New Year’s gift of
fortitude: Help protect the environment
by Harold Clavite
On a planned New Year’s Eve event in Manila to obtain a Guinness
world record on the largest balloon drop, which private entities Cove Manila
and Okada Manila eventually cancelled due to public outcry, around 130,000
latex balloons were prepared to be released. Balloon drop is a practice of many
businesses, not only in the Philippines but in many parts of the United States
and several other countries, as part of company milestones and/or public
celebrations. While organizers claim that the event was designed not to hurt
the environment, this is a manifestation and indication of the inability to see
what is beneficial and what is not for the environment. There are several
balloons falsely advertised as “biodegradable latex” and regardless of all
claims, they end up polluting places where they end up and are usually mistaken
by animals as food causing their death. See how BalloonsBlow.org clearly points
this out: https://balloonsblow.org/latex-balloons-still-kill/.
Such acts can be seen as irresponsible and may send the message
that entertainment and sales take precedence over the welfare of the
environment. Unfortunately, a single uninformed decision on these matters may
compromise attempts to protect the environment by governments and non-profit
organizations.
Our commitment this year is to not only talk about environmental
advocacies within our organization but to continue to support, in terms of
publicity and promotion, the National Environmental Health Action Plan (NEHAP)
2017-2022. Our goal is to increase the number of people and communities who
understand this plan and we continue to work closely with the Environmental
Management Bureau and relevant government and private entities to push for
these advocacies. Secondly, our support to promote the Sustainable Development
Goals (#SDGs) shall continue and, in particular, to use public information and
communication strategies to promote urgent action against climate change and
its impact. Our work plans this year would see an increased public engagement
through forums, consultations, and multi-sector interactions and include
environment as an important point of discussion, in addition to several other relevant
issues.
At the same time, we call on every citizen to take important
steps to be part of this advocacy. It is a must for everyone to fully
understand the Ecological Solid Waste Management Law in the Philippines and for
people to fully embrace it. Just recently, a senate bill has been filed— the
Single-Use Plastics Regulation and Management Act of 2018, which aims to
regulate the manufacturing, importation, and use of single-use plastic products.
While we await creation and enforcement of new laws, we must do our share to
avoid or eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste. Gone are the days where
man is unable to understand the connection between waste management and a
sustainable world. The ability to decipher what is wrong or right for the
environment is a decision one has to urgently make. Most, if not all, would
choose to live in a better world— let us choose to extend it a bit longer so
that it would not only benefit ours and our children’s family lines but several
more future generations.
Whether they are government or private sector-led, companies,
organizations, and communities must consider the environment in its decisions
and in the conduct of celebrations, occasions, and even down to its day-to-day
activities including printing of documents and ordering food.
Since 2019 is an election year, Filipinos must be able to
identify with and support leaders who can present a doable plan of action to
protect the environment. As a Filipino citizen and a government official, I
demand for political agenda that is focused on environmental protection and
immediate action on climate change, among other equally important societal
concerns and issues.
It is never too late. We cannot keep repeating the same mistakes
and we must decide to make it right this time. Let us continue to be the
responsible citizens that we are now and become watchdogs ourselves to ensure
we contribute to making this world truly better and sustainable for our
children and our children’s children and for many more generations to come.
It is not going to be very easy but we must endure all difficulty and begin this new year with fortitude by showing altruistic motivation to help protect our environment.
It is not going to be very easy but we must endure all difficulty and begin this new year with fortitude by showing altruistic motivation to help protect our environment.
NGEI beneficiaries rejoice over land allocation
By
Rechel D. Besonia,
SAN
FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur, Jan. 4 -- The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)
Provincial Office here has recently conducted the Ceremonial apportionment of
NDC Guthrie Estates Incorporated (NGEI) landholdings to three Agrarian Reform
Beneficiary Organizations (ARBOs) cum signing of Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)
and Distribution of Certificate of Land Allocation held at the DAR Provincial
Office lobby, San Francisco, this province.
DAR-Caraga
Regional Director Leomides R. Villareal, Asst. Regional Director for Operations
(ARDO) Cenon S. Original, PARPO II Leoncio C. Bautista Jr., PARPO I Allan N.
Mundala, FPPI General Manager Gil T. Delos Santos Jr., attended the said event.
“This
is indeed an early Christmas gift for all of our Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries.
We are glad that after several meetings and negotiations we now come to this
moment of apportioning the lands to three groups who have long been waiting for
this time to happen,” RD Villareal said.
PARPO
Bautista was likewise grateful that finally the goal of bringing back once
harmonious relationship among the three groups have been rekindled.
“In
behalf of the Department of Agrarian Reform Agusan del Sur, we are happy that
we have come this far, we owe this success to the cooperation of the three groups,”
he said.
More
than a thousand ARBs celebrated the ceremonial apportionment of the NGEI
landholdings after the three groups agreed to divide and apportion the awarded
land and had acknowledged that each group will receive a compact and contiguous
land awarded under CARP proportionate to the number of ARB members of each
group.
It
can be recalled that during the advent of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform
Program (CARP) in 1988, the vast tracts of agricultural lands owned by the NDC
situated at Rosario and San Francisco Agusan del Sur were offered for CARP
coverage pursuant to Executive Order No. 407 as amended by Executive Order No.
448.
However,
because of several cases that ensued including managerial issues and concerns,
the members have formed themselves into three breakaway groups, thus, the
problem existed.
Nevertheless,
the DAR have never stopped in helping to recuperate the situation and look
after the welfare of the affected ARBs.
“Nalipay
gyud me ug dako nga sa kaulahian nakab-ot namo ang dugay na namong gipangandoy
nga diin kami karon makatagamtam na sa yuta nga gihatag kanamo. Salamat sa
walay hunong nga tabang sa DAR kanamo (We are very thankful that in the end we
have achieved our dream of having our own land. Thank you for the unending
support and assistance of DAR to us,” NGEI MPC Chairperson Jimmy Magbanua said.
(DAR-Agusan del Sur/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
