DUMAGUETE CITY – Environmentalists here have expressed hope that President Rodrigo Duterte will fulfill his promise to sanction local government officials who fail to do their jobs in protecting the environment.
“He already did that in Boracay, as an example,” said Apolinario “Pol” Cariño, managing director of Pederasyon sa Nagkahiusang Mag-uuma Nanalipud ug Nagpasig-uli sa Kinaiyahan (PENAGMANNAK), a 2006 United Nations Development Project (UNDP) Equator Iniative Awardee.
Cariño, who hails from Valencia, Negros Oriental, has long been deeply involved in biodiversity conservation, with bats as his specialized field.
He noted that President Duterte, in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, warned local officials who are amiss in their duty to protect the environment of being penalized.
“I wanna see a much more sustainable biodiversity conservation effort “nga dili maatiman ug pamulitika” (that politics cannot address), because in every environmental decision (there) is always a political decision,” Cariño said.
President Duterte, in his SONA, said: “I urge local government units to proactively enforce our laws, and not wait for us to swoop down on your areas just to do your duty and work.”
He mentioned that the six-month closure of the world-renowned Boracay Island was necessary to allow the island to recoup from its environmental woes as he blamed local officials for not implementing the law.
According to Cariño, the President’s decision to close down Boracay was good, but he lamented that the interest of developers was given priority over biodiversity issues and concerns.
“However, my experience with the LGU of Malay… before support was given to declare Yapak or Puka Beach as a Critical Habitat with the presence of endangered bats, “ila naman hinuang giaatiman pag ayo ang interest sa mga developers (they instead attended to the interests of the developers),” he pointed out.
“Mao ra man gud to ang setback sa Boracay ky wala nakapangandam ang gobyerno kung unsay impact sa mga workers nga nangayabhan ug mga kaldero (that was just the setback in Boracay because the government was not prepared for the impact it had on workers whose jobs were affected),” Cariño said.
According to him, he would like to have an ordinance declaring Yapak as a Critical Habitat because of the presence of vulnerable and endangered bat species.
“Flying foxes are endangered. The golden-crowned flying fox and the large flying fox are vulnerable (bat) species. Their habitat is at risk,” he said.
On sustainable biodiversity conservation, Cariño believes there should be a “sustainable mechanism”, whereby alternatives are offered to communities and the people who are involved in this area, and "who have not been given enough attention, especially by politicians."
He suggested that LGUs come up with legislative measures in support of the administrative order of Secretary Roy Cimatu of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on biodiversity conservation.
Communities that are in areas with rich biodiversity should also be empowered so that they would be able to co-exist with nature, he said.
Cariño said they have organized communities in Mantiquil, Siaton, the Twin Lakes in Balinsasayao in Sibulan, and Mt. Talinis in Valencia and boundary areas, for biodiversity conservation.
The environmentalist also emphasized the need for everyone to get involved in biodiversity conservation because this is not just the job of the President.
“Magmatngon na gyud tang tanan ky dili raman ni kang President Duterte, hangtud pa gyud ni sa sunod pang mga Presidente ug mga henerasyon nga Pilipinhon (we all must pay attention as this is not just President Duterte’s (job) but for the future presidents and generations of the Philippines),” he stressed.
Meanwhile, Daniel Ocampo, who works for an international non-government organization specializing on oceans conservation with a presence in the Philippines, said he was hoping President Duterte’s pronouncement in his SONA on Boracay was “not an empty promise to restore ecological integrity in our country.”
“We need genuine reforms in how we manage our natural resources, how we implement environmental and fisheries laws so we are now facing a crisis that will impact on the future of Filipinos,” he pointed out.
Saying that his thoughts are personal, Ocampo added: “Let us also stay vigilant and make sure that the programs implemented by this government are true reforms for the benefit of all Filipinos and not just a few.”
Both Cariño and Ocampo are consistently advocating for LGUs and local officials in Negros Oriental, among other areas where their advocacies are also present, to come up with stronger measures that give priority to the protection of the environment. (PNA)
