea floor between the islands of Mindoro and Marinduque at 10:30 Friday night, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported yesterday.
Phivolcs said the earthquake was felt on the two islands, parts of Southern Tagalog and Metro Manila. It generated three aftershocks yesterday—one at 1:27 a.m., another at 6:09 a.m. and the last at 10:53 a.m.
It added that the quakes did not indicate a bigger quake was coming.
There were no reports of damage or loss of life.
Rodrigo Medrano, Phivolcs research specialist in Tagaytay City, said the earthquakes were not strong enough to damage property or cause death. “They cannot also cause cracks among road infrastructures and buildings,” he said.
Despite the offshore location of the earthquake’s epicenter, Phivolcs said no tsunami lashed the coastal areas of Southern Luzon as the quake and its aftershocks “had magnitudes that are not capable of generating destructive tsunamis.”
Tsunamis were usually generated by a quake with a magnitude of about 7.0, the institute said.
“However, Phivolcs still expects aftershocks to continue occurring in the next few days which may be felt, especially within the vicinity of the epicenter,” it said in its Saturday morning bulletin. “Because of this, Phivolcs is continuously monitoring the area and any new development will be relayed to all concerned.”
Phivolcs said aftershocks normally exhibited lower magnitudes than the main quake but might vary in intensity.
Phivolcs reported the earthquake to have been felt with intensity five in Marinduque, Naujan in Mindoro Oriental, Batangas City and Bauan in Batangas; with intensity four in Manila, Lipa City in Batangas and San Pablo City in Batangas; with intensity three in Makati, Puerto Galera in Mindoro Oriental, Talisay in Batangas and Lucban in Quezon; with intensity two in Quezon City, Tagaytay City in Cavite and Guinayangan in Quezon.
Magnitude-five quakes and lower could just cause container spills and hanging objects such as chandeliers to sway, Medrano said. With an AFP report
UFOs galore at Manila Bay
(Unsinkable Floating Objects):
By Rudy BrulThe Philippine STAR 10/22/2006
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/business200610244501.htm
Those ubiquitous plastic sando bags, along with other synthetic packaging materials like shampoo sachets, foam cups, drinking straws and beverage bottles, comprise at least 76 percent of the trash found floating along the breadth and length of the historic, sunset-filled coastline of Manila Bay.
This was the assessment made recently by the visiting crew and volunteers of the global Greenpeace ship M.Y. Esperanza and the Manila-based Eco-Waste Coalition, a non-governmental organization (NGO) environmental alliance, after collecting four cubic meters of 25plastic debris from the bay aboard inflatable boats.
The waste survey was part of the environmental groups’ efforts to document and monitor the extent of plastic pollution in Manila’s famous bay, which is considered as one of the most polluted bays in Asia.
"And plastics comprise most of those unsinkable floating objects or UFOs found on Manila Bay," Eco-Waste Coalition convenor Manny Calonzo said.
Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaigner Beau Baconguis echoes: "Manila Bay has become a huge floating dump for the whole of Metro Manila and the other coastal provinces from the Bataan peninsula down to Cavite."
The breakdown of the waste audit showed that those logo-inscribed supermarket carry bags and the lighter, transparent sari-sari or palengke grocery bags comprise 51 percent of the bay’s plastic debris. This is followed by sachets and junkfood packaging materials at 19 percent; five percent are styrofoams and one percent hard plastics for a total of 76 percent. Other floating objects found are rubber (10 percent) and other biodegradables (13 percent).
"The immense volume of assorted plastic garbage littering its coasts and floating in its currents is symbolic of the trashing of Manila Bay and serves as a visual reminder of the pollution that is slowly killing the seas," Baconguis added.
If it is any indication, Calonzo said, the invasion of plastic UFOs in Manila Bay mirrors the worldwide ocean scenario. Published studies, he said, showed that most of the marine debris globally is made up of 60 to 80 percent plastic materials. "In some areas, it can be as high as 90 to 95 percent of the total amount of marine debris."
Some of the country’s plastic debris might even find its way into the infamous Trash Vortex, an area in the North Pacific where plastic trash from all over the world has converged into a great gyrating mass, he added.
Each year, he said, billions of grocery bags end up as ugly ocean litter globally. Manila Bay is not an exemption to the growing list of contributing bodies of water.
Aside from making Manila Bay an unwanted eyesore, the huge volume of plastic thrash which regularly finds its way to the bay impacts greatly on the marine life, suffocating vital sea ecosystems and the plant lives, even multiplying its adverse effects on the livelihood of land-based human lives that these waters support.
Along with less visible but equally harmful pollutants, plastics have smothered the bay’s mangrove, sea grass and coral ecosystems, and as in other coastal areas where plastic thrash predominates, have led to the death of birds and marine animals via ingestion or entanglement.
Plastic bags don’t biodegrade. These grocery bags photodegrade or break down into smaller toxic slices contaminating the soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest these bits and pieces.
In the said Trash Vortex in the North Pacific Central Gyre, marine pollution yielded minuscule bits of plastics found inside planktons, the bedrock of the aquatic food web. These tiny plastic pieces outweigh plankton by six to one in some parts of the Pacific, or six pounds of plastic for every single pound of plankton.
Here, Manila Bay has already been declared as a pollution hotspot in 1999 by the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas in East Asia (PEMSEA), another independent global environmental campaigner. Manila Bay, PEAMSEA noted, suffers from pollution from industries which dump their effluents, often toxic, in the bay or in its estuaries, on top of domestic sewage.
"Degradation of the bay has long before reached alarming levels, directly affecting the health and livelihoods of around 10 million people living in the vicinity," it reported.
The invasion of those throwaway single-use grocery bags in the bay adds to the worsening degradation of Manila Bay, Calonzo concluded.
"Isn’t it time that the government, business and the plain folks move in concert to make a stand?" Calonzo dared.
By Rudy BrulThe Philippine STAR 10/22/2006
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/business200610244501.htm
Those ubiquitous plastic sando bags, along with other synthetic packaging materials like shampoo sachets, foam cups, drinking straws and beverage bottles, comprise at least 76 percent of the trash found floating along the breadth and length of the historic, sunset-filled coastline of Manila Bay.
This was the assessment made recently by the visiting crew and volunteers of the global Greenpeace ship M.Y. Esperanza and the Manila-based Eco-Waste Coalition, a non-governmental organization (NGO) environmental alliance, after collecting four cubic meters of 25plastic debris from the bay aboard inflatable boats.
The waste survey was part of the environmental groups’ efforts to document and monitor the extent of plastic pollution in Manila’s famous bay, which is considered as one of the most polluted bays in Asia.
"And plastics comprise most of those unsinkable floating objects or UFOs found on Manila Bay," Eco-Waste Coalition convenor Manny Calonzo said.
Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaigner Beau Baconguis echoes: "Manila Bay has become a huge floating dump for the whole of Metro Manila and the other coastal provinces from the Bataan peninsula down to Cavite."
The breakdown of the waste audit showed that those logo-inscribed supermarket carry bags and the lighter, transparent sari-sari or palengke grocery bags comprise 51 percent of the bay’s plastic debris. This is followed by sachets and junkfood packaging materials at 19 percent; five percent are styrofoams and one percent hard plastics for a total of 76 percent. Other floating objects found are rubber (10 percent) and other biodegradables (13 percent).
"The immense volume of assorted plastic garbage littering its coasts and floating in its currents is symbolic of the trashing of Manila Bay and serves as a visual reminder of the pollution that is slowly killing the seas," Baconguis added.
If it is any indication, Calonzo said, the invasion of plastic UFOs in Manila Bay mirrors the worldwide ocean scenario. Published studies, he said, showed that most of the marine debris globally is made up of 60 to 80 percent plastic materials. "In some areas, it can be as high as 90 to 95 percent of the total amount of marine debris."
Some of the country’s plastic debris might even find its way into the infamous Trash Vortex, an area in the North Pacific where plastic trash from all over the world has converged into a great gyrating mass, he added.
Each year, he said, billions of grocery bags end up as ugly ocean litter globally. Manila Bay is not an exemption to the growing list of contributing bodies of water.
Aside from making Manila Bay an unwanted eyesore, the huge volume of plastic thrash which regularly finds its way to the bay impacts greatly on the marine life, suffocating vital sea ecosystems and the plant lives, even multiplying its adverse effects on the livelihood of land-based human lives that these waters support.
Along with less visible but equally harmful pollutants, plastics have smothered the bay’s mangrove, sea grass and coral ecosystems, and as in other coastal areas where plastic thrash predominates, have led to the death of birds and marine animals via ingestion or entanglement.
Plastic bags don’t biodegrade. These grocery bags photodegrade or break down into smaller toxic slices contaminating the soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest these bits and pieces.
In the said Trash Vortex in the North Pacific Central Gyre, marine pollution yielded minuscule bits of plastics found inside planktons, the bedrock of the aquatic food web. These tiny plastic pieces outweigh plankton by six to one in some parts of the Pacific, or six pounds of plastic for every single pound of plankton.
Here, Manila Bay has already been declared as a pollution hotspot in 1999 by the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas in East Asia (PEMSEA), another independent global environmental campaigner. Manila Bay, PEAMSEA noted, suffers from pollution from industries which dump their effluents, often toxic, in the bay or in its estuaries, on top of domestic sewage.
"Degradation of the bay has long before reached alarming levels, directly affecting the health and livelihoods of around 10 million people living in the vicinity," it reported.
The invasion of those throwaway single-use grocery bags in the bay adds to the worsening degradation of Manila Bay, Calonzo concluded.
"Isn’t it time that the government, business and the plain folks move in concert to make a stand?" Calonzo dared.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
PHIVOLCS EARTHQUAKE UPDATE
Republic of the Philippines
Department of Science and Technology
Department of Science and Technology
PHILIPPINE INSTITUTE OF VOLCANOLOGY AND SEISMOLOGY
PHIVOLCS Bldg., C.P. Garcia Ave., University of the Philippines Campus, Diliman, Quezon City
Tels. 426-1468 to 79; Fax: 929-8366 (director’s office); 927-1087 (seismology); 926-3225
PHIVOLCS EARTHQUAKE UPDATE
11:00 AM, 21 October 2006
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake occurred at 10:30 PM on October 20, 2006 and was felt in Southern Luzon. The epicenter was located offshore between the islands of Mindoro and Marinduque at 13.43°N, 121.53°E, or about 35 km West of Boac, Marinduque. It was reportedly felt at (PEIS) Intensity V in Marinduque, Naujan (Mindoro Oriental), Batangas City and Bauan (Batangas); at Intensity IV in Manila City, Lipa City (Batangas) and San Pablo City (Laguna) ; at Intensity III in Makati City and Puerto Galera (Oriental Mindoro), Talisay (Batangas), Lucban (Quezon); at Intensity II in Quezon City, Tagaytay City and Guinayangan (Quezon). The possible source of this earthquake is movement along the eastern segment of Lubang Fault.
Three (3) aftershocks were felt as of 11 AM October 21, 2006 - at 01:27 AM (magnitude 3.7), at 06:09 AM (magnitude 4.7) and 10:53 AM. The 01:27 AM event was felt at intensity III in Lipa City and San Pablo City; at Intensity II in the areas of Taal, Buco, Talisay (Batangas), Quezon City, Muntinlupa, Carmona (Cavite), Tagaytay City and Lucban (Quezon). The 06:09AM event was reportedly felt at Intensity III in Batangas City, Cabuyao (Laguna), Manila; and at Intensity II in Quezon City, Manila City and Lucban (Quezon). The 10:53 AM event was felt at Intensity III at San Pablo City, Intensity II at Tanauan (Batangas) and Intensity I at Talisay (Batangas). These aftershocks were located near the epicenter of the October 20 10:30 PM earthquake.
No report of damages have been received as of this update. Although the epicenter of the earthquake is located offshore, PHIVOLCS has not issued a tsunami watch in the coastal areas of Southern Luzon as these earthquakes have magnitudes that are not capable of generating destructive tsunamis. However, PHIVOLCS still expects aftershocks to continue occurring in the next few days which may be felt especially within the vicinity of the epicenter. Aftershocks are normally of lower magnitude than the mainshock but may vary in felt intensities as the epicenters of these aftershocks become close to populated areas. Because of this, PHIVOLCS is continuously monitoring the area and any new development will be relayed to all concerned.
PHIVOLCS-DOST
ICN/MLPB/BJTP
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Two mining companies get DENR exploratory permits
By Jonathan L. Mayuga
Correspodndent / Business Mirror/
10/15/06
THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has approved the issuance of three exploration permits to two firms to explore gold, copper and other mineral deposits in Surigao del Norte and Batangas.
Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes said one exploration permits (EP) was issued to MRL Gold Philippines and while two permits were issued to Egerton Gold Phils. Inc.
Reyes said the two companies have complied with the requirements set under the Mining Act of 1995 and all existing rules and regulations.
The two companies presented their project presentations last week, Reyes said.
“After hearing their project presentations last week, I am convinced that these exploration projects can spur development in the host areas once substantial mineral reserves are found,” he said. He ordered the director of the DENR Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to issue the EPs to MRL and Egerton pursuant to existing procedure, particularly Memorandum Order No. 2005-020 which pertains to the issuance of exploration permits by virtue of Department Resources administrative Order No. 2005-15.
The EP to be issued to MRL covers 316 hectares in the municipality of Malimono, Surigao del Norte, while Egerton has a combined area of 6,980 hectares covered by two EP applications in the towns of Lobo and San Juan in Batangas.
The approval of the exploration permits, according to Reyes, sends a clear signal to foreign and local investors that the government’s revitalization program for mining is on track.
“We continue to address the concerns of various stakeholders, specifically with regards to social equity and environmental protection,” he said.
According to Reyes, the two companies’ EP applications were approved based on the track records of the companies and their “seriousness” in engaging in mining operation.
The DENR chief said MRL and Egerton are both financially and technically capable and have shown a sense of corporate social responsibility.
MRL Gold is a corporation registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, 99.9 percent of which is, owned by the Mindoro Resources Ltd., a Canadian company. Egerton, on the other hand, is a Filipmo corporation with 40-percent Australian equity.
In 2000, MRL signed an operating agreement with Egerton to explore its mineral claims.
MRL Gold has been operating in the Philippines for more than 10 years. Formed in 1996 focusing on Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, the company decided to shift its entire focus on the Philippines because of the country’s great technical potential.
MRL Gold president Tony Climie told reporters during a press briefing that the company is seriously considering putting in substantial investment in the Philippines, noting the support investors in the mining industry are getting from the government.
Correspodndent / Business Mirror/
10/15/06
THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has approved the issuance of three exploration permits to two firms to explore gold, copper and other mineral deposits in Surigao del Norte and Batangas.
Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes said one exploration permits (EP) was issued to MRL Gold Philippines and while two permits were issued to Egerton Gold Phils. Inc.
Reyes said the two companies have complied with the requirements set under the Mining Act of 1995 and all existing rules and regulations.
The two companies presented their project presentations last week, Reyes said.
“After hearing their project presentations last week, I am convinced that these exploration projects can spur development in the host areas once substantial mineral reserves are found,” he said. He ordered the director of the DENR Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to issue the EPs to MRL and Egerton pursuant to existing procedure, particularly Memorandum Order No. 2005-020 which pertains to the issuance of exploration permits by virtue of Department Resources administrative Order No. 2005-15.
The EP to be issued to MRL covers 316 hectares in the municipality of Malimono, Surigao del Norte, while Egerton has a combined area of 6,980 hectares covered by two EP applications in the towns of Lobo and San Juan in Batangas.
The approval of the exploration permits, according to Reyes, sends a clear signal to foreign and local investors that the government’s revitalization program for mining is on track.
“We continue to address the concerns of various stakeholders, specifically with regards to social equity and environmental protection,” he said.
According to Reyes, the two companies’ EP applications were approved based on the track records of the companies and their “seriousness” in engaging in mining operation.
The DENR chief said MRL and Egerton are both financially and technically capable and have shown a sense of corporate social responsibility.
MRL Gold is a corporation registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, 99.9 percent of which is, owned by the Mindoro Resources Ltd., a Canadian company. Egerton, on the other hand, is a Filipmo corporation with 40-percent Australian equity.
In 2000, MRL signed an operating agreement with Egerton to explore its mineral claims.
MRL Gold has been operating in the Philippines for more than 10 years. Formed in 1996 focusing on Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, the company decided to shift its entire focus on the Philippines because of the country’s great technical potential.
MRL Gold president Tony Climie told reporters during a press briefing that the company is seriously considering putting in substantial investment in the Philippines, noting the support investors in the mining industry are getting from the government.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Mining permit processing resumes;
Mining permit processing resumes; environment plans crucial
First posted 02:47am (Mla time)
Oct 04, 2006
By Christine A. Gaylican
Inquirer
THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has resumed processing of mineral exploration and production permits that have been pending for the past nine months, Inquirer sources in the department said.
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes has asked applicants to make individual project presentations at his office, the sources said.
This procedure will bring the applicants closer to getting permits, they said.
The companies that have made presentations are MRL Gold Philippines Inc., Egerton Gold Philippines Inc., Buena Suerte Mining Corp., and Manila Mining Corp.
A ranking DENR official said Reyes had also asked applicants to submit their environment programs and social preparations for the communities at the target mine sites, and documents pertaining to their technical and financial resources.
MRL Gold Philippines expects to get its exploration permit sometime soon, company president James Anthony Climie said.
Climie said MRL Gold Philippines had submitted a petition to the DENR to explore parts of a property in Malimono town in the southern area of Surigao for gold and copper.
The Malimono site measures 508.12 hectares.
Buena Suerte Mining Corp., an affiliate of Australia ’s Oxiana Ltd., has signified interest in surveying 4,192 hectares of the towns of Liloan, San Francisco and San Ricardo in Southern Leyte province for possible copper and gold resources.
Ten medium-scale mining companies have applied for a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) to extract nickel, chromites, limestone and cobalt.
The MPSA is a contract that will allow the national government to share in the production of a mining company. Under it, the company will provide the financing, technology, management and personnel for the mining project.
Approval of MPSA applications is subject to qualifications and requirements set by the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.
First posted 02:47am (Mla time)
Oct 04, 2006
By Christine A. Gaylican
Inquirer
THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has resumed processing of mineral exploration and production permits that have been pending for the past nine months, Inquirer sources in the department said.
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes has asked applicants to make individual project presentations at his office, the sources said.
This procedure will bring the applicants closer to getting permits, they said.
The companies that have made presentations are MRL Gold Philippines Inc., Egerton Gold Philippines Inc., Buena Suerte Mining Corp., and Manila Mining Corp.
A ranking DENR official said Reyes had also asked applicants to submit their environment programs and social preparations for the communities at the target mine sites, and documents pertaining to their technical and financial resources.
MRL Gold Philippines expects to get its exploration permit sometime soon, company president James Anthony Climie said.
Climie said MRL Gold Philippines had submitted a petition to the DENR to explore parts of a property in Malimono town in the southern area of Surigao for gold and copper.
The Malimono site measures 508.12 hectares.
Buena Suerte Mining Corp., an affiliate of Australia ’s Oxiana Ltd., has signified interest in surveying 4,192 hectares of the towns of Liloan, San Francisco and San Ricardo in Southern Leyte province for possible copper and gold resources.
Ten medium-scale mining companies have applied for a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) to extract nickel, chromites, limestone and cobalt.
The MPSA is a contract that will allow the national government to share in the production of a mining company. Under it, the company will provide the financing, technology, management and personnel for the mining project.
Approval of MPSA applications is subject to qualifications and requirements set by the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.
Mining permit processing resumes; environment plans crucial
First posted 02:47am (Mla time) Oct 04, 2006
By Christine A. Gaylican
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=24652
THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has resumed processing of mineral exploration and production permits that have been pending for the past nine months, Inquirer sources in the department said.
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes has asked applicants to make individual project presentations at his office, the sources said.
This procedure will bring the applicants closer to getting permits, they said.
The companies that have made presentations are MRL Gold Philippines Inc., Egerton Gold Philippines Inc., Buena Suerte Mining Corp., and Manila Mining Corp.
A ranking DENR official said Reyes had also asked applicants to submit their environment programs and social preparations for the communities at the target mine sites, and documents pertaining to their technical and financial resources.
MRL Gold Philippines expects to get its exploration permit sometime soon, company president James Anthony Climie said.
Climie said MRL Gold Philippines had submitted a petition to the DENR to explore parts of a property in Malimono town in the southern area of Surigao for gold and copper.
The Malimono site measures 508.12 hectares.
Buena Suerte Mining Corp., an affiliate of Australia’s Oxiana Ltd., has signified interest in surveying 4,192 hectares of the towns of Liloan, San Francisco and San Ricardo in Southern Leyte province for possible copper and gold resources.
Ten medium-scale mining companies have applied for a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) to extract nickel, chromites, limestone and cobalt.
The MPSA is a contract that will allow the national government to share in the production of a mining company. Under it, the company will provide the financing, technology, management and personnel for the mining project.
Approval of MPSA applications is subject to qualifications and requirements set by the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.
With INQ7.net
By Christine A. Gaylican
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=24652
THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has resumed processing of mineral exploration and production permits that have been pending for the past nine months, Inquirer sources in the department said.
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes has asked applicants to make individual project presentations at his office, the sources said.
This procedure will bring the applicants closer to getting permits, they said.
The companies that have made presentations are MRL Gold Philippines Inc., Egerton Gold Philippines Inc., Buena Suerte Mining Corp., and Manila Mining Corp.
A ranking DENR official said Reyes had also asked applicants to submit their environment programs and social preparations for the communities at the target mine sites, and documents pertaining to their technical and financial resources.
MRL Gold Philippines expects to get its exploration permit sometime soon, company president James Anthony Climie said.
Climie said MRL Gold Philippines had submitted a petition to the DENR to explore parts of a property in Malimono town in the southern area of Surigao for gold and copper.
The Malimono site measures 508.12 hectares.
Buena Suerte Mining Corp., an affiliate of Australia’s Oxiana Ltd., has signified interest in surveying 4,192 hectares of the towns of Liloan, San Francisco and San Ricardo in Southern Leyte province for possible copper and gold resources.
Ten medium-scale mining companies have applied for a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) to extract nickel, chromites, limestone and cobalt.
The MPSA is a contract that will allow the national government to share in the production of a mining company. Under it, the company will provide the financing, technology, management and personnel for the mining project.
Approval of MPSA applications is subject to qualifications and requirements set by the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.
With INQ7.net
Monday, October 02, 2006
Economists on climatechange: Do we care?
By GERARD WYNN
http://www.malaya.com.ph/oct02/envi5.htm
LONDON — Will the spending needed to prevent global warming cost the world more than just sitting back, or even enjoying the possible financial benefits of a hotter planet?
Economists are divided over that cold financial calculation in the week ahead of a major report on the issue to be presented to ministers of the world’s leading nations.
Some want action now to curb climate-changing emissions, saying that will cost little today but more if we delay, while others urge a slower approach, saying uncontrolled climate change will cost little or nothing in the short-term.
The report by UK government scientist Nicholas Stern to the G8 nations and major emerging countries including China, India and Brazil, may favor the first argument, according to some sources who contributed to it.
Also in that camp is Nobel laureate and former World Bank chief economist Joseph Stiglitz.
"The net cost (of taking action) is even potentially negative but certainly is not very significant," said Stiglitz.
Financial benefits, or negative costs, occur from energy efficiency savings.
"We need to start doing something now," Stiglitz said. "There is a risk of very rapid climate change."
Robert Mendelsohn, professor at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, argues that such negative costs may still be less than the benefits.
He sees a net global warming bonus in the near-term, as higher farming yields in northern countries offsets damage elsewhere, especially in Africa.
"In that sense it doesn’t make sense to spend money right now," Mendelsohn said, adding that beyond 2050 and a 2 degrees Celsius rise the damage and need for action grows.
He added that he does not cost species extinctions and health effects, and only crudely measures the cost of island inundations.
Richard Tol, Senior Research Officer at Ireland’s Economic and Social Research Institute, has a similar stance.
"(My damage estimate) does hide some things that some people will get very upset about," Tol said. "From an economic perspective small island states are so tiny and people are moving out of there anyway."
As an example Tol estimates the welfare loss of the Maldives submerging at three times the inhabitants’ annual salaries, in addition to the 100 percent loss of the country’s GDP.
Citizens are happy to value the preservation of the global ecosystem at a cost of 50 euros per person per year, Tol says, but added he does not factor in the risk of rapid sea level rise.
A third camp treats with suspicion both cost and damage estimates, fearing they could be huge underestimates.
"I worry that existing damage estimates have little to do with what we’ll actually see," said John Reilly, senior research scientist at MIT. "They do not really value the widespread ecological changes that are likely to occur."
A particular concern is the cost of runaway climate change, where temperature rises spin out of control, and which could trigger knock-on disasters like conflicts, or sudden sea level rise which could wipe out part or whole countries like the Netherlands, Egypt and Bangladesh.
On the costs of policies, the concern is of over-optimistic assumptions about the update of new clean energy technologies, with recent oil price hikes, for example, spurring less adoption impact than some had expected.
The annual costs of tackling climate change escalate rapidly the tougher the action.
Reilly estimates the cost of staying within a 3 degrees temperature rise at 2 percent of global GDP in 2100, but at some 8 to 10 percent of GDP to stay under 2 degrees – or some $25 trillion in 2100 money – seen as a danger threshold.
Mendelsohn estimated that the top end of possible temperature rises, nearly 6 degrees, would cost up to 2 percent of GDP in 2100.
http://www.malaya.com.ph/oct02/envi5.htm
LONDON — Will the spending needed to prevent global warming cost the world more than just sitting back, or even enjoying the possible financial benefits of a hotter planet?
Economists are divided over that cold financial calculation in the week ahead of a major report on the issue to be presented to ministers of the world’s leading nations.
Some want action now to curb climate-changing emissions, saying that will cost little today but more if we delay, while others urge a slower approach, saying uncontrolled climate change will cost little or nothing in the short-term.
The report by UK government scientist Nicholas Stern to the G8 nations and major emerging countries including China, India and Brazil, may favor the first argument, according to some sources who contributed to it.
Also in that camp is Nobel laureate and former World Bank chief economist Joseph Stiglitz.
"The net cost (of taking action) is even potentially negative but certainly is not very significant," said Stiglitz.
Financial benefits, or negative costs, occur from energy efficiency savings.
"We need to start doing something now," Stiglitz said. "There is a risk of very rapid climate change."
Robert Mendelsohn, professor at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, argues that such negative costs may still be less than the benefits.
He sees a net global warming bonus in the near-term, as higher farming yields in northern countries offsets damage elsewhere, especially in Africa.
"In that sense it doesn’t make sense to spend money right now," Mendelsohn said, adding that beyond 2050 and a 2 degrees Celsius rise the damage and need for action grows.
He added that he does not cost species extinctions and health effects, and only crudely measures the cost of island inundations.
Richard Tol, Senior Research Officer at Ireland’s Economic and Social Research Institute, has a similar stance.
"(My damage estimate) does hide some things that some people will get very upset about," Tol said. "From an economic perspective small island states are so tiny and people are moving out of there anyway."
As an example Tol estimates the welfare loss of the Maldives submerging at three times the inhabitants’ annual salaries, in addition to the 100 percent loss of the country’s GDP.
Citizens are happy to value the preservation of the global ecosystem at a cost of 50 euros per person per year, Tol says, but added he does not factor in the risk of rapid sea level rise.
A third camp treats with suspicion both cost and damage estimates, fearing they could be huge underestimates.
"I worry that existing damage estimates have little to do with what we’ll actually see," said John Reilly, senior research scientist at MIT. "They do not really value the widespread ecological changes that are likely to occur."
A particular concern is the cost of runaway climate change, where temperature rises spin out of control, and which could trigger knock-on disasters like conflicts, or sudden sea level rise which could wipe out part or whole countries like the Netherlands, Egypt and Bangladesh.
On the costs of policies, the concern is of over-optimistic assumptions about the update of new clean energy technologies, with recent oil price hikes, for example, spurring less adoption impact than some had expected.
The annual costs of tackling climate change escalate rapidly the tougher the action.
Reilly estimates the cost of staying within a 3 degrees temperature rise at 2 percent of global GDP in 2100, but at some 8 to 10 percent of GDP to stay under 2 degrees – or some $25 trillion in 2100 money – seen as a danger threshold.
Mendelsohn estimated that the top end of possible temperature rises, nearly 6 degrees, would cost up to 2 percent of GDP in 2100.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Central Luzon forest protection mapped out
BY JOJO DUE
http://www.malaya.com.ph/oct01/envi4.htm
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO —Environment officials and forest protection officers convened a top-level meeting here recently to map out plans for the protection of Central Luzon’s remaining forests.
The forest protection plan seeks control of illegal logging activities in at least 17 identified illegal logging "hotspots" in Central Luzon as experts predict the forests will vanish by 2050 unless government institutes forest protection and rehabilitation efforts.
"The plan was patterned after the draft Omnibus Forestry guidelines laid down by the DENR that has identified upland agro-forestry development and forest boundary delineation as critical in the protection and rehabilitation of the region’s forests," Regido de Leon, DENR Central Luzon Executive Director explained.
De Leon said the plan will address forest management and protection issues that will ensure short- and long-term economic and environmental benefits of sustainable forestry activities in the region.
The illegal logging hotspots, where sporadic timber poaching activities continue, are located in Sta. Cruz, Castillejos and Iba in Zambales; San Jose, Mayantoc and San Clemente in Tarlac; Carranglan, Bongabon and Laur in Nueva Ecija; Sumacbao River and San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan; Bagac, Morong and Mariveles in Bataan; Dipaculao and Dingalan in Aurora Province; and Mt. Arayat in Pampanga.
Ricardo Calderon, DENR technical director for forestry, said the plan completed during the 1st Forestry Sector Forum in Lubao, has sought to squarely settle the issues of kaingin or slash-and-burn farming, squatting, illegal logging, forest fires, and pest and disease control in forests.
"This is the first time that a comprehensive forest protection plan has been mapped out by no less than those directly involved in forest protection, law enforcement and the DENR’s surveillance and intelligence operations," Calderon said, adding the plan strengthens inter-agency linkages with the military and the police, including the Coast Guard.
He said intelligence operations would require highly specialized skills in the recognition and containment of destructive agents in illegal logging "hotspots", including the surveillance, detection, and arrests of illegal loggers.
DENR records show that only 433,276 hectares out of the 963,120 hectares of forestlands in Central Luzon, or about 45 percent, have adequate forest cover.
http://www.malaya.com.ph/oct01/envi4.htm
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO —Environment officials and forest protection officers convened a top-level meeting here recently to map out plans for the protection of Central Luzon’s remaining forests.
The forest protection plan seeks control of illegal logging activities in at least 17 identified illegal logging "hotspots" in Central Luzon as experts predict the forests will vanish by 2050 unless government institutes forest protection and rehabilitation efforts.
"The plan was patterned after the draft Omnibus Forestry guidelines laid down by the DENR that has identified upland agro-forestry development and forest boundary delineation as critical in the protection and rehabilitation of the region’s forests," Regido de Leon, DENR Central Luzon Executive Director explained.
De Leon said the plan will address forest management and protection issues that will ensure short- and long-term economic and environmental benefits of sustainable forestry activities in the region.
The illegal logging hotspots, where sporadic timber poaching activities continue, are located in Sta. Cruz, Castillejos and Iba in Zambales; San Jose, Mayantoc and San Clemente in Tarlac; Carranglan, Bongabon and Laur in Nueva Ecija; Sumacbao River and San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan; Bagac, Morong and Mariveles in Bataan; Dipaculao and Dingalan in Aurora Province; and Mt. Arayat in Pampanga.
Ricardo Calderon, DENR technical director for forestry, said the plan completed during the 1st Forestry Sector Forum in Lubao, has sought to squarely settle the issues of kaingin or slash-and-burn farming, squatting, illegal logging, forest fires, and pest and disease control in forests.
"This is the first time that a comprehensive forest protection plan has been mapped out by no less than those directly involved in forest protection, law enforcement and the DENR’s surveillance and intelligence operations," Calderon said, adding the plan strengthens inter-agency linkages with the military and the police, including the Coast Guard.
He said intelligence operations would require highly specialized skills in the recognition and containment of destructive agents in illegal logging "hotspots", including the surveillance, detection, and arrests of illegal loggers.
DENR records show that only 433,276 hectares out of the 963,120 hectares of forestlands in Central Luzon, or about 45 percent, have adequate forest cover.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
DENR chief sets tighter screening of potential mining investors
DENR chief sets tighter screening of potential mining investors
By Katherine Adraneda
Publication Date: [Saturday, September 30, 2006]
The government will be implementing "stricter screening" for potential investors in the mining industry, Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes said yesterday.
Reyes said aspiring mining investors will have to be screened by a panel of environment officials and mining experts before engaging in any exploration or production activity.
He said mining investors would have to present before the panel their social and technical plans.
Reyes said the project presentations would enable the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to determine the serious investors as against "speculators. "
He said the presentations would serve as basis for the approval of their applications to undertake mining activities in the country.
Potential investors trooped to the DENR central offices in Quezon City yesterday to present their technical plans for approval.
Among those scheduled to present their projects are foreign-owned firms and companies with foreign equity.
These include the MRL Gold Phils. Inc., which is 99 percent Canadian; Edgerton Gold Phils. Inc., 40 percent Australian; Buena Suerte Mining Corp., which is also 40 percent Australian; and an Anglo-American firm, Manila Mining Corp.
Other firms include Colossal Mining Corp., Hard Rock Trading Inc., TMC International Corp., Itawes Mining Exploration Co., Norweah Metals and Minerals Inc. and Ninety Niners Development Corp., which is 40 percent British.
One mining applicant is a Filipino identified as Epetacio Beltran.
"We want to have a clear view of the proponent’s credentials and track record, particularly their financial and technical capability to undertake responsible mining," Reyes said.
"But more than that, we want to be certain that the mining investors put a premium on their social responsibility as this is a requisite in their activities," he added.
The DENR said a total of 17 firms have applied for mining of gold, iron, chromite and other minerals in various parts of the country.
The permits cover mineral areas in Surigao del Norte, Batangas, Ilocos Sur, Cebu, Leyte , Misamis Oriental, Bulacan and Rizal.
Government estimated a total of P228.5 million will be spent by mining companies in the next two years for exploration.
"It is therefore vital that only companies which can afford the social and environmental costs of mining would be allowed to operate here," Reyes said.
He stressed that the economy would be the principal beneficiaries of the 17 mining projects.
Reyes pointed out the mining industry is among the top job generators in the country.
By Katherine Adraneda
Publication Date: [Saturday, September 30, 2006]
The government will be implementing "stricter screening" for potential investors in the mining industry, Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes said yesterday.
Reyes said aspiring mining investors will have to be screened by a panel of environment officials and mining experts before engaging in any exploration or production activity.
He said mining investors would have to present before the panel their social and technical plans.
Reyes said the project presentations would enable the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to determine the serious investors as against "speculators. "
He said the presentations would serve as basis for the approval of their applications to undertake mining activities in the country.
Potential investors trooped to the DENR central offices in Quezon City yesterday to present their technical plans for approval.
Among those scheduled to present their projects are foreign-owned firms and companies with foreign equity.
These include the MRL Gold Phils. Inc., which is 99 percent Canadian; Edgerton Gold Phils. Inc., 40 percent Australian; Buena Suerte Mining Corp., which is also 40 percent Australian; and an Anglo-American firm, Manila Mining Corp.
Other firms include Colossal Mining Corp., Hard Rock Trading Inc., TMC International Corp., Itawes Mining Exploration Co., Norweah Metals and Minerals Inc. and Ninety Niners Development Corp., which is 40 percent British.
One mining applicant is a Filipino identified as Epetacio Beltran.
"We want to have a clear view of the proponent’s credentials and track record, particularly their financial and technical capability to undertake responsible mining," Reyes said.
"But more than that, we want to be certain that the mining investors put a premium on their social responsibility as this is a requisite in their activities," he added.
The DENR said a total of 17 firms have applied for mining of gold, iron, chromite and other minerals in various parts of the country.
The permits cover mineral areas in Surigao del Norte, Batangas, Ilocos Sur, Cebu, Leyte , Misamis Oriental, Bulacan and Rizal.
Government estimated a total of P228.5 million will be spent by mining companies in the next two years for exploration.
"It is therefore vital that only companies which can afford the social and environmental costs of mining would be allowed to operate here," Reyes said.
He stressed that the economy would be the principal beneficiaries of the 17 mining projects.
Reyes pointed out the mining industry is among the top job generators in the country.
Phinma unit mulls wind power plant project in NL
By Donnabelle L. Gatdula
Publication Date: [Saturday, September 30, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277641
Trans-Asia Renewable Energy Corp. (TAREC), a member of the Philippine Investment Management Inc. (Phinma) group, is exploring the possibility of putting up a wind power plant in Northern Luzon.
TAREC is a wholly-owned affiliate of Trans-Asia Power Generation Corp., the power-related arm of the Phinma group. It seeks to participate in the development of the country’s renewable energy resources.
Phinma president Ramon del Rosario Jr. said they are trying to increase their exposure in renewable energy sources.
"One of our first interests is in NRE (new and renewable energy). We are looking at a wind power project in Sual, Pangasinan," he said.
He said they are currently gathering basic wind power plant information. "We are conducting various tests on the feasibility of the project. We are determining if there are enough wind there to produce power," he added.
According to Del Rosario, they started the study on the wind power project last year and expect to finish it soon.
But he said they would only pursue the project if the government would provide incentives for NRE-related projects.
"Fiscal incentives and tax breaks should be there. We all know that developing NRE is very expensive," he said.
He also noted that it is also crucial to mandate the use of NRE in the country to be able to sustain the development of the sector. "
"First, we need a legislation that will mandate the NRE utilization," the Phinma official said.
There is a pending Renewable Energy Bill, which if passed, will help accelerate the development of RE resources, increase the utilization of RE by institutionalizing its use, and establish a framework for the grant of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to all RE activities and the program to increase its utilization.
At present, the installed capacity from renewable energy generation is 5,301.6 megawatts which represents 33 percent of the total installed generating capacity.
It is projected that generation from renewable energy will double by year 2013 with the passage of the renewable energy bill.
The country has more than enough potentials to be self-reliant on energy generation through renewable energy because it has a wind power potential of 76,600 MW, geothermal at 1,200 MW, hydropower over 10,000 MW, solar at an average of 5 to 5.1 MW, biomass at 900 MW equivalent and ocean at 170,000 MW.
Publication Date: [Saturday, September 30, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277641
Trans-Asia Renewable Energy Corp. (TAREC), a member of the Philippine Investment Management Inc. (Phinma) group, is exploring the possibility of putting up a wind power plant in Northern Luzon.
TAREC is a wholly-owned affiliate of Trans-Asia Power Generation Corp., the power-related arm of the Phinma group. It seeks to participate in the development of the country’s renewable energy resources.
Phinma president Ramon del Rosario Jr. said they are trying to increase their exposure in renewable energy sources.
"One of our first interests is in NRE (new and renewable energy). We are looking at a wind power project in Sual, Pangasinan," he said.
He said they are currently gathering basic wind power plant information. "We are conducting various tests on the feasibility of the project. We are determining if there are enough wind there to produce power," he added.
According to Del Rosario, they started the study on the wind power project last year and expect to finish it soon.
But he said they would only pursue the project if the government would provide incentives for NRE-related projects.
"Fiscal incentives and tax breaks should be there. We all know that developing NRE is very expensive," he said.
He also noted that it is also crucial to mandate the use of NRE in the country to be able to sustain the development of the sector. "
"First, we need a legislation that will mandate the NRE utilization," the Phinma official said.
There is a pending Renewable Energy Bill, which if passed, will help accelerate the development of RE resources, increase the utilization of RE by institutionalizing its use, and establish a framework for the grant of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to all RE activities and the program to increase its utilization.
At present, the installed capacity from renewable energy generation is 5,301.6 megawatts which represents 33 percent of the total installed generating capacity.
It is projected that generation from renewable energy will double by year 2013 with the passage of the renewable energy bill.
The country has more than enough potentials to be self-reliant on energy generation through renewable energy because it has a wind power potential of 76,600 MW, geothermal at 1,200 MW, hydropower over 10,000 MW, solar at an average of 5 to 5.1 MW, biomass at 900 MW equivalent and ocean at 170,000 MW.
Government to review Green Philippines program
By Aurea CalicaPublication Date: [Saturday, September 30, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277660
The government will review its program for a "green" Philippines after typhoon "Milenyo" uprooted trees and threw them across roads or crushed homes.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources would undertake a study.
Ebdane said he would check international protocols that place priority on road safety over planting of trees especially on highways.
"We will also see what should be done on trees near power transmission lines because they get damaged as well," Ebdane said in a meeting of the National Disaster Coordinating Council.
Ebdane said it was only right to assess and make proper coordination of the government programs for a safer metropolis.
The government is currently planting thousands of trees in line with its "Clean and Green Philippines" program.
On Thursday, however, falling trees caused most of the deaths in Metro Manila and other areas hit by Milenyo.
Power distributor Manila Electric Co. also said it has been having difficulty repairing transmission lines because of trees near electric poles.
Last Thursday, Milenyo’s high winds uprooted hundreds of trees and several large billboards that partially blocked roads in Metro Manila, tore off roofs, shattered windows, and knocked down power and telephone lines.
Roads across the capital turned into obstacle courses as vehicles avoided trees and large branches, prompting emergency crews to immediately keep roads clear.
Metro Manila’s normally traffic-choked streets were relatively empty after government employees were sent home and business either closed early or remained shut. School was suspended the day before.
But traffic was backed up in some major thoroughfares such as EDSA and C-5 because of fallen trees and downed billboards.
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277660
The government will review its program for a "green" Philippines after typhoon "Milenyo" uprooted trees and threw them across roads or crushed homes.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources would undertake a study.
Ebdane said he would check international protocols that place priority on road safety over planting of trees especially on highways.
"We will also see what should be done on trees near power transmission lines because they get damaged as well," Ebdane said in a meeting of the National Disaster Coordinating Council.
Ebdane said it was only right to assess and make proper coordination of the government programs for a safer metropolis.
The government is currently planting thousands of trees in line with its "Clean and Green Philippines" program.
On Thursday, however, falling trees caused most of the deaths in Metro Manila and other areas hit by Milenyo.
Power distributor Manila Electric Co. also said it has been having difficulty repairing transmission lines because of trees near electric poles.
Last Thursday, Milenyo’s high winds uprooted hundreds of trees and several large billboards that partially blocked roads in Metro Manila, tore off roofs, shattered windows, and knocked down power and telephone lines.
Roads across the capital turned into obstacle courses as vehicles avoided trees and large branches, prompting emergency crews to immediately keep roads clear.
Metro Manila’s normally traffic-choked streets were relatively empty after government employees were sent home and business either closed early or remained shut. School was suspended the day before.
But traffic was backed up in some major thoroughfares such as EDSA and C-5 because of fallen trees and downed billboards.
Senate urges DENR to stop Boracay land bidding
By Christina Mendez
Publication Date: [Saturday, September 30, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277659
The Senate urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to withhold the implementation of Presidential Proclamation 1064 which seeks to classify more than half of the world-famous Boracay island resort in Aklan into a public agricultural land open for public bidding.
Sen. Franklin Drilon, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, urged the DENR not to proceed pending the Supreme Court ruling on the petition filed by resort owners and landowners seeking the recall of PP 1064.
Drilon sought the commitment of Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes during the recent hearing of the Senate finance committee on the DENR budget earlier this week.
Reyes informed Drilon that the DENR has "not moved an inch closer to titling or bidding out" Boracay.
Reyes, however, warned they have the authority to demolish establishments in Boracay violating environmental laws.
Drilon replied that he disagreed with the DENR pronouncement calling on resort owners to bid for their own land under PP 1064.
"It is not fair that suddenly, these will be put to public bidding and cronies of this administration could dip their hands into these properties," Drilon said.
He added that "it would appear that the issuance of Proclamation 1064 is this administration’s last ditch effort to force their will on 629 hectares of Boracay lands, after exhausting legal remedies, which have resulted in unfavorable decisions against them."
Drilon stressed the issuance of PP 1064 could prejudice the resort owners and residents of Boracay who have worked to make the island resort into a world class tourist destination.
"At the very least, equity is in favor of these land owners in Boracay because they invested hundreds of millions of pesos to improve the property and make it a tourist attraction that it is now today," he said.
Drilon noted the resort owners and stake holders were forced to elevate their case before the Supreme Court after the government insisted on implementing PP 1064.
The petitioners initially won their case before the Kalibo regional trial court on July 19, 1999.
The government appealed the case before the Court of Appeals (CA) where the case was dismissed on Dec. 9, 2004 in favor of the resort owners and stake holders.
The CA said the resort owners and stake holders "cannot just be prejudiced by a declaration that the lands they have occupied since time immemorial is part of forest reserve."
The proclamation enables the government, through the DENR, "to dispose and alienate the said land classified as agricultural... at public bidding at their market value pursuant to law, with the occupant-claimant owner, being given only the preference to buy by matching the highest bid at the auction sale."
Drilon said PP 1064 would practically eject the resort owners and businessmen who have made big investments in Boracay.
Businessman Orlando Sacay, chairman of the Boracay Foundation Inc., led resort owners in filing the petition before the high court seeking the recall of PP 1064 on fears that they would be ejected out of the island and lose their land holdings.
Malacañang said they have no intention of taking back PP 1064.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita earlier asserted PP 1064 would put things in order and even work to the advantage of residents and resort owners in Boracay.
Sacay and the other petitioners argued that the implementation of PP 1064 will also destroy the tourism industry in Boracay.
Sacay said they have poured in billions of pesos to make Boracay the prime tourist destination in Asia but the government classification would practically wipe out their investments and their vested rights.
Publication Date: [Saturday, September 30, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277659
The Senate urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to withhold the implementation of Presidential Proclamation 1064 which seeks to classify more than half of the world-famous Boracay island resort in Aklan into a public agricultural land open for public bidding.
Sen. Franklin Drilon, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, urged the DENR not to proceed pending the Supreme Court ruling on the petition filed by resort owners and landowners seeking the recall of PP 1064.
Drilon sought the commitment of Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes during the recent hearing of the Senate finance committee on the DENR budget earlier this week.
Reyes informed Drilon that the DENR has "not moved an inch closer to titling or bidding out" Boracay.
Reyes, however, warned they have the authority to demolish establishments in Boracay violating environmental laws.
Drilon replied that he disagreed with the DENR pronouncement calling on resort owners to bid for their own land under PP 1064.
"It is not fair that suddenly, these will be put to public bidding and cronies of this administration could dip their hands into these properties," Drilon said.
He added that "it would appear that the issuance of Proclamation 1064 is this administration’s last ditch effort to force their will on 629 hectares of Boracay lands, after exhausting legal remedies, which have resulted in unfavorable decisions against them."
Drilon stressed the issuance of PP 1064 could prejudice the resort owners and residents of Boracay who have worked to make the island resort into a world class tourist destination.
"At the very least, equity is in favor of these land owners in Boracay because they invested hundreds of millions of pesos to improve the property and make it a tourist attraction that it is now today," he said.
Drilon noted the resort owners and stake holders were forced to elevate their case before the Supreme Court after the government insisted on implementing PP 1064.
The petitioners initially won their case before the Kalibo regional trial court on July 19, 1999.
The government appealed the case before the Court of Appeals (CA) where the case was dismissed on Dec. 9, 2004 in favor of the resort owners and stake holders.
The CA said the resort owners and stake holders "cannot just be prejudiced by a declaration that the lands they have occupied since time immemorial is part of forest reserve."
The proclamation enables the government, through the DENR, "to dispose and alienate the said land classified as agricultural... at public bidding at their market value pursuant to law, with the occupant-claimant owner, being given only the preference to buy by matching the highest bid at the auction sale."
Drilon said PP 1064 would practically eject the resort owners and businessmen who have made big investments in Boracay.
Businessman Orlando Sacay, chairman of the Boracay Foundation Inc., led resort owners in filing the petition before the high court seeking the recall of PP 1064 on fears that they would be ejected out of the island and lose their land holdings.
Malacañang said they have no intention of taking back PP 1064.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita earlier asserted PP 1064 would put things in order and even work to the advantage of residents and resort owners in Boracay.
Sacay and the other petitioners argued that the implementation of PP 1064 will also destroy the tourism industry in Boracay.
Sacay said they have poured in billions of pesos to make Boracay the prime tourist destination in Asia but the government classification would practically wipe out their investments and their vested rights.
DENR chief sets tighter screening of potential mining investors
By Katherine Adraneda
Publication Date: [Saturday, September 30, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277658
The government will be implementing "stricter screening" for potential investors in the mining industry, Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes said yesterday.
Reyes said aspiring mining investors will have to be screened by a panel of environment officials and mining experts before engaging in any exploration or production activity.
He said mining investors would have to present before the panel their social and technical plans.
Reyes said the project presentations would enable the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to determine the serious investors as against "speculators."
He said the presentations would serve as basis for the approval of their applications to undertake mining activities in the country.
Potential investors trooped to the DENR central offices in Quezon City yesterday to present their technical plans for approval.
Among those scheduled to present their projects are foreign-owned firms and companies with foreign equity.
These include the MRL Gold Phils. Inc., which is 99 percent Canadian; Edgerton Gold Phils. Inc., 40 percent Australian; Buena Suerte Mining Corp., which is also 40 percent Australian; and an Anglo-American firm, Manila Mining Corp.
Other firms include Colossal Mining Corp., Hard Rock Trading Inc., TMC International Corp., Itawes Mining Exploration Co., Norweah Metals and Minerals Inc. and Ninety Niners Development Corp., which is 40 percent British.
One mining applicant is a Filipino identified as Epetacio Beltran.
"We want to have a clear view of the proponent’s credentials and track record, particularly their financial and technical capability to undertake responsible mining," Reyes said.
"But more than that, we want to be certain that the mining investors put a premium on their social responsibility as this is a requisite in their activities," he added.
The DENR said a total of 17 firms have applied for mining of gold, iron, chromite and other minerals in various parts of the country.
The permits cover mineral areas in Surigao del Norte, Batangas, Ilocos Sur, Cebu, Leyte, Misamis Oriental, Bulacan and Rizal.
Government estimated a total of P228.5 million will be spent by mining companies in the next two years for exploration.
"It is therefore vital that only companies which can afford the social and environmental costs of mining would be allowed to operate here," Reyes said.
He stressed that the economy would be the principal beneficiaries of the 17 mining projects.
Reyes pointed out the mining industry is among the top job generators in the country.
Publication Date: [Saturday, September 30, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277658
The government will be implementing "stricter screening" for potential investors in the mining industry, Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes said yesterday.
Reyes said aspiring mining investors will have to be screened by a panel of environment officials and mining experts before engaging in any exploration or production activity.
He said mining investors would have to present before the panel their social and technical plans.
Reyes said the project presentations would enable the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to determine the serious investors as against "speculators."
He said the presentations would serve as basis for the approval of their applications to undertake mining activities in the country.
Potential investors trooped to the DENR central offices in Quezon City yesterday to present their technical plans for approval.
Among those scheduled to present their projects are foreign-owned firms and companies with foreign equity.
These include the MRL Gold Phils. Inc., which is 99 percent Canadian; Edgerton Gold Phils. Inc., 40 percent Australian; Buena Suerte Mining Corp., which is also 40 percent Australian; and an Anglo-American firm, Manila Mining Corp.
Other firms include Colossal Mining Corp., Hard Rock Trading Inc., TMC International Corp., Itawes Mining Exploration Co., Norweah Metals and Minerals Inc. and Ninety Niners Development Corp., which is 40 percent British.
One mining applicant is a Filipino identified as Epetacio Beltran.
"We want to have a clear view of the proponent’s credentials and track record, particularly their financial and technical capability to undertake responsible mining," Reyes said.
"But more than that, we want to be certain that the mining investors put a premium on their social responsibility as this is a requisite in their activities," he added.
The DENR said a total of 17 firms have applied for mining of gold, iron, chromite and other minerals in various parts of the country.
The permits cover mineral areas in Surigao del Norte, Batangas, Ilocos Sur, Cebu, Leyte, Misamis Oriental, Bulacan and Rizal.
Government estimated a total of P228.5 million will be spent by mining companies in the next two years for exploration.
"It is therefore vital that only companies which can afford the social and environmental costs of mining would be allowed to operate here," Reyes said.
He stressed that the economy would be the principal beneficiaries of the 17 mining projects.
Reyes pointed out the mining industry is among the top job generators in the country.
Friday, September 29, 2006
‘Forest classification on Boracay to affect RP tourist spots’
By Delon Porcalla
Publication Date: [Friday, September 29, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277501
The government proclamation classifying the island resort of Boracay into a public agricultural land will also affect the status of other tourist spots in the Philippines, a resort owner said yesterday.
According to Orlando Sacay, chairman of the Boracay Foundation Inc., the issuance of Proclamation 1064 which reclassified more than half of the world famous island resort in Aklan province into agricultural land would set a precedent.
Sacay led other resort owners and businessmen in seeking the recall of PP 1064 on fears that they will be ejected out of the island and lose their land holdings.
Sacay noted any ruling of the Supreme Court (SC) on their petition would be crucial since it will set on all other similarly situated land disputes.
"This issue not just affects Boracay but other tourist spots as well which have no titles," he said.
He said any similar move by the government to take over the lands developed by resort owners would scare away potential investors.
Sacay cited the case of investors who wanted to put up a business in Coron island in Palawan.
"The group (of investors) is holding in abeyance its full development until this issue is settled," he said.
Sacay’s counsel, Quirino Marquinez, also cited the case of Alfonso Nuguid, a Los Angeles-based Filipino who owns several condominiums in the US.
Marquinez said Nuguid decided to "hold off" the P40-million investment for a hotel in a 2,000-square meter lot in Boracay.
"I’m in a quandary what will I do with the investment," he quoted Nuguid as saying.
Marquinez, a former poll official, said he advised Nuguid to wait for the SC ruling on the issue.
Another case, he said, is the $75-million Shangri-La Hotel that sits on a 12-hectare property.
The leading hotel group in the Asia-Pacific region plans to put up a 170-room facility and 50 deluxe villas in Boracay.
But because of the proclamation, the investors wanted to clear up the issue before pushing through with plans, Sacay added.
Malacañang, however, is standing pat on PP 1064 which reclassifies 628 hectares, or 60.94 percent of the 1,032-hectare island of Boracay, as "alienable and disposable."
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said PP 1064 would put things in order and even work to the advantage of residents and resort owners in Boracay.
Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor, a former environment secretary, said the residents and resort owners should urge Congress to come up with a law that would allow them to acquire land without a public bidding.
Defensor stressed the government was in a bind as far as the demands of the Boracay residents and resort owners were concerned.
He pointed out the absence of a law which would allow the residents and resort owners to acquire more than 1,000 square meters of land in Boracay without public auction.
Publication Date: [Friday, September 29, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277501
The government proclamation classifying the island resort of Boracay into a public agricultural land will also affect the status of other tourist spots in the Philippines, a resort owner said yesterday.
According to Orlando Sacay, chairman of the Boracay Foundation Inc., the issuance of Proclamation 1064 which reclassified more than half of the world famous island resort in Aklan province into agricultural land would set a precedent.
Sacay led other resort owners and businessmen in seeking the recall of PP 1064 on fears that they will be ejected out of the island and lose their land holdings.
Sacay noted any ruling of the Supreme Court (SC) on their petition would be crucial since it will set on all other similarly situated land disputes.
"This issue not just affects Boracay but other tourist spots as well which have no titles," he said.
He said any similar move by the government to take over the lands developed by resort owners would scare away potential investors.
Sacay cited the case of investors who wanted to put up a business in Coron island in Palawan.
"The group (of investors) is holding in abeyance its full development until this issue is settled," he said.
Sacay’s counsel, Quirino Marquinez, also cited the case of Alfonso Nuguid, a Los Angeles-based Filipino who owns several condominiums in the US.
Marquinez said Nuguid decided to "hold off" the P40-million investment for a hotel in a 2,000-square meter lot in Boracay.
"I’m in a quandary what will I do with the investment," he quoted Nuguid as saying.
Marquinez, a former poll official, said he advised Nuguid to wait for the SC ruling on the issue.
Another case, he said, is the $75-million Shangri-La Hotel that sits on a 12-hectare property.
The leading hotel group in the Asia-Pacific region plans to put up a 170-room facility and 50 deluxe villas in Boracay.
But because of the proclamation, the investors wanted to clear up the issue before pushing through with plans, Sacay added.
Malacañang, however, is standing pat on PP 1064 which reclassifies 628 hectares, or 60.94 percent of the 1,032-hectare island of Boracay, as "alienable and disposable."
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said PP 1064 would put things in order and even work to the advantage of residents and resort owners in Boracay.
Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor, a former environment secretary, said the residents and resort owners should urge Congress to come up with a law that would allow them to acquire land without a public bidding.
Defensor stressed the government was in a bind as far as the demands of the Boracay residents and resort owners were concerned.
He pointed out the absence of a law which would allow the residents and resort owners to acquire more than 1,000 square meters of land in Boracay without public auction.
‘Milenyo’ shuts down Metro
Publication Date: [Friday, September 29, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277462
Typhoon "Milenyo" — the strongest to hit Metro Manila in 11 years — slammed into the metropolis and parts of Luzon and the Visayas yesterday, killing at least 15 people and leaving behind widespread destruction.
More than 40 million people were without electricity after the typhoon, packing winds of 130 kilometers per hour, destroyed power lines in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon.
The storm toppled trees and triggered landslides, blocking some provincial roads. School authorities suspended classes, flights were canceled, ferry boats were grounded, the country’s financial markets were halted, and officials were forced to suspend the operation of two commuter trains in Metro Manila as the typhoon wiped out all normal activity.
Classes at all levels in Metro Manila remain suspended today. Work in government offices, except those engaged in health, security and disaster relief and response, also remain suspended. Work in private companies is up to the discretion of employers, Malacañang said.
Milenyo was the strongest typhoon to directly hit Metro Manila in 11 years, after super typhoon Rosing, packing 260 kph, battered the metropolis and nearby provinces in November 1995, leaving 936 people dead.
President Arroyo ordered yesterday the release of P240 million from the calamity fund to be made available to local government units battered by Milenyo.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said that during a teleconference with Cabinet and disaster management officials, Mrs. Arroyo directed the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Metro Manila Development Authority to speed up the cleanup of debris, fallen trees and billboards on roads.
She also ordered Trade Secretary Peter Favila to deploy price monitoring teams in markets and stores to prevent undue increases.
Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. assured local officials in typhoon-ravaged areas of the immediate release of aid to repair damaged infrastructure.
Mrs. Arroyo also ordered Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral to provide quick relief operations in affected communities.
Favila told a press briefing at the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) at Camp Aguinaldo that the power outage was reported by the National Transmission Corp. at around 12:58 p.m. He said Transco is still determining the cause of the collapse of the entire Luzon grid.
The President was trapped by the typhoon at the Clark Special Economic Zone where she attended several engagements. She was able to return to Manila at around 4 p.m. and immediately inspected the damages and debris near Malacañang, including a giant acacia tree that was uprooted from the courtyard of the nearby St. Jude Church that blocked the entire J. P. Laurel street.
Ros Manlangit, spokesman for the Department of National Defense, said Cyril del Callar, president of the National Power Corp. (Napocor), had reported that the power plants were shut down following reports that transmission lines and electric posts were damaged in various areas.
Defense Undersecretary Ernesto Carolina said that the disaster response teams of the Armed Forces have been deployed to assist in the affected areas.
Debris and tree branches littered the streets around Metro Manila while trees and electric posts were uprooted in many areas in Bicol and most parts of Luzon where the typhoon passed.
Airport authorities in Manila suspended all flights around noon because of the power failure. Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced that normal operations will resume today.
All domestic and international flights will be operated according to published schedules, including three regional flights from Manila to Nagoya, Kansai and Narita, PAL said. The three flights were originally scheduled to leave yesterday but were reset for today due to the storm.
The Philippine Coast Guard reported that over 4,000 ferry passengers were stranded in various ports in the Visayas, Bicol, Central and Southern Luzon.
The much-awaited UAAP basketball championship game between the University of Sto. Tomas and the Ateneo de Manila University was also postponed.
Death everywhere
In Antique, three people were killed — a drunken man who fell into a river, a nine-year-old boy and an electrician — said acting governor Eduardo Fortaleza.
Fortaleza said rescue workers evacuated about 100 residents who were trapped on an islet in the middle of a raging river in Barbaza, Antique early Thursday.
A 16-year-old girl was crushed to death by a fallen tree in Lucena City.
Two other victims were killed in Laguna. They were identified as Jojo Pareyno of Barangay Pagsawitan in Sta. Cruz town; and Juliu Magsino of Barangay Limao in Calauan.
Two people reportedly drowned after they were swept way by floodwaters when the Bao River overflowed in Ormoc City.
The fatalities were identified as Arnold Fajardo, 23, of Barangay Curva; and Maximo Obida, 71, of Barangay San Jose.
In Albay, two persons were killed when a boat capsized off Rapu- Rapu Island and a house was swept by strong waves in Tiwi town.
Cedric Daep, chief of the Albay provincial disaster management office, said over 700 houses were destroyed while 844 others were damaged in Sto. Domingo town.
Philippine Ports Authority manager Rene Agaao said the ground floor of the port terminal was also damaged by strong waves and dozens of Catanduanes-bound passengers that were stranded at the port were transferred to the second floor of the building.
Arnel Capili, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, said more than 1,000 residents were evacuated from Catanduanes and Camarines Sur.
A girl and an elderly man were crushed to death when a wall of an adjacent abandoned warehouse collapsed on their houses in Muntinlupa City.
In Makati City, a driver was killed and several others were injured when a billboard collapsed along EDSA near corner Estrella street, hitting several vehicles including a passenger bus. The fatality was identified as Felipe Gumapon.
An hour later, another billboard collapsed also along EDSA near the Magallanes interchange hitting another passenger bus.
In Quezon City, a woman died after she was electrocuted while she was fixing the roof of her house at Barangay Sto. Domingo.
Nilda Epedo was repairing the roof of her house on Don Pedro St. when she touched a live wire.
Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. had earlier directed the city disaster coordinating council to implement contingency plans as Milenyo approached the metropolis.
Manuel Sabalza, chief of the city’s Department of Public Safety and Order, deployed quick response teams to assist in emergency situations.
Security guard Rufino Caigingan, 38, died after he was hit by a flying galvanized iron sheet near the Manila City Hall.
The Manila Police District Tactical Operations Center reported that more than 100 families were evacuated from their houses that were damaged by strong winds at Delpan, Tondo.
Police said many houses were damaged, most of them rendered roofless by strong winds along Pablo Ocampo, Bambang, V. Mapa, Road 10, Baseco, Benitez, Plaza Morga and Quirino streets.
Strong winds toppled a row of trees on Manila’s famous Baywalk beside Manila Bay and knocked down billboards near the US and Japanese Embassies along Roxas Blvd. where traffic was stalled for several hours.
Workers used chain saws to clear the roads amid howling winds and blinding rain.
Some residents in flooded areas used makeshift rafts and ferried people across streets through knee-deep water.
Manila Mayor Lito Atienza urged the city council to declare a state of calamity to pave way for the release of calamity funds.
Atienza inspected the city’s six districts and declared the capital in a state of devastation.
This is a devastation of the city, the trees were uprooted even the Meralco and PLDT posts were damaged," Atienza said.
In a statement, Napocor said the power outage in some areas of Luzon was caused by the tripping of transmission lines that were affected by strong the howling winds and heavy downpour.
"We have enough power. Power generation facilities are not as affected as transmission and distribution facilities. Power lines are exposed, making them more vulnerable to the elements,"
Napocor said. Napocor said the Department of Energy had placed on full typhoon alert, all agencies involved in providing power service.
"Transco, as well as the distribution utilities and electric cooperatives have been working round the clock since this morning to repair lines that have been affected by the typhoon. But this is an exceptionally strong typhoon, and it may take the necessary precautionary measures for their safety," Napocor said.
Transco vice president for systems operation Jescette Sulit said repair crews in Bicol and Southern Tagalog have been deployed to patrol and repair its high voltage facilities, which have been damaged.
"We are now conducting power assessment and restoration activities," said Sulit, but the firm cannot say how long it will take to restore power in affected areas.
Sulit said the entire Bicol region was isolated from the Luzon grid at around 3:51 a.m. when Milenyo made landfall in Central Bicol and knocked down electricity in five provinces.
Transco said the restoration of the North Luzon power will use Magat and Binga dams, both with hydroelectric power plants, while restoration of power in Central Luzon is ongoing, tapping Pantabangan Dam, another hydroelectric power facility.
– James Mananghaya, Donnabelle Gatdula, Michael Punongbayan, Sheila Crisostomo, Aurea Calica, Rainier Allan Ronda, Edu Punay, Non Alquitran, Nestro Etolle, Perseus Echeminada, Pete Laude, Cel Dematera, Evelyn Macairan, Miriam Desacada, Celso Amo, Ronilo Pamonag, AP,AFP
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277462
Typhoon "Milenyo" — the strongest to hit Metro Manila in 11 years — slammed into the metropolis and parts of Luzon and the Visayas yesterday, killing at least 15 people and leaving behind widespread destruction.
More than 40 million people were without electricity after the typhoon, packing winds of 130 kilometers per hour, destroyed power lines in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon.
The storm toppled trees and triggered landslides, blocking some provincial roads. School authorities suspended classes, flights were canceled, ferry boats were grounded, the country’s financial markets were halted, and officials were forced to suspend the operation of two commuter trains in Metro Manila as the typhoon wiped out all normal activity.
Classes at all levels in Metro Manila remain suspended today. Work in government offices, except those engaged in health, security and disaster relief and response, also remain suspended. Work in private companies is up to the discretion of employers, Malacañang said.
Milenyo was the strongest typhoon to directly hit Metro Manila in 11 years, after super typhoon Rosing, packing 260 kph, battered the metropolis and nearby provinces in November 1995, leaving 936 people dead.
President Arroyo ordered yesterday the release of P240 million from the calamity fund to be made available to local government units battered by Milenyo.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said that during a teleconference with Cabinet and disaster management officials, Mrs. Arroyo directed the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Metro Manila Development Authority to speed up the cleanup of debris, fallen trees and billboards on roads.
She also ordered Trade Secretary Peter Favila to deploy price monitoring teams in markets and stores to prevent undue increases.
Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. assured local officials in typhoon-ravaged areas of the immediate release of aid to repair damaged infrastructure.
Mrs. Arroyo also ordered Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral to provide quick relief operations in affected communities.
Favila told a press briefing at the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) at Camp Aguinaldo that the power outage was reported by the National Transmission Corp. at around 12:58 p.m. He said Transco is still determining the cause of the collapse of the entire Luzon grid.
The President was trapped by the typhoon at the Clark Special Economic Zone where she attended several engagements. She was able to return to Manila at around 4 p.m. and immediately inspected the damages and debris near Malacañang, including a giant acacia tree that was uprooted from the courtyard of the nearby St. Jude Church that blocked the entire J. P. Laurel street.
Ros Manlangit, spokesman for the Department of National Defense, said Cyril del Callar, president of the National Power Corp. (Napocor), had reported that the power plants were shut down following reports that transmission lines and electric posts were damaged in various areas.
Defense Undersecretary Ernesto Carolina said that the disaster response teams of the Armed Forces have been deployed to assist in the affected areas.
Debris and tree branches littered the streets around Metro Manila while trees and electric posts were uprooted in many areas in Bicol and most parts of Luzon where the typhoon passed.
Airport authorities in Manila suspended all flights around noon because of the power failure. Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced that normal operations will resume today.
All domestic and international flights will be operated according to published schedules, including three regional flights from Manila to Nagoya, Kansai and Narita, PAL said. The three flights were originally scheduled to leave yesterday but were reset for today due to the storm.
The Philippine Coast Guard reported that over 4,000 ferry passengers were stranded in various ports in the Visayas, Bicol, Central and Southern Luzon.
The much-awaited UAAP basketball championship game between the University of Sto. Tomas and the Ateneo de Manila University was also postponed.
Death everywhere
In Antique, three people were killed — a drunken man who fell into a river, a nine-year-old boy and an electrician — said acting governor Eduardo Fortaleza.
Fortaleza said rescue workers evacuated about 100 residents who were trapped on an islet in the middle of a raging river in Barbaza, Antique early Thursday.
A 16-year-old girl was crushed to death by a fallen tree in Lucena City.
Two other victims were killed in Laguna. They were identified as Jojo Pareyno of Barangay Pagsawitan in Sta. Cruz town; and Juliu Magsino of Barangay Limao in Calauan.
Two people reportedly drowned after they were swept way by floodwaters when the Bao River overflowed in Ormoc City.
The fatalities were identified as Arnold Fajardo, 23, of Barangay Curva; and Maximo Obida, 71, of Barangay San Jose.
In Albay, two persons were killed when a boat capsized off Rapu- Rapu Island and a house was swept by strong waves in Tiwi town.
Cedric Daep, chief of the Albay provincial disaster management office, said over 700 houses were destroyed while 844 others were damaged in Sto. Domingo town.
Philippine Ports Authority manager Rene Agaao said the ground floor of the port terminal was also damaged by strong waves and dozens of Catanduanes-bound passengers that were stranded at the port were transferred to the second floor of the building.
Arnel Capili, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, said more than 1,000 residents were evacuated from Catanduanes and Camarines Sur.
A girl and an elderly man were crushed to death when a wall of an adjacent abandoned warehouse collapsed on their houses in Muntinlupa City.
In Makati City, a driver was killed and several others were injured when a billboard collapsed along EDSA near corner Estrella street, hitting several vehicles including a passenger bus. The fatality was identified as Felipe Gumapon.
An hour later, another billboard collapsed also along EDSA near the Magallanes interchange hitting another passenger bus.
In Quezon City, a woman died after she was electrocuted while she was fixing the roof of her house at Barangay Sto. Domingo.
Nilda Epedo was repairing the roof of her house on Don Pedro St. when she touched a live wire.
Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. had earlier directed the city disaster coordinating council to implement contingency plans as Milenyo approached the metropolis.
Manuel Sabalza, chief of the city’s Department of Public Safety and Order, deployed quick response teams to assist in emergency situations.
Security guard Rufino Caigingan, 38, died after he was hit by a flying galvanized iron sheet near the Manila City Hall.
The Manila Police District Tactical Operations Center reported that more than 100 families were evacuated from their houses that were damaged by strong winds at Delpan, Tondo.
Police said many houses were damaged, most of them rendered roofless by strong winds along Pablo Ocampo, Bambang, V. Mapa, Road 10, Baseco, Benitez, Plaza Morga and Quirino streets.
Strong winds toppled a row of trees on Manila’s famous Baywalk beside Manila Bay and knocked down billboards near the US and Japanese Embassies along Roxas Blvd. where traffic was stalled for several hours.
Workers used chain saws to clear the roads amid howling winds and blinding rain.
Some residents in flooded areas used makeshift rafts and ferried people across streets through knee-deep water.
Manila Mayor Lito Atienza urged the city council to declare a state of calamity to pave way for the release of calamity funds.
Atienza inspected the city’s six districts and declared the capital in a state of devastation.
This is a devastation of the city, the trees were uprooted even the Meralco and PLDT posts were damaged," Atienza said.
In a statement, Napocor said the power outage in some areas of Luzon was caused by the tripping of transmission lines that were affected by strong the howling winds and heavy downpour.
"We have enough power. Power generation facilities are not as affected as transmission and distribution facilities. Power lines are exposed, making them more vulnerable to the elements,"
Napocor said. Napocor said the Department of Energy had placed on full typhoon alert, all agencies involved in providing power service.
"Transco, as well as the distribution utilities and electric cooperatives have been working round the clock since this morning to repair lines that have been affected by the typhoon. But this is an exceptionally strong typhoon, and it may take the necessary precautionary measures for their safety," Napocor said.
Transco vice president for systems operation Jescette Sulit said repair crews in Bicol and Southern Tagalog have been deployed to patrol and repair its high voltage facilities, which have been damaged.
"We are now conducting power assessment and restoration activities," said Sulit, but the firm cannot say how long it will take to restore power in affected areas.
Sulit said the entire Bicol region was isolated from the Luzon grid at around 3:51 a.m. when Milenyo made landfall in Central Bicol and knocked down electricity in five provinces.
Transco said the restoration of the North Luzon power will use Magat and Binga dams, both with hydroelectric power plants, while restoration of power in Central Luzon is ongoing, tapping Pantabangan Dam, another hydroelectric power facility.
– James Mananghaya, Donnabelle Gatdula, Michael Punongbayan, Sheila Crisostomo, Aurea Calica, Rainier Allan Ronda, Edu Punay, Non Alquitran, Nestro Etolle, Perseus Echeminada, Pete Laude, Cel Dematera, Evelyn Macairan, Miriam Desacada, Celso Amo, Ronilo Pamonag, AP,AFP
Mining investors present plans to officials today
First posted 05:44am (Mla time) Sept 29, 2006
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=23782
PROSPECTIVE investors in the mining industry are to present this Friday to a panel of environment and mining officials their social and technical plans for their projects, which are required before they can be allowed to begin exploration or production, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes said.
“We want to have a clear view of the proponents’ credentials and track record, particularly their financial and technical capability to undertake responsible mining,” Reyes said in a statement. “More than that, we want to be certain that [they] put a premium on their social responsibility.”
Seventeen foreign companies have expressed interest in mining gold, copper, iron, chromites and other minerals in the country. Their presentations will serve as a basis for the government to enter into 10 mineral production sharing agreements with them and to give seven exploration permits.
Reyes said prospective investors would be required to make project presentations so the Department of Environment and Natural Resources could separate serious investors from speculators.
Four of the companies scheduled to make their presentations are MRL Gold Philippines Inc. (99.99-percent Canadian), Egerton Gold Philippines Inc. (40-percent Australian), Buena Suerte Mining Corp. (40-percent Australian) and Manila Mining Corp.-Anglo American.
The other interested companies are Colossal Mining Corp., Hard Rock Trading Inc., TMC International Corp., Itawes Mining Exploration Corp. and Norweah Metals and Minerals Inc.
With INQ7.net
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=23782
PROSPECTIVE investors in the mining industry are to present this Friday to a panel of environment and mining officials their social and technical plans for their projects, which are required before they can be allowed to begin exploration or production, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes said.
“We want to have a clear view of the proponents’ credentials and track record, particularly their financial and technical capability to undertake responsible mining,” Reyes said in a statement. “More than that, we want to be certain that [they] put a premium on their social responsibility.”
Seventeen foreign companies have expressed interest in mining gold, copper, iron, chromites and other minerals in the country. Their presentations will serve as a basis for the government to enter into 10 mineral production sharing agreements with them and to give seven exploration permits.
Reyes said prospective investors would be required to make project presentations so the Department of Environment and Natural Resources could separate serious investors from speculators.
Four of the companies scheduled to make their presentations are MRL Gold Philippines Inc. (99.99-percent Canadian), Egerton Gold Philippines Inc. (40-percent Australian), Buena Suerte Mining Corp. (40-percent Australian) and Manila Mining Corp.-Anglo American.
The other interested companies are Colossal Mining Corp., Hard Rock Trading Inc., TMC International Corp., Itawes Mining Exploration Corp. and Norweah Metals and Minerals Inc.
With INQ7.net
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Hot air and wind energyFROM
THE STANDS By Domini M. Torrevillas
Publication Date: [Thursday, September 28, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277338
Kudos are in order to the House of Representatives for its speedy action on the Renewable Energy bill, a landmark legislation that places the Philippines among the world’s responsible stakeholders in the climate change campaign.
The move came on the heels of a multisectoral campaign by the Department of Energy, Philippine National Oil Co., Unocal and environmental groups urging lawmakers to rise above partisan interests for a good cause. Following a nationwide signature campaign, 120,000 Filipinos agreed that it’s about time for the country to have cleaner and cheaper energy. Our legislators’ response gives all of us something to smile about.
The Renewable Energy bill provides government incentives for the development and use of renewable energy sources, including hybrid systems. Under the proposed law, companies engaging in indigenous energy development will be exempted from tariff duties and value-added tax on imported machinery and equipment for the first 10 years of their operating contract; tax credit on their domestic capital equipment and services; special realty tax rates on their equipment and machinery; as well as income tax holiday and exemption for the first six years of their commercial operation.
It will all be worth it because the development of renewable energy sources — such as wind, geothermal, biomass, solar and hydropower — will minimize the country’s risk of plunging to an economic crisis due to the price fluctuations in the international markets. We all know how such fluctuations tend to overwhelm us with runaway prices not just at the local pump, but at the supermarkets, shopping malls, restaurants and our neighborhood sari-sari stores as well. Thank God we didn’t feel that pinch too much this year, despite zooming world crude prices at the height of the Middle East crisis two months ago. As they say, "nakaya ng powers natin."
Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla points out that energy conservation has caught on in the Philippines, which had tempered the impact of the oil price volatility. Our net import bill during the first half increased by only 22 percent because we actually imported less crude, he noted. Lotilla revealed that our average daily consumption of petroleum products has actually been on the decline - from 314,100 barrels during the first half of 2005 to just 284,500 barrels as of June 2006. That’s certainly a long way off from our peak consumption back in 1997, when we were averaging 385,000 barrels per day.
Our increased use of alternative fuels has considerably helped us curb our oil dependence. For instance, biodiesel and bioethanol are available in all gasoline stations of Seaoil and Flying V nationwide, while Shell sells bioethanol in some of its stations in Metro Manila. With the impending legislation of the Renewable Energy bill, we will be closer to the goal of improving our energy mix to a more agreeable 70-30 ratio between indigenous and imported fuel sources. Currently, imported oil accounts for about 40 percent of our energy mix.
It helps, of course, that we have such a rich source of indigenous energy. According to international conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF), its PowerSwitch study for the Philippines shows that there’s more than enough renewable energy potential in the country: 1,200 megawatts (MW) for geothermal, 2,308 MW for hydro, 235 MW for biomass and 7,404 MW for wind.
Meanwhile, international environmental group Greenpeace recently indicated that the Philippines can play a leading role in Southeast Asia in wind energy development. According to the Global Wind Energy Outlook 2006 released by the group in Australia recently, we have the highest wind energy potential in Southeast Asia at 70,000 megawatts, which can meet the country’s energy demand seven times over, based on a study by the U.S.-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory. "The (Global Wind Energy Outlook 2006) report firmly places wind power as one of the world’s most important energy sources for the 21st century.
The Philippines has the potential to become a leading player in this field. But this requires political will on the part of the government to set legally binding renewable energy targets in the Renewable Energy bill," Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Jasper Inventor was quoted to have said when the report was launched.
Greenpeace is urging the government to increase the share of renewable sources in the country’s energy mix to at least 10 percent by 2010, lamenting the current share of less than one percent in the overall mix. It also wants energy policies to overcome institutional and market biases for coal and fossil fuels. Currently, according to Greenpeace, we only have one wind farm of 25 MW, in Bangui, Ilocos Norte. What’s more, according to a recent study done by the University of the Philippines, which was commissioned by the Philippine office of international conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the country could save up to $2.9 billion from importing less fossil fuel such as coal and oil, if the government would increase the share of indigenous renewable energy in power generation mix to 41 percent.
Our solitary wind farm in Ilocos Norte is actually the first and largest in Southeast Asia, enhancing both the quantity and reliability of power supply in the northern region of the country. The project contributed significantly in reducing our dependence on imported fuel. Not only that, the 25-MW wind project of the Northwind Power Development Corp. recently emerged as the 1st runner-up in the on-grid category of renewable energy project competition for the Asean Energy Awards last August, for its significant environmental and societal contribution to the country.
The project’s emission reduction was the first carbon credit trading in the country under the World Bank Prototype Carbon Fund, through which an Emission Reduction Purchase Agreement was done last December 2004. "It is our hope that the application of energy efficiency concepts, systems and technologies become models not only here in our country but within the Asean region for wider replication and promotion of energy management practices and programs," Lotilla remarked when he lauded the Northwind Power Project’s citation for the Asean Energy Awards.
In citing the speedy political support for the landmark Renewable Energy Bill, WWF-Philippines Climate and Energy Programme acknowledged that the government is now more responsive to the needs of the communities. Which simply proves that sometimes, all that hot air circulating in Congress, when put to good use, can translate into something positive. Now, it’s the Senate’s turn at bat.
My email: dominimt2000@yahoo.com
Publication Date: [Thursday, September 28, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277338
Kudos are in order to the House of Representatives for its speedy action on the Renewable Energy bill, a landmark legislation that places the Philippines among the world’s responsible stakeholders in the climate change campaign.
The move came on the heels of a multisectoral campaign by the Department of Energy, Philippine National Oil Co., Unocal and environmental groups urging lawmakers to rise above partisan interests for a good cause. Following a nationwide signature campaign, 120,000 Filipinos agreed that it’s about time for the country to have cleaner and cheaper energy. Our legislators’ response gives all of us something to smile about.
The Renewable Energy bill provides government incentives for the development and use of renewable energy sources, including hybrid systems. Under the proposed law, companies engaging in indigenous energy development will be exempted from tariff duties and value-added tax on imported machinery and equipment for the first 10 years of their operating contract; tax credit on their domestic capital equipment and services; special realty tax rates on their equipment and machinery; as well as income tax holiday and exemption for the first six years of their commercial operation.
It will all be worth it because the development of renewable energy sources — such as wind, geothermal, biomass, solar and hydropower — will minimize the country’s risk of plunging to an economic crisis due to the price fluctuations in the international markets. We all know how such fluctuations tend to overwhelm us with runaway prices not just at the local pump, but at the supermarkets, shopping malls, restaurants and our neighborhood sari-sari stores as well. Thank God we didn’t feel that pinch too much this year, despite zooming world crude prices at the height of the Middle East crisis two months ago. As they say, "nakaya ng powers natin."
Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla points out that energy conservation has caught on in the Philippines, which had tempered the impact of the oil price volatility. Our net import bill during the first half increased by only 22 percent because we actually imported less crude, he noted. Lotilla revealed that our average daily consumption of petroleum products has actually been on the decline - from 314,100 barrels during the first half of 2005 to just 284,500 barrels as of June 2006. That’s certainly a long way off from our peak consumption back in 1997, when we were averaging 385,000 barrels per day.
Our increased use of alternative fuels has considerably helped us curb our oil dependence. For instance, biodiesel and bioethanol are available in all gasoline stations of Seaoil and Flying V nationwide, while Shell sells bioethanol in some of its stations in Metro Manila. With the impending legislation of the Renewable Energy bill, we will be closer to the goal of improving our energy mix to a more agreeable 70-30 ratio between indigenous and imported fuel sources. Currently, imported oil accounts for about 40 percent of our energy mix.
It helps, of course, that we have such a rich source of indigenous energy. According to international conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF), its PowerSwitch study for the Philippines shows that there’s more than enough renewable energy potential in the country: 1,200 megawatts (MW) for geothermal, 2,308 MW for hydro, 235 MW for biomass and 7,404 MW for wind.
Meanwhile, international environmental group Greenpeace recently indicated that the Philippines can play a leading role in Southeast Asia in wind energy development. According to the Global Wind Energy Outlook 2006 released by the group in Australia recently, we have the highest wind energy potential in Southeast Asia at 70,000 megawatts, which can meet the country’s energy demand seven times over, based on a study by the U.S.-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory. "The (Global Wind Energy Outlook 2006) report firmly places wind power as one of the world’s most important energy sources for the 21st century.
The Philippines has the potential to become a leading player in this field. But this requires political will on the part of the government to set legally binding renewable energy targets in the Renewable Energy bill," Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Jasper Inventor was quoted to have said when the report was launched.
Greenpeace is urging the government to increase the share of renewable sources in the country’s energy mix to at least 10 percent by 2010, lamenting the current share of less than one percent in the overall mix. It also wants energy policies to overcome institutional and market biases for coal and fossil fuels. Currently, according to Greenpeace, we only have one wind farm of 25 MW, in Bangui, Ilocos Norte. What’s more, according to a recent study done by the University of the Philippines, which was commissioned by the Philippine office of international conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the country could save up to $2.9 billion from importing less fossil fuel such as coal and oil, if the government would increase the share of indigenous renewable energy in power generation mix to 41 percent.
Our solitary wind farm in Ilocos Norte is actually the first and largest in Southeast Asia, enhancing both the quantity and reliability of power supply in the northern region of the country. The project contributed significantly in reducing our dependence on imported fuel. Not only that, the 25-MW wind project of the Northwind Power Development Corp. recently emerged as the 1st runner-up in the on-grid category of renewable energy project competition for the Asean Energy Awards last August, for its significant environmental and societal contribution to the country.
The project’s emission reduction was the first carbon credit trading in the country under the World Bank Prototype Carbon Fund, through which an Emission Reduction Purchase Agreement was done last December 2004. "It is our hope that the application of energy efficiency concepts, systems and technologies become models not only here in our country but within the Asean region for wider replication and promotion of energy management practices and programs," Lotilla remarked when he lauded the Northwind Power Project’s citation for the Asean Energy Awards.
In citing the speedy political support for the landmark Renewable Energy Bill, WWF-Philippines Climate and Energy Programme acknowledged that the government is now more responsive to the needs of the communities. Which simply proves that sometimes, all that hot air circulating in Congress, when put to good use, can translate into something positive. Now, it’s the Senate’s turn at bat.
My email: dominimt2000@yahoo.com
Minerals
FIRST PERSON By Alex Magno
Publication Date: [Thursday, September 28, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277335
The Philippines, it has often been said, is a rich country pretending to be poor.
The fact is, we are a rich country seemingly incapable of getting its act together. A slippery political arena, a permeable policy-making process, a murky Constitution littered with 19th century protectionist advocacies, and, for a time, a Supreme Court that liberally intervened in business issues all contributed to stunting our development potential. For many years now, the Philippines stood at the tail-end of Asia’s development race, receiving only a small fraction of direct investment flows in the region.
We might not be endowed with large rivers and enough land to make us an agricultural power. On the contrary, we face land and water shortages given rapid population growth. But that is compensated for by the fact that we have among the richest mineral deposits in the world.
A few decades ago, the Philippines stood among the world’s top ten mineral producers. We have among the largest known deposits of gold, nickel, chromium, copper and manganese. These mineral deposits are situated in some of the poorest provinces in the country – especially those provinces on the Pacific side of the archipelago, including the Bicol region, Samar and Leyte islands and eastern Mindanao.
A full redevelopment of our mining industry will bring prosperity to areas where prosperity is most scarce.
For too long a time, our minerals industry was stunted by the absence of a clear national policy. A mining law was indeed passed, but it was trapped at the Supreme Court for a decade over some issue about foreign investments in the mining sector.
After the Court finally cleared all judicial obstacles to the law, a deluge of international interest in our mining sector swept in. It was pleasant to imagine that the national economy could blossom quickly, like some oil producing country, driven by revenues from mining.
But the anti-mining fundamentalists, along with those who opposed foreign investments as a fanatical faith, would not rest. They grabbed every minor spill and every little accident as an occasion to rail against mining.
Politicians, of course, are quick to latch on to every environmental issue thinking this to be both safe and politically profitable to plumb. Sen. Pia Cayetano, for instance, made some strange noises about reviewing the Mining Act shortly after the Supreme Court finally removed all judicial obstacles to it. Those noises caused several hundred million dollars in investments to be put on hold.
Our Mining Act is among the best in the world. It is superior to the UK law in ensuring environmental protection. It is better than the US law in protecting indigenous people. It is stronger than the Canadian law in promoting corporate social responsibility. It is more effective than the Australian law in granting mining permits.
If we are able to ensure policy predictability for our mining sector, this part of our economy will provide a strong plank for economic take-off, along side our blooming tourism sector, our business processing outsourcing industries, our electronic manufacturing sector and our alternative energy base. These are the key fronts of economic opportunity that will lessen our dependence on remittances from exported labor by creating hundreds of thousands of employment opportunities where these are needed more.
The key person in opening up the great potentials of our minerals sector is DENR Secretary Angelo Reyes. It is his task now to facilitate investments in mining by clarifying the policy framework and assuring potential investors of a reliable policy horizon. This is indispensable, considering that investment in the minerals sector are of a long-term nature and involve large outlays.
In a word, Angelo Reyes ought to see his job more as an economic manager than just merely an environmental policeman.
Given new technologies and processes, mining should not be in conflict with concerns over environmental protection. It is simply a matter of getting the best players into our minerals future.
A few months ago, Reyes attended a meeting of major mining corporations in Africa and managed to convince the mining multinationals to come over and see our minerals sector up close. They did come the other week and were thoroughly briefed about our policies and were brought out to see our mining areas. Most of those who came were suitably impressed.
In his speech during that conference, Reyes did lay out a pretty clear policy, saying that the Philippines "fully adheres to the principle of sustainable development and steers our industry towards responsible operations using only the best practices in mining, mineral processing and environmental management."
That policy framework is clearly laid out in the Mining Act. It is reassuring that the main regulator of this industry, the DENR, is laying down clear rules of the game. That should reassure not only investors but all those anxious over the potential environmental implications of substandard mining operations.
We should understand, however, that the worst environmental damage will be caused, not by the modern mining corporations, but by poorly capitalized, under-equipped and small scale operators. Just look at the mess at Diwalwal, overrun by small-time mining concerns, and compare that with the Tampakan copper exploration project. The latter has produced an environmental catastrophe while the latter provides a global model for responsible minerals exploitation closely woven with the lives of the surrounding communities.
More than strictly enforcing laws protecting environmental integrity, the DENR should screen investments to ensure that only those ready to employ best practices are allowed to mine. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of post-disaster regulation.
The mining concerns are now more sensitive to the demands of industrial excellence in a society that so jealously guards the integrity of its environment. By choosing the players well, we can build a stronger public consensus behind rebuilding our minerals industry.
With that consensus, we should be ready to open up what could be a very strong facet of our economic growth. Doing that is extremely urgent if we are to sustain the economic dynamism we have begun to demonstrate.
Publication Date: [Thursday, September 28, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277335
The Philippines, it has often been said, is a rich country pretending to be poor.
The fact is, we are a rich country seemingly incapable of getting its act together. A slippery political arena, a permeable policy-making process, a murky Constitution littered with 19th century protectionist advocacies, and, for a time, a Supreme Court that liberally intervened in business issues all contributed to stunting our development potential. For many years now, the Philippines stood at the tail-end of Asia’s development race, receiving only a small fraction of direct investment flows in the region.
We might not be endowed with large rivers and enough land to make us an agricultural power. On the contrary, we face land and water shortages given rapid population growth. But that is compensated for by the fact that we have among the richest mineral deposits in the world.
A few decades ago, the Philippines stood among the world’s top ten mineral producers. We have among the largest known deposits of gold, nickel, chromium, copper and manganese. These mineral deposits are situated in some of the poorest provinces in the country – especially those provinces on the Pacific side of the archipelago, including the Bicol region, Samar and Leyte islands and eastern Mindanao.
A full redevelopment of our mining industry will bring prosperity to areas where prosperity is most scarce.
For too long a time, our minerals industry was stunted by the absence of a clear national policy. A mining law was indeed passed, but it was trapped at the Supreme Court for a decade over some issue about foreign investments in the mining sector.
After the Court finally cleared all judicial obstacles to the law, a deluge of international interest in our mining sector swept in. It was pleasant to imagine that the national economy could blossom quickly, like some oil producing country, driven by revenues from mining.
But the anti-mining fundamentalists, along with those who opposed foreign investments as a fanatical faith, would not rest. They grabbed every minor spill and every little accident as an occasion to rail against mining.
Politicians, of course, are quick to latch on to every environmental issue thinking this to be both safe and politically profitable to plumb. Sen. Pia Cayetano, for instance, made some strange noises about reviewing the Mining Act shortly after the Supreme Court finally removed all judicial obstacles to it. Those noises caused several hundred million dollars in investments to be put on hold.
Our Mining Act is among the best in the world. It is superior to the UK law in ensuring environmental protection. It is better than the US law in protecting indigenous people. It is stronger than the Canadian law in promoting corporate social responsibility. It is more effective than the Australian law in granting mining permits.
If we are able to ensure policy predictability for our mining sector, this part of our economy will provide a strong plank for economic take-off, along side our blooming tourism sector, our business processing outsourcing industries, our electronic manufacturing sector and our alternative energy base. These are the key fronts of economic opportunity that will lessen our dependence on remittances from exported labor by creating hundreds of thousands of employment opportunities where these are needed more.
The key person in opening up the great potentials of our minerals sector is DENR Secretary Angelo Reyes. It is his task now to facilitate investments in mining by clarifying the policy framework and assuring potential investors of a reliable policy horizon. This is indispensable, considering that investment in the minerals sector are of a long-term nature and involve large outlays.
In a word, Angelo Reyes ought to see his job more as an economic manager than just merely an environmental policeman.
Given new technologies and processes, mining should not be in conflict with concerns over environmental protection. It is simply a matter of getting the best players into our minerals future.
A few months ago, Reyes attended a meeting of major mining corporations in Africa and managed to convince the mining multinationals to come over and see our minerals sector up close. They did come the other week and were thoroughly briefed about our policies and were brought out to see our mining areas. Most of those who came were suitably impressed.
In his speech during that conference, Reyes did lay out a pretty clear policy, saying that the Philippines "fully adheres to the principle of sustainable development and steers our industry towards responsible operations using only the best practices in mining, mineral processing and environmental management."
That policy framework is clearly laid out in the Mining Act. It is reassuring that the main regulator of this industry, the DENR, is laying down clear rules of the game. That should reassure not only investors but all those anxious over the potential environmental implications of substandard mining operations.
We should understand, however, that the worst environmental damage will be caused, not by the modern mining corporations, but by poorly capitalized, under-equipped and small scale operators. Just look at the mess at Diwalwal, overrun by small-time mining concerns, and compare that with the Tampakan copper exploration project. The latter has produced an environmental catastrophe while the latter provides a global model for responsible minerals exploitation closely woven with the lives of the surrounding communities.
More than strictly enforcing laws protecting environmental integrity, the DENR should screen investments to ensure that only those ready to employ best practices are allowed to mine. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of post-disaster regulation.
The mining concerns are now more sensitive to the demands of industrial excellence in a society that so jealously guards the integrity of its environment. By choosing the players well, we can build a stronger public consensus behind rebuilding our minerals industry.
With that consensus, we should be ready to open up what could be a very strong facet of our economic growth. Doing that is extremely urgent if we are to sustain the economic dynamism we have begun to demonstrate.
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