By Samira Gutoc
In these confusing times with calamity and emergency one after the other, I would like to raise the value of continuing research and information. Our current environment of “self-quarantine” should not delimit us from reading up on the state of our eco-system and resources.
In various Environmental Fora including that in the Pamantasan Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), I challenged each to think of human activities that may have contributed to so-called natural disasters. For instance, could human activity in any way have spurred the Taal eruptions? In the National Anti Poverty Commission NCR Regional Sectoral Assembly, I reminded that with a rise in population, there are accompanying pressures on our environment. My concern as a solid waste management monitor – Are we, for instance, providing comfort rooms and sewerage for human waste. And because of the non-provision of sewerage systems, lake waters for instance in my home province of Lanao become the location for human waste degrading the quality of the second largest lake in the country. Marawi City is in Lanao.
Again, we remind the Department of Energy (DOE) who is in charge of host community funds for Lake Lanao to prioritize ecosystem protection activities rather than infrastructure. To add insult to injury in the Marawi siege situation, 400 million pesos worth of rehabilitation funds have been returned to the national government. Much could have been done to fund water systems in transitional shelter sites. Water is basic in survival, needed in sanitation and environmental management ie tree-planting. It is a right of evacuees to be provided basic utilities under the UN Guiding Principles of Internal Displacement.
To aggravate the already negative impact of omission or commission against our environment, we see that flooding and other calamities evacuate populations. The Climate Change Commission reminded us that the Philippines is number one in displacement. I am emotional against the Kaliwa Dam because indigenous communities like we are affected. We have seen dams in Lake Lanao by the National Power Corporation (NPC) control the natural flow of waters thereby disturb its fluctuations. Dozens of endemic fish species existed here once upon a time in the 1990s but today only a handful exist. There is even no accessible zoo aquarium within Mindanao for every child to know that the most beautiful centuries old-lake Lanao existed here and students and teachers could have visited Marawi as their immersion.
In these times of crisis, we are going back to our provinces and renewing our connection to Mother Nature. A shout out to mothers who are co-stewards in household waste management as it is Women’s Month. As youth volunteers, we dream for our country to value its natural resources. Environmental clubs are growing especially with environmental education as a priority in some schools.
As we make time for scrolling online, we are urging all to renew the cause to ecology as grandly reminded by Oposa vs Factoran. Health and ecology are closely interlinked. Clean air, nutrition, eco-system protection all have contributions to avoiding COVID 19. I leave it up for medical and health experts the discourse on COVID 19. But now we see how interconnected everything is. Let us support research, let us support UP which is making COVID 19 test kits to be made available at a cheaper rate. The UP Medical Foundation is also focusing on providing Personal Protective Equipment to health the frontliners. Donations can be coursed to the UP Medical Foundation, email upmf1980@gmail.com. Support systems are needed more than ever.
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