Strengthening public participation mechanisms
Our planet is sick and we know it. Our lifestyle choices, business practices and government policies have ravaged Earth’s natural resources and exhausted its capacity for self-regeneration. Our productive land we mindlessly turn into dumpsites. We gleefully welcome second-hand electronic goods, which will create more waste disposal challenges as they have hazardous substances.
EcoWaste Coalition recently cautioned government agencies against breaking television sets used for the illegal video karera games. Thony Dizon, coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect said that “While it seems to make a good photo op for government and police authorities, the crushing, dumping or burning of TVs and other gambling paraphernalia is extremely injurious to human health and the environment and sends the wrong message about the management of unwanted electronics.”
There is still much that needs to be done for stakeholders to create the sustainable future that we all deserve to have. We need to engage in dialogue and craft actions to mainstream sustainability and disaster risk reduction and management as lifestyle choices. We do not even have to start from scratch. It is imperative to implement the constitutional and statutory mechanisms for genuine participatory governance.
Last Monday, July 23, the cutting of a century old tree reported on page 1 of Cebu Daily News, sent shock waves to the Cebuanos, including Jack Jakosalem and his family. Their grandfather, then Cebu governor Dionisio Jakosalem, had the acacia trees planted in 1915 to provide shade to the area and to the travelers. It took this disastrous project to make us aware of the historical and cultural significance of the trees, but we know that the majestic trees that line that part of the southern highway. We agree that the trees are “one of the last remaining natural heritage that we have”, to quote the understandably distraught.
A request to cut down “nine defective trees” and “remove 16 other healthy century-old acacia trees along the south Cebu highway by earthballing, in connection with a road widening project, is pending with the environment secretary. But people were not even made aware of this plan. They have every right to be consulted as it is a project which causes resources depletion, aggravates the effects of climate change and make us more vulnerable to disasters.
Despite the lack of a permit, a tree was cut. The local government unit claimed it did not know who did it. But why is the LGU so meek when it is responsible for ensuring a healthful and balanced ecology, especially as it hosts polluting industries?
The Deparment of Public Works and Highways, as project proponent with Congressman Eddie Gullas, as sponsor, is clearly accountable as it failed to fulfill the requirements set by the Local Government Code: The adoption of an inter-agency protocol to guide stakeholders and the steps that national agencies will undertake, fully respecting the right of the people to participate in decision-making, where the requisites of public consultation and adoption of a Sangguniang resolution for projects impacting the environment are met, to avoid surprises and citizen’s suit.
We raised this matter with DPWH Regional Director Ador Canlas some weeks back and have reiterated the same in the letter sent last week to the national government agencies and local government units by Philippine Earth Justice Center, Inc.
Compounding the lack of coordination problem is the seeming lack of accountability of congressional representatives on projects that they pursue, despite the lack of the required local council development approval and consultation with stakeholders. This practice is a glaring violation of the Local Government Code where the Department of Interior and Local Government and local executives would just prefer to look the other way, at the expense of our environment and quality of life.
Local development councils are among the mechanisms for public participation and coordinated programs and projects where a congressman/congresswoman or their representative is mandated to sit as a member. The Code provides that “Each local government unit shall have a comprehensive multisectoral development plan to be initiated by its development council and approved by its sanggunian. For this purpose, the development council at the provincial city, municipal, or barangay level, shall assist the corresponding sanggunian in setting the direction of economic and social development, and coordinating development efforts within its territorial jurisdiction.”
The LDC is tasked to formulate long-term, medium-term, and annual socioeconomic development plans and policies and medium-term and annual public investment programs, appraise and prioritize socioeconomic development programs and projects and coordinate, monitor, and evaluate the implementation of development programs and projects.
Another mechanism for public participation which has not been implemented, is the institutionalization of the Local Sectoral Representation (LSR) in the local sanggunian. The troubled times we are facing affect mostly the vulnerable sectors: the women, workers, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples/indigenous cultural communities, the elderly, among others. Their voices in the sanggunian would make government more responsive to their needs.
We are grateful that the youth are supporting the LSR activation. The National Youth Commission adopted a resolution calling for its urgent implementation and provided copies to the national agencies concerned, including the Commission on Elections.
If we truly care for them, we will be united in ensuring that the LSR will be a reality in 2013.
May I share this meaningful quote attributed to US Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story, for us to dwell upon:
“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall, when the wise are banished from the public councils, because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded, because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.”
