Environmental Issue in Davao City, Philippines

SUBDIVISION LOCATION ASSUMPTIONS MUST CHANGE

Approvals or applications for subdivision development assume a certain level and frequency of rainfall and a certain "acceptable" level of risk to those nearby. Those assumptions, in light of experience and accelerating Climate Change are no longer valid.  Anything can happen and likely will.

 

When huge rains are no longer absorbed by trees and ground cover, they will still find their way to the sea - drowning cars, homes, roads and people.  Similarly, Nacilla village in Ma-a experienced large landslides in June and is reported in great danger.  Nacilla is a harbinger, a bringer of warning, of the future of Shrine Hills.

 

Worse, flood and earth movements are often caused by human activities which have weakened hills above or their support below.  If we look at past landslide disasters anywhere in the world, we see much the same thing.

 

Even an apparently harmless application by a prominent developer for its proposed subdivision and nine-golf course between Quimpo Boulevard and Time Beach / Matina Aplaya Road near Queensland appears not to have fully taken into account what will happen when its outflows are added to run-offs from other older prior developments and heavy rains concurrent with high tides and rising ocean levels.  It may mimic the overflows of Ma-a Creek when heavy rains meet high tide and storm driven river levels.  Certain Councilors seem quite concerned by this very issue.  Don't let loose of it!

 

How will the 13.6 hectare property on grass and wetlands  drain rapidly enough to prevent flooding, even if surrounded by canals when the tides are high? It seems that concentrated on-rushing outflows will hit high tides, slow down, back up and spread out laterally above.

 

Will the proposed subdivision's Street sewage, motor oils, trash and other contaminated outflows rush out to further dirty our beaches and pollute our Gulf waters, area outflows that are now filtered by grass and wetlands?  What are the solutions that must be implemented?

 

Similarly, should unauthorized subdivisions or unauthorized buildings be approved after-the-fact for "Humanitarian Reasons" or should they be denied for Humanitarian Reasons?  In the case of erring Developers, humanitarian reasons must be translated as financial reasons, important but hardly as important as human lives

 

Should the lives, livelihoods and amenities of neighboring communities be traded for the financial reasons of erring Developers?  Not in our backyard, not without a fight and, hopefully, not in yours. .  Turn-downs will discourage Ignorance as tool of obtaining approvals at the expense of the greater good.

I am very glad to see the recent actions and comments by Mr. Roberto Alabado, CPDO, as well several councilors that Subdivision approvals must become much more rigorous and strict.  I would also advocate the following:

1) Significant increase in car or motorcycle transport provided to Engineering and Inspection Staff at the City Engineer office and City Planning office so that the limited staff can do more and with greater energy.

2) The City should require multi-million Peso Performance Bonds from Subdivision Developers so that Developer promises can be enforced more quickly and without Lawsuit.  Requiring performance bonds is available to the City through HLURB and DENR rules.  Find out how existing Bonding Requirements might be adapted for City use.

3) The City, as a matter of law, Banks and Local Home Insurers should require detailed (but uncomplicated) Flood Hazard / Flood Plain and Landslide Hazard Disclosure Statements, as determined by the DENR, MGB, Environmental Management Bureau and HLURB and signed by Buyers, well in advance of actual purchase.  Such signed disclosures should be part of any Cash or Time Payment arrangement Closing and paperwork.

The purchase would be rescindable (cancellable) at any time by the Buyer, even years later, for failure to disclose required facts.  No more of the "As is, Where is, At Buyers Risk, Buyer Beware" disclaimers in such contracts.  The Seller is in a much stronger more knowledgeable position compared to the Buyer.  There is simply too much at stake for the prospective buyer, community and "downstream" disaster and other costs to the City, not to require such written disclosures, acknowledged by buyers.

Otherwise, it is the CITY itself that is guaranteeing the subdivision safety by virtue of its approval processes.  Let the Seller (the one with the most to gain) be the Guarantor by virtue of Open Disclosure and Performance Bonds.   The Philippine precedent for this are the Cancer and other Health Warnings required on simple packages of cigarettes.  What less should be done for subdivisions that might kill whole families and cost taxpayers billions in Disaster Recovery costs?

In addition, such requirements would likely cause Developers themselves to be more self aware and needful of detailed geohazard studies before they themselves purchase property for development.  It would help them stay out of the same type of corner they currently push on to buyers.

Would this discourage the real estate and Subdivision Development process?  Only the bad kind.  And after the details are worked out, these protections would become a matter-of-course protections and expectations of Buyers.  Savings on Disaster recovery could go to upgrading schools and infrastructure, including repair of old existing drainage problems.  Let's find a way out of the hole, not dig it deeper.

Sincerely with best regards,

Stacey Baird

Ten year resident

Spring Village, Ma-a

CIDA Projects in the Philippines

ADDENDUM 1

Question 1:   May a firm bid on individual CIDA projects, including this one?
Response:   Yes, the call for proposals is open to individuals or firms.

Question 2:   May a firm nominate 2 consultants and divide the man months between them, in order to enhance service?
Response:   Yes, the firm may nominate 2 or more consultants to undertake the activity

ADDENDUM 2

Question 1:  As a strategy, we are planning to work as a team of three consultants to better focus on our respective fields of expertise while at the same time drawing on our synergy. I will be taking the lead and would naturally fill out all the forms necessary. My question is, do the two partner consultants need to fill up Forms A and B too?
Response:   No, because we are only looking for a SINGLE/INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT. Please refer to clarification made per Addendum 1 which was posted in this PCCO Website on 26 April 2011


Question 2:  If yes, how will the technical proposal be rated with three consultants? If no, how would the experiences of the other consultants be integrated in the proposal?
Response:   Does not apply.


Question 3:   Is the cost of the FGDs in the field part of the reimbursable or would it be part of the overhead of the Consultant?

Response:   Please refer to Section 3. 2 Reimbursable Expenses of the RFSP.

"3.2    Reimbursable expenses
The Consultant must provide a list of the estimated reimbursable expenses that are normally incurred during, and directly related to the performance of his/her services, e.g, transportation, travel allowances, printing, communications, non-professional personnel, etc. Reimbursable expenses shall not be part of the Financial Component as these costs, if applicable, will be negotiated with the Embassy of Canada.

Expenses could include the following:
•   Cost of travel while on travel status within Philippines, or elsewhere, and the cost of other transportation, in accordance with  the Treasury Board Travel Directive of the Government of Canada. Note that these expenses are subject to CIDA's prior     approval.
•   Accommodation, meals and incidentals in accordance with the Canadian Treasury Board Travel Directive while on travel status.
•   All other reasonable reimbursable expenses arising from the performance of the services (suchas local non-professional personnel, communications, printing and other related reasonable reimbursable expenses as approved by CIDA)."


Question 4:  If an entity will submit a proposal instead of an individual or team of consultants, what are the additional requirements to be submitted?
Response:    Not applicable. Please see response to Addendum 1: Question no.1 which was posted in this PCCO website on 26 April 2011.

Davao City Flood - Result of Government Neglect?

A slightly shortened Open Letter of concern to Sangguniang Panglungsod was read to the SP in a Privileged Speech by Councilor Pilar C. Braga on Tuesday July 5, 2011 at about 4pm.  It seemed to be well-received and a couple of councilors made oblique references to it later in the Session.

It also appeared in full text entitled Open letter of concern to the Davao City Council on the Matina Pangi June 28, 2011 flashfloods in the Mindanao Times on pages 11 and 38.  It was likely published in other media as well.

"A confluence of factors" was the Mindanao Times editorial for Wednesday June 11, (copy attached)  Patrick Guasa a licensed environment planner was quoted as saying "that surely the flash flood was not a freak incident as many would claim.  It was, in his words, 'the result of the failure to harness and harmonize the synergy of land form, natural phenomena and human activity' ."

For me, one of his hardest hitting and most interesting opinions was

The seemingly unrelated, inconsequential decisions that created the catastrophic flood along the Matina river last week requires decision makers in Davao City and specific bureaucrats in government line agencies to be level upon the table, plumb straight line straight, with corners squared, whose compass bears straight and true towards the long term gain and well-being of everyone in the communities within the Matina river watershed.  Which should include all areas of Davao City where land use has to harmonize the confluence of land form, natural phenomena and human activity.

An excellent summary of what has gone before and direction for the future. 

Do the DENR, MGB, City Engineers Office have a very limited number of vehicles with which to travel and spend time in a given area? 

I have also attached below some sharp pointed editorial cartoons and pictures from years past that have all pointed to what happened in the Matina area and what will happen also to Shrine Hill.  I don't know about you, but they make me extremely angry.

Stacey Baird

Davao City's Growing Quality of Life

Proposed Guest Editorial Submittal

Barangay Ma-a Federation of Homeowner Associations, Inc.

 

Davao City's Growing Quality of Life

A vast blue ocean gulf borders it . . . A river runs through it . . .  Farm lands and verdant jungle surround it.  The Philippines highest and most eye-catching climbable peak towers above it . .  Lands for open park and garden space remain available  . . . beautiful, green, tree-filled hills with magnificent views populate and refresh it . . . resorts, hotels, exotic trips and destinations abound and Davao is blessed by a blessed typhoon free climate.

 

Gulf Boat Trips and Island Hoping, Jungle Canopy Walks and Zip Line Thrill Rides, crocodile parks and zoo's, tropical bird farms are within easy driving distance and clean drinking water and electric power are available.  A modern airport serves passengers from around the world.  Great food of all kinds from the seas, farms and plantations are close by.

White collar, middle and upper class jobs grow by leaps and bounds in Call Centers, Computer Software Engineering, Hotel and Restaurant Management.  New, modern competitive shopping malls offer magnetic and amazing opportunities for employment and higher wages as well as wonderful shopping to local and tourist buyers.

More than twenty colleges and universities educate its citizens and provide technological medical and other expertise to local industry and the world.

More than 50 local and international news papers, television and radio stations tell residents about the world and the world about Davao.

Peaceful Davao is a safe-haven for its residents and tourists alike.

Davao can only grow.  How it grows depends upon it's pride in the future, individual voter watchfulness, local industry and the Political Will and courage of our local government to promote the general welfare through responsible development and professional city planning that does not bow to limited special interests groups. We think there has been a good start.

 

We hope we won't have to say to business, residents and future tourists, "Sorry, Davao is closed for flood drainage, dengue and landslide.  Come back tomorrow."

 

BMFHOA

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Davao Banana Plantation Issue

H.E. BENIGNO SIMEON C. AQUINO III

President

Republic of the Philippines

New Executive Building

Malacañang Palace Compound J. P. Laurel St,

San Miguel, Manila                                        

 

ATTENTION: HON. PACQUITO OCHOA, JR.

Executive Secretary

Office of the President

 

  SEC. RAMON PAJE, CESO1

  Department of Environment and Natural Resources

 

Re: REPEAL EXECUTIVE ORDER  807! – Lifting Limits to Hectarage on

Banana Plantation Expansions

 

Dear Mr. President,

 

Mabuhay!

 

We, the undersigned representatives from environmental NGOs, POs, LGUs, sectors and concerned individuals in Davao region, are writing to you in reference to EO 807 issued by your predecessor, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo last 08 June 2009. EO 807 lifted the limit of hectarage for export banana plantations allowing these to expand without any restriction. The  said EO amended the Letter of Instruction (LOI) 790  issued by former President Ferdinand Marcos in January 6, 1979 which mandated that agricultural areas planted to export banana crops should only be limited to 26,250 hectares.

 

After careful study and discussion conducted with legal consultants, we found out that EO 807 clearly violates the Rule set by the 1987 Constitution. To recall, the Letters of Instruction which were issued by virtue of the Martial Law powers of the late President Ferdinand are considered as legislation. Thus, it cannot be repealed by a mere Executive Order under the 1987 Constitution. It must also be pointed out that during President Arroyo's administration; she had no legislative power to amend the LOI because that power belongs to the Philippine Congress which has already been operative since the time of the ratification of the 1987 Constitution.

 

Furthermore, an Executive Order under the 1987 Constitution is not a law;  the President was not given the power to deal with how lands of the public domain are to be utilized, except perhaps when the President may enter into agreements with foreign-owned corporations involving either technical or financial assistance for large-scale exploration, development and utilization of minerals, petroleum and other mineral oils according to the general terms and conditions provided by law, which is in sec. 2, Article XII of the 1987 Constitution. The matter of determining how natural resources, which necessarily include lands, will be explored, developed and utilized rests with the State, and not with the President.

 

We recognize the fact that, at present, agricultural areas being planted with export bananas exceed the limit set by LOI 58. However, we cannot just sit down and allow banana plantations to continuously plague watersheds and areas planted for local food production. EO 807 repealing LOI 58 is tantamount to further opening up the lands of the public domain for banana plantations.

 

Consequently, we firmly believe that there is an urgent need for the national government to act on this. We urge for the repeal of EO 807 due to its unconstitutionality. We further call for setting the limit on export banana plantation expansion in the country and prioritize development of areas for local food production to ensure food security for the majority of the Filipinos.

 

We do hope for your positive response on this matter.

For inquiries, please contact Lia Jasmin M. Esquillo of Interface Development Interventions (IDIS) at 082 299 4552.

SIGNATORIES:

Lia Jasmin M. Esquillo            Interface Development Interventions (IDIS)

263 Circle A, Ecoland Phase 1, Davao City

 

Dominador Lopez                   Watershed Management Coordinating Council (WMCC)

Community Relations Office, DCWD Building

Lanang, Davao City

 

Dagohoy Magaway                 Mamamayan Ayaw sa Aerial Spray

c/o 263 Circle A, Ecoland Phase 1, Davao City

Job Opportunity in the Philippines - Legal and Policy Advisor

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is looking for a Legal & Policy Advisor to support its Investment Climate Program.

 

Those qualified and interested in applying should submit their:

 

1.      CV (no more than 5 pages) that addresses the qualifications indicated in the attached TOR and contains the following information: 

        •   complete name and current contact info (e-mail address, telephone and mobile numbers);

        •   related formal education and special training;

        •   work experience;

        •   specific skills and know-how that will be useful in this job; and

        •   at least three references (professional).

2.   One-page Expression of Interest (EOI) indicating why s/he is suitable for the job.

Please send by courier or mail your EOI and CV (Subject: EOI-Legal & Policy Advisor) before 5pm Monday, 30 May 2011 to the IFC, 11th Floor, Ayala Tower, Ayala Triangle, Makati City or fax it at fax no. 848-7339 (we will not consider EOIs sent via e-mail).

All applications will be treated in strict confidence. Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Short-listed candidates will be required to write a test and come for an interview.

We thank you in advance for your interest and look forward to receiving your EOI & CV on or before the specified deadline.

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Eco-farming, Organic Agriculture Solution to Hunger and Poverty

Save climate and double food production with eco-farming

Eco-farming could double food production in entire regions within 10 years while mitigating climate change, according to a new UN report released in Geneva.

An urgent transformation to "eco-farming" is the only way to end hunger and face the challenges of climate change and rural poverty, said Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, following the presentation of his annual report focusing on agro-ecology and the right to food to the UN Human Rights Council.

"Agro-ecology mimics nature, not industrial processes. It replaces the external inputs like fertiliser with knowledge of how a combination of plants, trees and animals can enhance productivity of the land," De Schutter told IPS, stressing that, "Yields went up 214 percent in 44 projects in 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa using agro-ecological farming techniques over a period of 3 to 10 years... far more than any GM [genetically modified] crop has ever done." Other recent scientific assessments have shown that small farmers in 57 countries using agro-ecological techniques obtained average yield increases of 80 percent. Africans' average increases were 116 percent.

"Today's scientific evidence demonstrates that agro-ecological methods outperform the use of chemical fertilisers in boosting food production in regions where the hungry live," De Schutter said.

Agro-ecology applies ecological science to the design of agricultural systems. It enhances soil productivity and protects crops against pests by relying on the natural elements.

Eco-farming doesn't require expensive inputs of fossil-fuel-based pesticides, fertilisers, machinery or hybrid seeds. It is ideally suited for poor smallholder farmers and herders who are the bulk of the one billion hungry people in the world. Efforts by governments and major donors such as the $400 million Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to subsidise fertilizer and hybrid seeds will produce quick boosts in yields but are not sustainable in the long term, De Schutter said.

Malawi is touted as an AGRA success story by funders such as the Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation who have massively subsidised fertilizer and created a corresponding improvement in food production. However, the country simply cannot afford to continue those subsidies and is shifting its strategy to agro-ecology. "The [Malawi] government now subsidises farmers to plant nitrogen-fixing trees in their fields to ensure sustained growth in maize production," he said.

De Shutter says AGRA is looking for quick results and is getting them. He has found it difficult to overcome AGRA proponents' suspicions about the effectiveness of agro-ecology, despite the mounting evidence. "I expect countries to express scepticism towards these solutions because they are not in accord with the dominant paradigm," De Schutter said.

The dominant view of agriculture is the industrial approach - of maximising efficiency and yield. However, that system is utterly dependent on cheap fossil fuels and never having to be held accountable for environmental degradation and other impacts. One the most under-acknowledged but astonishing impacts is on the global climate. "It is fair to say that between 45 and 50 percent of all human emissions of global warming gases come from the current form of food production," De Shutter says.

Climate-damaging emissions from industrial agriculture are more than just carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels. They include massive amounts of the super-heating greenhouse gases like methane from animals and nitrous oxide from chemical fertiliser. Add in deforestation - which is mostly done to increase farmland or plantations - and that's around a third of all emissions. Now, add on the emissions from food processing and the long distance transport of foods around the world and it comes close to half of all human emissions.

The food system doesn't have to be a major source of emissions, the problem is just the way we have designed it around cheap fossil fuel energy, he said. Eco-farming can produce more food for the world's poorest people, while also resulting in a fraction of the emissions. It can even store carbon in the soil.

"The evidence is irrefutable. If we can change the way we farm and the way we produce and distribute food, then we have a powerful solution for combating the climate crisis," said Henk Hobbelink, coordinator of GRAIN, an international non-governmental organisation that produced a report in 2009 showing that industrial agriculture was by far the biggest source of climate-disrupting emissions of greenhouse gases.

"There are no technical hurdles to achieving these results, it is only a matter of political will," Hobbelink told IPS. Trade, economic and agricultural policies are all skewed in favour of the current industrial food production system. And many of those policies are pushing small farmers - the ones who are by far the most efficient in terms of carbon emissions and energy use, according to GRAIN - off the land.

De Shutter says the techniques and benefits of agro-ecology are now well established, so his role is to push governments to change policies and support the transformation of food production. His report offers policy-relevant recommendations for countries, such as increasing public funding for research and training.

"Private companies will not invest time and money in practices that cannot be rewarded by patents and which don't open markets for chemical products or improved seeds," De Shutter said. "If we don't radically transform the direction of the global food system, we will never feed the billion who are hungry," De Shutter warns. "Nor will we be able to feed ourselves in the future."

Filipinos concerned about nuclear emergency in Japan

Filipinos concerned about nuclear emergency in Japan:

Revival of Bataan nuke plant should be junked

Following reports that the nuclear plant in Japan around 250
kilometers northeast of Tokyo had explosions and vented smoke to the
environment, Philippine activist groups under the No to BNPP Revival!
network reminded the Aquino administration of the dangers of reviving
the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) here in the Philippines.

The two affected nuclear plants are in the Fukushima plant owned by
the Tokyo Power Electric Company. Although the nuclear plants went
onto automatic shutdown, problems after the event such as the failure
of cooling systems caused the nuclear emergency. People have been
evacuated around a 10-km radius of the plant. The reactor was already
leaking radiation eight times the normal levels outside the facility
and 1,000 times normal inside Fukushima 1's control room.

"Japan should issue a full disclosure of the status of their nuclear
plants and immediately implent protocols to contain the potential
meltdown. The affected communities should be protected and nearby
countries such as the Philippines should also ready in case the
emissions affect our surroundings," said Dr. Giovanni Tapang, convenor
of the No to the BNPP Revival!

Dr. Tapang said that this unfolding precedent in Japan should serve as
an ample warning to the Philippine government to not rush headlong
into the BNPP's revival.

"Issues concerning the safety, viability and environmental risks
associated with the Bataan nuclear plant are still unresolved and yet
the Department of Energy and the National Power Corporation seem to be
hell bent on pushing through with plans to privatize the operations of
the BNPP," explained Dr. Tapang.

Similar problems such as falling barrels containing radioactive
material thus releasing it to the environment were also observed in
previous accidents such as the 2007 Kashiwarazaki-Kariwa accident
caused by a 6.6 Mw earthquake near Niigata, Japan. There were
radiation leaks in the sea and 400 drums ng low-level nuclear waste
fell down during the earthquake. Fourty of these barrels opened and
emitted traces of radioactive Cobalt 60 and chromium 51 in the
environment. The Kashiwarazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant was one of the
largest plant in the world.

"There are chances of having a similar accident if the government
operates the BNPP. The Philippines is vulnerable to earthquakes, being
near the Manila Trench and is sitting on the slopes of Mount Natib",
added Dr. Tapang.

"Things also become problematic if the operations of a facility like
the BNPP will be handed over to a private foreign firm like the Korean
Electric Company (KEPCO) which had conducted feasibility tests on the
plant," said Dr. Tapang. Other firms from Russia, Japan and South
Korea were reportedly interested in operating the BNPP.

"The reopening of the BNPP is just one of the plans of the Aquino
administration that is no different from his predecessor. It would not
benefit the Filipino people and instead expose us to unncessary risks
to its recommissioning," Dr. Tapang added.

"What should be done is to reverse the privatization of the power
industry and build safe and reliable sources of electricity. The
country has vast indigenous energy resources from fossil fuels to
alternative energy that we can use if only the government stops
selling these to private investors," said Dr. Tapang

Program Officer Job Hiring in the Philippines

The Local Governance Support Program for Local Economic Development (LGSP-LED) is seeking applications for a LED Initiatives Coordinator/Program Officer to be based in the LGSP-LED Office in Manila. The Terms of Reference (TORs) detailing the background, scope of work, roles and responsibilities and qualifications is provided.

LGSP-LED is a collaborative, eight-year Program of the Governments of Canada and Philippines, funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and implemented through the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). Its purpose is to reduce poverty by strengthening local governance and supporting sustainable local economic development (LED).

Interested applicants must submit the following:

1. Letter of Intent addressed to the Field Director, Local Governance Support Program for Local Economic Development
2. Comprehensive CV, not to exceed 4 pages detailing the following:

a. Name and citizenship
b. Education and pertinent dates and degrees received
c. Language(s) spoken, read and written, and degree of proficiency in each category
d. Length of service with current employer, position and status (permanent, temporary, contract employee, associate, etc.)
e. Pertinent experience: A summary of the skills and experience that would be valuable and applicable to this project
f. A history of employment and assignments (in reverse chronological order)
g. List of publications/presentations, if applicable
h. Membership in associations

Please send applications via email to careers@lgsp-led.ph not later than April 29, 2011. Only short-listed applicants will be called for interview.

We encourage you to share this information with your colleagues and partners who might be interested and are qualified to apply for this position.

LGSP-LED is an equal opportunity employer. Women are encouraged to apply.

Bury Marcos in Batac, Ilocos where he is truly loved

A people is only as strong as their memory. A country without memory has no history.

We are a peace-loving, forgiving, "maawain" people. Ferdinand E. Marcos is forgiven, although as far as we shall ever know, he died mute and unrepentant. But his legacy is not forgotten – the hypocrisy and violence of his "New Society," the rapine by his cronies and sycophants, his hidden loot, his deception with his fake medals and phony guerrilla unit; the repression, corruption, and injustice; the ruin of our country's economy; the military abuse, torture and "salvaging"; all these throughout his Martial Law dictatorship. To the very present, we suffer from that bitter legacy.

I say this without sarcasm or irony: "Bury Marcos in Batac where he is truly loved."

As for the Congress of 2011 and those 262 so-called people's representatives, let them look to a time ago when a crowd screamed at Pilate for him to release Barabbas to them, and Pilate acquiesced, had a Man crucified, and then washed his hands.

My earnest prayer for those 262 amnesiac Congress(woe)men: May they not follow after Anatole France's "Procurator of Judaea" who lost his memory of ever having met the Man he had crucified because, listening to a vociferous mob of fanatics, opportunists, and bootlickers, he was afraid of losing his power and influence with the Roman emperor.

Gemino H. Abad
University Professor emeritus
Department of English & Comparative Literature, UP Diliman