Home> Chairman's Notes

"April 22 is celebrated worldwide as "Earth Day celebration" and this vear's theme is focused on "Climate Change Solutions Campaign".

As most of the world's climate change experts has already professed, " Global warming, which leads to climate change is a threat that is more dangerous than terrorism". As I quote Sir John Houghton, he said that "like terrorism, global warming can strike anywhere and does not know any boundaries. It can strike as a form of a heat wave in one place, a drought or storm in another. It is a problem that is already upon us." Strange natural calamities that has strike the world for the past year could be an aftermath already of global warming.

Thus, as we celebrate Earth Day, let us reflect on our individual responsibilities to climate change solutions. Let us heightened our contribution and participation through the proper implementation of our regulations such as the Clean Air Act, management of our solid waste, protection of our watershed areas, intensifying reforestation projects and undertaking carbon emission reduction trading programs. Let us not wait to live in an overheated world that will totally destroy all forms of life."

"The Philippines has the highest per capita seafood consumption rate in Southeast Asia with 33.8 kg/year and a high ratio of people to coastline with 3,000 per square km. This rapid population growth, higher demand on marine products, lack of livelihood options other than marine resource extraction and poverty has put so much strain on our marine environment and intense pressure on the remaining resources of our country.


On-going efforts , though, are being done to address this issue both on the country's fisheries legislation and program management framework. We have more than 500 marine protected areas, the highest among Southeast Asian countries, but only 14 of them can be rated as success stories.


As we celebrate the month of May 2006 as OCEANS month, with the theme"One Earth, One Ocean, One Life", our attention and responsiveness as resource planners, legislators and advocates for responsible environmental governance are once again challenged. We are all aware that the vastness of our oceans and seas does not assure us anymore of infinite food supply. We have to recognize that free access to our marine resources are the myth of the past.


The sustainable management of our oceans and seas should be a priority the way we sustainably plan to manage our lands. Ecologically speaking, our water bodies down to the coastal zones are highly impacted by land-based activities. And the only way to comprehensively address this is to use strategies involving integrated ecosystem approach where human needs are taken into account.

Let our policy direction at PCSD accentuate the need to strengthen the fisheries management of the province, build further capacity for marine protected areas

management, establish more research and monitoring programmes with our partners and the Local government Units and strictly enforce laws that ban destructive fishing practices."

"This year's SEP celebration focuses on the conservation of Palawan's biological diversity, specifically our wildlife resources. As I have stated during the January 2005 Environmental and Economic Summit, the province's rich wildlife resources makes Palawan a biodiversity hotspot of the Philippines and therefore a ground for illegal wildlife hunting and trading , bio-prospecting and bio-piracy.

The fight against illegal wildlife trade, like any other environmental issues, is always correlated to the issues on population and poverty. And one of the best mechanisms to address these issues, aside from strict enforcement of the law, is for us to seriously use networking and linkaging as a strategy to responsibly manage our resources.

We always talk of lack of funds and manpower when it comes to implementing programs that will best address our environmental problems. But have we really fully explore establishing creative collaborations- with relevant government agencies, financial institutions, industry associations, relevant NGO's, academic institutions, agribusiness companies, religious organizations and the private sector to meet our common goal for a common environment that we live in ? Networking and linkaging is a strategy that pertains to anything that could be shared and provided through information needs and initiatives for an effective governance of the environment."

Let us keep building partnerships and alliances and tapping on the unique strengths of various organizations that complements our advocacy that we may satisfactory fulfill our responsibility in governing our natural resources.

"In the July 24, 2006 SONA of the President, our province has been identified under the " Central Philippines Tourism Belt" which apparently is envisioned to propel the national and local economy of the country through a responsible, service-oriented and ecologically-sensitive tourism industry.

We are fortunate that our province has a vast expanse of environmental wealth and rich cultural heritage. These are the very backbone of the industry. That is why we are promoting "ecotourism" in Palawan, as we recognize the need for the industry as a major factor in the development of the province and , likewise , a key player in the sustainable management of our environment and culture.

Like any other conservation-related programs, the success of eco-tourism for Palawan could be gained by building present and future activities on the gains of past efforts. We have accomplished remarkable edge in our eco-tourism endeavors for years. And success factors behind these workable strategies which we can improve on are; environmental awareness about the resource, technical knowledge on responsible management of the resource, commitment and involvement of the local executive in environmental protection, local capability in terms of functioning units and academic institutions that supports the program, and external funding sources to sustain efforts.

We can only reap continued success from this industry if we properly manage the very resources on which tourism depends on. Thus, we are all optimistic that the results of the Sustainable Environmental Management program of Northern Palawan ( SEMP-NP) will provide us a balance framework of development and resource protection on sustainable tourism which we could further replicate in the southern municipalities of the province."

"Our marine and coastal environment- the World's major food source is in jeopardy. Unless radical changes in fisheries management occur, the diversity of ocean life will be greatly impoverished. For the fishing industry, the oceans will become aquatic deserts offering little to harvest beside jellyfish and lanternfish." This is the conclusion of the article "Fishing Down Marine Food Webs,"published in the Science journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, by a group of scientists from the University of British Columbia and the International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) in the Philippines.

Here in our province alone, despite the high density of commercially important reef fishes in some municipalities, most of our coastal and marine waters are overfished. We only have 3.93% remaining coral cover of excellent quality. We claim to have 23 true mangrove species of high diversity but the rampant illegal conversion of mangrove areas into fishponds posed an alarming threat to the state of our coastal habitats.

The current trends in coastal migration, increasing human activities on land, coasts and seas exert a great pressure on the sustaining capacity of marine areas. Marine related economic-activities, including fisheries , marine transportation, tourism, coastal mining, offshore oil and gas development activities, though major employment source and contributes greatly to the country's economy could spell disaster if not properly manage. (The Guimaras oil spill in Iloilo is one adversity which will leave most of its marine environment and resources ill for a longtime).

We have always been guided by our mandate and commitment to ensure environmental sustainability by integrating sustainable development principles in all our programs and policies in Palawan. Let us put additional attention and effort to radically reverse the loss of our marine and coastal resources while time is still in our hands.

Before we proceed to the agenda of the meeting, may I enjoin all the members of this board to sincerely reflect on the essence of this highly sensitive and crucial program that we are mandated to administer under our capacities as public servants.

As Chairman of the provincial solid waste management board, I am aware of the various issues and concerns (insufficient funds, lack of personnel, lack of political will, etc.) that each municipality has been dealing with in relation to the implementation of this Act. I am also with you in sentiment that the Ecological Solid Waste Management Program under RA 9003 of 2000 is not a simple work program to put on the ground. But this program is the government's urgent response to the agonizing threat posted upon us if we fail to minimize , reduce , and properly manage our waste.

The natural cycle of our environment, the value of our water sources, and the health of our people are the ones directly affected and put into high risk with solid waste unmanaged. We don't want to put in peril the quality of the lives of our constituents. Let us put a little more creativity and drive in implementing a sustainable solid waste management program in our respective municipalities. Compliance to the law is just one issue at hand, safeguarding our people's lives is the bottomline of it all.

In today's meeting, let us be guided by our function as the planning and policy direction-arm in the implementation of the provincial solid waste management plan. Thus, let us move on from the issues and participate with eagerness in sharing our creative solutions and options re: our respective municipal solid waste management plans and programs.

Like all forms of Governance, Environmental Administration is no stranger to hurdles and challenges. We face daily struggles but our sustained energy to persevere in our mandate is embedded in our moral and ethical responsibility as stewards of our environment. As Palawan's Nature keepers, we have had several creative solutions and sophisticated programs that became "Best Practices" in the management of our resources. But these things could have not materialized well without the complementary support which environmental education and awareness programs have performed in years. Today, I would like to give emphasis on our need to intensify and build up conservation education as a support program integrated in all environmental and economic field of endeavors with the prime objective of improving natural resource management mitigating environmental damages and aiding development programs in the proper pricing of natural resource and in accounting both the positive and negative effects of development.

Through the Dep-Ed of Palawan has already integrated Environmental Education in the formal Education curricula in all levels since 1996 ( as a response to a national mandate of Dep-Edp under Presidential Decree 1152, Philippine Environment Code 1977), our efforts should be now focus in the sustained enhancement of Science Teachers and Educators and in the updating of Scientific Information and Materials.

Adult/Community-based environmental education extension programs that builds on what the schools have taught is an effective supplementary learning tool to bring down local environmental governance to our constituents. The private sector, NGO's and business sector has the advantage and capacity to pursue cohesive partnership with communities and LGU's in implementing these programs.

Lastly, continuously upgrading the skills and knowledge of our media people on Sustainable Development is essential as they can reach large number of people in advancing environmental principles and responsibilities.

When we understand the dynamism and components of our local environments, we come to appreciate more our natural endowments and we become aware of the need for its wise management. Let us all be responsible contributors in promoting conservation education in Palawan .