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May 2, 2010

magazine the green revolution

The Sunday Times

Climate change, mining and Mimaropa

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BY ROSLYN ARAYATA POLICY RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY OFFICER, ALYANSA TIGIL-MINA

THIS is to inform the general public that the Mining in Cantilan article that came out on April 11, 2010 was prepared with the intention of documenting the then ongoing protest action in Cantilan, Surigao del Sur led by Mayor Tomasa Guardo. The protest action which was participated in by local community members opposed mining activities by Marcventures Mining and Development Corp. (MMDC) and have set up a picket line adjacent to the road leading to the mining area. Monica Edralin, advocacy assistant of Haribon Foundation was tasked only to interview people involved in the protest action. The protest action in Cantilan is among several protest actions occurring around the country calling for a ban on large-scale mining in the country. Haribon believes that mining in Important Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) such as Mount Hilong-hilong which covers the forest in Cantilan is detrimental to the unique, beautiful and diminishing wildlife in Surigao del Sur which includes the Philippine Eagle. Monica Edralin is no longer connected with Haribon. The said organization takes responsibility of the published article.

RESIDENT Gloria Arroyo has recently signed the National Framework on Climate Change (CC) in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. It was reported that the framework aims to provide measures on CC mitigation and adaptation and Climate Change Commis- sion (CCC) Vice Chairman Secretary Heherson Alvarez and CCC Commissioner Nadarev Saño have mentioned the need to reassess development policies that impact on climate change specifically, the active promotion of mining in the country. “System change not climate change and mining worsens climate disasters,” were the calls of environmental group Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) during their Earth Day rally held at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources office in Manila on April 22. Mining requires vast amount of land, logging, water and power consumption. In the process, it not only puts pressure in the carrying capacity of ecosystems but as well adds stress to the socio- political and economic state of commu- nities that worsens CC impacts. Communities highly dependent on the agriculture and fisheries sector are the most vulnerable to mining impacts. This sector is also the most vulnerable to climate change manifested in extreme weather events such as drought, flooding and strong typhoons. The present El Niño phenomenon has put watersheds in dry spell in different parts of our country. The National Disaster Coordinating Council has reported that as of April 6, 2010, crop damage because of the current El Niño was estimated at P10.4 billion. Commonly, mining

operations and/or tenements are situated in watershed areas. Mindoro, the food basket of the southern Luzon region, is threatened by Norway-based Intex Resources’s attempt to open up a nickel mine despite existing large-scale mining moratoriums in both Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, local opposition of communities, civil society organiza- tions and Catholic Church. The proposed mine site is located within a critical watershed area that provides the irrigation for 70 percent of the island province’s important rice fields and fruit plantations.

According to a study by the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center, it takes 32,054 liters of freshwater to produce a single ounce of gold. Mining requires tons of volume of water in its daily operation that reduces water availability needed for domestic consumption, irrigation and electricity use.

Occidental Mindoro is one of the 23 provinces highly vulnerable to El Niño identified by the Department of Agriculture. While, Oriental Mindoro is among the 10 most flood-prone areas identified by Environment department in the country.

Mining also worsens water quality. The track record of the mining industry shows that mine tailings waste pollu- tion has contaminated at least 14 major river systems in the country. Marinduque’s Boac River is biologi- cally dead after Marcopper Mining Corp. mine tailings spilled into the river in 1996, which killed marine life in the 26-kilometer waterway and

Making the world healthier

A BS Psychology graduate of the University of Santo Tomas, Renato Roly Enriquez became a Haribon member when he learned about the organization through media exposure. Having deep passion for the environment, he signed up for membership without hesitation as he fell with the goals and advocacies of Haribon. As a member, he partici- pates in tree planting activities, signature campaigns, exhibits and information drive. “To make the Philippines a world leader in environmental protection having successfully brought back at least 80 percent of its tropical mangrove forest cover, quadruple its existing coral reefs, make a country where man treats all living things with respect, diligently and faithfully performing God’ entrusted role for people as stewards of this planet,” stated Enriquez elaborating his dream for the Philippine environment. Enriquez loves teaching children and the

“Same as I am currently engaged with other

organizations as a volunteer, I can conduct training and symposium on climate change, encourage people in different communities to use energy wisely, plant trees and drastically reduce their carbon footprints,” he said when asked about what he can contribute to address pressing environmental concerns. To date, his biggest contribution

■ Renato Roly Enriquez

to Haribon is the signature campaign for the protection of Palawan forests that was conducted in the late 1980s. “This is so because even as there are more people now getting actively involved in saving nature, the task is bigger that it ever was due to the continuous destruction of the environment. I feel that my

efforts now are dwarfed by the urgency of the task at hand,” he explained. Over listening to music, watching DVDs,

youth environmental issues such as climate change and encourages them to join coastal clean up drives, help develop community disaster preparedness and response programs and be involved in tree planting activities.

reading books and computer gaming, Enriquez is especially interested in contributing to bringing back the world to a healthier state. He believes that because people have impacted the planet in its present state a lot more than any animal or plant species, it has become our greatest obligation to bring the planet back to a better habitable place for all life.

EMPERATURES have risen and electric bills have gone awry, causing hot heads and even hotter homes. Here are some tips for a green way to survive summer. Wear linen or pure cotton. Polyester is good for yoga or workouts, but not for everyday wear. Pure linen or linen/cotton blends are the best way to survive the summer heat. Toss the blazers and jackets for now, and keep the temperature in your office or home at a cool 23°. Keep a water bottle or container with you all the time. You never know when thirst strikes and it strikes at the oddest times. Hydrate yourself with eight glasses or more of pure mineral or filtered tap water. Use a reusable water container (now available at most supermarkets, sports shops and hard- ware stores) to promote the use of less plastic bottles. Refill your tumbler using bigger containers of water in the office or home.

T

Eat a lot of fruits in season. Water- melon, cantaloupe, pineapple and coconut are great sources of natural hydration. Eat them right off their natural containers or juice them and keep cool in the freezer.

Bring a hat or visor or even a parasol. The sun’s rays are quite unforgiving

flooded farmland and villages along its banks. Thirteen years after the mine disaster, Marinduqueños are still saddled with millions of cubic meters of toxic open-pit copper mine waste and they have yet to attain justice. They have filed various administrative, criminal and civil cases related to mining with damage claims amounting to more than P100 billion.

Mining disasters are most likely to happen with poor disaster risk reduc- tion plan, and mining monitoring and regulation by government, which can be exarbated by climate change. There were at least eight mine tailing dam failures attributable to heavy rainfalls and typhoons in the Philippines (in the period 1982 to 2007) according to the Philippine Indigenous Peoples Link study. These incidents caused massive fish kills, toxic heavy metals contami- nation apparent in land and waters, damage to agriculture, displacement and economic disruption of mining- affected communities. Romblon was devastated by Typhoon

Frank in 2008 that destroyed crops and livestock amounting to about 110 million. It has been identified by the Agriculture department as one of the provinces moderately vulnerable to El Niño. Besides being popular as the Marble Capital of the country, Romblon is known for its Sibuyan Island dubbed as Asia’s Galapagos for its rich biodiversity.

Biodiversity protection and conserva- tion are both mitigating and adaptive measures to address CC. Large intact natural ecosystems help stabilize local climate conditions in an environment. The loss of forest cover around the world contributes about 20 percent to annual global greenhouse gas emissions. According to United Nations Devel- opment Programme Environment and Energy Group Director Veerle Vandeweerd, three quarters of the world’s population depend on natural resources for their daily living and their daily survival, for food, shelter, recreation, which is basically “every- thing.” She said, “The loss of biodiversity and the degradation of natural resources impact first and foremost the poor and the women and the vulnerable.”

The small island of Sibuyan is a declared mangrove forest reserve under Proclamation 2152 by then President Ferdinand Marcos, which falls under the National Protected Areas System. It has been a target of several mining companies. One of which is Altai Philippines Mining Corp. (APMC) to mine nickel on the island. APMC was given a Mineral Productions Sharing Agreement (MPSA) permit for 1,822 hectares property signed by then Environment Secretary Lito Atienza on December 23 last year. Palawan, the Philippine’s Last

Frontier, is part of the “Man and Biosphere Reserve” program of Unesco declared in 1990, which hosts 49 animals and 56 botanical species found in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The province major economic sector are agriculture, fishery and tourism. It was reported that about 60 percent of the fish that landed in Manila comes from Palawan waters. The province’s Strategic Environ- mental Plan (SEP), or the Republic Act 7611 prevents mining operations in areas under maximum protection. Unfortunately, mining operations such us those situated at Brooke’s Point encroach areas under maximum protection defined under the SEP. Ninety percent of the mining opera- tions are situated in “core zones”— areas above 1,000 meters in elevation, virgin forests or primary growth forests, areas with steep gradient (above 50- percent slope), and critically threat- ened/endangered habitats and habitats of rare endangered species or habitats of Palawan local endemic species of flora and fauna.

According to Artiso Mandawa, Ancestral Land/Domain Watch national coordinator, Palawan has a total land area of 1.47 million hectares with alarmingly 354 mining tenements, which encroach more than 50 percent of the province. To date, 90 percent of the areas covered by the 354 mining tenements in the island is found within indigenous people territory. According to Environment depart- ment, as of Septermber 2009, there are 348-mining tenements covering 744,199 hectares spread across the country. Mimaropa is host to one Financial Technical Assistance Agreement, one Exploration Permit and 14 MPSAs tantamount to 47,866.72 hectares in the region. ATM calls for the need to change the current misguided development system that exacerbates climate change such as aggressive promotion of extractive and fossil fuel-based economy such as logging, mining and coal-fired power. Specifically, ATM calls for the scrap- ping of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, the passage of an alterative law on mineral management and a morato- rium on large-scale mining operations.

Green tips for the hot summer

CHIT JUAN

even to the most sun-tolerant complex- ions. Use a sunscreen (now found in most make up products and facial lotions) that is para- aminobenzoic acid (PABA)- free. Don’t be shy to wear a hat or use a parasol to ward off those ultraviolet rays. Aircondition your home the natural way. Bring in some plants especially the “spider plant” to ward off insects and other summer

pests. Open the windows for circulation and turn on the fans for cross ventilation between rooms and patios or gardens. Plan your trips and meetings. Start your day early and schedule appoint- ments in the mornings when the tem- perature is cooler. If you have to drive, start early so you can enjoy the morning sun preferably before 10 a.m. Pack a cooler with water and fresh juices and leave in your car. Avoid having to stop for a drink that could be sugar-laden by packing your own drinks. Brew your own lemongrass or pandan tea. Cool and pack in your own reusable containers.

Start a garden. There is nothing like picking your own herbs and vegetables from your backyard.

Hydrate even if you are indoors. Make fresh herbal teas and concoc-

PHILIPPINE BIODIVERSIT Be a Haribon memberY

amazingly rich, alarmingly endangered

✔

Yes, I want to help by becoming a member!

THE PHILIPPINE EAGLE, the largest eagle in the world. THE GOLDEN-CROWNED FLYING FOX, the heaviest fruit bat in the world. THE SINARAPAN, the smallest food fish in the world.

HARIBON FOUNDATION is a pioneer in biodiversity conservation in the country. Its 34 years of existence has led to many trailblazing approaches to conservation: from wildlife protection to protected area management, from forest restoration to community development. Yet, as one looks back at our denuded mountainsides and sits

through another flood, it is obvious that the job of nature conservation is far from over. Help Haribon Foundation breathe life

back to our dying forests and seas— homes to some of the rarest, the finest and the most threatened biodiversity species; and sources of water, food and shelter to a million Filipinos.

Annual Membership Fee: Adult member: Php900.00 Youth member: PhP700.00 Non-Philippine Residents: $35 Haring Ibon (pdf) & membership $50 Haring Ibon (print copy) & membership

Your membership fee will support the

conservation of important biodiversity areas, and the restoration of one million hectares of denuded forests by year 2020. As members you get the benefit of helping conserve our sources of life essentials. You will also receive the following: yearly subscription of Haring Ibon quarterly magazine, membership kit and ID, and a chance to participate in exciting nature trips and seminars.

Tel Nos: 0922-815-9235, 0922-815-1942, (632) 421-1213, (632) 434-4642 Fax No: (632) 434-4696

Fill up this form and send to: 2F Santos & Sons building, 973 Aurora Boulevard, Cubao, Quezon City

Name: Last Name / First Name / Middle Name ___________________________________________

Birthdate: Contact #s: Month / Day / Year Mobile Phone / Home Phone ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Address:

Home/Unit # / Street / Village or Bgy / City/Municipality / State/Province/ Zip Code

___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Email Address:

___________________________________________

I understand that payments may only be accepted if made directly to the Haribon office or through check or cash deposit or credit card payment.

E-mail act@haribon.org.ph for details

tions and drink a lot of coconut water and fresh mineral water every hour even if you are not yet thirsty. When you feel thirst, that means you are already dehydrated. Wear light clothes so you do not have to use the airconditioner. Give your aircon and your pockets a break. Sweat it out if you need to while working at home. A little sweat does not hurt anyone and you also cleanse your skin of impurities while you sweat. Use natural sunlight whenever possible. Make your work area near the source of sunlight to lessen use of halogens or CFLs during the daytime. Use sunlight also to dry your laundry rather than electric dryers. Summer is a good time to start energy-saving practices or habits. At the same time, we get to save very expen- sive electricity without fighting “city hall”. And it is also a good time to enjoy nature’s bounty whilst helping make a greener planet. Welcome summer with a smile. Live green.

Chit Juan is an owner of ECHOstore sustainable lifestyle in Serendra and Podium malls. She often gives talks on Sustainable Living, Entrepreneurship, Environment and Women Empowerment. E-mail her at puj@echostore.ph.

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