First posted 03:59am (Mla time) Sept 19, 2006
By Norman Bordadora
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=21784
Editor's Note: Published on Page A17 of the September 19, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
THE Philippines is on the way to regaining its stature as one of the top 10 global producers of copper, gold, chromium and nickel, Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes said following the holding of an international mining conference in the country last week.
Reyes made the assessment after the four-day Indaba in the Philippines Mining Conference, which was attended by potential investors who are already operating in mine-rich African states.
“The Philippine government is revitalizing mining not purely for the expected economic benefits but also with due and equal regard for the environment and the communities,” Reyes said.
He invited officials from mining countries to attend the Indaba conference here.
“Come to the Philippines to take a ‘hard look’ at the Philippine mining industry and its prospects,” Reyes said. The country’s untapped mineral resources have been estimated to be worth $1 trillion, he said.
Aside from getting extensive briefings on the laws and regulations governing mining in the Philippines, the participants were informed about tax and other business incentives available to mining investors.
The delegates visited mining locations in the country, such as the copper project in Tampakan in South Cotabato.
Some of them appeared impressed by the country’s mining potential, as well as by the concern over social responsibility displayed by some local mining corporations.
Some of the participants manifested their desire to return to the Philippines.
“We’re comfortable with risks in the Philippines. We’re happy we came here as early as we did or in two years, properties will be very expensive. We anticipate we’re going to be in the forefront of a world-class development in the Philippines,” said Albert Brantley, chief development officer of Oceana Gold Ltd (OGL).
Terry Burgess, Anglo Base Metals (ABM) business development head, said the Philippines had just emerged on top of the world’s most attractive mining investment venues.
“The Philippines is on everybody’s list of countries to look at. There’s still uncertainty about the implementation of mining laws, but there are few countries without risks. There are a lot of countries with great prospects despite risks associated with them,” Burgess said.
ABM is affiliated with Anglo Gold Ashanti and Anglo American, which has a joint venture agreement with Philex’s Boyongan copper-gold discovery and operates in the United Kingdom, Europe, South Africa, and South America.
OGL is set to infuse fresh investments into the $125-million Didipio copper mining project in Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya through a merger with Climax Mining.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Commentary : Mining’s influence on local elections
First posted 07:03am (Mla time) Sept 17, 2006
By Cielito C. Goño
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=21433
Editor's Note: Published on page A11 of the September 17, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
MAYORS may be the key gatekeepers of mining resources in the Philippines. This was what I found out when I visited the islands of Homonhon and Manicani in Eastern Samar. In these islands, mining companies are actively supported by the mayor of the municipality of Guiuan, despite a 2003 provincial ordinance declaring an indefinite moratorium on large-scale mining in the whole province. This holds interesting implications for local electoral politics in municipalities that are the planned sites of mining projects.
The Philippines has severely conflicting national policies governing the use of its natural resources. One area of conflict is environment protection. On the national level, the 1995 Mining Act upturned Philippine mining policy from one of tolerance to active promotion. On the other hand, under the 1992 Network of Integrated Protected Areas Act, protected areas are closed to mining.
This has led to conflicting local policy applications. In Samar, for example, 41 mining companies reportedly hold claims that fall within the Samar Island Natural Park (SINP) established in 2003 by Presidential Proclamation 442. The SINP area overlaps with a declared Bauxite Mineral Reservation. There is also interest in chromite and nickel extraction within the SINP. In the southernmost end of Samar, the Guiuan Protected Seascape, defined in Presidential Proclamation 469 of 1994, overlaps with areas that experience siltation from the operations of Hinatuan Mining Co. in Manicani Island, and of Heritage Resources & Mining Corp. in historic Homonhon.
In the face of conflicting national policies, the different local government tiers seem to have free rein on which policies to uphold over others. Take the October 2003 ordinance passed by the Eastern Samar provincial board, which we mentioned earlier. It declares an indefinite moratorium on large-scale mining in the province, upholding the policy of environmental protection over that of mining promotion. However, Guiuan Mayor Annaliza Kwan does not seem to be bound by this provincial ordinance, choosing to uphold the promotion of mining instead of environmental protection. It is her support that allows and facilitates the interests of mining companies in Manicani and Homonhon.
Mayor Kwan has previously argued that the whole point of continuing the town’s engagement with mining companies is to draw the benefits that they promised for the communities that host them. Perhaps she is simply making the best of the situation, considering that irreparable environmental damage has already been done.
On the opposite side of her pragmatism are the classic, nagging questions on whether any of these benefits would be worth the environmental damage that generally comes with mining (deforestation, dumping of waste rock and mine tailings, and water pollution from toxic chemicals, acid drainage and silt that cover corals and fish-spawning beds).
There is also the question of whether anyone has ever been able to associate mining with the key development goal of poverty alleviation in these islands. The companies have had their hands on chromite and nickel mining claims there since the 1980s. These are claims secured in the 1970s by other companies before them. If poverty alleviation could be achieved through a mining-led development strategy, perhaps this should be evident by now. Instead, the people of Manicani and Homonhon today typically depend on subsistence-level fishing and farming, as they always have in the past.
Ironically, the anti-mining residents of Manicani and Homonhon actively campaigned for Kwan when she ran for mayor, not knowing she would eventually try a manipulative dance with mining companies, albeit with professed good intentions.
The power of the Guiuan mayor to facilitate the interests of the two mining companies, despite the province-level ban, implies that mining companies could have a heavy interest in the outcomes of elections for mayor where they intend to operate. It is not difficult to imagine how mining industry money can flow to determine such outcomes in its favor.
After several rounds of local elections in which special interests in mining would play a prominent role, it is not difficult to imagine as well how pro-mining local politicians would tend to flourish in their careers and rise to regional and national positions of power. Over time, a larger proportion of the Philippines’ elected politicians could have a more decisively pro-mining bias. Mining industry interests would gain greater, more entrenched protection.
In this scenario, it would be wise for pro-environment groups to brace themselves and move toward stronger participation in local electoral politics in order to offset the impact of special mining interests. The mining issue should be built as the determining electoral issue for voters in areas that host mining projects. That is, voters must be made especially aware that they should elect only candidates who reflect their own sentiments on hosting mining projects in their barangay, municipality or province.
Mass media also must respond with more discriminating and intelligent coverage of elections in municipalities and provinces that are the sites of different mining projects. That the emerging scene is one of special interests capturing political power should not escape the reporters of TV, print and radio who would be sent to cover these local elections.
Ideally, in a strong democracy, electoral outcomes reflect the will of the people. Unfortunately, in many instances, Philippine elections become the tool of special interests. If people in a mining area demonstrate informed consent to host mining projects, then let them elect local officials who would facilitate the operations of mining companies. But if local people do not give informed consent and, in fact, severely oppose mining activities in their localities, then pro-mining local candidates should not win just because their campaigns are better-funded.
By Cielito C. Goño
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=21433
Editor's Note: Published on page A11 of the September 17, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
MAYORS may be the key gatekeepers of mining resources in the Philippines. This was what I found out when I visited the islands of Homonhon and Manicani in Eastern Samar. In these islands, mining companies are actively supported by the mayor of the municipality of Guiuan, despite a 2003 provincial ordinance declaring an indefinite moratorium on large-scale mining in the whole province. This holds interesting implications for local electoral politics in municipalities that are the planned sites of mining projects.
The Philippines has severely conflicting national policies governing the use of its natural resources. One area of conflict is environment protection. On the national level, the 1995 Mining Act upturned Philippine mining policy from one of tolerance to active promotion. On the other hand, under the 1992 Network of Integrated Protected Areas Act, protected areas are closed to mining.
This has led to conflicting local policy applications. In Samar, for example, 41 mining companies reportedly hold claims that fall within the Samar Island Natural Park (SINP) established in 2003 by Presidential Proclamation 442. The SINP area overlaps with a declared Bauxite Mineral Reservation. There is also interest in chromite and nickel extraction within the SINP. In the southernmost end of Samar, the Guiuan Protected Seascape, defined in Presidential Proclamation 469 of 1994, overlaps with areas that experience siltation from the operations of Hinatuan Mining Co. in Manicani Island, and of Heritage Resources & Mining Corp. in historic Homonhon.
In the face of conflicting national policies, the different local government tiers seem to have free rein on which policies to uphold over others. Take the October 2003 ordinance passed by the Eastern Samar provincial board, which we mentioned earlier. It declares an indefinite moratorium on large-scale mining in the province, upholding the policy of environmental protection over that of mining promotion. However, Guiuan Mayor Annaliza Kwan does not seem to be bound by this provincial ordinance, choosing to uphold the promotion of mining instead of environmental protection. It is her support that allows and facilitates the interests of mining companies in Manicani and Homonhon.
Mayor Kwan has previously argued that the whole point of continuing the town’s engagement with mining companies is to draw the benefits that they promised for the communities that host them. Perhaps she is simply making the best of the situation, considering that irreparable environmental damage has already been done.
On the opposite side of her pragmatism are the classic, nagging questions on whether any of these benefits would be worth the environmental damage that generally comes with mining (deforestation, dumping of waste rock and mine tailings, and water pollution from toxic chemicals, acid drainage and silt that cover corals and fish-spawning beds).
There is also the question of whether anyone has ever been able to associate mining with the key development goal of poverty alleviation in these islands. The companies have had their hands on chromite and nickel mining claims there since the 1980s. These are claims secured in the 1970s by other companies before them. If poverty alleviation could be achieved through a mining-led development strategy, perhaps this should be evident by now. Instead, the people of Manicani and Homonhon today typically depend on subsistence-level fishing and farming, as they always have in the past.
Ironically, the anti-mining residents of Manicani and Homonhon actively campaigned for Kwan when she ran for mayor, not knowing she would eventually try a manipulative dance with mining companies, albeit with professed good intentions.
The power of the Guiuan mayor to facilitate the interests of the two mining companies, despite the province-level ban, implies that mining companies could have a heavy interest in the outcomes of elections for mayor where they intend to operate. It is not difficult to imagine how mining industry money can flow to determine such outcomes in its favor.
After several rounds of local elections in which special interests in mining would play a prominent role, it is not difficult to imagine as well how pro-mining local politicians would tend to flourish in their careers and rise to regional and national positions of power. Over time, a larger proportion of the Philippines’ elected politicians could have a more decisively pro-mining bias. Mining industry interests would gain greater, more entrenched protection.
In this scenario, it would be wise for pro-environment groups to brace themselves and move toward stronger participation in local electoral politics in order to offset the impact of special mining interests. The mining issue should be built as the determining electoral issue for voters in areas that host mining projects. That is, voters must be made especially aware that they should elect only candidates who reflect their own sentiments on hosting mining projects in their barangay, municipality or province.
Mass media also must respond with more discriminating and intelligent coverage of elections in municipalities and provinces that are the sites of different mining projects. That the emerging scene is one of special interests capturing political power should not escape the reporters of TV, print and radio who would be sent to cover these local elections.
Ideally, in a strong democracy, electoral outcomes reflect the will of the people. Unfortunately, in many instances, Philippine elections become the tool of special interests. If people in a mining area demonstrate informed consent to host mining projects, then let them elect local officials who would facilitate the operations of mining companies. But if local people do not give informed consent and, in fact, severely oppose mining activities in their localities, then pro-mining local candidates should not win just because their campaigns are better-funded.
Educators to tackle water issues in Baguio meet
By Benny G. Enriquez
Publication Date: [Sunday, September 17, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=275683
Over a hundred university administrators and educators will gather to address issues on water resources management during the 11th National Senior Educators’ Assembly in Environmental Protection and Management in Baguio City on Sept. 28-29.
This year’s assembly, themed "Water resources management: Problems, trends and issues," aims to address water issues and concerns and discuss how the academic sector can help solve these problems.
Speakers include assistant director Eugenia Lagmay of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB); regional director Paquito Moreno of EMB-CAR; Dr. Ruth Guzman, chairperson of PATLEPAM and vice president for research, extension and information services of the Rizal Technological University; Dr. Magdalena Jasmin of the Commission on Higher Education-CAR; and Fr. Jessie Hechanove, president of St. Louis University-Baguio City; Amelia Dulce Supetran, environment portfolio manager of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Mayor Braulio Yaranon of Baguio City.
Lined up for discussion for the assembly will be water resources concerns such as the following: The Philippine Clean Water Act and the Challenges for the Academe (by Engr. Nicanor Mendoza of the EMB-DENR); Watershed Management in the Country: Problems and Prospects (by Dr. Feliciano Calora, vice-president for Academic Affairs of Benguet State University); Combating the Health Effects of Water Pollutants in our Drinking Water (by Dr. Nicolas Gordo of the Department of Health-CAR); Operationalization of a Market-based Instrument for Water Resources Management: The Environmental User Fees for Laguna Lake (by Dr. Nicomedes Briones, faculty of the School of Environmental Science and Management [SESAM] of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños [UPLB] and PATLEPAM Adviser); and Livelihood Opportunities in Selected Coastal and Marine areas in Region I (Dr. Dominica Sajonas, Deputy-Director of Student Services of the Pangasinan State University). Papers will be presented by the following: Dr. Janet Estacion, associate director of the Institute of Environ-mental and Marine Science of the Silliman University; Dr. Ma. Victoria Espaldon, dean of UPLB SESAM; and Dr. Annie Melinda Alberto, director of the Environmental Management Institute of Central Luzon State University.
An ecological visit to the Longlong Watershed Park is set for the second day.
The assembly will be conducted by the Philippine Association of Tertiary Level Educational Institutions in Environmental Protection and Management (PATLEPAM) in cooperation with the EMB-DENR and the BOI-DTI, with some assistance from the UNDP.
For inquires, contact the PATLEPAM secretariat c/o EMB-DENR telefax numbers 928-4674, 920-2251 or email elenemb2002@yahoo.com.
Publication Date: [Sunday, September 17, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=275683
Over a hundred university administrators and educators will gather to address issues on water resources management during the 11th National Senior Educators’ Assembly in Environmental Protection and Management in Baguio City on Sept. 28-29.
This year’s assembly, themed "Water resources management: Problems, trends and issues," aims to address water issues and concerns and discuss how the academic sector can help solve these problems.
Speakers include assistant director Eugenia Lagmay of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB); regional director Paquito Moreno of EMB-CAR; Dr. Ruth Guzman, chairperson of PATLEPAM and vice president for research, extension and information services of the Rizal Technological University; Dr. Magdalena Jasmin of the Commission on Higher Education-CAR; and Fr. Jessie Hechanove, president of St. Louis University-Baguio City; Amelia Dulce Supetran, environment portfolio manager of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Mayor Braulio Yaranon of Baguio City.
Lined up for discussion for the assembly will be water resources concerns such as the following: The Philippine Clean Water Act and the Challenges for the Academe (by Engr. Nicanor Mendoza of the EMB-DENR); Watershed Management in the Country: Problems and Prospects (by Dr. Feliciano Calora, vice-president for Academic Affairs of Benguet State University); Combating the Health Effects of Water Pollutants in our Drinking Water (by Dr. Nicolas Gordo of the Department of Health-CAR); Operationalization of a Market-based Instrument for Water Resources Management: The Environmental User Fees for Laguna Lake (by Dr. Nicomedes Briones, faculty of the School of Environmental Science and Management [SESAM] of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños [UPLB] and PATLEPAM Adviser); and Livelihood Opportunities in Selected Coastal and Marine areas in Region I (Dr. Dominica Sajonas, Deputy-Director of Student Services of the Pangasinan State University). Papers will be presented by the following: Dr. Janet Estacion, associate director of the Institute of Environ-mental and Marine Science of the Silliman University; Dr. Ma. Victoria Espaldon, dean of UPLB SESAM; and Dr. Annie Melinda Alberto, director of the Environmental Management Institute of Central Luzon State University.
An ecological visit to the Longlong Watershed Park is set for the second day.
The assembly will be conducted by the Philippine Association of Tertiary Level Educational Institutions in Environmental Protection and Management (PATLEPAM) in cooperation with the EMB-DENR and the BOI-DTI, with some assistance from the UNDP.
For inquires, contact the PATLEPAM secretariat c/o EMB-DENR telefax numbers 928-4674, 920-2251 or email elenemb2002@yahoo.com.
Reyes reaffirms government commitment to revitalize mining
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
Publication Date: [Sunday, September 17, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=275641
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes has reiterated the government’s commitment to revitalize mining in the country while ensuring the protection of the environment, as well as social equity in the sharing of the proceeds from mining activities.
Reyes made the remark at the opening of the Philippine Investment Conference which was attended by leaders of the local mining sector, including Philip Benjamin Romualdez, the president of the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (CMP), Philex Mining Corp. president Walter Brown, and Martin Buckingham and Kim Freeman of Atlas Consolidated Mining, among others. The delegates to the conference also undertook field visits to mineral sites in Baguio City, Davao City and Cebu.
The foreign delegates include Tanzanian Deputy Minister of Energy, Mines and Water Lawrence Kego Masha; Mining Minister Dramane Malga of Mali; Mark Tyler of South African, representing Nedbank Finance; Australian Terry Burgess of the Anglo American Base Metals; Edmond Ainscough of Golds Fields Australasia; Alberto Migiliucci of Standard Bank Plc.; Steven Clark Wood of the US, for CIMB-Standard Asset Adviser; Edward Nealon of Sylvannia Resources; and Ian Harabottle of Tanzanite One Ltd.
Six months ago, Reyes went to Cape Town, South Africa to entice foreign investors to "take a good hard look" at the investment potentials of the Philippines’ estimated $1 trillion worth of largely untapped mineral resources.
But Reyes pointed out at the recent 10th Indaba Mining Conference that the Philippines would only welcome mining investments whose proponents, both local and foreign, would strictly follow the country’s mining laws and adopt best international mining practices.
The DENR chief invited the world’s 350 leading mining companies to consider investing in the Philippines, which has about nine million hectares of mineral-rich land, although he made it clear that the government intends to make sure that wealth generation from the mining sector would redound to the good of all the investors, the government, local communities and the general population.
On the vision of all Filipinos benefiting from the revitalization of the mining industry, Reyes said this can be done if the country’s metallic and non-metallic mineral resources can be used by downstream Philippine industries as raw materials for finished products, ideally for export.
"We, at the Chamber of Mines, support the Secretary’s policy of getting idle and non-performing mining properties to be cleared up and freed up for other people who are more willing and more able to get the projects going," Romualdez said.
He was referring to the statement of Reyes that the government reserves the right to declare as abandoned those mining projects that have failed to take off the ground and to farm them out to others who can operate them in accordance with Philippine mining regulations that put a premium on environmental protection. Reyes said that this "use-it-or-lose-it policy" will insure that mining firms do not sit on feasible mining projects.
"In addition, we would like to thank the Secretary for his recommitment and streamlining of the government bureaucracy that is essential in moving mining applications and mining projects forth because this has been the latest stumbling block in the mining industry’s recent history," Romualdez added.
However, industry observers said that local mining proponents cannot railroad the government into "indiscriminately granting mining permits" as the state has to strike a balance among many factors, including the proper utilization of the country’s natural resources, the protection of the environment and ensuring the trickling down of mining benefits to Filipinos.
"It is essential to get the mining industry, and more importantly the general Philippine economy, moving forward," Romualdez said. "Without which we’ll be merely an export industry and the benefit could not accrue to the general populace of our country."
For his part, Reyes noted that while government recognizes the positive economic implications of mining, it remains fully committed to the vital and important task of safeguarding the environment and of promoting social equity in all of mining programs.
He noted that local mining contractors are required to spend at least 10 percent of their initial capital investments on environment-related infrastructures, and three to five percent of direct mining and milling costs for annual environmental protection. Mining companies are also now required to conduct test runs under the supervision of the DENR to prove that their operations do not harm the environment.
The DENR chief explained that mining companies are now required to commit one percent of direct mining and milling costs to finance social development projects to provide not only infrastructure projects on education, health, peace and order and sanitation concerns, but also to promote self-reliant communities by generating livelihood.
At the same time, Reyes stressed that the rights of indigenous communities will also be protected by seeking the consent of tribal minorities for mining projects located in their ancestral lands, and by providing them royalty payments each year amounting to at least one percent of gross revenues from the mine sites.
Publication Date: [Sunday, September 17, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=275641
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes has reiterated the government’s commitment to revitalize mining in the country while ensuring the protection of the environment, as well as social equity in the sharing of the proceeds from mining activities.
Reyes made the remark at the opening of the Philippine Investment Conference which was attended by leaders of the local mining sector, including Philip Benjamin Romualdez, the president of the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (CMP), Philex Mining Corp. president Walter Brown, and Martin Buckingham and Kim Freeman of Atlas Consolidated Mining, among others. The delegates to the conference also undertook field visits to mineral sites in Baguio City, Davao City and Cebu.
The foreign delegates include Tanzanian Deputy Minister of Energy, Mines and Water Lawrence Kego Masha; Mining Minister Dramane Malga of Mali; Mark Tyler of South African, representing Nedbank Finance; Australian Terry Burgess of the Anglo American Base Metals; Edmond Ainscough of Golds Fields Australasia; Alberto Migiliucci of Standard Bank Plc.; Steven Clark Wood of the US, for CIMB-Standard Asset Adviser; Edward Nealon of Sylvannia Resources; and Ian Harabottle of Tanzanite One Ltd.
Six months ago, Reyes went to Cape Town, South Africa to entice foreign investors to "take a good hard look" at the investment potentials of the Philippines’ estimated $1 trillion worth of largely untapped mineral resources.
But Reyes pointed out at the recent 10th Indaba Mining Conference that the Philippines would only welcome mining investments whose proponents, both local and foreign, would strictly follow the country’s mining laws and adopt best international mining practices.
The DENR chief invited the world’s 350 leading mining companies to consider investing in the Philippines, which has about nine million hectares of mineral-rich land, although he made it clear that the government intends to make sure that wealth generation from the mining sector would redound to the good of all the investors, the government, local communities and the general population.
On the vision of all Filipinos benefiting from the revitalization of the mining industry, Reyes said this can be done if the country’s metallic and non-metallic mineral resources can be used by downstream Philippine industries as raw materials for finished products, ideally for export.
"We, at the Chamber of Mines, support the Secretary’s policy of getting idle and non-performing mining properties to be cleared up and freed up for other people who are more willing and more able to get the projects going," Romualdez said.
He was referring to the statement of Reyes that the government reserves the right to declare as abandoned those mining projects that have failed to take off the ground and to farm them out to others who can operate them in accordance with Philippine mining regulations that put a premium on environmental protection. Reyes said that this "use-it-or-lose-it policy" will insure that mining firms do not sit on feasible mining projects.
"In addition, we would like to thank the Secretary for his recommitment and streamlining of the government bureaucracy that is essential in moving mining applications and mining projects forth because this has been the latest stumbling block in the mining industry’s recent history," Romualdez added.
However, industry observers said that local mining proponents cannot railroad the government into "indiscriminately granting mining permits" as the state has to strike a balance among many factors, including the proper utilization of the country’s natural resources, the protection of the environment and ensuring the trickling down of mining benefits to Filipinos.
"It is essential to get the mining industry, and more importantly the general Philippine economy, moving forward," Romualdez said. "Without which we’ll be merely an export industry and the benefit could not accrue to the general populace of our country."
For his part, Reyes noted that while government recognizes the positive economic implications of mining, it remains fully committed to the vital and important task of safeguarding the environment and of promoting social equity in all of mining programs.
He noted that local mining contractors are required to spend at least 10 percent of their initial capital investments on environment-related infrastructures, and three to five percent of direct mining and milling costs for annual environmental protection. Mining companies are also now required to conduct test runs under the supervision of the DENR to prove that their operations do not harm the environment.
The DENR chief explained that mining companies are now required to commit one percent of direct mining and milling costs to finance social development projects to provide not only infrastructure projects on education, health, peace and order and sanitation concerns, but also to promote self-reliant communities by generating livelihood.
At the same time, Reyes stressed that the rights of indigenous communities will also be protected by seeking the consent of tribal minorities for mining projects located in their ancestral lands, and by providing them royalty payments each year amounting to at least one percent of gross revenues from the mine sites.
Mining’s influence on local elections
COMMENTARY
By Cielito C. GoñoInquirerLast updated 07:05am (Mla time) 09/17/2006
http://opinion.inq7.net/inquireropinion/columns/view_article.php?article_id=21433
Published on page A11 of the September 17, 2006 issue of the
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MAYORS may be the key gatekeepers of mining resources in the Philippines. This was what I found out when I visited the islands of Homonhon and Manicani in Eastern Samar. In these islands, mining companies are actively supported by the mayor of the municipality of Guiuan, despite a 2003 provincial ordinance declaring an indefinite moratorium on large-scale mining in the whole province. This holds interesting implications for local electoral politics in municipalities that are the planned sites of mining projects.
The Philippines has severely conflicting national policies governing the use of its natural resources. One area of conflict is environment protection. On the national level, the 1995 Mining Act upturned Philippine mining policy from one of tolerance to active promotion. On the other hand, under the 1992 Network of Integrated Protected Areas Act, protected areas are closed to mining.
This has led to conflicting local policy applications. In Samar, for example, 41 mining companies reportedly hold claims that fall within the Samar Island Natural Park (SINP) established in 2003 by Presidential Proclamation 442. The SINP area overlaps with a declared Bauxite Mineral Reservation. There is also interest in chromite and nickel extraction within the SINP. In the southernmost end of Samar, the Guiuan Protected Seascape, defined in Presidential Proclamation 469 of 1994, overlaps with areas that experience siltation from the operations of Hinatuan Mining Co. in Manicani Island, and of Heritage Resources & Mining Corp. in historic Homonhon.
In the face of conflicting national policies, the different local government tiers seem to have free rein on which policies to uphold over others. Take the October 2003 ordinance passed by the Eastern Samar provincial board, which we mentioned earlier. It declares an indefinite moratorium on large-scale mining in the province, upholding the policy of environmental protection over that of mining promotion. However, Guiuan Mayor Annaliza Kwan does not seem to be bound by this provincial ordinance, choosing to uphold the promotion of mining instead of environmental protection. It is her support that allows and facilitates the interests of mining companies in Manicani and Homonhon.
Mayor Kwan has previously argued that the whole point of continuing the town’s engagement with mining companies is to draw the benefits that they promised for the communities that host them. Perhaps she is simply making the best of the situation, considering that irreparable environmental damage has already been done.
On the opposite side of her pragmatism are the classic, nagging questions on whether any of these benefits would be worth the environmental damage that generally comes with mining (deforestation, dumping of waste rock and mine tailings, and water pollution from toxic chemicals, acid drainage and silt that cover corals and fish-spawning beds).
There is also the question of whether anyone has ever been able to associate mining with the key development goal of poverty alleviation in these islands. The companies have had their hands on chromite and nickel mining claims there since the 1980s. These are claims secured in the 1970s by other companies before them. If poverty alleviation could be achieved through a mining-led development strategy, perhaps this should be evident by now. Instead, the people of Manicani and Homonhon today typically depend on subsistence-level fishing and farming, as they always have in the past.
Ironically, the anti-mining residents of Manicani and Homonhon actively campaigned for Kwan when she ran for mayor, not knowing she would eventually try a manipulative dance with mining companies, albeit with professed good intentions.
The power of the Guiuan mayor to facilitate the interests of the two mining companies, despite the province-level ban, implies that mining companies could have a heavy interest in the outcomes of elections for mayor where they intend to operate. It is not difficult to imagine how mining industry money can flow to determine such outcomes in its favor.
After several rounds of local elections in which special interests in mining would play a prominent role, it is not difficult to imagine as well how pro-mining local politicians would tend to flourish in their careers and rise to regional and national positions of power. Over time, a larger proportion of the Philippines’ elected politicians could have a more decisively pro-mining bias. Mining industry interests would gain greater, more entrenched protection.
In this scenario, it would be wise for pro-environment groups to brace themselves and move toward stronger participation in local electoral politics in order to offset the impact of special mining interests. The mining issue should be built as the determining electoral issue for voters in areas that host mining projects. That is, voters must be made especially aware that they should elect only candidates who reflect their own sentiments on hosting mining projects in their barangay, municipality or province.
Mass media also must respond with more discriminating and intelligent coverage of elections in municipalities and provinces that are the sites of different mining projects. That the emerging scene is one of special interests capturing political power should not escape the reporters of TV, print and radio who would be sent to cover these local elections.
Ideally, in a strong democracy, electoral outcomes reflect the will of the people. Unfortunately, in many instances, Philippine elections become the tool of special interests. If people in a mining area demonstrate informed consent to host mining projects, then let them elect local officials who would facilitate the operations of mining companies. But if local people do not give informed consent and, in fact, severely oppose mining activities in their localities, then pro-mining local candidates should not win just because their campaigns are better-funded.
Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
By Cielito C. GoñoInquirerLast updated 07:05am (Mla time) 09/17/2006
http://opinion.inq7.net/inquireropinion/columns/view_article.php?article_id=21433
Published on page A11 of the September 17, 2006 issue of the
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MAYORS may be the key gatekeepers of mining resources in the Philippines. This was what I found out when I visited the islands of Homonhon and Manicani in Eastern Samar. In these islands, mining companies are actively supported by the mayor of the municipality of Guiuan, despite a 2003 provincial ordinance declaring an indefinite moratorium on large-scale mining in the whole province. This holds interesting implications for local electoral politics in municipalities that are the planned sites of mining projects.
The Philippines has severely conflicting national policies governing the use of its natural resources. One area of conflict is environment protection. On the national level, the 1995 Mining Act upturned Philippine mining policy from one of tolerance to active promotion. On the other hand, under the 1992 Network of Integrated Protected Areas Act, protected areas are closed to mining.
This has led to conflicting local policy applications. In Samar, for example, 41 mining companies reportedly hold claims that fall within the Samar Island Natural Park (SINP) established in 2003 by Presidential Proclamation 442. The SINP area overlaps with a declared Bauxite Mineral Reservation. There is also interest in chromite and nickel extraction within the SINP. In the southernmost end of Samar, the Guiuan Protected Seascape, defined in Presidential Proclamation 469 of 1994, overlaps with areas that experience siltation from the operations of Hinatuan Mining Co. in Manicani Island, and of Heritage Resources & Mining Corp. in historic Homonhon.
In the face of conflicting national policies, the different local government tiers seem to have free rein on which policies to uphold over others. Take the October 2003 ordinance passed by the Eastern Samar provincial board, which we mentioned earlier. It declares an indefinite moratorium on large-scale mining in the province, upholding the policy of environmental protection over that of mining promotion. However, Guiuan Mayor Annaliza Kwan does not seem to be bound by this provincial ordinance, choosing to uphold the promotion of mining instead of environmental protection. It is her support that allows and facilitates the interests of mining companies in Manicani and Homonhon.
Mayor Kwan has previously argued that the whole point of continuing the town’s engagement with mining companies is to draw the benefits that they promised for the communities that host them. Perhaps she is simply making the best of the situation, considering that irreparable environmental damage has already been done.
On the opposite side of her pragmatism are the classic, nagging questions on whether any of these benefits would be worth the environmental damage that generally comes with mining (deforestation, dumping of waste rock and mine tailings, and water pollution from toxic chemicals, acid drainage and silt that cover corals and fish-spawning beds).
There is also the question of whether anyone has ever been able to associate mining with the key development goal of poverty alleviation in these islands. The companies have had their hands on chromite and nickel mining claims there since the 1980s. These are claims secured in the 1970s by other companies before them. If poverty alleviation could be achieved through a mining-led development strategy, perhaps this should be evident by now. Instead, the people of Manicani and Homonhon today typically depend on subsistence-level fishing and farming, as they always have in the past.
Ironically, the anti-mining residents of Manicani and Homonhon actively campaigned for Kwan when she ran for mayor, not knowing she would eventually try a manipulative dance with mining companies, albeit with professed good intentions.
The power of the Guiuan mayor to facilitate the interests of the two mining companies, despite the province-level ban, implies that mining companies could have a heavy interest in the outcomes of elections for mayor where they intend to operate. It is not difficult to imagine how mining industry money can flow to determine such outcomes in its favor.
After several rounds of local elections in which special interests in mining would play a prominent role, it is not difficult to imagine as well how pro-mining local politicians would tend to flourish in their careers and rise to regional and national positions of power. Over time, a larger proportion of the Philippines’ elected politicians could have a more decisively pro-mining bias. Mining industry interests would gain greater, more entrenched protection.
In this scenario, it would be wise for pro-environment groups to brace themselves and move toward stronger participation in local electoral politics in order to offset the impact of special mining interests. The mining issue should be built as the determining electoral issue for voters in areas that host mining projects. That is, voters must be made especially aware that they should elect only candidates who reflect their own sentiments on hosting mining projects in their barangay, municipality or province.
Mass media also must respond with more discriminating and intelligent coverage of elections in municipalities and provinces that are the sites of different mining projects. That the emerging scene is one of special interests capturing political power should not escape the reporters of TV, print and radio who would be sent to cover these local elections.
Ideally, in a strong democracy, electoral outcomes reflect the will of the people. Unfortunately, in many instances, Philippine elections become the tool of special interests. If people in a mining area demonstrate informed consent to host mining projects, then let them elect local officials who would facilitate the operations of mining companies. But if local people do not give informed consent and, in fact, severely oppose mining activities in their localities, then pro-mining local candidates should not win just because their campaigns are better-funded.
Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
World’s 5th largest mining firm drawn to Diwalwal
First posted 01:45am (Mla time) Sept 16, 2006
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=21311
STATE-RUN Natural Resources Mining Development Corp. (NRMDC) is seeking a joint venture partner to develop a mining project in the Mount Diwalwal gold rush area in Mindanao.
NRMDC, a unit of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, plans to auction the project before yearend, or as soon as it completes a feasibility study detailing the mineral reserves of the Diwalwal gold site in Compostela Valley province.
According to the company’s initial estimates, the site may have a mine life of 20 years.
NRMDC president Artemio Disini said interested investors from Australia, China, and the US had been inquiring on the prospects of Diwalwal even before the bidding was announced.
The gold rush site has drawn the attention of South Africa’s Harmony Gold Mining Co. Ltd., the world’s fifth-biggest gold producer.
Greg Job, manager of Harmony’s new business and exploration unit, said he visited the Mount Diwalwal site this week.
In the 1980s, Diwalwal was a mining town with more than 30,000 people illegally engaged in small-scale mining.
Job said he believed development of the site might entail $150 million in investments.
Disini said he hoped that with foreign equity infusion the project would become fully operational by 2008.
Christine A. Gaylican, with Reuters, and INQ7.net
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=21311
STATE-RUN Natural Resources Mining Development Corp. (NRMDC) is seeking a joint venture partner to develop a mining project in the Mount Diwalwal gold rush area in Mindanao.
NRMDC, a unit of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, plans to auction the project before yearend, or as soon as it completes a feasibility study detailing the mineral reserves of the Diwalwal gold site in Compostela Valley province.
According to the company’s initial estimates, the site may have a mine life of 20 years.
NRMDC president Artemio Disini said interested investors from Australia, China, and the US had been inquiring on the prospects of Diwalwal even before the bidding was announced.
The gold rush site has drawn the attention of South Africa’s Harmony Gold Mining Co. Ltd., the world’s fifth-biggest gold producer.
Greg Job, manager of Harmony’s new business and exploration unit, said he visited the Mount Diwalwal site this week.
In the 1980s, Diwalwal was a mining town with more than 30,000 people illegally engaged in small-scale mining.
Job said he believed development of the site might entail $150 million in investments.
Disini said he hoped that with foreign equity infusion the project would become fully operational by 2008.
Christine A. Gaylican, with Reuters, and INQ7.net
Friday, September 15, 2006
South African mining firm in talks with Atlas
First posted 05:58am (Mla time) Sept 15, 2006
Agence France-Presse
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=21115
SOUTH AFRICAN firm MRI Resources AG Pty Ltd. said Thursday it was in talks with copper producer Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp. on a possible financing deal.
Atlas is in the process of reopening a shuttered copper mine near the city of Toledo in the central Philippines province of Cebu.MRI has had initial "business talks" with Atlas, said Bill Jade, an official at the South African firm who is currently taking part in an investment tour of the Philippines.
"Our investment will be focused in financing," Jade said, without elaborating.
MRI has investments around the world, mainly in copper and zinc operations.
"Investing in the Philippines, especially in the mining sector, looks so lucrative," said Ian Harebottle, the president and chief executive of South Africa's Tanzaniteone Ltd. who is also touring the Philippines. "Our mining tours to the different mining firms are impressive."
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes said the Philippines is now "in the midst of a mining revitalization program."
The government has identified 23 mineral development projects which are expected to bring in 6.5 billion dollars in investments in the medium term, he noted.
The Supreme Court last year ended a seven-year legal dispute over the constitutionality of the Mining Act by ruling that foreign investors were freely allowed into the industry.
Agence France-Presse
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=21115
SOUTH AFRICAN firm MRI Resources AG Pty Ltd. said Thursday it was in talks with copper producer Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp. on a possible financing deal.
Atlas is in the process of reopening a shuttered copper mine near the city of Toledo in the central Philippines province of Cebu.MRI has had initial "business talks" with Atlas, said Bill Jade, an official at the South African firm who is currently taking part in an investment tour of the Philippines.
"Our investment will be focused in financing," Jade said, without elaborating.
MRI has investments around the world, mainly in copper and zinc operations.
"Investing in the Philippines, especially in the mining sector, looks so lucrative," said Ian Harebottle, the president and chief executive of South Africa's Tanzaniteone Ltd. who is also touring the Philippines. "Our mining tours to the different mining firms are impressive."
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes said the Philippines is now "in the midst of a mining revitalization program."
The government has identified 23 mineral development projects which are expected to bring in 6.5 billion dollars in investments in the medium term, he noted.
The Supreme Court last year ended a seven-year legal dispute over the constitutionality of the Mining Act by ruling that foreign investors were freely allowed into the industry.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Singapore bans 2 Pinoy activists from IMF-WB meet
By Katherine Adraneda
Publication
Date: [Tuesday, September 12, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=274774
Singapore has reportedly banned two Filipino activists from attending the meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) scheduled there this week.
Prof. Walden Bello, executive director of Focus on the Global South, and Ana Maria Nemenzo, president of Freedom from Debt Coalition, were reportedly among 18 individuals from other countries barred by the Singaporean government from attending the meetings.
Bello and Nemenzo’s groups are critical of the IMF and the World Bank, which hold week-long meetings beginning Sept. 14.
Lidy Nacpil, international coordinator of the International People’s Forum (IPF) against IMF-WB, said Singapore’s attempt to bar protests during the meet infringed on the right to free speech and peaceful assembly.
"The named organizations and individuals received accreditation from the WB and IMF early in the process. Others who were notified of their accreditation just recently may also suffer the same fate," Nacpil noted.
"We believe that they keep a short list and a long list of those who were banned. We fear that some of those who were banned would know that they could not attend the annual meetings when they arrive in Singapore," she added.
Nacpil said they will raise the issue before the United Nations Human Rights Council. "We want the Singaporean authorities to recognize that their action is wrong and is violating the people’s right to freedom of speech."
Bello asserted that Singapore is short-circuiting the debates on the issues that will be discussed by barring protests.
"Amidst the image of a successful tiger, Singapore shows its dirty side, a dark side people should know about. The authoritarian government of Singapore is treating its people like children," he said.
Nemenzo said the ban was "most vexing, if not ridiculous."
"Rather than eliminate them, the ban in fact will invite more protests. The Singapore authorities should save itself from further embarrassment," she said.
There was no immediate comment from the Singaporean embassy in Manila.
Publication
Date: [Tuesday, September 12, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=274774
Singapore has reportedly banned two Filipino activists from attending the meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) scheduled there this week.
Prof. Walden Bello, executive director of Focus on the Global South, and Ana Maria Nemenzo, president of Freedom from Debt Coalition, were reportedly among 18 individuals from other countries barred by the Singaporean government from attending the meetings.
Bello and Nemenzo’s groups are critical of the IMF and the World Bank, which hold week-long meetings beginning Sept. 14.
Lidy Nacpil, international coordinator of the International People’s Forum (IPF) against IMF-WB, said Singapore’s attempt to bar protests during the meet infringed on the right to free speech and peaceful assembly.
"The named organizations and individuals received accreditation from the WB and IMF early in the process. Others who were notified of their accreditation just recently may also suffer the same fate," Nacpil noted.
"We believe that they keep a short list and a long list of those who were banned. We fear that some of those who were banned would know that they could not attend the annual meetings when they arrive in Singapore," she added.
Nacpil said they will raise the issue before the United Nations Human Rights Council. "We want the Singaporean authorities to recognize that their action is wrong and is violating the people’s right to freedom of speech."
Bello asserted that Singapore is short-circuiting the debates on the issues that will be discussed by barring protests.
"Amidst the image of a successful tiger, Singapore shows its dirty side, a dark side people should know about. The authoritarian government of Singapore is treating its people like children," he said.
Nemenzo said the ban was "most vexing, if not ridiculous."
"Rather than eliminate them, the ban in fact will invite more protests. The Singapore authorities should save itself from further embarrassment," she said.
There was no immediate comment from the Singaporean embassy in Manila.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Reyes lifts suspension order of 2 Aurora logging firms
By Manny Galvez
Publication Date: [Wednesday, September 13, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=274969
SAN LUIS, Aurora — Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes has lifted the suspension order on two logging companies here, signaling the resumption of logging operations in this town, following a 20-month hiatus.
Benjamin Mina, provincial environment and natural resources officer for Aurora, told The STAR that Reyes ordered the lifting of the logging ban imposed on the Benson Realty Development Corp. (BRDC) and the San Roque Sawmill Corp. (SRSC) located in Barangays Dikapinisan and Dibayabay, respectively, both based here.
The request for the lifting of the ban on the BRDC and the SRSC was granted by Reyes after a thorough evaluation of the revised Comprehensive Development and Management Plan (CDMP) of the Industrial Forest Management Agreements (IFMAs) of the two firms.
The order was based on the recommendation of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Regional Executive Director for Central Luzon Regidor de Leon.
Fred Sadueste, chief of DENR-Central Luzon’s Forest Resource Conservation Division (FRDC), said that they are still deliberating on the two firms’ operational plans.
The BRDC, led by its president and general manager Ching Sen Ben, was issued the IFMA on July 8, 1993, covering 951 hectares in sitio Diotorin. It would expire on July 8, 2018.
Based on the approved revised CMDP, it is allowed to cut 8,381.44 cubic meters of trees within the established plantation area and 3,130.84 cubic meters within its residual production forest annually.
On the other hand, the SRSC, led by its president and general manager Christina Tan Siong, was issued IFMA on Dec. 18,1992, covering 900 hectares in sitios Amisan and Abaca, Barangay Dibayabay. It would expire on Dec. 18, 2017.
The two firms’ operations, along with five others, were suspended in the aftermath of the deadly landslides that struck the province in late 2004. The other logging firms were Green Circle, Pateco, Industries Development Corp. (IDC), Inter Pacific Resources Corp. (IPRC) and Toplite Lumber.
The DENR has since lifted the suspensions of the IDC and Toplite.
Aurora Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo said she is not against the resumption of logging operations for as long as the companies comply with the requirements.
"The grant of license emanates from the national government. For as long as they comply, they will hear nothing from me, but the moment they engage into something illegal, the provincial government will do everything to stop them," she said.
She added that it is up to the people of the province to be vigilant in seeing to it that these firms operate within the bounds of the law.
Publication Date: [Wednesday, September 13, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=274969
SAN LUIS, Aurora — Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes has lifted the suspension order on two logging companies here, signaling the resumption of logging operations in this town, following a 20-month hiatus.
Benjamin Mina, provincial environment and natural resources officer for Aurora, told The STAR that Reyes ordered the lifting of the logging ban imposed on the Benson Realty Development Corp. (BRDC) and the San Roque Sawmill Corp. (SRSC) located in Barangays Dikapinisan and Dibayabay, respectively, both based here.
The request for the lifting of the ban on the BRDC and the SRSC was granted by Reyes after a thorough evaluation of the revised Comprehensive Development and Management Plan (CDMP) of the Industrial Forest Management Agreements (IFMAs) of the two firms.
The order was based on the recommendation of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Regional Executive Director for Central Luzon Regidor de Leon.
Fred Sadueste, chief of DENR-Central Luzon’s Forest Resource Conservation Division (FRDC), said that they are still deliberating on the two firms’ operational plans.
The BRDC, led by its president and general manager Ching Sen Ben, was issued the IFMA on July 8, 1993, covering 951 hectares in sitio Diotorin. It would expire on July 8, 2018.
Based on the approved revised CMDP, it is allowed to cut 8,381.44 cubic meters of trees within the established plantation area and 3,130.84 cubic meters within its residual production forest annually.
On the other hand, the SRSC, led by its president and general manager Christina Tan Siong, was issued IFMA on Dec. 18,1992, covering 900 hectares in sitios Amisan and Abaca, Barangay Dibayabay. It would expire on Dec. 18, 2017.
The two firms’ operations, along with five others, were suspended in the aftermath of the deadly landslides that struck the province in late 2004. The other logging firms were Green Circle, Pateco, Industries Development Corp. (IDC), Inter Pacific Resources Corp. (IPRC) and Toplite Lumber.
The DENR has since lifted the suspensions of the IDC and Toplite.
Aurora Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo said she is not against the resumption of logging operations for as long as the companies comply with the requirements.
"The grant of license emanates from the national government. For as long as they comply, they will hear nothing from me, but the moment they engage into something illegal, the provincial government will do everything to stop them," she said.
She added that it is up to the people of the province to be vigilant in seeing to it that these firms operate within the bounds of the law.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Insights on Guimaras
By Joy Angelica Subido
Publication Date: [Tuesday, September 12, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=274829
It seemed an inopportune time to visit, but two weeks after the country’s worst oil spill, we were on our way to Guimaras. While tourists previously knew the area for its pristine, deserted beaches and as the source of the sweetest mangoes, the area was now in the media limelight with scenes of sludge-damaged beaches and mangroves – certainly a sorry and disheartening sight for even the most intrepid traveler. However, the much-photographed oil-damaged scenery was nowhere in sight as our ferryboat reached the island. Clearly, not all areas in Guimaras were damaged by the oil spill. However, we were determined to view the worst-hit areas and we made our way to Nueva Valencia where, together with Sibunag and San Lorenzo, 25 out of 40 barangays were affected.
On the way to the ecologically compromised sites, it is so easy to forget that the place has been declared a calamity zone. Lush vegetation covers what we are told is mostly a limestone base. The verdant stands of mango and cashew trees make it almost effortless to imagine the sumptuousness of the orchards during fruit-bearing season when the branches are profuse with fruit; and each turn of the road revealed picturesque rural scenes similar to those painted by the Filipino masters. Likewise, locals told us about limestone caves and waterfalls in Buenavista but unfortunately, there was no time for these during this visit.
We slowly drove through the asphalted roads as little children smiled and waved at us. Two young girls carrying bouquets of orange and yellow santan flowers leisurely meandered on the roadside, while a vendor hawking fish carried her wares in a pail.
"Business has not been good," she rued in the vernacular. "People are afraid to eat fish." It was late in the morning and the sun was hot, yet the hawker remained cheerful and good-natured enough to agree to pose for a photo before slowly continuing to walk down the street.
In this safe and quiet island with a relaxed feel, even the occasional dog or chicken on the road is so laid-back that it takes its time to get away from the danger of being crushed by oncoming vehicles. Indeed, it is a pity that an environmental accident of this dimension has disrupted the serene lives of such a gentle, peace-loving people.
The provincial government estimates that shorelines affected by the oil spill total 220 kilometers. As of August 31, more than 100 kilometers of shoreline had been cleared and three barangays (Igarapdap, Canhauan, and Dolores) were declared clean, with volunteers from the company that owns the oil cargo taking it upon themselves to physically help in cleaning up the mess. To prevent the oil spill from creating more havoc on the shoreline, booms have been placed in the water to create a barrier to protect the shore.
"We keep track of our accomplishments on a daily basis. A lot of shoreline areas are almost clean," says Malou Erni, executive director of the Petron Foundation, who has been tasked by the company to be at the forefront of their relief effort. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Petron are partners in the cash-for-work clean- up for fishermen whose livelihood has been affected.
"This is not employment in the real sense of employment. This is just our way of helping the people in these first few days," Erni clarifies. The company is also distributing relief packs to families in affected barangays, and has made a commitment to seeing the area through the crisis. Long-term rehabilitation plans would involve alternative livelihood programs for fishermen and their wives, and based on initial assessments, poultry, piggery and cottage industries seem to be viable alternatives.
Although remediation of affected areas – particularly the mangroves, seaweed farms, and fisheries – will start once the clean-up is completed, marine and environmental experts have predicted that the affected mangrove systems are expected to deteriorate. Thus, Petron is tying up with UP Visayas, Silliman University, and the provincial government to develop a long-term rehabilitation plan for the area. "Our plan is that we will be here until such time that we have helped restore Guimaras. That means going beyond relief. Rehabilitation is part of our program," says Malou Erni. The roughly 1000-hectare Taclong national marine reserve was direly affected by the oil spill and is one of the areas that would require environmental rehabilitation.
As we went around the island and talked to people, we met Helen Stummer. The affable owner of Nagarao Island Resort is the face of optimism and resiliency among the property owners in the face of the ecological tragedy that has befallen Guimaras. She relates that she was relaxing in a beachside cabana at her resort, when she first smelled what smelled like grease. "Our boat needs an oil change," she remembers telling her sister who was in town for vacation from Germany. Glancing at the water, however, the women saw black globs of oil floating on the surface. Wasting no time, they rallied their staff and cut plants and tree branches to prevent the oil from reaching the shoreline of the resort. Locals tell us that Nagarao Island used to be where one could pick numerous fat crabs at low tide, and definitely there will be big changes after the environmental accident. However, Helen Stummer is unfazed. The accident is a temporary setback and although expected guests have cancelled their bookings this year, she believes that the current problems will be overcome.
Are the people of Guimaras angry with the oil company?
Petron volunteers say that they have felt no enmity against them. Instead, they talk about how they have been "adopted" by the communities where they have been assigned in the oil clean-up. The general consensus among locals, too, is that what had happened was a mishap.
Valeriano Gao, a 71-year-old fisherman from Nueva Valencia whose livelihood has been directly affected says that the sinking of the tanker was a reality that all seafarers may face. He has plied the seas since he was 12 years old and knows that the sea is a powerful entity. The resulting environmental degradation from the sunken ship’s cargo is a tragedy that no seafarer wanted to happen. However, he has no forbearance for unscrupulous illegal fishermen whose destruction of the environment is deliberate. "Despite Bantay Dagat, they still exist," he relates in the vernacular. "They know it is against the law and yet they consciously inflict damage." Cel Ganancial, 19 years old, and Mariano Llamas, 78, corroborate that they have heard the distant boom of dynamite-fishing blasts a few times in the past.
Perhaps, it is Corazon E. Baylen, school district supervisor of Nueva Valencia South, who conveys what most people in Guimaras feel. "There is fear and apprehension about the long-term effects of the environmental catastrophe," she says. "But maybe the message of this (tragedy) is that it is time to share. Maybe it is time for people to be more involved."
Indeed, as the attention of the nation is focused on Guimaras, many will involve themselves in working to rehabilitate the island. Malou Erni of Petron articulates the oil company’s commitment to the place, "We would like to see the day when we could see Guimaras get back to where it was before, or perhaps (to be) even better. We will be here until that time happens. We will be here until we are able to do what we set out to do."
However, in the face of this misfortune it will be the people of Guimaras who would have to maintain the strongest faith and to make their island even better than it was before.
Publication Date: [Tuesday, September 12, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=274829
It seemed an inopportune time to visit, but two weeks after the country’s worst oil spill, we were on our way to Guimaras. While tourists previously knew the area for its pristine, deserted beaches and as the source of the sweetest mangoes, the area was now in the media limelight with scenes of sludge-damaged beaches and mangroves – certainly a sorry and disheartening sight for even the most intrepid traveler. However, the much-photographed oil-damaged scenery was nowhere in sight as our ferryboat reached the island. Clearly, not all areas in Guimaras were damaged by the oil spill. However, we were determined to view the worst-hit areas and we made our way to Nueva Valencia where, together with Sibunag and San Lorenzo, 25 out of 40 barangays were affected.
On the way to the ecologically compromised sites, it is so easy to forget that the place has been declared a calamity zone. Lush vegetation covers what we are told is mostly a limestone base. The verdant stands of mango and cashew trees make it almost effortless to imagine the sumptuousness of the orchards during fruit-bearing season when the branches are profuse with fruit; and each turn of the road revealed picturesque rural scenes similar to those painted by the Filipino masters. Likewise, locals told us about limestone caves and waterfalls in Buenavista but unfortunately, there was no time for these during this visit.
We slowly drove through the asphalted roads as little children smiled and waved at us. Two young girls carrying bouquets of orange and yellow santan flowers leisurely meandered on the roadside, while a vendor hawking fish carried her wares in a pail.
"Business has not been good," she rued in the vernacular. "People are afraid to eat fish." It was late in the morning and the sun was hot, yet the hawker remained cheerful and good-natured enough to agree to pose for a photo before slowly continuing to walk down the street.
In this safe and quiet island with a relaxed feel, even the occasional dog or chicken on the road is so laid-back that it takes its time to get away from the danger of being crushed by oncoming vehicles. Indeed, it is a pity that an environmental accident of this dimension has disrupted the serene lives of such a gentle, peace-loving people.
The provincial government estimates that shorelines affected by the oil spill total 220 kilometers. As of August 31, more than 100 kilometers of shoreline had been cleared and three barangays (Igarapdap, Canhauan, and Dolores) were declared clean, with volunteers from the company that owns the oil cargo taking it upon themselves to physically help in cleaning up the mess. To prevent the oil spill from creating more havoc on the shoreline, booms have been placed in the water to create a barrier to protect the shore.
"We keep track of our accomplishments on a daily basis. A lot of shoreline areas are almost clean," says Malou Erni, executive director of the Petron Foundation, who has been tasked by the company to be at the forefront of their relief effort. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Petron are partners in the cash-for-work clean- up for fishermen whose livelihood has been affected.
"This is not employment in the real sense of employment. This is just our way of helping the people in these first few days," Erni clarifies. The company is also distributing relief packs to families in affected barangays, and has made a commitment to seeing the area through the crisis. Long-term rehabilitation plans would involve alternative livelihood programs for fishermen and their wives, and based on initial assessments, poultry, piggery and cottage industries seem to be viable alternatives.
Although remediation of affected areas – particularly the mangroves, seaweed farms, and fisheries – will start once the clean-up is completed, marine and environmental experts have predicted that the affected mangrove systems are expected to deteriorate. Thus, Petron is tying up with UP Visayas, Silliman University, and the provincial government to develop a long-term rehabilitation plan for the area. "Our plan is that we will be here until such time that we have helped restore Guimaras. That means going beyond relief. Rehabilitation is part of our program," says Malou Erni. The roughly 1000-hectare Taclong national marine reserve was direly affected by the oil spill and is one of the areas that would require environmental rehabilitation.
As we went around the island and talked to people, we met Helen Stummer. The affable owner of Nagarao Island Resort is the face of optimism and resiliency among the property owners in the face of the ecological tragedy that has befallen Guimaras. She relates that she was relaxing in a beachside cabana at her resort, when she first smelled what smelled like grease. "Our boat needs an oil change," she remembers telling her sister who was in town for vacation from Germany. Glancing at the water, however, the women saw black globs of oil floating on the surface. Wasting no time, they rallied their staff and cut plants and tree branches to prevent the oil from reaching the shoreline of the resort. Locals tell us that Nagarao Island used to be where one could pick numerous fat crabs at low tide, and definitely there will be big changes after the environmental accident. However, Helen Stummer is unfazed. The accident is a temporary setback and although expected guests have cancelled their bookings this year, she believes that the current problems will be overcome.
Are the people of Guimaras angry with the oil company?
Petron volunteers say that they have felt no enmity against them. Instead, they talk about how they have been "adopted" by the communities where they have been assigned in the oil clean-up. The general consensus among locals, too, is that what had happened was a mishap.
Valeriano Gao, a 71-year-old fisherman from Nueva Valencia whose livelihood has been directly affected says that the sinking of the tanker was a reality that all seafarers may face. He has plied the seas since he was 12 years old and knows that the sea is a powerful entity. The resulting environmental degradation from the sunken ship’s cargo is a tragedy that no seafarer wanted to happen. However, he has no forbearance for unscrupulous illegal fishermen whose destruction of the environment is deliberate. "Despite Bantay Dagat, they still exist," he relates in the vernacular. "They know it is against the law and yet they consciously inflict damage." Cel Ganancial, 19 years old, and Mariano Llamas, 78, corroborate that they have heard the distant boom of dynamite-fishing blasts a few times in the past.
Perhaps, it is Corazon E. Baylen, school district supervisor of Nueva Valencia South, who conveys what most people in Guimaras feel. "There is fear and apprehension about the long-term effects of the environmental catastrophe," she says. "But maybe the message of this (tragedy) is that it is time to share. Maybe it is time for people to be more involved."
Indeed, as the attention of the nation is focused on Guimaras, many will involve themselves in working to rehabilitate the island. Malou Erni of Petron articulates the oil company’s commitment to the place, "We would like to see the day when we could see Guimaras get back to where it was before, or perhaps (to be) even better. We will be here until that time happens. We will be here until we are able to do what we set out to do."
However, in the face of this misfortune it will be the people of Guimaras who would have to maintain the strongest faith and to make their island even better than it was before.
Guimaras oil spill continues to bother public
THE SOUTHERN BEAT
By Rolly EspinaPublication
Date: [Tuesday, September 12, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=274793
A calamity of the magnitude of the Guimaras oil spill can’t simply be ignored. It continues to haunt the public and will do so for weeks or months to come, until a solution is found on what to do with the 1.9 million liters still inside the sunken oil tanker.
Lorenzo Tan of World Wide Fund-Philippines warned Friday that the "culprits" face suits from Guimaras, Palawan, and Negros Occidental as well as Mindanao if the bunker fuel on board MT Solar 1 is not removed soon.
Tan said satellite photos show that fresh oil was seen still oozing out of the sunken tanker, although in smaller quantities than the previous weeks.
Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Maranon had already written President Arroyo and Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, head of the National Disaster Coordinating Center, about the unconditional demand of Negros Occidental to speed up the removal of the sunken tanker.
Jose Campos, Petron’s vice president for marketing, estimated that 1.8 to 1.9 million liters of Solar I’s total cargo of 2.19 million liters are still at the bottom of the sea.
Maranon pointed out that for as long as the oil remains under water, Negrenses cannot rest. If Negros does not get an assurance of a timetable and an action plan on the removal of the bunker fuel in two days, the province will make more noise.
Negros Occidental, he added, will assist Guimaras in filling suits against the "culprits."
Both the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlalawigan and the Sangguniang Panglunsod had approved resolutions demanding the removal of the oil.
However, Tan himself admitted that only oil sheen was leaking from the sunken tanker. Presidential Assistant for Western Visayas Rafael Coscoluela said the Japanese vessel Shinsei Maru had reduced the leak to only about five liters per hour.
Damage to coral reefs minimal
But there was also good news. Amid the pronouncements of many quarters against the oil spill’s damage to corals, a team of scientists from Silliman University found that Guimaras’ 47,000 hectares of hard coral were spared.
That was the good news, according to Dr. Angel Alcala, director of the Silliman University’s Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management.
Alcala said that it must have been high tide when the oil reached the shore.
A former Environment secretary, Alcala is the acknowledged authority on coral reefs and marine environment.
He reported that Silliman University scientists undertook 15 coastal and underwater studies. But in a separate article, Alcala said that at the Taklong Reserve of the UP Visayas, fish catch is down to less than 10 kilograms per 1,000 square meters, which is far below the 68 to 94 kilograms per 1,000 square meters catch in Dauin in the Bohol Sea.
The southern end of Guimaras, Alcala added, could generate five tons of fish per square kilometers.
He urged continuous monitoring because there is still a possibility that the remaining oil spill will sink and stay underneath the sea. He warned that oil, combined with mineral particles in the water column, may sink down to the reef.
Although he came up with an optimistic report about the impact of the oil spill on Guimaras’ corals, Alcala was less cheerful on its impact on mangroves.
"All mangrove seedlings are doomed," he said.
Mangroves, however, can be replaced next year once the mature mangroves produce another set of seedlings. But because the mature mangroves had undergone a lot of stress, this might affect their natural cycle and thus may not bear seedlings next year.
There was also a warning against the use of oil spill dispersants exotic bacteria in eliminating the oil in the mangroves. He said it is better to leave the affected areas of mangroves alone instead of spraying dispersants and using bacteria. He urged that tidal flushing in mangrove areas be allowed to hasten the decomposition of oil. Another marine biologist urged Petron to carry out a long-term rehabilitation program, particularly in mangrove and seagrass areas.
Dr. Lemuel Aragones, UP Marine Sciences Institute, observed that there is no honest-to-goodness program yet to address the medium and long-term effects of the oil spill.
He admitted the considerable impact on mangrove and seagrass areas and the imperative need for a concrete program to rehabilitate them.
Meanwhile, the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund started educating the public on how to apply for the $135-million grant to cover pollution damage, clean up cost, and economic losses from the Solar I oil spill.
Local government units and private organizations in Negros Occidental can also avail of the compensation fund, pointing out that they had also invested money and used other resources to anticipate the oil spill threat.
Provincial Disaster Management team head Vicfran Defante said the assurance came during a briefing by Petron and IOPC representatives Joe Nicholas, Patric Joseph and the Shipowners Protection Ltd. represented by David Rees in Iloilo City over the weekend.
The latest report — oil sheen, about the size of 25-centavo coins, reached Barangay Patic in Pulupanda, according to Defante. This was the first solid indication that the oil spill had reached Negros Occidental’s shores.
Furor over police cars
Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia had his hands full trying to defend the purchase of 11 Nissan Terrano patrol cars for the local police force.
Leonardia said the purchase was transparent and had been deliberated on and approved by the Sangguniang Panglunsod. "So everyone was aware they were going to get reconditioned units," he said.
The Commission on Audit, however, had come up with an observation report asking the Bacolod Bids and Awards Committee to explain some questionable aspects of the procurement of the vehicles for P4.2 million.
It pointed out that the purchase violated the National Budget Circular No. 446A on the purchase of second-hand and reconditioned transport and heavy equipment. It also violated Republic Act No. 9184.
The COA said the patrol cars’ mileage had exceeded 50,000 kilometers and thus their price have exceeded the remaining useful values (RUV) based on standard formula.
Barely two months from the date of delivery, two units were no longer functioning and have been grounded at the garage of the City Engineer’s Office.
COA also recommended that Leonardia require the CBR Motor Center to immediately repair the two grounded vehicles and correct the defects of the other units as noted by its inspection report.
That’s how things are at the moment, but there is ground to believe that the COA report could trigger a more public outcry.
When two purchased vehicles get grounded in just two months, there must be something very wrong about how they were procured.
By Rolly EspinaPublication
Date: [Tuesday, September 12, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=274793
A calamity of the magnitude of the Guimaras oil spill can’t simply be ignored. It continues to haunt the public and will do so for weeks or months to come, until a solution is found on what to do with the 1.9 million liters still inside the sunken oil tanker.
Lorenzo Tan of World Wide Fund-Philippines warned Friday that the "culprits" face suits from Guimaras, Palawan, and Negros Occidental as well as Mindanao if the bunker fuel on board MT Solar 1 is not removed soon.
Tan said satellite photos show that fresh oil was seen still oozing out of the sunken tanker, although in smaller quantities than the previous weeks.
Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Maranon had already written President Arroyo and Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, head of the National Disaster Coordinating Center, about the unconditional demand of Negros Occidental to speed up the removal of the sunken tanker.
Jose Campos, Petron’s vice president for marketing, estimated that 1.8 to 1.9 million liters of Solar I’s total cargo of 2.19 million liters are still at the bottom of the sea.
Maranon pointed out that for as long as the oil remains under water, Negrenses cannot rest. If Negros does not get an assurance of a timetable and an action plan on the removal of the bunker fuel in two days, the province will make more noise.
Negros Occidental, he added, will assist Guimaras in filling suits against the "culprits."
Both the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlalawigan and the Sangguniang Panglunsod had approved resolutions demanding the removal of the oil.
However, Tan himself admitted that only oil sheen was leaking from the sunken tanker. Presidential Assistant for Western Visayas Rafael Coscoluela said the Japanese vessel Shinsei Maru had reduced the leak to only about five liters per hour.
Damage to coral reefs minimal
But there was also good news. Amid the pronouncements of many quarters against the oil spill’s damage to corals, a team of scientists from Silliman University found that Guimaras’ 47,000 hectares of hard coral were spared.
That was the good news, according to Dr. Angel Alcala, director of the Silliman University’s Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management.
Alcala said that it must have been high tide when the oil reached the shore.
A former Environment secretary, Alcala is the acknowledged authority on coral reefs and marine environment.
He reported that Silliman University scientists undertook 15 coastal and underwater studies. But in a separate article, Alcala said that at the Taklong Reserve of the UP Visayas, fish catch is down to less than 10 kilograms per 1,000 square meters, which is far below the 68 to 94 kilograms per 1,000 square meters catch in Dauin in the Bohol Sea.
The southern end of Guimaras, Alcala added, could generate five tons of fish per square kilometers.
He urged continuous monitoring because there is still a possibility that the remaining oil spill will sink and stay underneath the sea. He warned that oil, combined with mineral particles in the water column, may sink down to the reef.
Although he came up with an optimistic report about the impact of the oil spill on Guimaras’ corals, Alcala was less cheerful on its impact on mangroves.
"All mangrove seedlings are doomed," he said.
Mangroves, however, can be replaced next year once the mature mangroves produce another set of seedlings. But because the mature mangroves had undergone a lot of stress, this might affect their natural cycle and thus may not bear seedlings next year.
There was also a warning against the use of oil spill dispersants exotic bacteria in eliminating the oil in the mangroves. He said it is better to leave the affected areas of mangroves alone instead of spraying dispersants and using bacteria. He urged that tidal flushing in mangrove areas be allowed to hasten the decomposition of oil. Another marine biologist urged Petron to carry out a long-term rehabilitation program, particularly in mangrove and seagrass areas.
Dr. Lemuel Aragones, UP Marine Sciences Institute, observed that there is no honest-to-goodness program yet to address the medium and long-term effects of the oil spill.
He admitted the considerable impact on mangrove and seagrass areas and the imperative need for a concrete program to rehabilitate them.
Meanwhile, the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund started educating the public on how to apply for the $135-million grant to cover pollution damage, clean up cost, and economic losses from the Solar I oil spill.
Local government units and private organizations in Negros Occidental can also avail of the compensation fund, pointing out that they had also invested money and used other resources to anticipate the oil spill threat.
Provincial Disaster Management team head Vicfran Defante said the assurance came during a briefing by Petron and IOPC representatives Joe Nicholas, Patric Joseph and the Shipowners Protection Ltd. represented by David Rees in Iloilo City over the weekend.
The latest report — oil sheen, about the size of 25-centavo coins, reached Barangay Patic in Pulupanda, according to Defante. This was the first solid indication that the oil spill had reached Negros Occidental’s shores.
Furor over police cars
Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia had his hands full trying to defend the purchase of 11 Nissan Terrano patrol cars for the local police force.
Leonardia said the purchase was transparent and had been deliberated on and approved by the Sangguniang Panglunsod. "So everyone was aware they were going to get reconditioned units," he said.
The Commission on Audit, however, had come up with an observation report asking the Bacolod Bids and Awards Committee to explain some questionable aspects of the procurement of the vehicles for P4.2 million.
It pointed out that the purchase violated the National Budget Circular No. 446A on the purchase of second-hand and reconditioned transport and heavy equipment. It also violated Republic Act No. 9184.
The COA said the patrol cars’ mileage had exceeded 50,000 kilometers and thus their price have exceeded the remaining useful values (RUV) based on standard formula.
Barely two months from the date of delivery, two units were no longer functioning and have been grounded at the garage of the City Engineer’s Office.
COA also recommended that Leonardia require the CBR Motor Center to immediately repair the two grounded vehicles and correct the defects of the other units as noted by its inspection report.
That’s how things are at the moment, but there is ground to believe that the COA report could trigger a more public outcry.
When two purchased vehicles get grounded in just two months, there must be something very wrong about how they were procured.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Negros’ Pintor Kulapol mixes art and environment
First posted 00:43am (Mla time) Sept 11, 2006
By Amadis Ma. Guerrero
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=20190
Editor's Note: Published on page C4 of the September 11, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
IN MARGAHA BEACH, PABRIKA, IN THE coastal city of Sagay, Negros Occidental, you will come upon the beginnings of a permanent outdoor exhibit, an assemblage of sculptural and mixed-media works which will hopefully withstand the elements.
The works consist of bamboo, twigs, branches, cloth, plastic cups and other found objects. In one such installation, bamboo palisades form a circle around a garbage heap. Yes, you are supposed to throw your refuse there, so as not to litter the beach.
The environmental artworks, expanding and evolving, are being created by a group of 12 young visual artists impishly known as Pintor Kulapol: Leo Carton, Sandy Coberos, Art Marin, Maximino Rios, Romeo Silva Jr., Noel Dumancas, Paui Vierneza, Aldin Lamis, and four brothers—Burog, Nuklar, Bogie and Trece Alvarado.
The mentor of the 12 is the father of the four brothers: Nunelucio Alvarado, Negros’ leading visual artist who has mounted many solo shows here and abroad.
Joined by his wife Sally and their numerous children and grandchildren, Alvarado has constructed several proudly native cottages made of sturdy bamboo, bamboo slats and capiz shells.
In the middle stands the artist’s two-level residence-studio, with its colorful façade and veranda, totem poles and tapestries. Claiming one’s attention is a below-the-ceiling painting of a typical Alvarado sacada maiden-amazon now transformed into a goddess of love. Then there’s a scarecrow-like figure, arms raised like an anchor about to be hurled from the prow of a ship, looming over the sea.
Struggling artists
Old Sagay (85 km northeast of Bacood City or a two-hour drive) is a fishing community, and Alvarado and Pintor Kulapol (so called because they are striving to make a name for themselves in art) have integrated with the fisherfolk, in the same way Alvarado had integrated with the sacadas (migrant workers); this inspired his long-running series of paintings of sacada workers that have found their way into collections here and abroad.
The beach art of Pintor Kulapol is interaction, all-media art, with sometimes the fisherfolk joining in. Alvarado hopes one day his children, grandchildren, Pintor Kulapol and the fishing community will take over.
And the long, idyllic beachfront will, no doubt, be covered with people’s art.
By Amadis Ma. Guerrero
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=20190
Editor's Note: Published on page C4 of the September 11, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
IN MARGAHA BEACH, PABRIKA, IN THE coastal city of Sagay, Negros Occidental, you will come upon the beginnings of a permanent outdoor exhibit, an assemblage of sculptural and mixed-media works which will hopefully withstand the elements.
The works consist of bamboo, twigs, branches, cloth, plastic cups and other found objects. In one such installation, bamboo palisades form a circle around a garbage heap. Yes, you are supposed to throw your refuse there, so as not to litter the beach.
The environmental artworks, expanding and evolving, are being created by a group of 12 young visual artists impishly known as Pintor Kulapol: Leo Carton, Sandy Coberos, Art Marin, Maximino Rios, Romeo Silva Jr., Noel Dumancas, Paui Vierneza, Aldin Lamis, and four brothers—Burog, Nuklar, Bogie and Trece Alvarado.
The mentor of the 12 is the father of the four brothers: Nunelucio Alvarado, Negros’ leading visual artist who has mounted many solo shows here and abroad.
Joined by his wife Sally and their numerous children and grandchildren, Alvarado has constructed several proudly native cottages made of sturdy bamboo, bamboo slats and capiz shells.
In the middle stands the artist’s two-level residence-studio, with its colorful façade and veranda, totem poles and tapestries. Claiming one’s attention is a below-the-ceiling painting of a typical Alvarado sacada maiden-amazon now transformed into a goddess of love. Then there’s a scarecrow-like figure, arms raised like an anchor about to be hurled from the prow of a ship, looming over the sea.
Struggling artists
Old Sagay (85 km northeast of Bacood City or a two-hour drive) is a fishing community, and Alvarado and Pintor Kulapol (so called because they are striving to make a name for themselves in art) have integrated with the fisherfolk, in the same way Alvarado had integrated with the sacadas (migrant workers); this inspired his long-running series of paintings of sacada workers that have found their way into collections here and abroad.
The beach art of Pintor Kulapol is interaction, all-media art, with sometimes the fisherfolk joining in. Alvarado hopes one day his children, grandchildren, Pintor Kulapol and the fishing community will take over.
And the long, idyllic beachfront will, no doubt, be covered with people’s art.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Magsaysay seeks probe on Biak-na-Bato mining
By Christina MendezPublication
Date: [Sunday, September 10, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=274458
Sen. Ramon Magsaysay has sought an inquiry into reported illegal mining activities in Biak-na-Bato, considered a national historical site and a place of pride for Bulakeños.
In seeking the inquiry, Magsaysay wants to determine the legality of the mining operations of Rosemoor Mining Development Corp., the only company granted an environmental compliance certificate and a mineral production sharing agreement by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, an attached agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Magsaysay was reacting to complaints received by his office from communities in the Bulacan towns of San Miguel, San Isidro, Malolos and Hagonoy that illegal mining has contributed to the deterioration of the national and historical site.
"It is imperative to inquire, verify and investigate how such activities have been allowed to continue as they may (destroy) one of our few and remaining national edifices that will link our people today and in the future to our cherished past," Magsaysay said.
Magsaysay cited Biak-na-Bato as a place of pride forFilipinos because it served as the refuge of Katipuneros, led by Andres Bonifacio, in their fight against the Spanish colonizers.
The signing of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato in 1897 resulted in the temporary halt to hostilities between the Spanish military and Filipino forces.
It was former President Manuel Quezon who signed Proclamation No. 223 in 1937, declaring the 2,117-hectare area the Biak-na-Bato National Historical Park.
Magsaysay filed Senate Resolution No. 558 asking the Senate committees on environment and natural resources and cultural minorities to lead the inquiry, in aid of legislation.
Date: [Sunday, September 10, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=274458
Sen. Ramon Magsaysay has sought an inquiry into reported illegal mining activities in Biak-na-Bato, considered a national historical site and a place of pride for Bulakeños.
In seeking the inquiry, Magsaysay wants to determine the legality of the mining operations of Rosemoor Mining Development Corp., the only company granted an environmental compliance certificate and a mineral production sharing agreement by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, an attached agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Magsaysay was reacting to complaints received by his office from communities in the Bulacan towns of San Miguel, San Isidro, Malolos and Hagonoy that illegal mining has contributed to the deterioration of the national and historical site.
"It is imperative to inquire, verify and investigate how such activities have been allowed to continue as they may (destroy) one of our few and remaining national edifices that will link our people today and in the future to our cherished past," Magsaysay said.
Magsaysay cited Biak-na-Bato as a place of pride forFilipinos because it served as the refuge of Katipuneros, led by Andres Bonifacio, in their fight against the Spanish colonizers.
The signing of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato in 1897 resulted in the temporary halt to hostilities between the Spanish military and Filipino forces.
It was former President Manuel Quezon who signed Proclamation No. 223 in 1937, declaring the 2,117-hectare area the Biak-na-Bato National Historical Park.
Magsaysay filed Senate Resolution No. 558 asking the Senate committees on environment and natural resources and cultural minorities to lead the inquiry, in aid of legislation.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Prospective buyers of Mirant assets to start due diligence
By Donnabelle L. GatdulaPublication
Date: [Tuesday, September 05, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=273570
Prospective bidders of Mirant Philippines Inc.’s assets are expected to start their respective due diligence on Sept. 12, industry sources said yesterday.
The sources said Mirant Corp. has already concluded accepting indicative bids from interested groups.
It was learned that the interested groups, which had expressed deep concern over major issues confronting the sale, have submitted lower than expected bids of Mirant.
Among the main issues raised by interested parties is the National Power Corp. (Napocor)’s claim for Mirant to secure government’s approval before proceeding with the sale.
Another bone of contention is the fate of the employees of Mirant Philippines, particularly the rank-and-file, who reportedly have not been offered a severance package.
"There have been major issues that we raised, like the government consent issue and the employees, and we’ll see how Mirant will tackle them as we move forward," an official from an interested group said.
The Joint Congressional Power Commission (JCPC) has also expressed concern over the issue of consent.
According to sources, these two major concerns are more complicated than the unpaid real estate taxes and contractual obligations with Napocor as these would be settled by adjusting valuation of the sale.
It was learned that among those that have submitted their indicative bids for Mirant’s equity in the Philippines last Aug. 31 were the group composed of Marubeni Corp., Tokyo Electric Power Corp., and First Gen Corp.; consortium of Korea Electric Power Corp., Chubu Electric Power Co. and Tractebel/Suez; and the group of One Energy, China Light and Power, Mitsubishi Corp.
The Aboitiz group reportedly did not submit its indicative bid. An Aboitiz insider earlier described Mirant as a "monster that we (Philippines) created. It is so big (to handle).
" Mirant’s assets in the Philippines are valued at $2.4 billion to $2.8 billion. Mirant’s assets in the country include its interest in three generating power plants, namely Pagbilao, Sual and Ilijan.
Date: [Tuesday, September 05, 2006]
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=273570
Prospective bidders of Mirant Philippines Inc.’s assets are expected to start their respective due diligence on Sept. 12, industry sources said yesterday.
The sources said Mirant Corp. has already concluded accepting indicative bids from interested groups.
It was learned that the interested groups, which had expressed deep concern over major issues confronting the sale, have submitted lower than expected bids of Mirant.
Among the main issues raised by interested parties is the National Power Corp. (Napocor)’s claim for Mirant to secure government’s approval before proceeding with the sale.
Another bone of contention is the fate of the employees of Mirant Philippines, particularly the rank-and-file, who reportedly have not been offered a severance package.
"There have been major issues that we raised, like the government consent issue and the employees, and we’ll see how Mirant will tackle them as we move forward," an official from an interested group said.
The Joint Congressional Power Commission (JCPC) has also expressed concern over the issue of consent.
According to sources, these two major concerns are more complicated than the unpaid real estate taxes and contractual obligations with Napocor as these would be settled by adjusting valuation of the sale.
It was learned that among those that have submitted their indicative bids for Mirant’s equity in the Philippines last Aug. 31 were the group composed of Marubeni Corp., Tokyo Electric Power Corp., and First Gen Corp.; consortium of Korea Electric Power Corp., Chubu Electric Power Co. and Tractebel/Suez; and the group of One Energy, China Light and Power, Mitsubishi Corp.
The Aboitiz group reportedly did not submit its indicative bid. An Aboitiz insider earlier described Mirant as a "monster that we (Philippines) created. It is so big (to handle).
" Mirant’s assets in the Philippines are valued at $2.4 billion to $2.8 billion. Mirant’s assets in the country include its interest in three generating power plants, namely Pagbilao, Sual and Ilijan.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Due to Supreme Court ruling: Duterte warns of new trouble at Diwalwal
By Edith RegaladoThe Philippine Star 09/04/2006
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/news200609049901.htm
DAVAO CITY — Mayor Rodrigo Duterte warned of renewed trouble at the gold-rush site on Mt. Diwalwal in Monkayo, Compostela Valley that may arise from the Supreme Court (SC) ruling last June 26 granting the government full authority over the area, thus canceling all exploration permits earlier issued to a number of private mining companies.
Duterte stressed during the meeting of the Regional Peace and Order Council over the weekend that the SC decision would mean more security problems in the area, which has long been plagued by land ownership disputes.
Hundreds of people have been killed in clashes among mining firms operating at Mt. Diwalwal since gold exploration started there in the early 1980s.
"The latest SC decision would cause more trouble, especially among the thousands of small-scale miners who have depended on Mt. Diwalwal," Duterte said.
He said he expects the more than 40,000 small-scale miners at Mt. Diwalwal to protest the SC ruling.
Duterte, who chairs the Region 11 (Southern Mindanao) Peace and Order Council, said the government would have to find ways to beef up security at Mt. Diwalwal.
The security situation at the gold-rush site, where New People’s Army rebels have been collecting "revolutionary taxes," prompted the Armed Forces, among other reasons, to put up the Eastern Mindanao Command based here to address the communist insurgency, especially in communities near Mt. Diwalwal.
In a 32-page ruling, the SC reversed a March 13, 2002 decision of the Court of Appeals and declared that Exploration Permit 133 issued to Marcopper Mining Corp. has expired.
In effect, the exploration permit which Marcopper transferred in 1994 to its local subsidiary, the Southeastern Mindanao Gold Mining Corp., is void.
The SC decision cited the Mining Act of 1995 or Republic Act 7942 putting mining operations at Mt. Diwalwal entirely under the control of the government, which can either develop or explore the area’s resources itself or enter into agreements with certain individuals or companies for such purpose.
The SC ruling also ruled as illegal the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Administrative Order No. 66 issued in 1991 declaring 729 hectares within the gold-rush site a non-forest area, thus open to small-scale mining operations.
Meanwhile, the government reportedly lost nearly P300 million in potential revenue from the 85-15 sharing scheme it imposed at Mt. Diwalwal in 2002 due to the lack of manpower to collect its 15 percent share of mining proceeds.
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/news200609049901.htm
DAVAO CITY — Mayor Rodrigo Duterte warned of renewed trouble at the gold-rush site on Mt. Diwalwal in Monkayo, Compostela Valley that may arise from the Supreme Court (SC) ruling last June 26 granting the government full authority over the area, thus canceling all exploration permits earlier issued to a number of private mining companies.
Duterte stressed during the meeting of the Regional Peace and Order Council over the weekend that the SC decision would mean more security problems in the area, which has long been plagued by land ownership disputes.
Hundreds of people have been killed in clashes among mining firms operating at Mt. Diwalwal since gold exploration started there in the early 1980s.
"The latest SC decision would cause more trouble, especially among the thousands of small-scale miners who have depended on Mt. Diwalwal," Duterte said.
He said he expects the more than 40,000 small-scale miners at Mt. Diwalwal to protest the SC ruling.
Duterte, who chairs the Region 11 (Southern Mindanao) Peace and Order Council, said the government would have to find ways to beef up security at Mt. Diwalwal.
The security situation at the gold-rush site, where New People’s Army rebels have been collecting "revolutionary taxes," prompted the Armed Forces, among other reasons, to put up the Eastern Mindanao Command based here to address the communist insurgency, especially in communities near Mt. Diwalwal.
In a 32-page ruling, the SC reversed a March 13, 2002 decision of the Court of Appeals and declared that Exploration Permit 133 issued to Marcopper Mining Corp. has expired.
In effect, the exploration permit which Marcopper transferred in 1994 to its local subsidiary, the Southeastern Mindanao Gold Mining Corp., is void.
The SC decision cited the Mining Act of 1995 or Republic Act 7942 putting mining operations at Mt. Diwalwal entirely under the control of the government, which can either develop or explore the area’s resources itself or enter into agreements with certain individuals or companies for such purpose.
The SC ruling also ruled as illegal the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Administrative Order No. 66 issued in 1991 declaring 729 hectares within the gold-rush site a non-forest area, thus open to small-scale mining operations.
Meanwhile, the government reportedly lost nearly P300 million in potential revenue from the 85-15 sharing scheme it imposed at Mt. Diwalwal in 2002 due to the lack of manpower to collect its 15 percent share of mining proceeds.
Petron committed to long-term rehab of Guimaras
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200609049907.htm
The Philippine Star 09/04/2006
Petron officials said they are committed to the long-term rehabilitation and restoration of all oil spill-affected areas.
"We will be there for a long as we are needed," Nicasio Alcantara, Petron chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
According to Petron, its long-term plans spanning from three to five years are already being carried out "to ensure the rehabilitation not only of the coastline, but the livelihood of 2,900 fishermen who were affected in Guimaras and neighboring areas."
To hasten the cleanup along the coast, Petron said the daily pay under its cash-for-work scheme has been raised from P200 to P300.
Since this plan only offers a temporary and partial solution to the oil spill, the Petron Foundation is spearheading numerous projects to restore Guimaras Island to its original state in close coordination with the provincial government.
"We have the resources that will help us plan for the rehabilitation," said Malu Erni, executive director of Petron Foundation.
"Of course, we will be in close coordination with the provincial government because they have line agencies which are thinking of rehabilitation programs," Erni added.
According to Petron, it has also entered into an agreement with Silliman University to conduct a rapid assessment of the Guimaras environment and its surroundings.
The undertaking involves 40 scientists working round-the-clock to inspect, evaluate and extract vital information on the ecosystem and the botanical and zoological species affected.
Petron said it also continues to provide assistance to the UP Visayas Marine Reserve by providing it with drums for the storage of debris collected on Taklong Island.
Materials were also provided for the cleanup scheduled by UP Visayas students and ROTC cadets. The logistical expenses were also taken care of.
To ensure proper cleanup, Petron has requested Dr. Rex Sadaba, a marine biologist and mangrove expert, to provide guidelines to make sure that other valuable ecosystems, such as mangroves, are not harmed any further.
Petron said it also continues to receive pledges of support and logistical assistance from members of the League of Corporate Foundations, of which it is an active member.
With all these initiatives, Petron is still thinking beyond the relief efforts already underway in the towns of Sibunag, San Lorenzo, and Nueva Valencia, all in Guimaras, and Ajuy and Concepcion, both in Iloilo.
"We are already talking to resource groups to map out a master plan. It will be a multisectoral approach to rehabilitation, and this will include a livelihood program as well. Our plan is that we will be here until we have restored Guimaras and that means going beyond relief. Rehabilitation is part of our program," Erni said.
Alcantara has expressed deep regret over the incident, saying that Petron would "take responsibility in addressing the containment and recovery of the oil spill both on land and sea, and more importantly, map out the long-term rehabilitation of the island of Guimaras."
The Philippine Star 09/04/2006
Petron officials said they are committed to the long-term rehabilitation and restoration of all oil spill-affected areas.
"We will be there for a long as we are needed," Nicasio Alcantara, Petron chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
According to Petron, its long-term plans spanning from three to five years are already being carried out "to ensure the rehabilitation not only of the coastline, but the livelihood of 2,900 fishermen who were affected in Guimaras and neighboring areas."
To hasten the cleanup along the coast, Petron said the daily pay under its cash-for-work scheme has been raised from P200 to P300.
Since this plan only offers a temporary and partial solution to the oil spill, the Petron Foundation is spearheading numerous projects to restore Guimaras Island to its original state in close coordination with the provincial government.
"We have the resources that will help us plan for the rehabilitation," said Malu Erni, executive director of Petron Foundation.
"Of course, we will be in close coordination with the provincial government because they have line agencies which are thinking of rehabilitation programs," Erni added.
According to Petron, it has also entered into an agreement with Silliman University to conduct a rapid assessment of the Guimaras environment and its surroundings.
The undertaking involves 40 scientists working round-the-clock to inspect, evaluate and extract vital information on the ecosystem and the botanical and zoological species affected.
Petron said it also continues to provide assistance to the UP Visayas Marine Reserve by providing it with drums for the storage of debris collected on Taklong Island.
Materials were also provided for the cleanup scheduled by UP Visayas students and ROTC cadets. The logistical expenses were also taken care of.
To ensure proper cleanup, Petron has requested Dr. Rex Sadaba, a marine biologist and mangrove expert, to provide guidelines to make sure that other valuable ecosystems, such as mangroves, are not harmed any further.
Petron said it also continues to receive pledges of support and logistical assistance from members of the League of Corporate Foundations, of which it is an active member.
With all these initiatives, Petron is still thinking beyond the relief efforts already underway in the towns of Sibunag, San Lorenzo, and Nueva Valencia, all in Guimaras, and Ajuy and Concepcion, both in Iloilo.
"We are already talking to resource groups to map out a master plan. It will be a multisectoral approach to rehabilitation, and this will include a livelihood program as well. Our plan is that we will be here until we have restored Guimaras and that means going beyond relief. Rehabilitation is part of our program," Erni said.
Alcantara has expressed deep regret over the incident, saying that Petron would "take responsibility in addressing the containment and recovery of the oil spill both on land and sea, and more importantly, map out the long-term rehabilitation of the island of Guimaras."
Marine rehab, recovery may take 10-25 yrs, say UP experts
By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.Inquirer
Last updated 04:46am (Mla time) 09/04/2006
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view_article.php?article_id=18818
Published on page A6 of the September 4, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
GUIMARAS ISLAND -- Even as residents of this island grapple with the loss of their livelihood and suffer from illnesses due to exposure to the black sludge along their shores, they may feel the oil spill’s impact on the environment and rich marine life for a long time.
Scientists at the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) said the rehabilitation and recovery of marine life contaminated by the oil slick could take 10 to 20 years.
“Ten years is too short for recovery and it will not be to the pre-oil spill status,” said Dr. Resurreccion Sadaba, head of the UPV task force that is assessing the extent of the damage to the environment and community.
The research team is composed mostly of scientists who conducted a similar study on Semirara Island in Antique province after a power barge of the National Power Corp. ran aground off the island in December last year, spilling more than 300,000 liters of oil.
The UPV task force is also part of the group formed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to conduct a safety assessment of the air, soil and water in the oil-spill affected areas of Guimaras.
Sadaba, an expert on mangroves, said the island’s mangroves bore the brunt of the oil spill.
Bunker fuel oil has coated most of the trees because the oil slick hit the shoreline during high tide.
Sadaba said this would cause greater stress to mangroves because the bunker fuel oil blocks their lenticels or breathing pores. The trees could suffocate and eventually die.
Gov. JC Rahman Nava said the oil slick had contaminated or destroyed some 220 km of coastline, 454 hectares of mangroves and 58 ha of seaweed plantations.
Up to 90 percent of the 46-ha mangrove forest on Taklong Island alone is coated with oil sludge, according to Sadaba.
National marine reserve
The island is part of Nueva Valencia town, the hardest hit of the five municipalities of Guimaras province. It is home to the UPV marine biological station and the 1,143-ha Taklong Island National Marine Reserve (Tinmar).
The marine reserve hosts 22 of the 35 existing species of mangroves in the Philippines, including the hybrid Rhizophova lamarckii (Bakhaw hybrid). Many of the mangroves in the area are 50 to 75 years old.
Sadaba said the UPV task force could not say if the mangroves would survive because no study has been conducted on how the specific species of mangroves would react to oil spills.
“The (bunker fuel) has not settled to the bottom of the sea and it’s too early to conclude on the comprehensive impact of the oil spill on marine life,” he said.
Hardest hit
The task force is focusing on Tinmar because it is one of the worst-hit areas and is host to a variety of species, according to UPV Chancellor Glenn Aguilar. “It’s definitely (a) huge job,” he said.
Aguilar said the biophysical assessment would be completed within the week and the assessment of the socioeconomic impact would start by next week.
The damage to Tinmar and other areas in Guimaras will affect other areas in the region, said Nestor Yunque, station head of the UPV marine biological station.
The marine reserve serves as a fish nursery and is home to 30 fish species.
While the oil spill will not result in a massive fishkill because fish instinctively avoid oil spill areas, it will take time for the various fish species to return to the area.
But other forms of marine life that are not mobile will die from the oil spill.
There have been reports of dying or dead coral snakes, marine turtles, mollusks and shellfish.
The spill has also affected sea cucumbers, sea urchins and sea grass.
Interdependence
Sadaba said the oil spill would disturb or cut off the interdependence of marine life.
The experts are also concerned over the impact of the oil slick on plankton, because like the oil slick, plankton float and are carried by the current. Plankton, which are very small plants and animals, form the base of the marine food pyramid.
Sadaba said the long-term use of huge volumes of chemical dispersants could also affect the ecosystem, adding that there is no study on the impact of dispersants on the environment, especially on mangroves.
But he said the most important concern now was the removal of the sunken vessel MT Solar I, which is believed to still contain the bulk of its cargo of two million liters of bunker fuel oil.
The location of the sunken tanker was confirmed last week by a remote-operated vehicle of a Japanese survey ship, the MT Shinsei Maru, but the Philippine Coast Guard said the operation to remove the tanker or siphon its contents would take weeks.
Sadaba said this would make all plans tentative.
“As long as the threat is still there, we can’t really plan for recovery. It will be palliative,” he said.
Last updated 04:46am (Mla time) 09/04/2006
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view_article.php?article_id=18818
Published on page A6 of the September 4, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
GUIMARAS ISLAND -- Even as residents of this island grapple with the loss of their livelihood and suffer from illnesses due to exposure to the black sludge along their shores, they may feel the oil spill’s impact on the environment and rich marine life for a long time.
Scientists at the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) said the rehabilitation and recovery of marine life contaminated by the oil slick could take 10 to 20 years.
“Ten years is too short for recovery and it will not be to the pre-oil spill status,” said Dr. Resurreccion Sadaba, head of the UPV task force that is assessing the extent of the damage to the environment and community.
The research team is composed mostly of scientists who conducted a similar study on Semirara Island in Antique province after a power barge of the National Power Corp. ran aground off the island in December last year, spilling more than 300,000 liters of oil.
The UPV task force is also part of the group formed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to conduct a safety assessment of the air, soil and water in the oil-spill affected areas of Guimaras.
Sadaba, an expert on mangroves, said the island’s mangroves bore the brunt of the oil spill.
Bunker fuel oil has coated most of the trees because the oil slick hit the shoreline during high tide.
Sadaba said this would cause greater stress to mangroves because the bunker fuel oil blocks their lenticels or breathing pores. The trees could suffocate and eventually die.
Gov. JC Rahman Nava said the oil slick had contaminated or destroyed some 220 km of coastline, 454 hectares of mangroves and 58 ha of seaweed plantations.
Up to 90 percent of the 46-ha mangrove forest on Taklong Island alone is coated with oil sludge, according to Sadaba.
National marine reserve
The island is part of Nueva Valencia town, the hardest hit of the five municipalities of Guimaras province. It is home to the UPV marine biological station and the 1,143-ha Taklong Island National Marine Reserve (Tinmar).
The marine reserve hosts 22 of the 35 existing species of mangroves in the Philippines, including the hybrid Rhizophova lamarckii (Bakhaw hybrid). Many of the mangroves in the area are 50 to 75 years old.
Sadaba said the UPV task force could not say if the mangroves would survive because no study has been conducted on how the specific species of mangroves would react to oil spills.
“The (bunker fuel) has not settled to the bottom of the sea and it’s too early to conclude on the comprehensive impact of the oil spill on marine life,” he said.
Hardest hit
The task force is focusing on Tinmar because it is one of the worst-hit areas and is host to a variety of species, according to UPV Chancellor Glenn Aguilar. “It’s definitely (a) huge job,” he said.
Aguilar said the biophysical assessment would be completed within the week and the assessment of the socioeconomic impact would start by next week.
The damage to Tinmar and other areas in Guimaras will affect other areas in the region, said Nestor Yunque, station head of the UPV marine biological station.
The marine reserve serves as a fish nursery and is home to 30 fish species.
While the oil spill will not result in a massive fishkill because fish instinctively avoid oil spill areas, it will take time for the various fish species to return to the area.
But other forms of marine life that are not mobile will die from the oil spill.
There have been reports of dying or dead coral snakes, marine turtles, mollusks and shellfish.
The spill has also affected sea cucumbers, sea urchins and sea grass.
Interdependence
Sadaba said the oil spill would disturb or cut off the interdependence of marine life.
The experts are also concerned over the impact of the oil slick on plankton, because like the oil slick, plankton float and are carried by the current. Plankton, which are very small plants and animals, form the base of the marine food pyramid.
Sadaba said the long-term use of huge volumes of chemical dispersants could also affect the ecosystem, adding that there is no study on the impact of dispersants on the environment, especially on mangroves.
But he said the most important concern now was the removal of the sunken vessel MT Solar I, which is believed to still contain the bulk of its cargo of two million liters of bunker fuel oil.
The location of the sunken tanker was confirmed last week by a remote-operated vehicle of a Japanese survey ship, the MT Shinsei Maru, but the Philippine Coast Guard said the operation to remove the tanker or siphon its contents would take weeks.
Sadaba said this would make all plans tentative.
“As long as the threat is still there, we can’t really plan for recovery. It will be palliative,” he said.
Arroyo urged: Revoke Quezon forest deal
SIERRA MADRE LOGGING
By Delfin Mallari Jr.InquirerLast updated 00:41am (Mla time) 09/04/2006
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view_article.php?article_id=18787
Published on Page A22 of the September 4, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
LUCENA CITY—Provincial officials and a multisectoral forest protection council urged President Macapagal-Arroyo to revoke a controversial government forest management contract covering 34,660 hectares of land in the Sierra Madre mountain ranges.
Board Member Eladio Pasamba last week questioned Malacañang’s basis for reinstating the license granted to Timberland Forest Products Inc. (TFPI), owned by Bulacan-based logger Wilson Ng, for its Integrated Forest Management Agreement (Ifma).
Pasamba noted that after the revocation of the Ifma by then Environment Secretary Elisea Gozun on Jan. 13, 2004 due to alleged anomaly in the approval process, nothing had substantially changed in the TFPI as shown by the company’s record in the Securities and Exchange Commission.
He presented a certified copy from the SEC stating that TFPI failed to file the required company general information sheet for 2003 up to 2006.
The firm also failed to submit financial statements for 2002 up to 2005, based on the same SEC certification.
Pasamba noted that TFPI had a paid-up capital of only P250,000.
Johnny Glorioso, chair of the Provincial Multisectoral Forest Protection Council’s committee on information, appealed to the provincial board to ask Malacañang to reconsider its decision and revoke the contract granted to TFPI.
“Cutting trees in the Sierra Madre, whether legal or illegal, is tantamount to the desecration of the memories of thousands of people who died in the last tragedy. It seems that our government never really learned (its lessons from that experience),” Glorioso said.
Logging has been identified as among the key causes of natural disasters that struck the Sierra Madre area in 2004.
In an earlier interview, Ng appealed to his critics to cast away their prejudices and give his company a chance to be part of the government’s reforestation program.
“We also care for the Sierra Madre. Give my company a chance to prove its sincerity. We are not loggers who irresponsibly cut trees, we’re also tree planters,” Ng said in a phone interview.
He said he was already maintaining an eight-hectare nursery with 296,000 tree seedlings of different varieties in the mountain village of Canaway in General Nakar town long before the killer flash floods and landslides struck northern Quezon in late 2004.
“I have a certification from the DENR as proof. Anyone can inspect the place for his satisfaction,” he stressed.
He said that after the calamity, the only area that had remained undisturbed by soil erosion was the perimeter of the nursery site.
According to Ng, that incident has pushed him to appeal his case to Malacañang.
“Our forest management contract with the government is primarily focused on planting and not merely on cutting of trees. The trees that we will be allowed to cut are only those mature, overmature and defective trees as spelled out in the document,” Ng explained.
By Delfin Mallari Jr.InquirerLast updated 00:41am (Mla time) 09/04/2006
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view_article.php?article_id=18787
Published on Page A22 of the September 4, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
LUCENA CITY—Provincial officials and a multisectoral forest protection council urged President Macapagal-Arroyo to revoke a controversial government forest management contract covering 34,660 hectares of land in the Sierra Madre mountain ranges.
Board Member Eladio Pasamba last week questioned Malacañang’s basis for reinstating the license granted to Timberland Forest Products Inc. (TFPI), owned by Bulacan-based logger Wilson Ng, for its Integrated Forest Management Agreement (Ifma).
Pasamba noted that after the revocation of the Ifma by then Environment Secretary Elisea Gozun on Jan. 13, 2004 due to alleged anomaly in the approval process, nothing had substantially changed in the TFPI as shown by the company’s record in the Securities and Exchange Commission.
He presented a certified copy from the SEC stating that TFPI failed to file the required company general information sheet for 2003 up to 2006.
The firm also failed to submit financial statements for 2002 up to 2005, based on the same SEC certification.
Pasamba noted that TFPI had a paid-up capital of only P250,000.
Johnny Glorioso, chair of the Provincial Multisectoral Forest Protection Council’s committee on information, appealed to the provincial board to ask Malacañang to reconsider its decision and revoke the contract granted to TFPI.
“Cutting trees in the Sierra Madre, whether legal or illegal, is tantamount to the desecration of the memories of thousands of people who died in the last tragedy. It seems that our government never really learned (its lessons from that experience),” Glorioso said.
Logging has been identified as among the key causes of natural disasters that struck the Sierra Madre area in 2004.
In an earlier interview, Ng appealed to his critics to cast away their prejudices and give his company a chance to be part of the government’s reforestation program.
“We also care for the Sierra Madre. Give my company a chance to prove its sincerity. We are not loggers who irresponsibly cut trees, we’re also tree planters,” Ng said in a phone interview.
He said he was already maintaining an eight-hectare nursery with 296,000 tree seedlings of different varieties in the mountain village of Canaway in General Nakar town long before the killer flash floods and landslides struck northern Quezon in late 2004.
“I have a certification from the DENR as proof. Anyone can inspect the place for his satisfaction,” he stressed.
He said that after the calamity, the only area that had remained undisturbed by soil erosion was the perimeter of the nursery site.
According to Ng, that incident has pushed him to appeal his case to Malacañang.
“Our forest management contract with the government is primarily focused on planting and not merely on cutting of trees. The trees that we will be allowed to cut are only those mature, overmature and defective trees as spelled out in the document,” Ng explained.
Ecologist: Don’t use hair in oil slick cleanup
First posted 00:25am (Mla time) Sept 04, 2006
By Carla Gomez
Inquirer Editor's Note: Published on Page A20 of the September 4, 2006
issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
BACOLOD CITY—A Negrense microbial ecologist warned against the use of hair and oil dispersants in cleaning up the oil slick from the sunken MT Solar I.
“If you really want to help Guimaras, don’t cut your hair. Donate biodegradable absorbents instead, like sugarcane trash, corn cobs, rice hull,” said Aidine Galvan, who discussed bioremediation of the MT Solar I oil spill at a forum hosted Friday by the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation Inc. and the Negros Forest and Ecological Foundation in Bacolod City.
She pointed out that when persons die and are buried, hair is usually found to be intact long after, when their bodies are exhumed.
She said it would be difficult to dispose of bunker fuel-covered hair, as it will only cause contamination.
On the other hand, biodegradable absorbents covered in oil and placed in a lined pit could be degraded into soil-like material, which can later be used in one’s garden, she said.
Galvan also warned that the use of oil dispersants is only effective in open deep water but never along the coastline or in shallow waters within 50 feet deep.
“That is because if you use these dispersants in shallow water, it will bring the oil to the bottom and endanger the marine life, like corals,” she said.
The cleanup of the MT Solar I spill should be designed to deal with a notorious oil type, she said.
Bunker fuel is notorious because of its complex hydrocarbon structure that is hard to degrade and is very toxic, she said.
Maria Athena Ronquillo Ballesteros, Greenpeace International Climate and Energy campaigner, also said her group has not called for donations of hair, which she said was just a media spin.
Unfortunately President Macapagal-Arroyo and politicians jumped on the issue, Ballesteros said.
“So let’s keep reiterating the need for more practical indigenous materials to help as absorbents,” she said.
Gov. Joseph Marañon Thursday said Negros Occidental has purchased coconut coir from Oriental Negros at P7 per kilo to be used for spill booms.
Marañon said it has also been suggested that the bagasse from sugar mills can be used for spill booms. Oil covered bagasse would be more effective in the generation of electricity at sugar mills, he said.
Melvin Purzuelo of the Save our Seas Movement also called on advertising firms or groups that have used tarpaulins to donate these for the cleanup of Guimaras. These can be reused as liners of temporary containment areas, he added.
Purzuelo said Petron is yet to deliver the barge it promised two weeks ago to Governor (JC Rahman) Nava, as a temporary containment area of debris gathered.
The groundwater source of communities are gravely threatened by oil leaching from piles of debris, he said.
By Carla Gomez
Inquirer Editor's Note: Published on Page A20 of the September 4, 2006
issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
BACOLOD CITY—A Negrense microbial ecologist warned against the use of hair and oil dispersants in cleaning up the oil slick from the sunken MT Solar I.
“If you really want to help Guimaras, don’t cut your hair. Donate biodegradable absorbents instead, like sugarcane trash, corn cobs, rice hull,” said Aidine Galvan, who discussed bioremediation of the MT Solar I oil spill at a forum hosted Friday by the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation Inc. and the Negros Forest and Ecological Foundation in Bacolod City.
She pointed out that when persons die and are buried, hair is usually found to be intact long after, when their bodies are exhumed.
She said it would be difficult to dispose of bunker fuel-covered hair, as it will only cause contamination.
On the other hand, biodegradable absorbents covered in oil and placed in a lined pit could be degraded into soil-like material, which can later be used in one’s garden, she said.
Galvan also warned that the use of oil dispersants is only effective in open deep water but never along the coastline or in shallow waters within 50 feet deep.
“That is because if you use these dispersants in shallow water, it will bring the oil to the bottom and endanger the marine life, like corals,” she said.
The cleanup of the MT Solar I spill should be designed to deal with a notorious oil type, she said.
Bunker fuel is notorious because of its complex hydrocarbon structure that is hard to degrade and is very toxic, she said.
Maria Athena Ronquillo Ballesteros, Greenpeace International Climate and Energy campaigner, also said her group has not called for donations of hair, which she said was just a media spin.
Unfortunately President Macapagal-Arroyo and politicians jumped on the issue, Ballesteros said.
“So let’s keep reiterating the need for more practical indigenous materials to help as absorbents,” she said.
Gov. Joseph Marañon Thursday said Negros Occidental has purchased coconut coir from Oriental Negros at P7 per kilo to be used for spill booms.
Marañon said it has also been suggested that the bagasse from sugar mills can be used for spill booms. Oil covered bagasse would be more effective in the generation of electricity at sugar mills, he said.
Melvin Purzuelo of the Save our Seas Movement also called on advertising firms or groups that have used tarpaulins to donate these for the cleanup of Guimaras. These can be reused as liners of temporary containment areas, he added.
Purzuelo said Petron is yet to deliver the barge it promised two weeks ago to Governor (JC Rahman) Nava, as a temporary containment area of debris gathered.
The groundwater source of communities are gravely threatened by oil leaching from piles of debris, he said.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
DENR starts demolishing Laguna Lake fishpens
First posted 00:39am (Mla time) Sept 03, 2006
By Delfin Mallari Jr.Inquirer
http://specials.inq7.net/theenvironmentreport/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=18666
Editor's Note: Published on Page A13 of the September 3, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
LUCENA CITY—The Department of Environment and Natural Resources started demolishing illegal fishpens in the 90,000-hectare Laguna Lake Friday in response to the clamor of small fishermen and legitimate fishpen operators who had been long complaining of poor fish catch.
Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes supervised the demolition to ensure that it was properly carried out, as part of the government’s campaign to promote a better and healthier environment.
“Fishpen areas in Laguna Lake have far exceeded the allowable limit. This is bad for everyone. It must be rationalized and utilized according to plans and best practices,” Reyes said.
He said the illegal fishpens and fish cages had to be demolished to ensure the sustainability of the lake.
Based on the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA)-Fishery Zoning and Management Plan, a total of 10,000 ha have been earmarked for development into fishpens and another 5,000 ha for fish cages.
The DENR said the area covered by fishpens had reached 12,418.2 ha, or an excess of 2,418.2 ha.
The area covered by fish cages, on the other hand, only has a total size of 1,849 ha, with 3,151 ha still available for development, the DENR said.
Reyes vowed to go after the “big fish” by first demolishing fishpens that cover big areas, are outside of fishpen belts and are not covered by permits from the LLDA.
He explained that the demolition should be conducted on a phase-by-phase basis to allow the owners of illegal fishpens and fish cages to voluntarily demolish their structures.
“We will not accept any resistance. No force will be needed if the illegal structures will be self-demolished,” he said, adding that the LLDA had already given the fishpen and fish cage owners sufficient lead time to dismantle their structures three months ago.
Retired Gen. Mariano Filart, president of the Federation of Fishpen and Fish Cage Operators Associations of Laguna Lake, recalled that several years ago three pieces of tilapia weighing not less than a kilogram could be cultured and harvested within three months with the fishes feeding solely on natural food found in the lake.
“Today, it takes a year to produce six pieces of tilapia, which will weigh one kilogram,” Filart said.
By Delfin Mallari Jr.Inquirer
http://specials.inq7.net/theenvironmentreport/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=18666
Editor's Note: Published on Page A13 of the September 3, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
LUCENA CITY—The Department of Environment and Natural Resources started demolishing illegal fishpens in the 90,000-hectare Laguna Lake Friday in response to the clamor of small fishermen and legitimate fishpen operators who had been long complaining of poor fish catch.
Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes supervised the demolition to ensure that it was properly carried out, as part of the government’s campaign to promote a better and healthier environment.
“Fishpen areas in Laguna Lake have far exceeded the allowable limit. This is bad for everyone. It must be rationalized and utilized according to plans and best practices,” Reyes said.
He said the illegal fishpens and fish cages had to be demolished to ensure the sustainability of the lake.
Based on the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA)-Fishery Zoning and Management Plan, a total of 10,000 ha have been earmarked for development into fishpens and another 5,000 ha for fish cages.
The DENR said the area covered by fishpens had reached 12,418.2 ha, or an excess of 2,418.2 ha.
The area covered by fish cages, on the other hand, only has a total size of 1,849 ha, with 3,151 ha still available for development, the DENR said.
Reyes vowed to go after the “big fish” by first demolishing fishpens that cover big areas, are outside of fishpen belts and are not covered by permits from the LLDA.
He explained that the demolition should be conducted on a phase-by-phase basis to allow the owners of illegal fishpens and fish cages to voluntarily demolish their structures.
“We will not accept any resistance. No force will be needed if the illegal structures will be self-demolished,” he said, adding that the LLDA had already given the fishpen and fish cage owners sufficient lead time to dismantle their structures three months ago.
Retired Gen. Mariano Filart, president of the Federation of Fishpen and Fish Cage Operators Associations of Laguna Lake, recalled that several years ago three pieces of tilapia weighing not less than a kilogram could be cultured and harvested within three months with the fishes feeding solely on natural food found in the lake.
“Today, it takes a year to produce six pieces of tilapia, which will weigh one kilogram,” Filart said.
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