Sizzling summer

The extremely hot temperature compels us to contemplate urgent responses to the effects of climate change. The Philippines is one of the 10 countries at extreme risk, as the Climate Change Vulnerability Index conducted by Maplecroft has shown. Cebu ranks 8th among the top 20 provinces in the country susceptible to landslides.

It is unfortunate that notwithstanding alarming and visible signs, and the undeniably strong legal framework for sustainable development under the 1987 Constitution, Local Government Code and the National Framework for Climate Change, the response of national and local governments is snail-paced, with a few exceptions.

In Cebu City, one of the few remaining greenbelt zones which happened to be owned by the Province of Cebu is intended to be another “development” project. It is supposed to bring “livelihood to the people,” as Apas barangay head Ramil Ayuman said. Never mind if there is a law, RA. 10121, which requires the strengthening of ecosystems and people to cope with climate change.

The project is another point of contention between the present mayor and his predecessor who now thankfully shows an inclination to protect one of the remaining verdant areas in the city.

Unlike the residents in Baguio City who are openly opposed to the cutting and balling of trees by SM for conversion of the place into a parking area, people in the city seem to be watching at the sidelines, extra careful not to be drawn into the political fracas.

How long can we pretend that we are not affected by developments in the Banilad area? Can we just easily let go of hundreds of trees in this tree-starved metropolis? In Oposa vs. Factoran (1993), the Supreme Court held that the right to a balanced and healthful ecology is a fundamental legal right that carries with it the correlative duty to refrain from impairing the environment. Cutting or even balling hundreds of old trees does impair the environment, and puts us in harm’s way, considering our extreme vulnerability to climate change.

While the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has been reported to have returned the environmental compliance certificate application of the proponent because of some changes, the agency is advised to comply with sections 26 (public consultation) and 27 (Sanggunian resolution)  of the Local Government Code. The case of Province of Rizal vs. Executive Secretary (2005) clearly requires observance of the aforementioned prerequisites of the Code.

Will we not learn from the lessons of unplanned and unsustainable projects in Metro Manila, now an “urban heat island,” according to a study conducted by Nivagine Nievares, a weather specialist at the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa)? “Her study found that the surface of a city, the materials and shapes of its structures affect the distribution of heat. She noted that building materials like asphalt and concrete absorb and trap heat from the sun.” (Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 24, 2012)

A comprehensive land use plan (CLUP) for Cebu City is being updated, hopefully in a participatory process where sustainability principles and disaster risk reduction and management strategies are integrated. Can we not have a moratorium on projects until the CLUP has been duly approved?

I was in Metro Manila on the day the temperature soared to 35.4 degrees Celsius. The heat was too much for people my age. I took the opportunity to remind cab drivers to always have litters of water as baon. Others did not realize that heat stroke can be fatal. Last Friday, temperature reading in Metro Manila climbed to 36.4 degrees Celsius. Pag-asa has advised the people to be ready for a sizzling summer and a possible 37 degrees Celsius on Labor Day.

The news of fisherfolk and a policeman who succumbed to heat stroke should serve as a wake-up call for us not to be complacent about heat-related ailments. Anyone is a possible victim. Especially susceptible are the elderly, children, athletes and those most exposed to the heat of the sun.

Not only people, but biodiversity is also affected by the warm temperature. The fewer number of whale sharks or “butanding” in Donsol, Sorsogon was attributed to the hot weather, plus the human factor. More people can be a source of stress to the butandings.

“Our initial findings seem to indicate that the whale sharks are staying in deep water, possibly to avoid the heat,” World Wildlife Fund whale shark expert Dave David was quoted in a statement.

“Donsol now has far more visitors than it can handle. Coupled with the fact that sightings are decreasing, more and more interaction violations are being reported,” WWF Donsol project manager Raul Burce said. Quoting tourist Anton Lim, WWF said some swimmers were touching the sharks, and bancas were racing  to where a shark is spotted.” (PDI, April 28, 2012)

How do you call what is happening in Oslob where feeding of tuki is allowed? Is this not a form of “maltreatment” of a migratory species?

The decline in the numbers of sightings is also happening at Tanon Strait Protected Seascape. Recently, the interns of Philippine Earth Justice Center, Inc. joined the annual survey conducted by our favorite expert, Dr. Lemnuel Aragones in Bais. While the students were all excited to see many dolphins, they said that Doc Lem was sad as each year the numbers of cetaceans significantly dwindled. A lot of factors contribute to this depressing development but essentially boil down to human’s not-so-admirable habits. Plastic wastes are everywhere, commercial fishing vessels operate in municipal waters, dynamite fishing is rampant and of course, the still weak implementation of our laws.

Thankfully, there are pockets of best practices in sustainability and resiliency of local communities in Cebu that we can learn from. A roundtable conference and sharing of initiatives will be done today at Rajah Hotel Park, co-organized by Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development – Cebu, with Partnership of Philippine Support Service Agencies (PHILSSA) – Center for Participatory Governance (CPAG) and other partners. Vice Mayor Al Arquillano of San Francisco, the 2011 UN Sasakawa Awardee for DRRM will speak on  “Sustainability Practices at the Municipal Level: the Camotes Local Government Model.” The occasion also serves as the soft launch of the book published by the Center for Environmental Concerns titled “State of the Philippine Environment 2012,” represented by Owen Fhem Migraso, executive director of Central Visayas Fisherfolk Development Center (FIDEC).