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WED-Phils. WORLD PHILIPPINES Network |
UNITED NATIONS
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History of WED-Philippines Birth of WED-Phils Network It was barely a week before World Environment Day in the year 2000, and the UN Information Center central office in the Philippines was given by UNEP office in Singapore to distribute seed packets of the kenaf tree, which produces pulp for the manufacture of paper. The UNIC-Manila head of office, Luis Torres, explained to leaders of government and non-government environmental groups and agencies the history and purposes of WED and its theme for that year. The gathered green leaders were eager to join the commemoration in a big way, similar to the annual Earth Day celebrations they have been mounting together. But with barely a week before June 5, it was obvious that all they could do was what was asked of them right then and there: to distribute the kenaf seed packets for planting in as many areas as possible, with some explanations on WED and its theme for 2000: The Environment Millennium: Time to Act. But the gathering had another result: the leaders of various groups forged a consensus to build a WED network for fitting commemorations in the Philippines, with enough lead time for preparations. This was well received by the UN representative, who nominated a permanent representative of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to be co-chairperson for the government sector, and Ed Aurelio Reyes of SanibLakas Foundation to be co-chairperson for the non-government sector. The DENR representative then in attendance declared that his department could only appoint a permanent representative if an Executive Order would be released by Malacañang to this effect. The body decided that DENR personnel in attendance write an appropriate draft EO and work for its signing, leaving the co-chair position officially vacant for the time being, with the DENR rep sitting in acting capacity in meetings he could attend. The DENR then committed to host the WED celebration in 2001 (and this was repeated in 2002) at the Ninoy Aquino Ecological Park in Quezon City, which was being managed by its Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB). Being Built by Annual Assembly Resolutions Along the Way The WED-Philippines Network Steering Committee held a series of meetings over a span of three years, hosted by UNIC-Manila in its office, and hammered out a number of resolutions, including, among others, the following: A. Network Establishment Through Meetings At UNIC Office 1. Organizers and initial members of WED-Philippines adopted a 'WED Declaration' for propagation and signing by various participating entities, anchored at the core principles of deep ecology and comprehensive individual and collective commitments to environmental conservation. The meetings resolved that the network itself would be composed of the organizations represented, those who would be signatories to the WED Declaration, and those who would participate in any or all of the annual WED commemorations in official coordination with the WED network centers of coordination. Through these meetings the WED-Philippines etwork also adopted a perennial theme for WED commemorations in the country: "Green Families and Green Communities" to advance a sense of mission to synergize local environment movements that would build the Philippine environment movement from the grassroots well beyond the annual commemoration days. The adoption of this theme for promotion in the Philippines does negate, but actually supplements, the promotion of the international theme that changes from year to year. WED-Phils. also adopted an official logo that focused on family within the environment. The network convenor, Mr. Luis Torres of the UN Information Office proposed a structure with two equal co-chairs, one for the government sector and one for the non-government sector. However, the post of co-chair for government which was to be the official representative of the DENR, remained vacant for two years because the (WED team within the) department was unable cause the issuance of an Executive Order from Malacañang giving the official mandate for such position to be filled. The vacancy in the post was solved by the Cagayan de Oro Assembly in 2004. 2. For two successive years, WED-Philippines network organized and coordinated well-attended annual WED commemorations held at the Ninoy Aquino Ecological Center in Quezon City, courtesy of the DENR, through the efforts of the department’s unofficial representatives in the WED network.
However, the network was unable to start the implementation of this Covenant in any locality. A project to have Ilocano and Cebuano translations of this document from its original Tagalog failed to get off the ground. It was also after the success of WED-2002 commemoration at the Ninoy Aquino park that the network adopted a rotation scheme among cities in Lizon, the Visayas and Mindanao, for WED commemoration sites outside the National Capital Region, and making these cities national sites during their respective years of hosting. There was to be a rotation among cities within NCR. B. Continued Growth Through Annual Assemblies Held In Host Cities.
1. PUERTO PRINCESA ASSEMBLY, JUNE 2003 Though widely representative, the Puerto Princesa Assembly had only one representative each from certain regions or cluster of regions, did not have representation from the local non-government environment advocates. It was here that the sites for the next two annual commemorations were tentatively decided, as well as an effort to seek to establish as least one barangay-based Ugnayang Pamayanan committee per region represented in that Assembly. DENR Sec. Elisea Gozun addressed the main formal program. Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn gave her and the participants of the assembly a guided tour to the sites of the various environmental projects of the city. 2. CAGAYAN DE ORO ASSEMBLY, JUNE 2004 In its Annual Assembly held in Cagayan de Oro City, national site of WED-2002, the network decided to fill the position of co-chair for the government sector with a local government unit and its local chief executive, and elected Puerto Princesa City and its LCE, Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn as WED-Phils. co-chair for the government sector for a term of one year; decided to fill the position of co-chair for the non-government sector with a local environment movement/formation and its leader, and elected Task Force Macajalar and Atty. Manuel Ravanera as WED-Phils. co-chair for the non-government sector for a term of one year; and created the position of WED-Phil secretary-general and appointed Ed Aurelio Reyes (of SALIKA), founding co-chair for the non-government sector, to the non-representational post of WED Secretary-General with an indefinite term of office, until replaced by a WED-Phils Assembly or by the co-chair entities. Thus, the WED-Philippines finally solved the prolonged vacancy of the co-chair post for the government sector, which is more faithful to the mandate of earlier assemblies to focus on rooting the network deeply among the local environmental movements. The representational profile of network leadership (LGU and its LCE as co-chair for the government sector; local envitronmental organization and its head as co-chair for non-government sector) was thus establshed for the network. In attendance at the Cagayan de Oro Assembly was then-mayor-elect Braulio Yaranon who was scheduled to be sworn-in about three weeks thence as Mayor of the designated national site of the succeeding year, Baguio City. 3. BAGUIO ASSEMBLY OF JUNE 2005 The Baguio commemoration set a record of active participation of both the local government and local non-government sectors (the two earlier commemorations had only either of these). Mayor Yaranon issued an executive order forming a WED-2004 Commemoration Committee with wide composition including leaders of both sectors and designating an active point person for the affair. In the Annual Assembly, the City Government of Baguio and Mayor Braulio Yaranon were elected WED-Phils. co-chair for the government sector, and Mayknoll Ecological Sanctuary and Sister Ann Braudis were elected WED-Phils. co-chair for the non-government sector, both for a one-year term. The Assembly also decided that an off-commemoration Assembly of network members be held in Metro Manila. The Baguio Assembly also decided to build "Green Families and Green Communities" networks in all participating cities and municipalities among all its major environmental groups and barangay-based "Lupon ng Ugnayang Pamayanan." It also assigned the secretary-general to choose among cities in the Visayas as site of WED2006, and approved a new logo for the network that is much simpler than the older one (see above). 4. TAGBILARAN ASSEMBLY OF JUNE 2006 The WED-Phils. Annual Assembly in Tagbilaran on June 5, 2006, with 28 delegates representing 20 organizations, adopted six substantive resolutions: Resolution No. 1: Mandating the WED-Phils Secretary-General to make representations with the United Nations offices in Manila in order for the world body to be more actively involved in and supportive of the annual WED commemoration in the Philippines. Resolution No. 2: Mandating the WED-Phils Secretary-General to lead in preparing a project proposal or a set of project proposal for submission to pertinent UN bodies based in the Philippines whereby WED-Philippines would work to assist in monitoring and collation of data from various areas of the country preparatory to the half-way mark assessment of the 15-year coverage of UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the Philippines, and other related tesks. Such other tasks include a basic information drive within the WED-Philippines sphere of influence about the MDGs. Resolution No. 3: Mandating the appointment of a three-member committee, under the suervision of the WED-Phils Secretary-General, for the preparation of a presidential EO declaring June 5 every year for Philippine comemoration specifically of WED and mandating DENR and the LGUs to undertake appropriate activities in their respective areas that would involve as many people as possible in as many localities as possible. Resolution No. 4: Mandating the WED-Phils Secretary-General to stregthen the Secretariat, with the help of WED-Phils member-organizations, in order to undertake and achieve items a-f in the original list of proposed resolutions. Resolution No. 5: Formalizing the choice of lone nominee Davao City, on the basis of, among others, its own expressed desire (through City Councilor Leo Avila III), to be the next national site, and creating the WED-2007 Philippines National Site Commemoration Committee for the and naming as co-chairpersons the LGU and civil society leaders of Davao City. Resolution No. 6: Electing co-chair entities for WED-Phils. For a term of one year: Provincial Government of Bohol/Gov. Erico Aumentado; City Government of Tagbilaran/Mayor Dan Lim; Bohol Alliance Of Non-Government Organizations/its head; and PROCESS/its head, both civil society leaders to be identified later by the represented groups. The WED-Phils. Secretariat (Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General) completed the minutes of the Assembly for transmittal to all Assembly participants The Assembly participants were sent out invitations via their e-mail addresses to join the WED-Philippines network egroup. 5. DAVAO CITY ASSEMBLY OF JUNE 2007 The WED-Phils. Annual Assembly in Davao City on June 5, 2007, with 72 delegates attending for about 60 non-government and government organizations and agencies, adopted six substantive resolutions: Resolution No. 1: For the whole Network to monitor the progress of implementation of MDGs Resolution No. 2: For the whole Network tp campaign for Active Stakeholdership in Safe Food, Healthy Environment and Sustainable Economy Resolution No. 3: For the Network to seek formalization by forming the Green Families and Green Communities Network which will take over the function of WED-Philippines, and seek to integrate the sens of the three environment-oriented commemoration each year (Earth Day, WED & Creation Celebration Season) and produce info, education and communication materials for such integration. Resolution No. 4: Seek the involvement of more LGUs, and of the DILG
Prepared and Updated by: Ed Aurelio C. Reyes Secretary-General, WED-Philippines October 18, 2007
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