Start:	Dec 15, '07 09:00a
Location:	La mesa watershed

AHRC Adopt-a-Tree Project Dec 10, '07 6:06 AM
for AHRC's contacts

Dear All,

As part of our continuing celebration of the Center's 20th Anniversary, we are inviting all of you Adopt-a-Tree Project on 15 December 2007 (Saturday) at the La Mesa Watershed.

[Some info] The La Mesa Watershed covers a total area of 2,700 hectares, 2,000 hectares of forest lands and 700 hectares of man-made lake that serves as a water reservoir. It is the last forest of its size in Metro Manila and it straddles Quezon City, Caloocan City and Rizal Province. It is a vital link to the water requirements of 12 million residents of Metro Manila considering that 1.5 million liters of water pass through this reservoir everyday.

FAQs on the event:
Q: How can I help?
A: There are 2 ways:
1. Adopt a tree for just Php 300. It might seem like a big amount but it would also be a big in the continuing reforestation efforts in the La Mesa Watershed. Plus, you don't have to shoulder the entire amount by yourself (but, you're more than willing to do so), get your friends, org, block, or barkada to join you in sponsoring a tree, that way, more people are involved.
For more info on the Sales of the Seedlings, please contact the following people:
NASH - 0915.274.3161
BO - 0918.929.7595
or contact Atty. Lyan Carlos or Tita Vhangie at the Center (899.7691 local 2117)

2. Join us on Saturday in the Potting Activity in La Mesa. Here is the schedule on Saturday:
7:30am - assembly at rockwell drive entrance (cashier steps)
7:45am - we leave for la mesa
9:00am - expected time of arrival at la mesa

OR you can opt to go straight to la mesa and meet us there at 9am. The organizing committee will be arranging for transpo for those who will be coming from Rockwell. To be sure you're counted and not left behind on Saturday, please contact
MEG - 0917.862.1700
JO - 0917.938.9547

Q: How do I get to the La Mesa Eco Park?
A: Take Commonwealth Avenue towards Fairview. You will be passing the following landmarks: UP Diliman, Iglesia ni Cristo Templo Central, Ever Gotesco, Sandiganbayan, Litex, Mercury Drugstore. Turn right at East Fairview Subdivision’s Winston St. then right at Marlboro St. all the way to Pall Mall St. where you should turn left. Turn right at the first corner. You will enter the La Mesa Dam Guard House. There is only one road to take then turn left to the parking lot, in front of which is the gate to the park. The lagoon is further down the path.
For commuters, take a Fairview-bound FX, bus, or jeepney from Philcoa by the entrance to the UP-Diliman. Take note of the abovementioned landmarks and get off at the East Fairview Subdivision. At the gate, you should find plenty of tricycles that can take you to the Eco Park.

Q: How long will the activity take?
A: The activity proper would only take less than an hour. (so those who have Saturday classes can go back to school after)

Q: But what if I want to stay longer and enjoy nature after the activity?
A: By all means, you can stay longer in the EcoPark and enjoy the place. In fact, they have other amenities in the park, such as:
a. swimming pool (contrary to popular belief, you swim on a pool and not on the dam itself) - charge is only Php 80 (for people above 3 ft.) or Php 40 (if you're below 3 ft.)
b. boat ride - boats for rent at the rate of Php 100 for 30 minutes (each boat can accommodate 4 people at most)
c. biking - bicycles can be rented out for Php 50-80 per hour depending on the type of bike
d. they also have a picnic grove. but i suggest we bring garbage bag so we won't leave any trash in the park

Need more info? You can reply to this e-mail or contact me at 0917.817.4610 or 0922.816.5623.

Maraming Salamat!


Ryan Quan
Batch Buyonero
Summer 2005

"Limang P sa Palawan"

Vida Soraya Verzosa's summer legal internship at the Environmental Legal Assistance Center in Puerto Prinsesa City, Palawan, Philippines. This was part of the Ateneo Human Rights Center's Summer Internship Program 2007. The video was first launched at the AHRC Gabi ng Pasasalamat last Aug. 24, 2007 at the Ateneo Professional Schools Blue Room.

Background audio: Interview with Ka Edong and Atty. Gerthie Mayo Anda at the DYPR radio station, "Mundo Ko 'To" radio program.

N.B. Huwag kayo maniwala sa pag-ibig na part kasi pa-cute ko lang yun. ;-)

How is Blackle saving energy?

Blackle was created by Heap Media to remind us all of the need to take small steps in our everyday lives to save energy. Blackle searches are powered by Google Custom Search.

Blackle saves energy because the screen is predominantly black. "Image displayed is primarily a function of the user's color settings and desktop graphics, as well as the color and size of open application windows; a given monitor requires more power to display a white (or light) screen than a black (or dark) screen." Roberson et al, 2002

In January 2007 a blog post titled Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year proposed the theory that a black version of the Google search engine would save a fair bit of energy due to the popularity of the search engine. Since then there has been skepticism about the significance of the energy savings that can be achieved and the cost in terms of readability of black web pages.

We believe that there is value in the concept because even if the energy savings are small, they all add up. Secondly we feel that seeing Blackle every time we load our web browser reminds us that we need to keep taking small steps to save energy.
How can you help?

We encourage you to set Blackle as your home page. This way every time you load your Internet browser you will save a little bit of energy. Remember every bit counts! You will also be reminded about the need to save energy each time you see the Blackle page load.

Help us spread the word about Blackle by telling your friends and family to set it as their home page. If you have a blog then give us a mention. Or put the following text in your email signature: "Blackle.com - Saving energy one search at a time".

Have a look at our energy saving tips page for ideas on steps you can take to save energy.

There are a lot of great web sites about saving energy and being more environmentally friendly. They are full of great tips covering the little things that we can all do to make a difference today. Try Blackling "energy saving tips" or visit treehugger.com a great blog dedicated to environmental awareness.

The Wolf Trap

(first published in the Zamboanga Peninsula Journal, February 2007;
legal writing assignment under Prof. Adel Tamano)

In the 18th century, indigenous people from Northern Europe would hunt wolves by using an ingeniously cruel wolf trap. This trap consists of a bloodied knife blade frozen into winter ice. When the wolf smells blood, it starts licking the blood off the knife, eventually cutting its own tongue on the sharp blade. The wolf licks at the knife in a maddened frenzy, unaware that it was drinking its own blood. The wolf’s blood attracts others nearby who would attack the trap’s victim and one another. With a single trap, the entire pack of wolves are killed.

Similarly, mining in the Philippines operates like the wolf trap. Blessed with the fifth largest reserve of gold and copper in the world, the Philippines boasts of nine million hectares of potential mining land - of which just 1.4 is covered by mining permits.[1] Thus, the government is all too eager to grant mining concessions with added fiscal and non-fiscal incentives under the R.A. 7942 or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995. Is the system of mineral resources exploration, development, utilization and conservation really beneficial or is it slowly killing our environment through bleeding to death by our own undoing? In an attempt to implement the RA 7076 or the People’s Small Scale Mining Act of 1991, are big firms skirting the legal safeguards for environmental protection?

One example is the case of Tubay, Agusan del Norte. Estimated mining reserves of Tubay amounting to 1,566,139 MT of gold[2] were offered to a firm, which obtained a permit to engage in “small-scale” mining. This permit is questionable, and thus, should be revoked, on four grounds, namely:

1. The municipal council may award only one small scale mining contract per year;

2. The Local Government Code was violated;

3. The operation of the firm does not fit the definition of small scale mining;

4. Protected areas closed to mining were included in the permit.

First, RA 7076 or the People’s Small Scale Mining Act of 1991, states: “A people’s small scale mining contract may be awarded by the Board [municipal council]… provided that only one people’s small scale mining contract may be awarded at one time to a small scale operator within one year from date of award.” According to reports of the local church and environmental groups in the community, several corporations were organized to circumvent this law on awarding of mining contracts.

Second, there were violations of the Local Government Code because of the open gestalt between the practices there and what the law stipulates. Sec. 447 of the said Code states the duty of the sangguniang bayan to: “(i) Provide for the establishment, maintenance, protection, and conservation of communal forests and watersheds…; (iv) Adopt measures to protect the inhabitants of the municipality from the harmful effects of man-made or natural disasters and calamities… (vi) Protect the environment and impose appropriate for acts which endanger the environment, such as… activities which result in pollution, acceleration of eutrophication of rivers and lakes or of ecological imbalance;”[3]

Third, “small scale mining,” as defined in RA 7076, refers to “mining activities which rely heavily on manual labor using simple implements and methods and do not use explosives or heavy mining equipment.” Since heavy mining equipment, explosives, and mineral transport barges were employed by mining concessionaires in Tubay, the operations should not be considered small scale.


Lastly, Sec. 19(f) of the Mining Act of 1995 delineates: “Areas Closed to Mining Applications… Old growth or virgin forests, proclaimed watershed forest reserves, wilderness area…provincial/municipal forests… bird sanctuaries as defined by law and in areas expressly prohibited under the National Integrated Protected Area System (NIPAS) under RA No. 7586 other laws.” Unfortunately, the mining permit of the corporations covered areas that are expressly closed to mining applications as stated in the law.

These four points prove the imminent environmental threat in Tubay, as well as similar situations in other provinces that have borne witness to the ill-effects of unabated natural resource exploitation. The crux of the legal issue lies in multi-sectoral emphasis on environmental law enforcement, governance and jurisprudence.

Rather than succumb to the wolf trap of satiating our nation’s temporal economic desires, we must also take into account the “right of Filipinos to a balanced and healthful ecology as associated with the twin concepts of ‘inter-generational responsibility’ and ‘inter-generational justice.’”[4] Otherwise, what shall befall us is a slow, painful death, at the hands of our own greed.

-for verification, please contact:

Vida Soraya Salih Verzosa,
Ateneo Law Student,
vsorayav@gmail.com
Wordcount: 737 Words

Footnotes:
[1] Philippine Embassy - USA, A PRIMER ON MINING IN THE PHILIPPINES: http://www.philippineembassy-usa.org/other/miningprimerrp.htm

[2] Government of Agusan del Norte, Economic Information: http://www.skyinet.net/~ppdoadn/location.html

[3] Tanggol.org, Philippine Laws on the Environment: http://www.tanggol.org/environmental_laws/index_elaws.htm
[4]JUAN ANTONIO, ET AL. vs. FULGENCIO S. FACTORAN, JR., ET AL., G.R. No. 101083 July 30, 1993: http://www.lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1993/jul1993/gr_101083_1993.html

...ito ang bulong na kumakalat sa palengke ng Bgy. San Jose, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan kaninang umaga. habang pumipili ng pakwan, kasama si Atty. Grizelda Mayo-Anda, ang mga tindera'y nag-aalala para sa Pambansang Bayani ng Boxing at binabalita ang paghahagulgol daw ni Darlene Custodio sa TV.

iba na talaga ang pulitika ngayon. ang chismis, bow. kuryenteng kay bilis na maaaring sumunog sa kadalisayan ng balota ng bawat pilipinong agad na naniniwala.

unang araw ko muli dito sa isla, matapos ang ilang taong paglalakbay sa iba't-ibang rehiyon. napakaraming pagbabago. ako mismo, malaki na rin ang pinagbago.

bukas, magsisimula ang pormal na internship para sa ELAC. sana, marami akong matutunan at maibahagi. malaking hamon pero kakayanin.

pero sana, isama niyo rin ako sa inyong mga panalangin.

VISION

ELAC envisions a Philippine society governed by laws that address the root causes of environmental degradation and social injustice. As part of an interdependent global community, this society manages natural resources through equitable and sustainable means. This society upholds transparency, and participatory democracy and governance, and recognizes indigenous and local cultures.

ELAC envisions a healthy environment that is managed in harmony with ecological principles, and that allows both present and future generations to enjoy an abundance of ecological goods and services while preserving its integrity.

ELAC envisions communities that are empowered stewards of natural resources. These communities are vigilant and assertive of their environmental and human rights.

ELAC envisions a community development-oriented organization that upholds participatory and gender-fair processes in society and just labor practices. ELAC strives to establish a competent and value-centered team.



MISSION

To fulfill this vision, ELAC’s mission is to protect and assert environmental rights, and equitable access to and control of natural resource use by communities through effective developmental legal assistance, community-based resource management and advocacy.


GOALS

* To empower communities to assert their rights
* To facilitate empowerment of communities in resource management
* To promote gainful & sustainable livelihoods
* To facilitate the establishment of mechanisms to allow participation of marginalized communities in community development
* To oppose environmentally destructive programs/activities and advocate for alternatives
* To advocate for just and responsive environmental laws and policies, and their effective implementation
* To build ELAC as a self-sustaining, cohesive organization of competent and dedicated staff and volunteers