Press Releases

Paggamit ng mercury tatanggalin sa small-scale mining

Pumasok ang Pilipinas sa five-year project na layuning maiwasan ang paggamit ng highly toxic mercury sa artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM).

Ang proyektong ito ay pinondohan ng Global Environment Facility (GEF) kung saan ay magsisilbing implementing agency ang Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR), pakay nito na maging ligal ang pagsuporta sa ASGM at hinihikayat din ang mga minero na gumamit ng mga alternatibong pamalit sa mercury.

Ayon kay DENR Undersecretary Analiza Rebuelta Teh, ang GEF-Global Opportunities for Long-Term Development (GEF-GOLD) project ay isang paraan upang
matulungan ang mga small-scale miners na handang sumunod sa polisiya ng gobyerno at maging responsable sa pagmimina.

Aniya, layon din ng proyektong ito na matulungan ang Pilipinas upang makibahagi sa eliminasyon ng paggamit ng mercury sa ASGM sa pamamagitan ng “chain approach” na
“miners to refiners.”

“We hope that small-scale miners will see mercury-free gold mining as viable,” sabi pa ni Teh na nagsilbi ring focal point person ng GEF-Philippines.

Ang mercury na kilala rin sa tawag na “quicksilver” ay kadalasang ginagamit sa ASGM bilang “magnet” upang makuha ang ginto na nakahalo sa lupa at iba pang bagay.
Maaari itong makaapekto sa mga minero na “expose” sa metal dahil makaaapekto ito sa nervous, immune at digestive systems ng tao.

Bukod sa Pilipinas, ang GEF-GOLD project na may alokasyon na aabot sa halagang US$45 million ay iniimplementa rin sa Peru, Columbia, Guyana, Indonesia, Kenya, Burkina,
Faso at Mongolia.

Ang mga project sites sa Pilipinas ay matatagpuan sa Maco sa Compostela Valley, T’boli sa South Cotabato at Rosario sa Agusan del Sur.

Kabilang sa mga bahagi ng proyekto ay ang mga sumusunod: review of policies and legal frameworks supporting the ASGM sector; introduction of financing schemes allowing
miners to invest in sustainable mercury-free technologies; upscaling of these technologies; dissemination of information to ensure replication; and monitoring and evaluation.

Ayon sa Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) ng DENR, umaabot sa 38 ang small-scale mining sites sa Caraga region habang 78 naman ang nasa Cordillera Administrative
Region.

Ang small-scale mining ay protektado ng Republic Act 7076 o ang People’s Small-Scale Mining Act bukod pa dito ang Executive Order 79 na nag-aatas sa pagkakaroon ng
“minahang bayan”.

Sa kasalukuyan, umaabot sa 26 ang idineklarang minahang bayan sites. Bukod sa pag-promote ng mercury-free gold mining, isinusulong din ng GEF-GOLD
project na matutukan ang isyu sa ASGM kabilang na dito ang working conditions, child labor at gender gap.

Ang naturang proyekto ay isa ring istratehiya upang mapabilis ang pagratipika ng senado sa Minamata Convention on Mercury.

Hindi lamang sa ASGM makikita ang mercury dahil may presensiya din ito sa fuels, recycled metals, whitening cosmetics, batteries at dental fillers.

Kamakailan lamang nitong taon nang magsagawa ng assessment sa epekto ng mercury sa ating kapaligiran at labing-isang lugar ang lumalabas na kontaminado ng naturang
metal kabilang na dito ang Manila Bay. ###

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Cimatu: Coral discovery gives hope for Manila Bay revival

The discovery of live coral cover within the waters of Manila Bay buoyed hopes that the heavily polluted water body could still be restored to its pristine condition.

Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu, who heads the inter-agency Manila Bay Task Force, said recent findings that coral reefs are still thriving in many parts of the bay give government more reason to proceed with the rehabilitation.

“With the vibrant underwater life still teeming in several areas in Manila Bay, there is hope that we can still revive it to what it used to be,” Cimatu said.

The Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB), the research arm of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), recently conducted an inventory of the coral ecosystems within Manila Bay and found out that many of them are thriving despite environmental and human pressures.

ERDB supervising science research specialist Jose Isidro Michael Padin said majority of the coral cover is found in Corregidor and Caballo Islands in Cavite province.

“Nearly 72% of the estimated reef area is found in Cavite. The reef sites in Maragondon and few stations in Corregidor and Caballo Islands had fair to good live coral cover,” Padin said.

Padin, however, said these reefs are continually threatened by sedimentation, nutrient contamination, reduced water clarity, and high fishing pressure due to increased vulnerability harboring the bay.

According to Padin, runoff sediments and nutrients had been documented to cause coral mortality, but the reef areas remaining at the historic bay are located proximate “at its mouth.”

Based on the coastal resource map prepared by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority or NAMRIA, the Manila Bay’s coral cover spans 293.68 hectares, but this data does not yet include that of Mariveles in Bataan.

ERDB Director Sofio Quintana said that the bureau is conducting “ridge-to-reef” research on Manila Bay.

“We are seeking for a definite connection among risk factors. Right now, we are trying to gather more data on informal settler families, air and water quality, and habitat to make scientific studies relevant for future projects,” he said.

Quintana added that the ERDB is trying to come up with a unified framework for such projects which when consolidated properly, could make an inference on the status of the Manila Bay area.

“We also want to provide reference in the decision process of the policymaking bodies with the data backed-up by research. If there are existing policies, maybe we could harmonize and align researches to these policies,” the ERDB director said. ###

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Cimatu nakakita ng pag-asa sa Manila Bay revival Dahil sa natuklasan buhay na coral sa Cavite

Nakakita ng pag-asa si Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy A. Cimatu na muling mabubuhay ang Manila Bay matapos matuklasan ang mga buhay na coral sa ilalim ng tubig ng naturang baybayin.

Ayon kay Cimatu na namumuno sa inter-agency Manila Bay Task Force, base sa nagging resulta ng pag-aaral, natuklasang may mga coral reefs sa maraming bahagi ng Manila Bay kaya’t higit pang pursigido ang gobyerno para sa rehabilitasyon nito.

“With the vibrant underwater life still teeming in several areas in Manila Bay, there is hope that we can still revive it to what it used to be,” anang Cimatu.

Kamakailan ay nagsagawa ng inbentaryo ang Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB) ng DENR at natuklasan na buhay ang coral ecosystems sa Manila Bay kahit na matindiang environmental at human pressures dito.

Ayon kay ERDB supervising science research specialist Jose Isidro Michael Padin, karamihan sa mga nadiskubreng corals ay matatagpuan sa Corregidor at Caballo Islands sa probinsiya ng Cavite.

“Nearly 72% of the estimated reef area is found in Cavite. The reef sites in Maragondon and few stations in Corregidor and Caballo Islands had fair to good live coral cover,” sabi pa niPadin.

Aniya, ang mga coral na ito ay patuloy na naaapektuhan ng “sedimentation”, “nutrient contamination”, pagbaba ng kalidad ng tubig at pangingisda.

Base sa coastal resource map ng National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), ang coral cover ng Manila Bay ay umaabotsa293.68 hectares, hindi pa kasama ditto ang lugar ng Mariveles, Bataan.

Sinabi naman ni ERDB Director Sofio Quintana, ang kanilang tanggapan ay nagsasagawa ng “ridge-to-reef” research sa Manila Bay.

“We are seeking for a definite connection among risk factors. Right now, we are trying to gather more data on informal settler families, air and water quality, and habitat to make scientific studies relevant for future projects,” sabi pa nito.

Idinagdag pa ni Quintana, ang ERDB ay patuloy na gumagawa ng “unified framework” para sa naturang proyekto upang maging madaliang ginagawang pag-aaral sa kalagayan ng Manila Bay area.

 

“We also want to provide reference in the decision process of the policymaking bodies with the data backed-up by research. If there are existing policies, maybe we could harmonize and align researches to these policies,” sabi pa ERDB director. ###

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DENR at CFC nagkaisa para sa pagtatanim ng 1 milyong puno

Makikipagtulungan sa Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) ang Philippine-based Catholic movement na Couples for Christ (CFC) sa inisyatibong
pagtatanim ng isang milyong puno alinsunod sa Expanded National Greening Program (ENGP) ng gobyerno.

Ayon kay DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu, mahalaga ang pakikipagtulungan ng iba’t-ibang non-government organizations tulad ng CFC sa pagkamit sa mga layunin ng
ENGP.

“We are glad that an organization such as the CFC, a church-based organization, is helping us in our goal to protect the environment by taking part in the ENGP,” sa pa ni
Cimatu. 

Ang DENR-CFC partnership ay naging pormal matapos ang paglagda sa memorandum ng agreement ni Cimatu at ni CFC President Michael Ariola. Pumirma din sa
kasunduan bilang mga saksi sina DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs Jonas Leones at CFV social development programs head Mon de Leon.
Ang CFC ay isang “global lay organization” na layuning palakasin ang Christian family life”. Nagsimula ang organisasyong ito sa bansa noong 1981 at kinilala ng Catholic
Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) noong 1996.

Nakasaad sa MOA na tungkulin ng CFC na magbigay ng kontribusyon para sa national reforestation sa pamamagitan ng pagtatanim at pangangalaga ng isang milyong
“forest tree seedlings” mula 2019 hanggang 2021.

Tungkulin naman ng DENR na magbigay ng technical assistance sa CFC sa pamamagitan ng pagtukoy sa “forestlands” kung saan itatanim ang mga seedlings.
Magsasagawa din ang kagawaran ng survey, planning at mapping upang malaman kung anong uri ng puno ang itatanim sa isang lugar.

Ang bawat partido ay magtatalaga ng “focal person” na magtutuwang sa mga aktibidad at pakikipag-usap sa mga respresentante ng mga organisasyon na mangangalaga sa
mga itatanim na puno sa matutukoy na lugar.

Ang ENGP ay continuation ng National Greening Program at nilagdaan bilang Executive Order 193 noong 2015. Saklaw nito ang mga tinatawag na “unproductive, denuded
at degraded” forestlands mula sa taong 2016 hanggang 2028.

Layunin ng “flagship reforestation program” ng gobyenro na maiangat ang kabuhayan ng mamamayan, magkaroon ng seguridad sa pagkain, mapagaan ang problema sa climate
change at ang pagkakaroon ng konserbasyon sa biodiversity. ###

 

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DENR, CFC unite to plant 1 million trees

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is partnering with the Philippine-based Catholic movement Couples for Christ (CFC) on an initiative to plant one million trees under the government’s Expanded National Greening Program (ENGP).

Tapping different non-government organizations from various sectors like the CFC is “vital” to achieving the goals of ENGP, according to DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu.

“We are glad that an organization such as the CFC, a church-based organization, is helping us in our goal to protect the environment by taking part in the ENGP,” Cimatu said.

The DENR-CFC partnership was formalized through a memorandum of agreement signed by Cimatu and CFC-Philippines president Michael Ariola. DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs Jonas Leones and CFC social development programs head Mon De Leon also signed the agreement as witnesses.

CFC is a global lay organization intended for strengthening the Christian family life. The organization started in the country in 1981, and was approved by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines as a national private association of lay faithful in 1996.

Under the MOA, the CFC has committed to contribute to the national reforestation effort by planting one million forest tree seedlings from 2019 to 2021, and maintaining and protecting the planted seedlings during that period.

The DENR, on the other hand, is tasked to give technical assistance to CFC in terms of identifying the forestlands where the seedlings will be planted, conduct survey, planning and mapping, and identify the suitable tree species that should be planted in the areas concerned.

Each party would provide a focal person for the coordination of the activities and for talking with the representatives of the people’s organization who would take care of the planted trees in specified areas.

The ENGP is the continuation of the previous National Greening Program, and was signed under the Executive Order 193 in 2015. It covers all the remaining unproductive, denuded and degraded forestlands which will span from 2016 to 2028.

The government’s flagship reforestation program aims to “pursue sustainable development for poverty alleviation, food security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and biodiversity conservation.” 

 

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