Baywalk along Roxas Boulevard during the Atienza Administration

Columns from Malaya and Abante – Edition 2009 – 356

Lito Atienza Wants Manila – Again!

“Manila has deteriorated once again under the present local administration with its lack of vision and program of government.”

by Ducky Paredes

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary and former Mayor Lito Atienza, the only undefeated Mayor of Manila, was elated that, on filing his Certificate of Candidacy (COC), a large crowd of Manileños greeted him, shook his hands, clapped and urged him on. After a Thanksgiving Mass at Quiapo Church, Atienza marched to Comelec’s local office along Arroceros Street with his Buhayin ang MayniLA ticket to file his certificate of candidacy for Mayor of Manila.

Lito sees his candidacy as heeding the cry of Manileños to restore his urban renewal and sustainable development program and replace the present administration, which totally neglected the city and its residents:

“Manileños, especially the poor and other marginalized sectors, have not only witnessed but experienced genuine progress under my administration’s Buhayin ang MayniLA program. We had a vision and it was pursued and delivered. For nine straight years (which is the only allowable maximum term limit for elected local officials under the Constitution), residents enjoyed, among others, health centers and hospitals with adequate equipment, facilities, free medicines and services as nutrition programs were also in place.

“Young underprivileged Manileños were given ‘no tuition fee’ quality education with competitive standards. Businesses were thriving as jobs and livelihood opportunities were generated and city hall processes were streamlined against red tape and corruption. Manila was always safe then because law violators were not only apprehended but punished as well. Garbage, likewise, were regularly collected and roads were well maintained. The city had a clean, healthy and progressive environment to live in.”

Roxas Boulevard Baywalk - 2009

Inheriting a low revenue collection of only P2 billion annually from his predecessor in 1998, Atienza, through innovative reforms, raised the city’s revenue to P8 billion. Atienza’s income-generating efforts were highlighted when he was cited in a center spread published 2006 financial report of no less than the Commission on Audit (COA) and Department of Finance (DOF): “The city enjoyed a very healthy economy when taxes were effectively collected and efficiently delivered back to Manileños.” Atienza left a P2.6-billion fund after Lito’s term as Mayor ended in 2007.

“Manila has deteriorated once again under the present local administration with its lack of vision and program of government. For three years, the Lim government has deprived Manileños of the right kind of life they deserve by removing and destroying what my administration worked hard for the people in nine years.

“Chaos and squalor in all parts of Manila were tolerated once more that shooed people and opportunities away from the city. Ang ibinigay naming tunay na pag-asa at liwanag ng kaunlaran sa Maynila ay muli na namang nagdilim sa mali at di-wastong pamamalakad. Noon, Maynila ang nangunguna at sinusundan. Ngayon, napag-iwanan na naman ang lungsod. Despite great opposition from residents, non-government organizations and the church, they (Lim administration) even railroaded an ordinance (8187) which allowed and ensured the permanent stay of “highly pollutive and extremely hazardous industries” in the capital, including the oil depots in Pandacan which placed the lives of Manileños in grave danger and made Manila the most polluted and toxic city in the world. I consider it the highest form of insensitivity against worldwide efforts to fight pollution and global warming. Plus, the massive syndicated graft and corruption which effected the sale of prime public properties to favor some individuals and personalities,” Atienza stressed.

Atienza was born and raised in Manila. He rose from the ranks starting as a barangay tanod (watchman). He moved up to kagawad then, barangay chairman. He was elected Assemblyman, despite being an opposition candidate, representing the City of Manila at the Batasang Pambansa during Martial Law and served as National Housing Authority (NHA) General Manager during Cory Aquino’s presidency. Atienza was elected Vice Mayor of Manila in 1992 and, in 1998, became the only Vice Mayor ever elected Mayor of Manila. He has defeated political giants in Manila including current Mayor Alfredo Lim in 2001. In 2004, he garnered the largest lead vote against an electoral opponent ever recorded in Manila’s political history.

Atienza’s governance has always hewed to his steadfast belief on the value of life. He was unanimously elected anew as President of Pro-Life Philippines, being the longest serving head of the organization. Atienza has consistently been at the forefront of upholding and protecting the value and sanctity of life. Lito dismisses the idea that poverty is caused by population growth; he sees this as a mere “alibi for failure.”

During his turn as Mayor, Atienza ensured an improved quality of life for Manila residents by bringing out the full potential of each and every Manileño. He firmly believes that development, good governance, and the equal distribution of opportunities are the necessary elements to sustain a healthy growing population and would bring people to their best state.

The other candidates under Atienza’s Buhayin ang MayniLA ticket are: Bonjay Isip-Garcia for Vice Mayor; for district 1 Councilors – Dennis Alcoreza, Edwin Simbulan, Eduardo Solis, Danny Isiderio, and German Nuñez; for district 2 Councilors – Marlon Lacson, Numero Uno Lim, Ivy Varona, Boy Laxa, Nida Buenaventura-Panti, and Ike Hernandez Villegas; Letlet Zarcal for district 3 Congressman; for district 3 Councilors – Joel Chua, Ramon Morales, Larsil Silva, Robbie Oca, Don Neil Dela Peña, and Alejandro Gomez; for district 4 Councilors – Gerino Tolentino, Jocelyn Quintos, Susan Beltran, DJ Bagatsing, Caloy Trinidad, and Robin Aquino Padilla; Amado Bagatsing for district 5 Congressman; for district 5 Councilors – Cora Gernale, Cristy Isip, Rafael Borromeo, Robert Ortega, Joey Cabreza, and Harry Huecas; Benny Abante for district 6 Congressman; and for district 6 Councilors – Joy Dawis-Asuncion, Joey Uy, Caloy Castañeda, Vladimir Cabigao, and Casimiro Sison

* * *

According to a recent survey, Lito Atienza is presently running third behind incumbent Mayor Fred Lim and former policeman and Peace Adviser Sonny Razon. Of course, the campaign has not yet begun and Lito has not yet begun campaigning and did not do so as a non-candidate prior to filing his CoC as Sonny Razon did.

My take on the Manila elections is that it will be a dogfight exclusively between Mayor Lim and Former Mayor Atienza.

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Calling them ‘companies with conscience,’ Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza (center) honors eight companies that have shown exemplary environmental performance in a simple ceremony held at the DENR’s Social Hall in Quezon City. Leading the awardees in presenting the “DENR Seal of Approval” awarded them under the Philippine Environment Partnership Program (PEPP) implemented by the Environmental Management Bureau is business tycoon Dr. Lucio Tan for Absolut Distillers, Inc. (to Atienza’s left). The other awardees are (from left): Gilbert Javier for Nestle Philippines-Lipa Plant, Amador Alas for Nestle Philippines-Cabuyao Plant, Jess Reyes, also for Nestle Philippines-Cabuyao Plant, Edith de Leon, also for Nestle Philippines-Lipa Plant, Annie Ambay for PSI Technologies, Lloyd Magat for Vishay Philippines, Liza Beronio for STMicroelectronics, Robin Batacandolo for Analog Devices-Gen. Trias, Noel Pabilona and Gina Picandal for ON Semiconductor, and Gerry Tee, also for Absolut Distillers, Inc.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources awarded eight companies with exemplary environmental performance with the “DENR Seal of Approval”.

On hand to receive the awards for their companies include business tycoon Dr. Lucio Tan for Absolut Distillers Inc.; Facilities Manager Robin Batacandolo for Analog Devices-General Trias; Vice-President and Corporate Environment Officer Jess Reyes for Nestle Phils., Inc.-Cabuyao Factory; Sr. Vice-President for Corporate Affairs Edith de Leon for Nestle Phils., – Lipa Factory; Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Manager Noel Pabilona for ON Semiconductor; EHS Manager Anne Ambay for PSI Technologies; EHS Manager Liza Beronio for STMicroelectronics, Inc.; and Facilities Manager Lloyd Magat for Vishay Philippines.

It is very important that we give recognition to companies that give importance to our environment through their strict compliance to environmental standards. The awardee-companies have shown excellence in mitigating pollution by establishing wastewater treatment facilities, thereby contributing to the protection of the country’s important bodies of water such as the Pasig River, Laguna de Bay and Manila Bay.

Aside from the “DENR Seal of Approval,” the awardees were also entitled to some regulatory privileges and assistance such as relaxation of reportorial requirements and simplified requirements for securing an environmental compliance certificate for their expansion projects.

The “DENR Seal of Approval” may be used by the companies in their product labels and other promotional campaigns for a period of one year.

Mabuhay ang mga korporasyong tumutulong sa pangangalaga ng ating kalikasan. We will continue to reward and acknowledge companies which contribute to the sustainability of our environment and our natural resources, while we will penalize those who do not.

The recognition rites was in line with the Philippine Environment Partnership Program (PEPP) of the Environmental Management Bureau, a line agency of the DENR, which seeks to support local industries achieve industry self-regulation through improved environmental performance.

Under the PEPP, a package of incentives and reward mechanisms await companies or industries that voluntarily join the program. Among these are technical assistance in the preparation and implementation of environmental management plan, public awareness-raising, development of industry-specific effluent standards and practical strategies and technologies to enable them comply with prescribed effluent standards.

To qualify for the program, companies must meet three important requirements: they should have no cases filed with the DENR’s Pollution Adjudication Board for at least three years prior to the date of application, they must be in full compliance with all applicable environment laws, and they must be proven to have superior environmental performance by a 3rd party auditor.

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Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza (right) inspects the LPG gas compartment of one of four LPG buses that recently arrived in Metro Manila from Xiamen, China. The environment-friendly buses will initially ply the route Fairview-C5 to test the efficiency of their smoke emissions. If found effective, 200 units of the LPG-powered buses will be imported to help boost the government’s effort to improve the air quality in the metropolis. The project is being undertaken jointly by the Office of the President (OP), DENR, Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Department of Energy (DOE), Board of Investment (BOI) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Briefing Secretary Atienza on the LPG bus is Emmanuel A. Atienza (left), executive vice president of Auto LPG Co., Inc.

The year 2009 marks the 10 th year of the implementation of Republic Act 8749 or the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999.

Considered a landmark legislation on environment, the Clean Air Act paved the way for the country to put in place concrete measures to reduce emissions of air pollutions, especially in Metro Manila and other highly urbanized cities.

The Clean Air Act is definitely an very important piece of legislation consistent with the constitutional mandate to protect the environment, in this case the air we breathe, while guaranteeing the protection of the people’s right to live in harmony with nature.

And, for the last decade, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), which is mandated to spearhead the implementation of the Clean Air Act, has continually made partnerships with other government agencies, local governments, transport and industry sectors as well as the civil society, to ensure that the law’s objective to reduce air emissions are realized.

After 10 years, what have we achieved?

* Based on the monitoring of the DENR, the overall air quality of the country is improving. A reduction of 29% in levels of Total Suspended Particulates (TSP) was achieved and this is partly due to the combined efforts of concerned sectors committed to improve the quality of air that we breathe.

* According to the Department of Health, there has been a significant improvement in blood lead levels among children in Metro Manila since 2000, when the Government started to use unleaded gasoline. In 2003, only 34.6% of study children were found exceeding the US-Center for Disease Control guideline value of 10µg/dl as compared to 90.3% in 2000.

* Improvement in fuel quality was implemented. The Department of Energy has undertaken the following:

o Phase-out of leaded gasoline in January 2001;
o Reduction of benzene and aromatics in unleaded gasoline (ULG) from 4% (by vol.) to 2% and 45% to 35% from Jan. 2000 to Jan. 2003, respectively;
o Reduction of sulfur content of automotive diesel oil ( ADO ) from 0.5% to 0.20% from 1999 to 2001 & further reduction to 0.05% in Jan.2004;
o Reduction of sulfur content of industrial diesel oil (IDO) to 0.30% in Jan.2001;
o Implementation of Memorandum Circular No. 55 requiring all government vehicles to use diesel fuel blended with 1% coco methyl ester starting July 2004;
o Use of 2% biodiesel blend (no more 100% conventional diesel) and availability of E10 effective February 2006 (Bio-Fuels Act).

* Efforts to curb air pollution from motor vehicles were intensified through the Land Transportation Office’s effort to operationalize four Motor Vehicle Inspection Stations (MVIS) under MVIS Phase I, which include: (1) LTO-East Avenue, (2) San Fernando, Pampanga; (3) Las Pinas City; and (4) Cebu City and issued directive to conduct emission testing prior to registration through private emission testing centers (PETCs) starting January 2003. The monitoring of these MVIS and other LTO Emission Testing Centers and PETCs is guided by the DENR-DOTC-DTI Joint Administrative Order in 2003 and this was further revised in December 2007.

* Other efforts to reduce air pollution from new motor vehicles and in-use motorcycles/tricycles are the adoption Euro 2 Type Approval Standards, more stringent emission standards since January 2008 and establishment of hydrocarbon emission standards since June 2003, respectively.

* Anti-smoke belching operations were likewise strengthened with the support of the Metro Manila Development Authority and local government operations. Several programs were also launched to increase participation in anti-smoke belching activities, namely, the SMOKE–FREE EDSA (October 2003) and the LINIS HANGIN PROGRAM (November 2004 up to present) by DENR.

* The use of alternative fuels was also promoted by concerned agencies and this led to:

* conversion of gasoline-fed taxis to liquid petroleum gas;
* introduction of new compressed natural gas (CNG) buses pursuant to Executive Order No. 290 [Natural Gas Vehicle Program for Public Transport (NGVPPT)] . To date, a total of 30 new CNG buses are plying the route of Batangas/Sta. Cruz-EDSA-Cubao & vice versa on a commercial scale.

* In mid-2006, motorcycle manufacturers voluntarily phased-out two-stroke motorcycle engines in support of the Clean Air Act.

* Efforts to abate air pollution from industrial sources and establishments were intensified through the accreditation of third party source emission testing firms to conduct compliance testing prior to operation. Likewise, major sources of air pollution were directed to install continuous emission monitoring systems to monitor their compliance to emission standards at all times.

What’s left to do?

Despite the winnings, however, there remains huge task to do to assure the people of improved air quality to breathe. The ambient air quality monitoring being conducted by the DENR indicates of improving air quality. But still the air pollution level is high and unhealthy especially among the vulnerable sectors like the young, the old and the sickly.

Based on information collected from national and local government agencies, through Clean Air InitiativeI-Asia Network in 2003, Manila ranks 7th among twelve (12) cities in the region with dirty air, in terms of total suspended particulates (TSP).

And in the face of global warming and climate change, more work needs to be done especially since air pollution and climate change are strongly linked to each other. Bringing the level of air pollution down to safe levels can cut on greenhouse gas emissions.

Local government units share the responsibility in managing air quality within their territorial jurisdiction. The local chief executives are members of the airshed governing boards. They also play key roles in carrying out the other provisions of the Clean Air Act.

Among other things, the DENR is urging all LGUs to:

* Strictly implement the ban on smoking inside public places
* Designate an Environment and Natural Resources Office in every province, city, municipality
* Implement air quality standards set by the Governing Board
* Prepare and develop, with the assistance from the Department, an action plan consistent with the Integrated Air Quality Framework to attain and maintain the ambient air quality standards within their respective airsheds
* Prepare and implement a program and other measures including relocation, whenever necessary, to protect health and welfare of residents in the area in during extreme air pollution events.

The steady brown haze that blankets major cities in the country is something that cannot be ignored. Now is the time to act and with increasing steps over time, we can fight air pollution and give next generations of Filipinos a cleaner and healthier future.

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Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza (3rd from left) looks on as the airconditioning mechanism of his car is checked for chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs) R-12 content, popularly known as freon. The car passed with a 100% content of R-134A, an alternative refrigerant considered ozone-friendly. Atienza has launched a department-wide refrigerant inspection test of service vehicles in line with the mandate of the Montreal Protocol and the Philippine Ozone Desk to phase out by 2010 the use of CFC. CFC is considered destructive to the ozone layer that shields the world from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Atienza offered his car for inspection after the flag-raising ceremony on Monday. Also in photo are (from left): Environmental Management Bureau Director Julian Amador; DENR Undersecretary Demetrio Ignacio (behind Atienza) and POD Project Evaluation and Monitoring Officer Onofre Escota. (Photo by Ricky M. Los Bañez)

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will ban the importation of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), more commonly known as ‘freon’, starting January next year.

The import ban on CFCs is in consonance with the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer as well as the National CFC Phase-out Plan. He also said the ban will boost the ozone layer’s ability to protect all living things on earth as it heals itself.

The move of the Department to ban the entry of CFCs into the country starting next year is our commitment to the global effort to control the emission of ozone depleting substances and enable our damaged ozone layer to heal.

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) will be assisting the DENR in the strict enforcement of the ban to avert any attempt to smuggle the banned chemicals into the country. The Bureau of Customs is with us in this campaign, and I am happy to announce that measures are already in place to prevent unauthorized entry of the banned chemicals into the country.

Discovered in the late 1920s, CFCs are used in various industries as refrigerant, propellant, solvent and cleaning agent. Studies, however, showed that CFCs are capable of destroying the ozone molecules in the atmosphere resulting in the thinning of the ozone layer. Included in the banned list of CFCs are CFC 11, CFC 12, CFC 13, CFC 113, CFC 114, CFC 115 and R 502.

With the import ban, I am urging all refrigerant dealers to purchase their CFC supply only from registered importers. Various industries are likewise encouraged to shift to ozone-friendly refrigerants. I am appealing to the public to patronize only the service shops that are accredited by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) as well as the technicians who are certified by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for the servicing needs of their refrigerators and air conditioners.

The discovery of an ozone ‘hole’ over the Antarctic prompted governments all over the world to come up with drastic measures to reduce the production and consumption of a number of CFCs and several halons through the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer adopted on Sept. 16, 1987.

Last September, on the 22nd anniversary of the Protocol, the fight against ozone depletion has reached a universal participation of 196 countries, including the Philippines.

The Philippines became a signatory to the Montreal Protocol on September 14, 1988. The ratification of the Protocol by the Philippine Senate on March 21, 1991 and the subsequent Montreal and Beijing amendments in 2006 paved the way towards the commitment of CFC-Free Philippines.

Report from the National CFC Phase-out Plan Project of the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau, which acts as the national coordinator for the implementation of the CFC phase-out, indicates that the country’s CFC importation and consumption has dipped to 169 metric tons last year, from 3,382 metric tons in 1995.

The gradual reduction of CFC importation and consumption in the country since 2000 and its eventual phase-out next year is part of the national CFC phase out plan and the Montreal Protocol.

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Former President Fidel V. Ramos (center) lead the Philippines and international leaders in supporting the protection of the seas of the East Asia. Pres. Ramos underlines the partnership with various stakeholders, especially local government units, in restoring the coasts of East Asia where 1.5 billion people reside and depend for livelihood. Joining Pres. Ramos in opening the 3rd East Asian Seas Congress are DENR Secretary Lito Atienza (3rd from right), who leads the event’s organizing committee, and (from left): DENR Undersecretary Demetrio Ignacio, Singapore Ambassador A. Selverajah , UNDP Resident Representative Jacqueline Badcock, PEMSEA Council chair Chua Thia-Eng and PEMSEA Executive Director Raphael Lotilla.

Eleven countries in the East Asia region have pledged to strengthen and improve their cooperation in making their coasts and oceans resilient to climate change as they signed the Manila Declaration on the implementation of integrated coastal and ocean management and adaptation to climate change.

The Philippines as well as our neighbor East Asian countries are climate change hotspots and highly vulnerable to the effects of global warming. It is imperative that we protect, conserve and sustainably use our rich natural resources, especially our coastal and marine resources.

The Manila Declaration was adopted on Nov. 26 at the culmination of the five-day East Asian Seas Congress held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Manila.

The 11 countries participating in the Partnerships in the Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) and have signed the declaration were Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, RO Korea, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Vietnam and the Philippines.

By signing, the countries have jointly pledged to intensify cooperation and engage involvement of local government units within all member countries to enhance capacity of coastal communities to adapt to climate change.

Through the Manila Declaration, these governments have expressed concern towards the region’s vulnerability to various impacts of climate change which include frequent and extreme weather events, flooding, water shortage, acidification of oceans and seas, salt water intrusion and sea level rise.

In addition, the region’s marine ecosystems continue to be threatened by uncontrolled development of coastal areas, poverty, resource degradation and marine pollution from land and sea-based sources.

The governments have also recognized that integrated coastal management (ICM) is a valuable tool in achieving sustainable development and climate change adaptation and committed to work together constructively to meet their regional targets to implement ICM programs in at least 20 percent of the region’s coasts and adopt national coastal and ocean policies in 70 percent of the countries by 2015.

It is very critical for governments to give attention not only on the impacts of climate change but also on the role of oceans and coasts in climate change. Healthy and productive coastal ecosystems play a major role in mitigating the effects of climate change in coastal communities.

The coastal and marine environments of East Asia occupy over 70% of the globe and 95% of the biosphere. They sustain 30% of the world’s coral reefs and mangroves and produce about 40% of the world’s fish catch and 84% of world’s aquaculture. They also represent one of the world’s centers for tropical marine biodiversity.

Coastal ecosystems include mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, algal mats and coral reefs which absorb carbon. Oceans, on the other hand, function as giant carbon pumps which take carbon from and release to the atmosphere.

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Department Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Lito Atienza (right) calls on mining operators to ensure that host communities get their fair share from their mining operations during the opening of the Mining Philippines 2009 Conference and Exhibition at the Sofitel Plaza Hotel in Pasay City. Listening on are (seated, from left): Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (CMP) chairman Artemio F. Disini, Vice President Noli de Castro and CMP president Benjamin Philip G. Romualdez. The 2-day mining conference, which has for its theme, “Strengthening Competitiveness,” was attended by the Philippine mining industry’s senior officials, industry financiers and investors, government policy makers, regulatory authorities, decision makers and top executives from the government and the mining industry.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources presents its position on the Intex Mining Project in Mindoro regarding the following issues raised in earlier paid newspaper advertisements and subject also of an ongoing sit-in demonstration in front of the DENR premises:

THE RECOGNITION OF THE LGU’s MORATORIUM ON MINING.
The DENR recognizes the moratorium, but this is a separate issue. Based on Presidential Decree 1586, Establishing the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System, the DENR, through the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), is mandated to assess the environmental impacts of an environmentally-critical project and prescribe mitigating measures to address these pre-defined impacts, regardless of any existing moratorium.

The DENR stresses: a) The ECC is only a planning tool and not a permit. It is supposed to guide the LGUs and other concerned agencies in the issuance of their permits; and b) The LGU is responsible for upholding the local moratorium.

THE FAILURE OF INTEX RESOURCES TO CONDUCT GENUINE CONSULTATIONS IN THE AFFECTED COMMUNITIES.
DENR officials claim that they conducted public hearings in the municipalities of Pola and Mamburao, while Intex Resources conducted consultations and public scoping sessions in the areas of Calapan, San Teodoro, Victoria, Pola, and Sablayan, where the affected communities are located. These consultations/hearings were conducted to generate environmental concerns of the community, not social acceptability.

THE STEADFAST REFUSAL OF LGUs TO ALLOW THE ENTRY OF INTEX RESOURCES IN THEIR AREAS.
The DENR respects the position of the LGUs on this matter. The DENR, however, must continue to act according to its mandate.

THE SUSTAINED REJECTION AND WITHHOLDING OF CONSENT OF THE LEGITIMATE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE TO BE AFFECTED BY THE MINING OPERATION.
The immediate indigenous peoples such as the Mangyan tribes belonging to the Samahang Apo Diya Kakuyayan Inc. (SADAKI) and the Kanluran Mindoro at Kabilugan ng Mangyan Inc. (KMI), who occupy the actual concession area in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro and Victoria, Oriental Mindoro, claim they gave their consent to the mining project. They also attest that a series of consultations were undertaken by the mining company.

THE MINING AREA IS LOCATED WITHIN A WATERSHED .According to those who recommended the issuance of the ECC, the mining project is located 25 kilometers from FB Harrison Bird Sanctuary and 36 kilometers from Mt. Iglit-Baco National Park, and thus outside the proclaimed protected/watershed areas.

THE FAILURE TO CONSIDER EIA REVIEW COMMITTEE VOTE.
The DENR internal review team took careful note of the recommendations of the EIA Review Committee and incorporated these into the contents of the final ECC. However, per Administrative Order 42, the EIA Review Committee acts only on a recommendatory basis. The final decision to issue an ECC lies with the DENR based on a technical and factual evaluation and not – and has never been done – based on votes by Review Committee members.

THE ISSUANCE OF A SUSPENSION FOR 90 DAYS, INSTEAD OF A CANCELLATION.
The ECC given to Intex Resources was suspended for 90 days to allow the DENR to conduct a thorough investigation of the allegations that the mining project is located within a watershed area and that inadequate local consultations were made. The purpose of the suspension, therefore, is to comply with the requirements of due process by giving parties time to submit evidence to support the allegations.

If indeed there was malice in the issuance of the ECC, the DENR will not only cancel the ECC, but will also hold liable accountable employees who may have violated the process.

In fact, the bishops and governors present during our recent dialogue have been invited to join the investigating panel.

The revocation of the ECC should only come after a thorough investigation is done and documents presented are studied impartially by the investigation panel.

Without due process, justice cannot be served. The possible prosecution of malicious and erring DENR employees and the eventual cancellation of the ECC have to be supported by facts, not by mere allegations. Otherwise, our decision may not even be sustained in a court of law.

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WHAT IF ALLEN GINSBERG WAS A FILIPINO?
Or how I syncopated the essence of “Hadda be Playin’ on the Jukebox”
José Mario Alas

Hadda be flashing like the Philippine Daily Inquirer
Hadda be playing on Wowowee
Hadda be loudmouthed on The Buzz!
Hadda be announced over loud speakers
The military and the Abu Sayyaf are in cahoots
Hadda be said in socialite language
Hadda be said in Pinoy headlines
Aguinaldo, Magsaysay, and Aquino stretched and smiled and got doublecrossed by low life international goons & agents
Gay bankers with criminal connections
Dope pushers in NBI working with dope pushers from China working with big time syndicate Parañaque City
Hadda be said with a big mouth
Hadda be moaned over factory foghorns
Hadda be chattered on barber shop news broadcast
Hadda be screamed in a rural slaughterhouse
Hadda be yelled in the plazas where young lovers are petting it out
Hadda be howled on the streets by newsboys to jeepney barkers
Hadda be foghorned into Pásig River
Hadda echo under hard hats
Hadda turn up the volume in cheeky high school proms
Hadda be written on unused library books, footnoted
Hadda be in headlines of Sagad, Hataw, and Toro
Hadda be barked over TV
Hadda be heard in side alleys thru KTV bars
Hadda be sent via SMS
Hadda be cellphones ringing, comedians stopped dead in the middle of a comedy bar joke in Las Piñas,
Hadda be GMA, NEDA Neri, Mayor Atienza, and COMELEC Ábalos golfing together weekends or whenever/wherever –
As reported by almost all dailies across the islands
Hadda be the Freemasons and the neocolonialists together
Started war on Mindanáo, poison on Recto, assassination of Luna and Aquino
Hadda be dope cops and the kidnap-for-ransom crooks
Kidnapped all those filthy-rich scions in Chinatown
Hadda be the NBI and the military working together in cahoots against the leftists
Let Lucky Manzano campaign for both mommy and daddy… family relations, party fidelities, political madness
Hadda be religious goons bribing cross-eyed officials with vote-rich members, singing gospel gobbledygook, praising money and recruitment
Hadda be heard inside the classrooms:
Nationwide brainwashing by UP professors
Hadda be the police, and organized crime, and the military together
Bigger than Gloria, bigger than ZTE-NBN!!!
Hadda be a gorged throat full of murder
Hadda be mouth and ass a solid mass of rage
A red hot head, a scream in the back of the throat
Hadda be in Obama’s brain
Hadda be in Clinton’s mouth
Hadda be the Pinoy language committe, pidginizing our tongue,
erasing our identity, forgetting who we are, what we were…
The Palace, the military, the billionaire cronies, the police, UP historians teaching the leyenda negra,
Protestants and Freemasons,
Dope pushers and sadists,
One big set of criminal gangs working together in cahoots
Hitmen, murderers everywhere, outraged, on the make
Secret drunk brutal dirty rich
On top of a heap of slovenly prisons, industrial cancer, burned plastic bags, garbage cities, Hollywood movies, Erap’s resentments
Hadda be the rulers, wanted law and order they got rich on
Wanted protection, status quo, wanted junkies for poll watchers, wanted influence, wanted Magsaysay to die in an air crash, wanted war over the Spratlys for oil to feed their diamond-laced cats
Hadda be the police and organized crime and the military and Gary V.
Multinational capitalists’ strong arms squads,
Private detective agencies for the very rich
And their armies, navies, and air force bombing rival political clans and their hapless supporters.
Hadda be neocolonialism, the vortex of this RAGE
This “gobbleization”
Man to man
Nation to nation
Hayden to Katrina
Horses’ heads in the haciendero’s bed, Luisita turf and farmers’ rallies, hit men, gang wars across political landscapes,
Bombing Basilan with “firecrackers” will not settle the score (because they never wanted to settle the score for hunger for funds)
Joma’s red democracy bumped off with the Palace’s pots and pans, a warning to rural local governments
Secret armies embraced for decades, the military and the Palace keep each other’s secrets, the Freemasons and the anti-Catholics/Protestants never hit their own,
The KKK and Ku Klux Klan are one mind
Brute force and full of enmity
One mind, brute force, and full of enmity!
One mind, brute force, and full of enmity!
One mind, brute force, and full of enmity!
One mind, brute force, and full of enmity!
It hadda be rich, it hadda be powerful,
Hadda hire history from US universities
Hadda murder in Indonesia — 500,000
Hadda murder in Indochina — 2,000,000
Hadda murder in Czechoslovakia
Hadda murder in Chile
Hadda murder in Russia…
Hadda murder kids over 10 in Sámar
Hadda murder in the Philippines — 1,250,000

Hadda milk us more till we fall apart…

11/24/09

lito-atienza

lito atienza

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The Liberal Party is not just the only party who seems to be divided into two factions, the late strongman’s party may also seem to be. Ferdinand Marcos’ Kilusang Bagong Lipunan have made conflicting actions in relation to the 2010 elections next year.

First, his son who carries the party name with him coalesced with Manny Villar’s Nacionalista Party where he was given a Senate slot. Second, an ambulance-chasing lawyer named Oliver Lozano was among the early birds who filed their certificates of candidacy for president last Friday. He, like Marcos, filed his candidacy under the KBL banner.

Now, the question here is, who is the real KBL?

Is it Marcos Jr., the most likely heir to the throne of the party that his founder founded? Partly, yes. Attached in the party that he now carries are the ideals that his father once advocated for: a “new” society that is reformed. Is it the Lozano who has gained notoriety for filing defective and premature cases before the bar of the Courts? Partly yes. If you will remember, Lozano ran for senator in 2007 under the KBL banner. If your memory fails you, perhaps you will remember a nuisance candidate under the same party during that elections. His name is Joselito Pepito Cayetano who nicknamed himself Peter. He was declared a nuisance after the other Peter Cayetano, Alan Peter, proved that he was one.

This won’t be a big issue in the upcoming 2010 elections. Lozano may not be declared a nuisance but he will definitely lose next year. Also, KBL has long lost its control and dominance in the political landscape. It may still be the party in Ilocos, the Marcos bailiwick, but it has long diminished to one of those “ABC” parties that linger in politics, parties with confusing party acronyms who is either unknown or has just been accredited.

However, I took note of this issue because it is another example of how individualistic our political parties are. Perhaps one of them are working for the party but neither are acting on the same line. One is acting on his own while the other is not or both are acting on their own. This is not the first time this scenario happened.

On the height of the Hello Garci scandal, the Liberal party was divided into two: the Drilon wing and the Atienza wing. The first called for the ouster of GMA while the latter threw its support to the administration. Either way, the party wasn’t united. Either way, the party was reduced to the ranks of a Drilon and an Atienza.

This should not be but this is what parties are. I have posted time and again that parties in the country’s context are rooted on individuals and not on ideals which brings me to my next question.

When will our parties change?

That’s a tall order from Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza (in floral shirt, upper photo) as he directed the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) to look into the illegal dumping of wastes at the Marilao-Meycauayan-Obando River System and to file appropriate charges against concerned local government units. Atienza, who led volunteers from various sectors to clean up the Marilao River as a culminating activity for the Philippine Water Week and World Water Day celebrations (lower photo), was irked to see tons of garbage floating at the Prenza Dam in Marilao, Bulacan. With Secretary Atienza in the photo are (from left to right) Forest Management Bureau Director Marlo Mendoza, Bulacan 4th District Rep. Reylina Nicolas, Mrs. Evelina Atienza, DENR Assistant Secretary David Suarez and Marilao Mayor Epifanio Guillermo.

The local governments of Las Piñas, Mandaluyong, Valenzuela, Malabon, San Juan, Parañaque, Navotas, Makati, Caloocan, Quezon, Taguig and Manila, and 31 national government agencies, including the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), have all been served NOVs by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for failing to put up sewage treatment facilities within their respective offices.

We want these government agencies to know how serious we are in improving the state of Manila Bay and protecting public health. The Supreme Court has already emphasized the extreme necessity for all concerned agencies to immediately act and discharge their respective official duties.

No less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself has directed all government offices in Metro Manila to install or put-up sewage treatment facilities in compliance to the continuing mandamus of the Supreme Court for the immediate rehabilitation of Manila Bay.

Aside from government offices, 66 NOVs were likewise served to commercial establishments and industries that were generally cited either for discharging wastewater that exceeds the DENR standards for effluent or for operating without permit.

For decades, the degradation of Manila Bay continues to take place as it has become the septic tank of industrial and domestic wastes from the National Capital Region and other neighboring regions.

That is why we are demanding compliance from these LGUs, to prevent industrial wastes, sewage water and human waste from flowing into the river, connecting creeks to Manila Bay.

In its 36-page decision in December last year, the SC has directed the DENR and 10 other agencies of the government to fulfill their mandates on a continuing mandamus to clean up, rehabilitate and preserve Manila Bay, and restore its water quality.

I have directed the Environmental Management Bureau to institute measures to assist the polluting companies to upgrade their environmental performance through technical conferences. However, companies who continue to defy DENR orders will be dealt with accordingly.

lito-atienza

lito atienza

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