As though enjoying newfound freedom, some mining companies have aggressively expanded operations in the past several months, cutting down trees and carving roads deep into the Philippine forests, sometimes without permits from the authorities. Riled by the reckless disregard of the law, some local folk living in protected lands have resorted to “people power” to...
Tag: environment
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Protesters vs Kaliwa Dam disheartened but unbowed
The members of the Dumagat-Remontado tribe protesting the construction of Kaliwa Dam are back home in the provinces of Quezon and Rizal, disheartened that their nine-day, 148-kilometer march to Malacañang ended without a dialogue with President Marcos Jr., but unbowed. “We won’t stop until he (Mr. Marcos) responds to our letter,” tribe leader Conchita Calzado...
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Once more into the breach: Indigenous folk march against Kaliwa Dam
Some 240 tribespeople and advocates are trekking to Malacañang to press President Marcos Jr. to stop the construction of Kaliwa Dam in their ancestral land in the Sierra Madre mountains in Quezon province, and the memory of a similar protest march in 2009 against Laiban Dam upstream in Rizal province is still fresh on their...
A PhilinCon forest patroller inspects a fallen agarwood tree on the mountain trail. —PHILINCON PHOTO
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The stink of agarwood trafficking in Panay
Tree trunks and limbs left in the wild, gutted, severed, or sliced, like a disgusting scene in a nightmare film minus the flesh and blood. No signs of shame or scruple from the band of marauders who left their victims in such an abhorrent state of rot. The mass slaughter of rare trees would have...
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Climate post-COP27: The relevance of loss and damage to the Philippines
The most significant outcome of the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties (COP27) in November was an agreement to establish a “loss and damage” fund. There was no breakthrough on concrete measures to limit the rise of global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Thus, the deal on loss...
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COP27 outcome ‘best ever,’ but fight for climate justice far from over
Climate expert Tony La Viña summed up the outcome of the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt in this way: the best ever for not only climate justice advocates but fossil producers, too. “COP27 is the biggest victory ever for climate justice advocates in the last 30 years,” La Viña, associate director...
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Digging for clues to Abra’s earthquakes
Last Oct. 25 at about 11 p.m., my earthquake alert app sounded while I was finalizing the visual material for my presentation at NIGSCON 2022 in two days. I would be discussing the magnitude-7 temblor that struck the province of Abra three months ago at the annual conference of the University of the Philippines’ National...
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Dolphin discovery hints at unexplored biodiversity-rich marine habitat
A rare Irrawaddy dolphin found dead in the waters of Calabanga, Camarines Sur, has suggested to scientists a rich marine biodiversity corridor yet to be discovered and explored in the eastern side of the Philippines. Named “Calab” by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Philippine Marine Mammals Stranding Network (PMMSN), the...
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Macquarie to invest $1.2B in Asia’s largest floating solar plant in Laguna Lake
Singapore-based Macquarie Capital has committed to invest at least $1.2 billion in the Philippines to build a 1,300- megawatt (MW) floating solar plant on Laguna Lake, touted to be the biggest of its kind in Asia. The investment firm signed a letter of intent during the state visit of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in...
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Smallest rafflesia blooms reveal some family secrets
Most likely, the world has heard about the awesome rafflesia bloom, its rarity and inherent malodorous turnoff. But Filipino scientists are keen on further unlocking the mystery and meaning of the plant’s parasitic existence. Nearly half, or 13, of the more than 30 rafflesia species currently identified and all endemic to Southeast Asia are found...