World-class but empty

When it comes to enacting statutes and signing international conventions to protect citizens and promote the integrity of our land, air and water, which we all depend on for our survival, our country can certainly be counted upon to do its part. Environmental laws that Congress crafted are not just good by any standard, they are world class and comprehensive.

Alas, they are stunning in their emptiness. There is almost nil enforcement and implementation by agencies and officials and sadly, pervasive tolerance of this (or is it apathy?) on the part of the citizens. Laws that are not enforced are like sovereign rights that are nothing if not asserted and claimed by us, the people.

It is mind-boggling why, for a country taking pride in being the only Christian nation in Asia, we have allowed the sad state of affairs to continue and inflict further havoc in millions of people’s lives and our environment. Have we lost our sense of compassion and care for our children and their children in ensuring a sustainable tomorrow for them?

Countless families of victims of natural calamities don’t realize that the shoddily-built infrastructures and the continuing destruction of our natural resources, in the mountains, seas and the mangrove areas, are not acts of God that claimed the lives of dear ones. They are acts of shameless callousness and mindless greed of project proponents and their cohorts in the public sector. It is abhorrent that the law’s implementation is discretionary, at the pleasure of the powers-that-be.

Why are mining permits granted in watershed areas?

Why are reclamation projects allowed to destroy the rich sea grass, corals and mangrove ecosystems, despite lack of scientific studies and public participation and our status as the most vulnerable country to disasters?

Why is it that in Cebu, only the municipality of San Francisco has effectively complied with the Solid Waste Management Law, 11 years after the law was enacted?

Why is it that the National Solid Waste Management Commission has been an utter failure in coming up with a list of Non-Environmentally Acceptable Products, when it was clearly required to do so by 2002, that is, within one year from the effectivity of R.A. 9003?

Why are local government units not taking serious responsibility in adopting a participatory action plan to attain the air quality standards, as mandated by the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999? No wonder, asthma and respiratory cases are rising. We are completely at the mercy of polluting industries and vehicles.

Why is the Clean Water Act of 2004 not respected by government agencies, including the Department of Public Works and Highways, the local government units, which are mandated to prepare a national program on sewerage and septage management which in no case exceed “a period of 12 months from the affectivity” of the law.

Why is it that our country, an ecological superpower in marine biodiversity, is now importing fish? Why are local officials not even made to explain why illegal fishing is still allowed in municipal waters?

Why is it that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has been issuing Environmental Compliance Certificates and allegedly monitoring projects without genuine public participation and transparency?

It is common knowledge that LGUs are not prioritizing the enforcement of anti-pollution laws and protecting our environment. It is bad enough that they are performing below standards; they are even allowed full discretion in undertaking ecological destructive activities despite the fact that LGUs are the agents of the State in maintaining a healthful and balanced ecology in their respective jurisdiction.

Why are  officials who are in gross dereliction of their duties not investigated and held accountable? The supervisor, the President and his alter ego, the Interior and Local Government secretary and the regional officials, are not even taking steps to investigate why environmental laws are not enforced by LGUs in their jurisdiction.

While the current DILG leadership is fostering transparency in public affairs, it still has to ingrain the system of accountable governance among LGUs. The DILG in Central Visayas has been and is still a most invisible agency in local environmental issues. Considering that it is tasked to ensure that the provinces and the highly urbanized cities are performing their functions in accordance with law, DILG, as a supervising entity, should not be contented in merely issuing and distributing circulars and rely on citizens to file cases against local officials. It should not wait for the President to order it to investigate and initiate the process to make culpable officials liable. The agency should bear in mind that we do not have a federal form of government. Its hands-off attitude has made LGUs act like little republics within the Republic.

In these trying times, we need public officials who are courageous, independent-minded, dedicated  and imbued with a deep sense of patriotism to uphold their mandates and comply with the Law. It is a must likewise for more citizens to unhesitatingly share their time and skills to have the government that we deserve. Nation-building requires a united and collaborative effort of stakeholders.

I wonder if humans can learn to be like the black ants that never cease to work for their colony’s well-being. Their seemingly tireless and collective determination to have the supplies that are their lifeline for survival is amazing and worth emulating. Compared to the Homo sapiens’ existence of around 200,000 years, they have been in this planet for 110 to 130 million years. They are almost everywhere, except in Antarctica and other unwelcoming places. Their success has been attributed to “their social organization and their ability to modify habitats, tap resources, and defend themselves.” Ant societies are said to “have division of labor, communication between individuals, and an ability to solve complex problems” (Wikipedia). Yes, ants are  like humans. But with a difference. The ants’ culture of stewardship for a functioning colony is most evident. It must be the formula for resilience.

If we are to respond effectively to the challenges of climate change, in this disaster-epicenter megadiversity country of ours, a mindset of stewardship for the basic elements of life has to be ingrained in each one, especially public officials. The call of the hour? Make the Law work, for a start.