Kamayan para sa Kalikasan

COMMEMORATIONS in the Philippines of two international environment-oriented festivals this year have been aligned with the forthcoming World Summit for Sustainable Development, to be held in Johannesburg City, 

Reinforcements: ‘New Mix’

Coop, Scout, LGU leaders to sign environment pact

PICTURE this: in many localities cooperatives, boy scout and girl scout units, even the PTAs, facilitated by a local government leader,  working  together  for  local environmental conservation and and sustainable development, based on a firm commitment to uphold certain basic principles. 

A pact for this new mix of team-players for the environment was proposed at the Kamayan Forum's 12the anniversary session held March 15.  Full Story

EDITORIAL             Citizen Groups' Worries Over WSSD

BOXED FEATURE:  Earth Day-2002 Activities

FOOTER QUOTE: "While civil society participants were not entirely happy with the process leading up to the WSSD, they were nevertheless making a strong effort  to participate.” -- Report on the Phnom Penh meeting by the India-based Centre for Science and Environment.

TEAMMATES:  Chairman ’Obet’ Pagdanganan of the Phil. Coop. Center, covenant project consultant, right, with proponent Ding Reyes of SanibLakas Foundation. 

[File Foto]

  EDITORIAL      

WORRYING is not our favorite pastime, but by the way things have been going with the various con­fer­ences held in various parts of the world, leading up to this September’s World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, govern­ments are taking it all in stride, as if admittedly just going through the motions of preparing to go through the motions of talking during the WSSD.

The Philippine government’s preparation has left so much to be desired. It was reported to be “utterly unprepared” for the Phnom Penh talks. It was said to be efficient only in keeping the “civil society” voice away from the microphones. And the official Philippine position to be presented is yet to be finalized, now that the negotiation talks are over.

Two emerging concerns were foreseen in the draft position paper from a project, called “Danish Support for Increased Participation of Southern NGOs in the Rio+10 Earth Summit”:

One, over-emphasis on the environment aspect of sustainable development issues. While the existing national paper as well as the sub regional paper substantially discussed cross-cutting issues including  poverty,  trade,  governance and others, there was not enough discussion on specific on specific action plans to address the said cross-cutting issues. Environment and trade has to be balanced. Yet, there have been moves seeking to pendulum-swing this to overemphasis on trade.

And, two, lack of representation of the more Marginalized Basic Sectors. Another limitation is the lack of representation of the marginalized basic sectors in the process of the consulta­tion. While there were a few farmers, fisher folks, urban poor, women and youth who participated in the process, much improvement can be done to involved more of these groups including Indigen­ous Peoples who were not represented at all. This is an imperative to organize further processes to refine the civil society position papers for the WSSD.

Aside from these, since the UNCED Summit a decade ago, the forces of “globalized greed” have become stronger. The birth of the WTO creates a strong voice for liberalized trade, and the entire swing to “free enterprise” can push governments to abdicate on their duties and accountabilities to the peoples of the world, placing the latter’s envi­ronmental fate in the hands of those who know only the language of profits.   

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  FORUM FOCUS         

‘Rio+10: Full Decade after UNCED Summit

Int’l ‘Green Festivals’ marked

in support of World Summit

Earth Day 2002 to highlight ‘State of the Environment’

COMMEMORATIONS in the Philippines of two international environment-oriented festivals this year have been aligned with the forthcoming World Summit for Sustainable Development, to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa come September. 

Organizers here of both Earth Day on April 22 and World En­vironment Day in June have chosen themes that support the WSSD thrusts. In this month’s  session of Kamayan para sa Ka­likasan forum, the local Earth Day 2002  thematic focus on the “State of the Environment” will be ex­plained by Roy Cabonegro of the Kabang Kalikasan ng Pilipinas (World Wild­life Fund-Philippines). 

Other speakers listed by the Earth Day 2002 Philippines Net­work for the April 19 forum:.Ed Joel Carlos, of Sagip Pasig Movement executive director; Muntinlupa Councilor Nicanor Echavez; Adel Licos of Ayala Foundation; Lisa Antonio, Phil. Business for the Environment; Vicky Segovia, Miriam College; Brenda Nuval, Zen Center; and a spokesman for the Earth Day Marathon project.

On the other hand the Philippine commemoration of World Environment Day this June will concentrate on beefing up a broader public advocacy of environmental and sustainable develop­ment concerns, partly with a special project to build new local partnerships with new players (see related story on col. 3.) 

Ten years after the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, the im­plem­enta­tion of its output, Agenda 21, has been put under review, for WSSD to im­prove on and update in the light of the much worsened environmental conditions on the planet. Inputs for the review process should logically include parallel reviews of the national specific versions of that document, like the Philippine Agenda 21 here.

UNCED was an assembly of heads of state, but a parallel international NGO Forum was held simultaneously with it also in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The role of NGOs and POs (now also called “civil society organizations”) in UNCED-related processes has since been encouraged, even officially mandated, but implementation of this mandate has been ham­pered by various factors, including lack of resources and government reluctance. “Civil society” groups have observed moves on the part of some government delegations to pre-Summit talks that have side­lined the non-government voices by footdragging, sheer ineptitude or both.

NGO-PO entites in various countries face the big­gest dif­ficulties in countries where the people are apathetic to environmental and sustainable de­velopment concerns or are un­able to assert their rights as citizens. Thus, the organizers of the annual Earth Day and World Environment Day events, are striving to build broad and active stakeholdership on these same concerns.  

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  FORUM ECHOES           

PICTURE this: in many localities cooperatives, boy scout and girl scout units, even the PTAs, facilitated by a local government leader, working  together  for  local environmental conservation and and sustainable development, based on a firm commitment to uphold certain basic principles. 

A pact for this new mix of team-players for the environment was proposed last March 15, the 145th session of Kamayan para sa Kalikasan monthly forum attended by cooperative and scout leaders.  Last April 17, Chairman Roberto “Obet” Pagdanganan of the Philippine Cooperative Center (PCC) agreed to serve as pro-bono consultant for the covenant project. Pagdanganan, former governor of Bulacan, had also been president of the League of Provincial Governors and of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) before heading the PCC which embraces most of the major cooperative formations in the country. He is thus very familiar with all the three sectors. 

BSP Secretary-General Carlos Escudero had just given his approval earlier that day in separate talks with pro­ject proponent Ding Reyes of the SanibLakas Foundation, also WED-Philippines Network co-chairman for the NGOs. Efforts are still underway to draw in a similar declaration of support from the Girl Scouts of the Phils. (GSP) leaders, as well as from the local government sector.  

During the forum last March, Chairman Nelon Alindogan of Katipunan ng mga Kooperatibang Pansasakyan ng Pilipinas, Inc. (KKPPI) and Vice Chair of the national committee for the 6th National Cooperative Summit, hailed the covenant proposal and the idea of mainstreaming the role of cooperatives in community empowerment for environmental conservation. 

“This,” he said, “is very consistent with the Coop Summit theme.” The proposed covenant is targeted for signing during the World Environment Day festivities on June 2.

The forum leaders and participants were all touched and inspired by the pronouncements of a sixth-grade boy scout John, who was asked to sit on the panel to represent the youth. He said many promises of this generation and even of his own have not been fulfilled.  He also called upon everyone to continue all efforts to preserve the envi­ronment.

Other forum speakers includeed Roger Villa of the BSP Training Program, Filipino inventors Orlando Marquez and Daniel Dingel, and Mountaineers for the Environment (MoFE) President Rey Cuyugan.                

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  BOXED FEATURE          

EARTH DAY 2002-Philippines Forthcoming Activities

April 19,2002, Malacanang Park: “Muling Aawit ang Pasig Concert” c/o Clean & Green Foundation, Inc (CGFI)   ( Bong Socco , Tel. 527-6376-78 )

April 20-21, Mt. Banahaw: 6AM--Healing invocation of the mountains; Alay sa Inang Lupa; Massive Cleaning up mountains; 10AM-4PM Workshop/symposium inner & outer ecology. c/o Mother Earth Ltd., by Roy Alvarez; Mountaineers’ Clean-up, healing, invocations, workshops, procession, “Alay”. c/o Chin-Chin Gutierrez

April 20, Quezon Memorial Circle, QC: Annual Conference on Ecological Solid Waste Management c/o Zero Waste Recycling Movement of the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (ZWRMPI, Dr. Metodio Palaypay, tel . 927-8130 )

April 20, 6am, Tagbilaran City, Bohol:  City-wide clean-up of all barangay and coastal areas in the city.

April 20, Museo Pambata: “I Care (for the Earth) Day” (Mobile library/storytelling, facepainting; recycling contest-tetra pak; Plan your community; Papermaking; Arts and Crafts; Animal show c/o Kaibigan Ermita Outreach Foundation

April 20, Lipa City: Clean-up of Pamintahan River c/o Church of Latter-Day Saints

April 21, Manila, Cebu, Lipa, Baguio & Davao: Earth Day Marathon in 5 Cities, by Marriage Encounter Foundation, GMA Foundation, Bisig-Bayan, I-Bank, Cebuana Lhuiller, Chikiting Patrol, Jollibee (Larry Sy, tel. 6337198),

April 21&21, 9am, Tagbilaran: Tree-planting in selected areas c/o Tagbilaran LGU

April 21, Batangas City: Tingga Falls Project c/o Boy Scouts of the Philippines

April 21, Metro Manila: Tour of the Firefly (cycling from UP-Diliman, Proj. 6&7, Taft, Makati, Ortigas, Libis, Marikina) c/o Firefly Brigade, Katti Sta. Ana tel. 6824304.

April 21, Iba, Zambales: Kite-flying (for kids) & River Clean-up c/o Total Rural Develop­ment, Dennis Teves, 9224020

April 21, Hundred Islands, Alaminos, Pangasian: Mangrove Reforestation and Scubasurero c/o Philippine Tourism Authority

April 21,Arroceros Forest Park, Manila: Interfaith Assembly (7am) and mass (8am) c/o Gom­burza, Fr. Robert Reyes, tel. 9261592; 8am—Day Recyclable Collection event c/o Phil. Business for the Environment & Ayala Foundation, Adel Licos, tel. 8924141; 9am--opening of tyang­ge c/o Winner Foundation, Nimfa Manila, tel. 5276378; 9:30am—Program for Mother Earth; 11am-Workshops on Sustable Agriculture c/o CGFI, Mother Earth Unltd., and Tambuyog Inc.(6477839);2pm--On-the-Spot Art Contest c/o Concerned Citizens Against Pollution; 2:30pm—Storytel­ling (“Are You the Forest King?”) by Happy Earth, Penny Velasco, 6477774; 3:30pm—Green Games activity c/o Happy Earth; Video Show (“The Quiet Revolution”) c/o Earth Council; Launching of Success Stories Catalog;

April 22-26, Tagbilaran City Integrated Bus Terminal: Free Emission-Testing

April 22, Tagaytay City: Tree-Planting and Clean-up in the City

April 22, Along Pasig River: Fluvial Parade; announcement of Lason Awards 2002 c/o Sagip-Pasig Movement. Sheila tel. 5274349.

April 22, Makati: 10am--Parade around Ayala Center c/o Ayala Foundation; 8pm---Celebra­t­ing Earth Day at Hard Rock Café c/o Lou Bonnevie tel.8976991.

April 22, Muntinlupa: “Battle of the Brains” of high school students c/o Muntinlupa City

April 22, Antipolo City: Mass, Motorcade; Eco-Fair at Sumulong Park;

April 22, Tuguegarao City: Clean-up of all 49 barangays in the city; 9:30am-opening of Garden in a Basket Fair;

April 22, Baguio City: “Lakad-Pulot” after the flag  ceremony; Annual Market Clean-Up Campaign c/o Jaime Ongpin Foundation

April 22, Iloilo City: Watershed Reforestation and River Clean-up c/o City ENRO

April 28, Tagbilaran City: 9am—Inter-barangay Enviro-Quiz; Volleyball for M. Earth

April 29-May 4, Antipolo City: Youth Ecology Camp at Assumption c/o PCPGE

May 10-21, Aklan, Capiz, Iloilo, Negros and Camiguin Island: Eco-Tour  c/o PCPGE

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Earth Day Worldwide Network Issues Appeal:

Dear friends,
          Sign the Earth Day letter calling on leaders to attend the World Summit on Sustainable Development! We are thankful to those of you that have already signed the letter.  The World Summit will be the first international meeting on sustainable development in 10 years. To date, only a handful of leaders have committed publicly to go. This event is of critical importance to the future of our planet and your contribution to the letter will help make the summit a turning point in our history.  Please sign the letter today!  Please forward this message widely to other groups and individuals! CIRCULATE the WSSD letter by gathering signatures through your networks or in your community.  Download the letter (in German, Portuguese, English, French, or Spanish) from our website: <http://www.earthday.net/goals/worldsummitdownloads.stm>
We will be concentrating our press work around Earth Day on the WSSD letter and putting pressure on our leaders to attend the summit. Here is information we need from you to be included in our press reports around Earth Day: the number of signatures you've gathered; and whether the signatures are from organizations or individuals.  The text of the letter is set out below this email.   Please sign the letter today and help us ensure this critical international summit is a success!
Thank you for your support.

                 A CALL TO ALL HEADS OF GOVERNMENT

Dear Heads of Government,

We, the undersigned citizens and groups, call on you to attend the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa in August - September 2002. The World Summit will mark the tenth anniversary of the 1992 Earth Summit - the U.N. Conference on the Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro.  At the Earth Summit, world leaders agreed to a set of principles for meeting our needs without compromising the needs of future generations.

Ten years later, those principles for sustainable development remain largely unfulfilled.  Issues such as biodiversity loss, deforestation, climate change, and extinction of species are damaging our priceless ecological resources.  Human health is at risk worldwide due to pollution, water shortages, and degradation of farmland.  In addition, a growing gap separates developing and developed nations, and a significant percentage of the world's people live in poverty. We cannot afford another decade of insufficient action.  Now, more than ever before, there is a great need to foster a spirit of global partnership. As your nation's leader, you hold a position of responsibility, both to your own citizens and to the global community.  Securing the well-being of your own citizens goes hand in hand with preserving the natural systems that sustain us all. 

The World Summit offers us a rare opportunity to build international momentum for a sustainable future, in the twenty-first century and beyond.  We urge you to attend the summit and implement a strong follow-up plan of action for your country.

Whole-page space for this ad paid for by KKP (WWF-Philippines)                                                                                                      TOP

All are invited. to the  Kamayan para sa Kalikasan Environmental Forum held regularly, since March 1990, on the 3rd Friday every month, 10:30am-1:30pm at the Kamayan Restaurant along EDSA, Mandaluyong City. It is convened jointly by the Communicators’ League for Environmental Action and Restoration (CLEAR) and Sanib-Lakas ng Inang Kalikasan (SALIKA), fully sponsored by Kamayan.