The State of the Philippine Environment is THE National Emergency

Letter to the Editor
march 10, 2006

The State of the Philippine Environment is THE National Emergency

WE, environment advocates, in unity and with full conviction and courage, denounce in strongest terms the violence that Proclamation 1017 has dealt on us as a sovereign people---and on our national territory and patrimony which is our very source of life.

Proclamation 1017, as it attacks the Bill of Rights, has also effectively suppressed our freedom to express and assemble to expose and defy the increasing violence on the environment by multinational companies and other big businesses that have long exploited and continue to exploit our natural resources for their own benefit and that of the powers-that-be, now under the current illegitimate regime of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Most of our forests have disappeared due to wanton large-scale mining and commercial, destroying as well thousands of hectares of watersheds, eroding tons of topsoil for agriculture, silting and poisoning bodies of waters. Farmlands have been degraded due to massive use of imported chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, as well as the proliferation of garbage dumpsites all over the country which have also taken over forest areas, watersheds, and even coastal zones, spreading leachate to otherwise productive soil and water resources and emitting toxic gases into the air.

Disasters are everywhere---the Quezon and Southern Leyte landslides, the Rapu-rapu and Marcopper mines spills, the Semirara oil spill, the Payatas garbage slide are but a few of countless other horrors.

The whole Philippine environment is now on the brink of other disasters of nationwide proportion, while the Filipino people have become impoverished and endangered of our very lives, deprived as we are now of the right to breathe clean air, drink safe water, eat nutritious food, and live in a hazard-free environment.

Instead of addressing these very urgent issues, the government chose to attack the basic rights of the Filipino people--the right to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and the right to seek redress of grievances. These rights are the most powerful tools of environmental advocates and advocates seeking to halt environmental destruction brought about by the anti-people policies and irresponsibility of the government.

WE, environment advocates, call on all other sovereign Filipino people to protest Proclamation 1017 which, if unchallenged, will effectively clamp down on further efforts to prevent the onslaught of big mining and other exploitation companies that stand to benefit further from this Proclamation or pursue the Truth hiding behind such shadows as the Garci tapes and the fertilizer scam.

In just defiance of Proclamation 1017, we seek refuge in the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, echoing the Preamble as we invoke the aid of Almighty God in working for a “just and humane society,” a government of our ideals, for the common good, and affirming our patrimony; with the “blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, equality, and peace….” ###
Reference:
Clemente G. Bautista Jr.
ENRAGED and Defend Patrimony Alliance
9248756, 9209099, 09283448797 kalikasan.pne@gmail.com
26 Matulungin St. Central District Quezon City

“Environmental activists join calls to scrap PP1017, say it’s a tyrannical act”

Press Release
March 3, 2006

“Environmental activists join calls to scrap PP1017, say it’s a tyrannical act”

Defend Patrimony! Alliance and ENRAGED (Environment and Natural Resource Advocates for Gloria’s Expulsion), two broad environmental alliances, Environmental groups hold a people’s action in commemoration of the 11th year anniversary of Mining Act of 1995 in Freedom Bell, QC Memorial Circle. The environmental groups renew their call to scrap the Mining Act and vow to defy the PP 1017.

In their statement the environmental groups “calls on all other sovereign Filipino people to protest Proclamation 1017 which, if unchallenged, will effectively clamp down on further efforts to prevent the onslaught of big mining and other exploitation companies that stand to benefit further from this Proclamation or pursue the Truth hiding behind such shadows as the Garci tapes and the fertilizer scam.”

“These two policies of the Arroyo administration come hand in hand in further plundering our natural resources and devastating our environment through the government policy of all-out large-scale mining and logging. PP 1017 is a tool of a tyrant, its purpose is to ensure the suppression of the people actions to protect their environment from destructive mining projects like Lafayette Mining in Rapu-rapu Island,” says Trixie Concepcion of Defend Patrimony, environmental alliance opposing mining liberalization program of the government.

As symbol of their defiance the protesters paint their bodies as placards and shout slogans ‘Scrap Mining Act’, ‘Oppose PP 1017’, “Gloria Resign’, ‘No to Mining TNCs’ and “Save the Environment’.

“There is an increasing trend of militarization and human rights violations in areas of operation of large-scale mining and logging. In the guise of protecting so-called government “economic gains” and against “economic saboteurs”, PP 1017 will definitely be used by the transnational mining companies, PNP and AFP to quell legitimate opposition from local people like IPs, peasants, fisherfolks and mining-affected communities against government developmental aggression projects such as mining. In Rapu-rapu Island, Lafayette now is recruiting local people to serve as militiamen that will secure their operation,” says Clemente Bautista Jr., convenor of ENRAGED.

“Presidential Proclamation 1017 has no legal basis. Its main purpose is to curtail civil liberties and democratic rights of the people. We, environmental activists, remain defiant and are not cowed by the threats of PP 1017. We will continue to protect our mother earth and to protest against the anti-people and anti-environment projects of the Arroyo administration,” says Atty. Ingrid Gorre of Legal Rights and Natural Resource Center.

“Instead of addressing urgent issues in our environmental, the government chose to attack the basic rights of the Filipino people--the right to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and the right to seek redress of grievances. These rights are the most powerful tools of environmental advocates seeking to halt environmental destruction brought about by the anti-people policies and irresponsibility of the government”, ENRAGED says in their statement. ###

Reference
Clemente Bautista
9248756, 09283448797, kalikasan.pne@gmail.com, 26 Matulungin St. Central District Quezon City

ENRAGED invites you to a Forum!

Invites you to a Forum

"The Philippine Environment in a State of Emergency"

Balai Kalinaw UP diliman, Quezon City
March 24, 2006 1:30-4:30pm

Speakers:

Dr. Carol Pagaduan Araullo
BAYAN
On the "Arroyo's Administration Current Political Crisis"

Atty. Ingrid Gore
LRC-KsK
On the "PP 1017 Threats and Implication to Environmental Movements"

Trixie Concepcion
DEFEND PATRIMONY ALLIANCE
On the " State of the Philippine Environment under Arroyo's Administration"

for more details:
Tel: 924-8756 or 9209099
secretariat office