05/06/2003

The United Nations, in a resolution passed in 1972, declared every June 5 of each year as World Earth Day, urging its member countries to undertake on that day activities reaffirming their concern for the preservation and enhancement of the environment.

In 1998, the President Corazon C. Aquino, through Presidential Proclamation No. 237, declared June of every year as Philippine Environment Month, coinciding the founding anniversary of the DENR on June 10.

Gozun said the three planting and coastal cleanup activities are meant to drum up the attention for the need of all sectors to link arms to re-green the country's land and marine territories as the only solution to stop the rising tide of global water crisis.

Aside from Manila Bay, there were also simultaneous cleanup drives in some 3 hectares of coastal stretch in Barangay Balut II in Pilar, Bataan; 2 hectares in Barangays Labac and Sasahan in Naic, Cavite; and portions of the Coastal Road and Parañaque-Las Piñas River Bank.

Representatives from DENR, National Youth Commission (NYC), Philippine Estate Authority (PEA), local government officials from Bataan and Cavite and students from the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) and Far Eastern University (FEU) took part in the activity.

"The coastal cleanup is an addition to the efforts of the government in heightening public awareness on marine debris and its adverse impact on the people and environment," Secretary Gozun said.

Recent studies showed that more than 1 billion people in the world do not have access to safe water and almost 2 billion have no adequate sanitation.

Over 3 million people in the world die each year as a result of water-related diseases and by 2005, it is likely that 3.5 billion people worldwide will experience water shortage.

In the Philippines, threats to our freshwater resources are largely blamed on deforestation. From a high of 15 million hectares decades ago, the country only has about 5.4 million hectares of forestlands left.

Newsmakers

Environment and Natural Resources Sec. Elisea G. Gozun yesterday said that several programs geared to minimizing water and air pollution and the reforestation of the country are now achieving dramatic and positive impact, to benefit the socioeconomic life of the Filipino.

Among the programs now being implemented by DENR are the establishment or expansion of linkages with various sectors of society, particularly with local government units which are designated as "model ecowaste management cities and municipalities," she said at the Newsmakers Forum at Century Park.

These model cities and municipalities have concrete anti-pollution and reforestation programs which are adequately supported by DENR. Secretary Gozun said she is expecting the the number of towns and cities now serving as "model" to increase.

She said that air pollution has been decreased by at least 30%, where before Manila ranked as one of the top most polluted metropolis in the world.

The DENR chief also said that monitoring teams all over the country are being organized to determine the level of pollution and at the same time report such cases for immediate attention by department.

Along this line, memoranda of agreement have also been signed with the leading industrial companies to help in minizing polltution. Companies with solid anti-pollution programs are supported technically by DENR.

Secretary Gozun added that it is now a system of "Big Brother helping small brother," wherein big industrial companies help smaller companies undertake anti-pollution programs within their areas.

To hasten the anti-pollution and reforestation programs, Sec. Gozun said that the processing of application papers are now being streamlined in the department. She expects to reduce processing time by at least 30% - 50% before the end of the year.

Another panelist at the forum, Rep. Augusto N. Baculio, ecology committee chairman, said that the House of Representatives is also doing its share in the protection of our forests and the elimination of water and air pollution.

Rep. Baculio cited several bills in Congress which are now in their third reading, and when enacted, will greatly enhance the antipollution programs and reforestations.

Among these bills are clean water act, which covers discharge permits, toxic and hazardous hospital waste, and sewerage. Rep. Baculio said that a number of hospitals in the country have been dumping toxic wastes. Many of these toxic hospital wastes are thrown into Laguna Bay and into the Pasig River and Manila Bay.

There are now no specific laws or ordinances which should penalize the culprits.

Mayor Raymundo T. Roquero, deputy secretary general of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, bewailed what he described as fraud being committed by some private emission tests centers which were certified by the Land Transportation Office to test emissions of all motorized land transportation vehicles.

He cited one private emission test center which tested some 8,000 vehicles in one day, giving them all "a passing grade."

Roquero said that emission test centers must be operated by the government itself - the LTO - so that revenues will go direct to government coffers aside from better supervision of these emission centers.

Meanwhile, former DENR Sec. Heherson Alvarez, now presidential adviser on overseas Filipino communities, warned of water shortages in the country in the next decade if reforestation is not pursued to the hilt, because we need forest cover, according to him, to make our fresh water reserve adequate.

Another panelist, Mayor Pacifico Mayor (Ferrol, Romblon), LMP secretary general, assured Sec. Gozun that their league is in full support of the programs of DENR. (Leonardo Q. Belen)

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