Lito Atienza's Blog
UNITING THE LIBERAL PARTY
Leave a Comment
The bigger problem for the Liberals
FROM A DISTANCE By Carmen N. Pedrosa (The Philippine Star)
While all eyes are on who should be the presidential candidate of the Liberal Party — Noynoy or Mar — a deeper and more serious problem is being overlooked. An internal strife, unless it is solved amicably, is poised to destroy whatever is left of the party.
At present, the party is ruled by an executive committee led by Messrs. Jovito Salonga, Mar Roxas and Franklin Drilon. In a power struggle in 2005, this self-proclaimed ruling faction expelled rank and file members led by Secretary Lito Atienza by throwing out of the window all the rules that govern the party. In essence the dispute was about the decision-making process, not whether the Liberal Party should support the Arroyo government as it has been made out to be.
Members of the Atienza faction are fighting for democratic procedures based on party rules but this has fallen on deaf ears. The acts by the troika are described as dictatorial, fascist and whimsical.
The rank and file has rightly questioned how a party that cannot follow its own rules, discriminates against its members, and acts autocratically can run on a platform of liberalism and democracy. “The Liberal Party in the Philippines today as conceived by this ruling faction is anything but liberal,” adds the non-pedigreed lower ranks. That is the internal mess that has to be solved. It must confront the issue of electing its officers democratically. Otherwise how can it be trusted with democratic government?
The problem has come up again in relief because of the issue on how the party’s standard bearer is to be chosen. The Atienza side wants it done through a national convention with all its members. The Salonga-Drilon-Roxas side would limit the selection through a committee or a few members.
The thorn in the flesh is Secretary Lito Atienza who has been with the Liberal Party since he was 12 years old. Both his father and uncle were original founders of the party. He has insisted throughout the rift that he and his followers who make up the majority will fight the betrayal of liberal principles. He feels especially aggrieved because there was a time when he and Eva Kalaw were the only ones carrying the LP banner during the perilous days of martial law.
In a telephone interview, Atienza former Liberal Party chairman, told this column that he had not received any call from Salonga so he is not sure that his call for a convention (made through media) was sincere.
If it were sincere, members should have been called before any announcement of a convention. The members should be asked to do two things: have a proper election to end the leadership row that began in 2005 and then consolidate the entire membership, be it the rank and file or its leaders, into a strong party to compete in the 2010 presidential elections. Short of these two conditions, the internal fight can only grow bitter.
Atienza’s group counts on 90% of some 2,500 leaders all over the country. They want the leadership issue settled once and for all.
When that it is clear then LP members can nominate its presidential candidate. That would be the liberal and democratic way.
* * *
lito atienza
Tags: DENR, environment, Liberal Party, Lito Atienza, manila, mayor, Mayor Lito Atienza, Philippine Politics, politics, Secretary, Secretary Lito Atienza
END LIBERAL PARTY ROW, ATIENZA TELLS LEADERS
Leave a Comment
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Lito Atienza led thousands of elected national and local officials of the Liberal Party (LP) from all over the country in celebrating the 62nd founding anniversary of the second oldest political party. The majority of the LP which is headed by Secretary Atienza marked the event by passing a resolution for reconciliation based on truth, sincerity and loyalty to unite all Liberals.
LAST CHANCE TO UNITE THE LIBERAL PARTY
Written by Fel Maragay, Manila Standatrd Today
A few months before the start of the 2010 election campaign, Senator Mar Roxas’ bid to be the Liberal Party’s presidential candidate is being threatened by the emergence of Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III as a possible alternative. At the same time, Roxas’ hold on the LP as its national president is being challenged by a renegade faction, led by Environment Secretary and former Manila City Mayor Lito Atienza.
Aquino is being urged by some LP leaders to run for president or vice president, on the strength of the belief that he is destined to lead the party to electoral victory as the political heir of his revered parents, the late Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and President Corazon Aquino.
A former LP president, Atienza has dared Roxas and former Senate President Frank Drilon, party chairman, to call a national convention to elect the party officers and to choose the standard- bearer for the coming polls.
Whether Aquino would run for higher office is highly uncertain because he is reluctant to expose himself and his sisters to problems and anxiety so soon after their mother’s demise. He knows that Roxas has invested so much time, money and energy to pursue his presidential ambition. Can he still catch up with other aspirants whose preparation for the electoral battle took years and is already in an advanced stage? Can Noynoy raise the billions of pesos needed to mount a credible campaign? But most important of all, is there a genuine clamor among the populace for him to join the presidential or vice presidential race?
Despite the fuss about Aquino’s potentials for a greater political role, it looks far-fetched at this point that Roxas would be dislodged as the LP standard-bearer.
The greater and real problem that confronts Roxas is the demand of the Atienza faction for a national convention to settle, once and for all, the leadership conflict and to bring about the elusive unity in the party. However, Roxas and Drilon have refused to entertain Atienza’s call on the ground that the latter has already been expelled from the LP for alleged acts inimical to the party. They accused him of allowing himself to be used by the Arroyo administration to destroy the party.
Atienza asserts that the holding of a national convention was ordered by the Commission on Elections and the judiciary after the court battle for control of the party was won by the Roxas-Drilon wing. But when the LP held an assembly in November 2007 at Club Filipino, Greenhills, San Juan City to elect the party officers, the Atienza wing was excluded by the Roxas-Drilon group. The reason given was that the Atienza faction tried to wrest control of the leadership of the party by earlier holding a “rump session” at the Manila Hotel in which Atienza and then Presidential Chief-of-Stafff Michael Defensor were elected president and chairman, respectively.
Atienza insists he remains a loyal Liberal Party member and belied Drilon’s claim that he has defected to the Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino of former President Joseph Estrada. “I am still a Liberal and I will continue to be Liberal until we are able to resolve our problem within the party because it is a fact that some leaders of the Liberal Party continue to defy the LP Constitution.”
Responding to accusations that he is a trouble-maker and intruder, Atienza averred: “Do not insult me and say I have a thick hide. Open the elections. Call the Liberals. Let us have a national convention and if you [Roxas] wins, you will be the official LP candidate for president.”
The Roxas-Drilon group might have acted within its right in its handling of the party’s internal strife. Their feud with the Atienza faction was deemed irreconcilable. It was sparked by the Hello Garci scandal in 2005 when the Roxas-Drilon group decided to break away from the Arroyo administration. The Atienza wing, for its part, opted to continue supporting the administration.
Atienza revived the call for resolving the feud and uniting the party at a time when the nation is girding for the 2010 elections. The situation now is entirely different and the fact is there is an urgency for party unity if only to boost the winning chances of its candidates. And since this is election season, the tendency of politicians is to assert their discretion, especially on the issue of which presidential candidate to back. In this period of political realignments, certain administration politicians will have no qualms in turning their back on Malacañang because what is at stake is their political survival.
Instead of rejecting outright the Atienza proposition, perhaps the Roxas-Drilon group should look at it positively and analyze whether it is worth considering. Perhaps they are wary about the proposed national convention because they may be walking into a trap. But assuming that they would grant Atienza’s request, what will they lose? Maybe they even stand to gain a lot of things but lose nothing.
Drilon says that Roxas remains the undisputed presidential bet of the Liberal Party and he enjoys the solid support of the party. This journalist finds no reason to doubt his claim. Even Aquino professes that he fully supports Roxas as the party standard-bearer.
If a new election for party officers is held and Atienza runs against Roxas for the party presidency, whoever will win is less important than the objective of unifying and solidifying the party. The truth of the matter is that Roxas should now free himself from the heavy responsibilities as party president because he has to concentrate on his campaign as a presidential candidate in 2010. The same is true of Drilon who can relinquish the party chairmanship to another stalwart so that he will have more time for his senatorial campaign.
As a pillar of the Liberal Party and as a man of honor, Atienza can be relied upon to keep his word that he would respect the will of party members. And if their will is to field Roxas in the presidential race, Atienza has pledged to support him.
The Liberal Party leaders should learn from past mistakes of politicians who, in their obsession for power, indiscriminately eliminated partymates whom they saw as a threat to their ambitions. They should remember the sad fate of the late Vice President Salvador Laurel who gained control over the Nacionalista Party by expelling his rivals for the presidential nomination—Senator Juan Ponce Enrile and Ambassador Danding Cojuangco— in his desire to dominate the party.
Consequently, Laurel was abandoned by key party leaders and the once mighty NP was reduced to a paper tiger. He ended up as the tail-ender in the seven-cornered presidential race in l992.
Of course, the re-entry of the Atienza faction into the party will not be without complications. We know that Atienza is staging a political comeback and seeking to retake the mayorship of Manila. His party organization in the premier city is very much intact. The Roxas-Drilon faction appears to be committed to support the reelection of Mayor Alfredo Lim. Undoubtedly, the possible return of the Atienza faction to the folds of LP will work wonders in strengthening the party. An aide of Atienza claims that his group constitutes about 60 percent of the Liberal Party’s strength nationwide. But admittedly, his readmission will also bring a king-size headache.
Already, Atienza’s appeal for party unity has struck a responsive chord from some party leaders. Senator Francis Pangilinan, former LP chairman, shares Atienza’s desire to reconcile the warring party factions. And like Atienza, Pangilinan believes that Noynoy Aquino should take a lead role in the unity effort He urged all reform-minded party leaders to pursue the dialog for unity.
END LIBERAL PARTY ROW, ATIENZA TELLS LEADERS
Written by Jonathan Mayuga / Business Mirror Correspondent
ENVIRONMENT Secretary Lito Atienza on Monday urged the ruling members of the Liberal Party (LP) to call a national convention and election of officers that will put an end to the leadership row that has plagued the country’s oldest political party for several years now.
“If we keep on calling each other names or badmouthing each other, nothing will happen to the party. A disunited LP cannot win in the 2010 election. I challenge them to open the process. Call a party convention and election. This way, we can unite and strengthen the Liberal Party once more. That way, we can increase our chances of winning in the coming elections,” Atienza, the former LP chairman, said.
He said Sen. Mar Roxas II, the incumbent LP president, can never excite the people with his presidential bid if he cannot even unite the party.
He also questioned Roxas’s declaration of running for president, saying the leadership row and the controversy that hounded his election as LP president remain big questions on his leadership.
“Why not call a convention and election. Why not let LP members nominate a presidential candidate?” he said.
Atienza is pushing for the candidacy for president of the son of former President Corazaon Aquino and Benigno Aquino Jr., Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, saying the lawmaker has the potential of leading the LP and eventually winning in the 2010 presidential election.
“They are depriving Noynoy the chance of leading the party,” Atienza said, recalling that it was the same fate suffered by Ninoy when he was deprived of the party leadership by the Salonga-led Liberal Party way back during the Marcos dictatorship.
Atienza said he has no interest running for a national position in the meantime, but he wants to unite the party by offering a hand of reconciliation to his nemesis to settle the leadership row. He said it is up to party members to nominate and elect the new set of officers, and former senator Franklin Drilon and Roxas, who claim to have the support of the LP members, have nothing to fear of losing to any candidate who may be nominated in the process.
He narrated that when Ninoy decided to return to the Philippines, he wanted to unite and strengthen the party to challenge Marcos. “Apparently, it did not happen because he was killed at the tarmac,” Atienza said.
He insisted that Noynoy is a potential party leader, but the Drilon-Roxas clique is allegedly depriving the son of the former President of the chance to take the party leadership. “Who will believe in a presidential candidate who cannot even unite party members?” Atienza asked, referring to Roxas.
Atienza challenged Roxas to open the process by calling for a party convention that will pave the way for an election of a new set of officers. He also said LP members should decide who will be the party’s presidential candidate.
According to Atienza, 90 percent of the estimated 2,500 LP members all over the country want to end the leadership dispute, and it is only through an election participated in by party members that it can be done.
The former mayor of Manila chided Roxas and Drilon for expelling him and four other top leaders of the party on the night of the election in 2007, where Roxas and Drilon were elected president and chairman, respectively.
He also insisted that the Supreme Court (SC) ruling clearly asked the leaders to settle the leadership row through an election. “How can that be when they expelled us on the night of the election? It is not even an election but a coronation and selection,” he said.
Atienza expressed dismay that his nemesis in the LP had called him names, reacting to an interview on radio where Roxas called him walang- hiya (shameless) for trying to grab attention during the 26th anniversary commemoration of the assassination of former senator Benigno Aquino Jr. on August 21.
A paid political advertisement of the Kabataang Liberal ng Pilipinas (Kalpi) declared that they are recognizing Atienza as the LP leader.
“That is not fair,” Atienza said.
Atienza, who was expelled along with Mike Defensor, a one-time Cabinet member and political spokesman of President Arroyo, on the night of the LP election, insists their expulsion from the LP is illegal. Atienza appealed the case and it is now pending in the Supreme Court.
Atienza warned that winning the 2010 elections, whoever is the standard bearer, is impossible unless the LP is united. On the other hand, he said whoever will be chosen as presidential candidate by a united LP has a better chance of winning against any party, including the merger of Lakas-Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino.
ATIENZA URGES PRO-LIFE LEADERS TO BE ACTIVE IN PROTECTING NATURAL RESOURCES
Leave a Comment
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza (upper photo) calls on leaders advocating for the sanctity of life to get actively involved in the protection of the country’s natural resources which are now facing threats from man’s profligate use. Atienza made the call during the National ECFL-CBCP Directors and Coordinators Consultative Meeting at the Cebu Midtown Hotel in Cebu City. Around 200 pro-life leaders from Visayas and Mindanao attended the gathering, which has for its theme, “Together as one, we stand up and fight for the family and life.”
As President of Pro-Life Philippines, I am calling on leaders advocating for the sanctity of life to get actively involved in the protection of the country’s natural resources that are now facing threats from man’s profligate use.
As pro-life leaders whose advocacy is the preservation of the life of the unborn child, I urge each of you to secure for the children of this generation and the coming generations a world rich in natural resources that we have been blessed with.
Even the unborn child in a mother’s womb faces environmental threats such as pollution and severe degradation that imperil his or her survival on earth. Again, I am calling on pro-life leaders to protect the country’s environment and natural resources as being pro-life is synonymous to being pro-environment.
The deterioration of values among today’s generation that is manifested by apathy to the conservation of the environment and to the annihilation of life in the mother’s womb. The situation presents both a disturbing yet very challenging task not only among government leaders but also to civic leaders in reorienting the youth on the value of life and of the environment through appropriate communication strategies.
Our youth, by their lack of understanding and guidance and pressure from outside influences, are getting astray from the very values we Filipinos have long nurtured. Our duty, as their leaders, is to provide them with the necessary guidance to win them back by strengthening our advocacy in promoting a culture of life in this country.
In light of the coming national and local elections, I am reiterating the need to elect qualified leaders who have passed the test of experience, competence, and one who staunchly promotes the values of family life and adheres to the rule of law in the country’s governance.
Any leader who thinks that population is a problem to our economic progress is definitely out of his mind. Good governance, sustainable use of natural resources, and equal distribution of opportunities are the key elements to the country’s genuine progress and not population control.
From where I am sitting now as DENR secretary, I could see an abundance of natural wealth that could sustain a healthy growth for the country. It is just being abused by the powerful and the greedy. Let us collectively put a stop to this by properly selecting our leaders.
Tags: DENR, environment, Lito Atienza, manila, mayor, Mayor Lito Atienza, Philippine Politics, politics, PRO-LIFE, Secretary, Secretary Lito Atienza
THE PHILIPPINES: ON THE PATH TO BEING A MINING COUNTRY by Joy Grate
1 Comment
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza (left photo) expresses optimism that the country’s mining industry will weather the current global financial crisis during the Asia Mining Congress 2009 held in Singapore. In a keynote address, Atienza told leading mining leaders and investors that the industry’s “fundamentals are sound like high geological prospectivity supported by a globally comparable mining law that promotes responsible mining and the commitment to improve the overall investment competitiveness.” (Photos by Rubelyn Alcantara – Intercom UK Ltd.).
The prospects of a mining boom next year and to becoming a mining country in 2010 continues to gain ground in the Philippines with the mining industry sustaining its robust output even as more projects are scheduled to either go on stream or expand production in the next months.
DENR-Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) data showed that Philippine metallic production value posted a strong 56% growth during the first quarter of the year, from P11.13 billion to P17.38 billion the same period last year. The country’s metal output has been on the uptrend since 2002 due to the demand-driven rise in world metal prices.
Five nickel mines, four gold mines, three chromite mines, a copper mine, a nickel plant, and numerous small-scale gold mining operations round up the current production loop, with gold producers getting the lion’s share of the sales with 63%, followed by nickel concentrate with 19%, copper with 9% and nickel direct shipping ore with 8%. Nickel production is expected to further boost this year and next with the expansion of two of the currently operating priority projects, the HPP Palawan Nickel Project and Berong Nickel Project.
With the continuous uptrend in production, the DENR is optimistic on achieving a projected 8.6% mining exports share to total exports by 2010—a figure that would elevate the Philippines to a “mining country.” Based on 2002 World Bank study, a country can be called a “mining country” if its mining industry contributes at least 6% to the total exports.
Projections were based on the production and exports data of currently producing mines and the schedule set by the 23 priority minerals development projects. Sales forecast this year was pegged at US$1.36 billion, and is seen to increase next year to US$1.454 when a mining boom is seen to take place. Mineral production value is projected to increase sharply to US$5.34 billion by the time all of the 23 priority projects shall have already been on stream in 2010.
The Revitalization of the Minerals Industry Program, which is anchored on the principles of sustainable development, was launched in 2003 in line with the President Arroyo’s policy shift from tolerance to promotion of responsible mining. The policy shift considered the potential of mining as a catalyst to economic growth and development, and helping poverty reduction particularly in the countryside.
23 priority projects
In line with the revitalization program, 23 mining projects in the most advance stage were included in the list of priority development projects. The government projects to generate US$6.7 billion in mining investments from its 23 priority projects alone by 2010.
Of the 23 priority projects, six are producing or expanding, two are in the construction and development stage, 10 are either undergoing feasibility studies or finalizing financial options, three are under exploration, and three are for bidding.
The producing mines are the Palawan HPP Project in Palawan, the Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic Project in Albay, the Canatuan Gold Project in Zamboanga del Norte, the Teresa Gold Project and the Tomas Copper Project both in Benguet, and the Berong Nickel Project in Palawan.
Projects under construction and development are the ACT Nickel Project and the Didipio Copper Project in Nueva Vizcaya.
Undergoing feasibility studies or finalizing financial options are Masbate Gold, Carmen Copper, King-King Copper-Gold, Far Southeast Copper, Itogon Gold, Tampakan Copper, Colet Copper, Siana Gold, Nonoc Nickel, and Akle Cement projects.
Under exploration are Boyongan Copper Project, Mindoro Nickel Project and the Hallmark Nickel Project.
For bidding are the Diwalwal Copper Project, Amacan Copper Project and the Batong Buhay Copper-Gold Project.
Mining boom
The mining industry is facing a major takeoff this year and is seen to boom next year as five of the world’s major mining players are now in the country doing exploration and mining development.
These companies include Xstrata Plc., Anglo American Ltd, Phelps Dodge, Chemical Vapor Metal Refining (CVMR) and BHP Billiton.
Xstrata had bought 62.5% of the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project in South Cotabato, while Anglo American Ltd has just expanded its exploration program to include the Bayugo Gold Prospect of Manila Mining Corp., a property adjacent to its existing Boyungan exploration area. Phelps Dodge, on the other hand, is actively doing grassroots exploration in various parts of the country. CVMR’s is set to conduct exploration after its permit to explore nickel deposits has recently been approved. The company is also looking at the feasibility of putting up a nickel refinery in the country. BHP Billiton, in a joint venture with Filipino mining companies, is currently exploring a large area of nickeliferrous laterite deposit in Davao Oriental that might lead to the establishment of nickel processing plant.
Other foreign companies that expressed interest in the Philippines are: Oceana Gold Ltd; Citic Group of China; JOGMEC of Japan; Medusa Mining Ltd; CGA Resources; Royalco Resources; Anvil Resources; Jinchuan of China; Jilin of China; Ivanhoe; and CVRD.
Since the implementation of the revitalization program in 2003, a total of US$694 million in investments and around 6,500 jobs have been generated from the 23 mining projects. The DENR is taking the lead in implementing the revitalization program for the minerals industry, one of the priority economic agenda of the administration of President Arroyo.
The Philippines, being situated along that well-defined belt of volcanoes called the circum-Pacific rim of fire that extends from the tip of South America to North America, East Asia and Oceana. This belt is also an extensive and continuous zone where tectonic plates collide. More importantly, these processes of volcanism and plate convergence, as geologists claim, resulted in the formation of abundant and important metallic mineral deposits of gold, copper, iron, chromite, nickel, cobalt, and platinum. The areas defining this belt are the primary producers of copper and gold in the world today.
It is not surprising therefore that, in a per square inch proportion, our country may rank as one of the most mineral-endowed in the world.
LIBERATION OF LAGUNA LAKE FROM ILLEGAL STRUCTURES SOUGHT
Leave a Comment
MANILA BULLETIN:AUGUST 14, 2009
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza called for the liberation of Laguna Lake, on which some 18,000 fisherfolk depend for their livelihood, from illegal aquaculture structures.
“Liberating Laguna de Bay from the clutches of these fishpens becomes more compelling in light of the continuing mandamus imposed by the Dec. 18, 2008, decision of the Supreme Court directing all concerned government agencies, especially the DENR, to rehabilitate the Manila Bay,” Atienza said.
In a meeting at the DENR in Quezon City, the secretary reiterated the need for acceleration of the demolition of fishpens being conducted by the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), an attached agency of the DENR, which he described as “very slow.”
“Almost 50 percent of the lake’s 90,000-hectare surface area is now choked by fishpens and the law states that only 10 percent of the area can be set aside for fishpens and fishcages, he said.
The meeting was called by Atienza to find solutions to pressing problems confronting the lake and promote the welfare of small fishermen. Many people living in the area depend on the lake for food. Fish like milkfish or bangus, tilapia, carp, Thai catfish or hito, ayungin, and biya are grown in the lake.
The proliferation of illegal structures, however, has contributed to the degradation of the lake. There is also the problem of pollution from land-based activities. About 77 percent of the pollution load of Laguna de Bay reportedly comes from households, 11 percent from industries, and 12 percent from land run-off.
Aside from man-made problems, the Laguna Lake ecosystem is also affected by the introduction of invasive exotic species that compete with native species for food and space. The Thai catfish has displaced the native catfish and the golden apple snail has displaced the native snail.
Atienza to seek a freeze on processing of tax declaration of Boracay properties
1 Comment
As Environment and Natural Resources Secretary, I will seek for a total freeze on the acceptance and processing of new applications for tax declaration covering properties in Boracay Island.
We will be coordinating with the municipal assessor of Malay, Aklan to stop accepting and processing new applications for tax declaration because this is the main source of unjustified land claims in the Island.
At the same time, we announced that this week will be the start of the cadastral survey for the whole island. The cadastral survey is one step we have taken so that we can have establishing points for what we have been trying to resolve in Boracay.
Meeting the stakeholders for the second time, I encouraged the group comprised mostly of investors to come up with suggestions on how to best address the various issues facing the world-renowned island resort which is experiencing continuing environmental degradation due to unregulated development.
For the stakeholders, I am ready to listen to you if you have any suggestions before we even formulate the guidelines. Because the moment we have already finalized the guidelines, then the full letter of the law should be implemented.
Relative to this, I asked Dr. Orlando Sacay, former president of the Boracay Foundation, Inc., to designate their representatives to the committee that will be created to thresh out the issues and solutions. I also announced the designation of DENR Undersecretary Demetrio Ignacio and DENR Assistant Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna as the new chair and vice-chair of the said committee.
While the DENR was tasked to implement the law, I told the investors that I would not be too drastic as to “affect your investments too much.” On the other hand, I stressed that there are minimum steps that must also be taken to substantially comply with the intentions of the law and the decision of the Supreme Court.
During my recent stay in Boracay, I also noted the on-going construction of various structures in the island. As we talk here, I still see construction going on in the forested areas. This is what I mean by continuing violation, continuing degradation, in total violation of what the SC has already declared. For this, I sought the help of the stakeholders to stop all these constructions because they will not be included in the solutions we are looking for, if they insist on violating the law.
We are trying to be reasonable but we will not allow the continuing violation of what has already been defined by the Supreme Court. I also warned the investors that unless they are able to correct what has already been practiced, they will lose everything they have invested. If we lose Boracay due to abuse and degradation,then the main reason would be the anarchy in the building of structures which should not have been built at all.
Present during the meeting include officers and representatives from various local organizations, such as the Boracay Foundation, Inc., Boracay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Land Owners’ Association, and other hotel and resort owners.
ATIENZA ASSURES INDIGENOUS PEOPLES EQUAL BENEFITS FROM THE COUNTRY’S NATURAL WEALTH
Leave a Comment
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Lito Atienza (center, holding a shovel) leads the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a P40-million building that will house the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples on a 5,000 sq.meter-lot owned by DENR located along East Avenue in Quezon City. Joining Atienza is Oversight Committee on Indigenous Peoples Secretary Silvestre Bello (standing, left to Atienza), NCIP chairman Eugenio A. Insigne (extreme left, holding shovel) and other NCIP officials.
I assured the indigenous peoples (IPs) that they will enjoy equal benefits from the country’s natural resources to ensure their economic development.
It is the intention of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that the IPs should be given priority in reforestation activities in the uplands, where they will be allowed not only to plant trees but also reap the benefits from what they have planted.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources will shoulder the construction of a P40-million building for the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), also to be called “IP Center”, on a 5,000 square meter-lot owned by DENR in front of the Heart Center along East Avenue in Quezon City.
In a message during the celebration of the World’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day held at SEAMEO INNOTECH in Diliman, Quezon City,I stated that the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA), which ensures the protection of the IPs’ rights, are now being implemented and enforced by the DENR.
Whether it be lands, forest and minerals, the intention of the law is to give the IPs priority rights over all these natural resources because our country cannot attain a complete progress unless the IPs also attain economic progress.
The distribution of an additional 1.5 million hectares of ancestral lands is now underway, bringing the total number of distributed IP lands to 3.5 million hectares during our administration .
The government’s massive reforestation program is awarding reforestation contracts to upland dwellers and IPs instead of foreign and big time contractors in an effort to provide assistance to IPs.
In the same way that the DENR is helping the IPs, he is also seeking help from them in protecting the environment.
ATIENZA TO CALL FOR A WORKSHOP TO SET NATIONAL TREE CUTTING POLICY
Leave a Comment
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza (right) urges representatives of different environmental advocacy groups that participated in the consultation meeting on urban greening held at the DENR in Quezon City to work closely with local government units in finding a “common ground” for environmental protection activities, such as tree planting. Among others, Atienza suggested the designation of permanent greenbelt areas, in accordance with the land use plans of concerned LGUs, where trees can be planted for protection purposes, and without fear of being cut to give way to development projects. The meeting, attended by some 15 environmental advocacy groups, was called by Atienza to thresh out measures on how to best address environmental concerns like tree cutting and tree balling in major development projects like road widening and other infrastructure projects.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will call for a workshop to set the national policy on tree cutting vis-à-vis development projects which are of national interest.
The conduct of the workshop was agreed upon during a stakeholders’ forum held at the Department’s social hall in Quezon City, where several options and situations where tree cutting and earth balling of trees will be allowed were presented to the participants.
We have to work together. And this is exactly what the forum is all about. Let us work together to save the trees, wherever they are, and at the same time set a policy that is practical enough, realistically enough.
Around 15 organizations were invited to the forum following our recent move temporarily requiring project developers to earth-ball, instead of cutting, trees that will be affected by their development activities while the mechanics of when and where tree cutting activities should be allowed are being threshed out among concerned stakeholders.
The tree-balling policy he had earlier taken should be seen within the context of the importance of trees have in mitigating the effects of global warming, particularly on archipelagic countries while having to “squarely address” the overriding need to balance national progress and environmental protection.
We cannot stop development, but on the other hand, we have to save trees. This calls for finding a common ground where science and passion for our common advocacy can complement each other for national interest.
Forestry experts have advised me that earth-balling trees do not always result in sound environmental practice as it may sometimes give a negative net loss in terms of carbon sequestration in that more carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, is released from earth-balling, making planting of tree saplings (1 to 3 year-old “juvenile” trees) as a more viable alternative.
So automatically then, my reaction is kung gagalawin niyo ang mga puno (if you must remove trees), don’t cut them. Ball them and transfer them to some other place, while admitting that a national policy on tree cutting vis-à-vis project developments has to be laid down especially in cases where national interests are involved such as the construction of major road arteries, dams and power plants, to name a few.
I specifically asked our Forestry Director Marlo Mendoza to develop a keen observation and study precisely how the black forest in Germany and other forested areas and how they handle situations where tree planting becomes a key component of a development project.
Mendoza presented to the body the agency’s recommendation on the parameters on how to best determine when earth-balling and tree cutting are the most viable option to take in project developments in ways that address both the imperatives of climate change and the development.
Among the participants were representatives from various non-government organizations such as the Save Our Trees, Mother Earth Philippines. Concerned Citizens Against Pollution, Haribon, Foundation for Philippine Environment, Bantay Kalikasan., Energy Development Corp., Transco, Josep Server, Manila North Tollways, National Power Corp., Department of Public Works and Highways, MetroManila Development Authority, and University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City and in Los Banos in Laguna.
Policy reforms on tree cutting, earth-balling underway
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is currently working on new guidelines on cutting and earth-balling of trees amid public clamor to ban tree cutting in light of the global problem on earth warming and climate change.
Our technical men in the forestry sector are now studying technical, social, economic as well as environment-related issues involving tree-cutting and we hope to present whatever policy reforms they would come up with in a multi-sectoral consultation soon.
In a stakeholders’ meeting regarding new policy directions on the processing and issuance of environmental permits, that the DENR is banning on an interim basis the issuance of tree cutting permits. In lieu of this, the department will be issuing earth-balling permits to allow for the transplantation of trees affected by development projects elsewhere.
It was agreed upon during the meeting that developers must reorient their project designs in such a way that existing trees are preserved.
Forester Marlo Mendoza, director of DENR’s Forest Management Bureau, said his agency will be proposing several technical considerations as to when tree cutting will be allowed and not allowed, and when earth-balling shall be required.
Among these proposals, Mendoza indicated that trees with historical significance like the Tandang Sora tree in Quezon City “must be avoided during any development projects” and that trees under threat of extinction from Philippine forest be given extra care when transferring them to their new site.
Mendoza will also be recommending that trees for earth-balling should have a maximum size of 25 centimeters in diameter planted within public roads, plazas, school premises, and open grounds in private lands.
For trees that are classified as “threatened” but are cleared for earth-balling, Mendoza said the FMB will be issuing guidelines on earth-balling procedure, that must be undertaken “regardless of size.”
Some of the more recognized Philippine trees being protected by the DENR from extinction include apitong, kamagong, kalantas, malabayabas, molave, narra, and red lauan.
Trees classified as “threatened” by the DENR are listed Department Administrative Order 2007-01, pursuant to Republic Act 9147 or the “Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act,” including 41 others that are considered to be “critically endangered” or those that are in “extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future.”
Mendoza added that the bureau will also be including in the new guidelines the strict observance on the display or installation of placards and signboards notifying the public about the earth balling and transplanting activities in both places and that the trees should be planted immediately in an area identified by the DENR and a maintenance period of six months, during which constant watering and regular pruning are needed to ensure the survival and health of the trees.
DENR SECRETARY LITO ATIENZA:FOLLOWING THE RULE OF LAW
1 Comment
THE RULE OF LAW BY FEL MARAGAY: MANILA STANDARD TODAY AUGUST 3, 2009
Some members of the Arroyo Cabinet are appearing in expensive television infomercials primarily to sell themselves to the public as potential candidates for president or senator. To be frank about it, the messages that they put across to the televiewers about the services and projects of their respective departments or agencies are just a pretense for the political purpose of the 30-seconder advertisement.
But I have yet to see the most seasoned politician in the Cabinet, Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, appearing in any of these informercials. Some Malacañang watchers say Atienza does not need those TV ads because he is taking another crack at the mayoral post of Manila where he has a 100-percent awareness rating. But he is a well-known figure all over the country that his inclusion in the senatorial slate of the administration cannot be ruled out. What if President Arroyo asks him to run for senator? Some media commentators even think he should set his sights at the presidency.
Whenever people ask Atienza what elective office he is going to seek, he gives no straight answer since the deadline for the filing of certificate of candidacy is still on Nov. 30. He believes that if you declare that you are running for a certain position before you file your certificate of candidacy, you are already transgressing the law. “To me you are already violating the law. You are violating the Constitution because it is very clear that we must not prematurely campaign,” he told members of the Philippine Constitution Association at the Manila Hotel on July 21.
Atienza, who served as Manila mayor for three consecutive terms, relates the story of a mayor of Honolulu by the name of Jeremy Harris who was very popular he was able to beat his opponent by a landslide. But when Harris was sworn in as mayor, he declared, perhaps in the euphoria of the occasion, that he was running for governor of Hawaii in the next elections. A constituent sued him for making that seemingly innocuous statement and as a consequence, he was not only booted out as mayor but was also disqualified from running for governor. The environment czar says that is the kind of enforcement of laws that our country needs if we really want order and sanity reigning in the government.
He stresses that the rule of law, the respect for the Constitution, is the basic anchor that should prevail if our country is to move forward, maintain political stability and wisely use its bountiful natural and manpower resources for economic advancement. When Edsa 2 broke out in January 200l after all members of the prosecution panel in the impeachment case against then President Joseph Estrada walked out, the Manila mayor refused to join the “mob” to the consternation of his own relatives, close friends and some Catholic clergymen who were prodding him to defect to the other side. “You cannot be removing presidents by street action and another people power. And with that decision, I stood pat and I stayed on, rallied our people in the city to defend the Constitution.”
This was the same guidepost he followed in coming to the defense of the Arroyo administration against all destabilization moves and coup plots by her political foes and renegade soldiers, The rule of law is also the underlying reason why Atienza is not budging an inch in pursuing the move to get the oil depots of the Big Three industry players out of Pandacan.
It is the basic right of the citizens to have a clean and safe environment. The continued presence of these oil storage facilities in the very heart of the capital city of the republic tramples upon this right. At any given day, the depots contain 300 million liters of oil, aviation gas, liquefied petroleum gas and other petroleum products which are among the most volatile substances on earth.
There is no more city in the world, whether in Asia or Europe, that still harbors oil depots in its midst. It is only in Manila that its residents are exposed to this extreme danger to their lives and properties. Experts warn that if these oil depots explode as an offshoot of a terrorist attack or an accident, it could cause damage over areas within a 14-kilometer radius, which is practically the whole of Metro Manila.
In March, the Supreme Court upheld with finality the legality of a ordinance, passed during Atienza’s term as Manila mayor, mandating the transfer of the oil depots to a site far away from the metropolis. But within two weeks after the high court’s ruling, the present city administration railroaded the promulgation of the infamous Ordinance 8187 that changed the classification of the present site of the facilities and other similar areas. This had the effect of overturning the ordinance for the dismantling and relocating these facilities.
But Atienza, along with environmental activists, is confident that the unwanted ordinance will eventually be invalidated by the high tribunal for the simple reason that the judiciary will not tolerate an act that makes a mockery of the law and compromises public safety and welfare.
GMANews.TV Interview with DENR Secretary Lito Atienza on President Cory Aquino
Leave a Comment
Vodpod videos no longer available.
http://www.gmanews.tv/video/45791/Interview-with-DENR-Secretary-Lito-Atienza-on-Cory-Aquino
Tags: Cory Aquino, DENR, environment, Lito Atienza, manila, mayor, Mayor Lito Atienza, Secretary, Secretary Lito Atienza
Lito Atienza's Blog 