June 18, 2010

Disaster similar to BP oil spill has a high chance of occurring in Philippine waters - Kalikasan PNE

The sinking of British Pestroleum-leased Deepwater Horizon oil-rig in the Gulf of Mexico last April, dubbed as the worst oil spill in US history, has caused catastrophic damage to the marine environment and to communities in surrounding areas. More damage spreads as millions of gallons of oil leak into the gulf daily and BP remains stalled by lack of emergency plans and safety mechanisms.

June 4, 2010

"Will Noynoy be a 'green' president?"- Groups pose environmental challenges to incoming president Aquino

Progressive green groups challenged incoming President Noynoy Aquino to implement fundamental environmental reforms and actions in his first 100 days in office to reveal if he is indeed sincere in the protection and conservation of our environment and national patrimony.

The groups posed eight challenges a day before the 2010 World Environment Day, an international event that aims to heighten awareness and heighten political and public action on environmental.

10 May 2010

‘Clean-up streets then environment'- Green groups to all who ran for office

The Filipinos witnessed and observed the voting system to be a messy and chaotic affair, consistent with the whole 2010 elections being anything but clean, physically and figuratively. While the election brouhaha may be over, the country still has a lot of subsequent events and issues to contend with. One is the issue related to election fraud, malfunction and violence of which the current Arroyo regime and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) need to be accounted for.

In this entire affair, the environmental agenda has taken a back seat and we are now confronted, with heaps of garbage and election-related junk as reminders, to attend to the cleanliness and integrity, not only of our polls but also of our streets and communities. With this, progressive environmental groups challenges those who ran for office, winners or not, to heed the call for a clean and healthy environment.

The first urgent challenge is to clean up the streets and properly dispose of the campaign and election-related materials. How well their perform this task is an indicator of how well will they address other environmental issues.

3 May 2010

Environmental advocates endorse Satur Ocampo, Liza Maza

The country’s future is at stake. This coming election is situated within a time when our barren mountains, eroded by extraction, cry for a respite; when our degraded croplands are fast running out of water; and when our impoverished people have become helpless in the face of typhoons, drought, and other disasters. Our battered ecosystems are in urgent need of healing after continuous rampage and neglect.

The people have a right to a balanced and healthful ecology. Environmental protection and defense entails concrete solutions and actions, genuine commitment, and platforms rooted in the people's realities and aspirations.

If we will only vote for leaders who will resolutely stand at the forefront of the struggle for people’s rights, environmental conservation and national sovereignty, we can expect to finally work for a green and promising economy that will surely be able to feed our hungry people.

We, Filipino advocates for the protection of our environment, natural resources and national patrimony, expressly endorse Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza. Among the many senatoriables, we believe that these two can best represent the public clamor for legislators who are environmental defenders.