Home> Executive Director Dorado's 2009 Directions Address to the Staff

2009 PCSDS Directions

                                                                      Romeo B. Dorado                                                                 Executive Director, PCSDS
                                                           

PALAWAN COUNCIL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STAFF PLANNING AND BUDGETING WORKSHOP 15-16 December 2008



A pleasant day to everyone!

As we approach the conclusion of the year, we look back and assess what we have done and what we have learned from our experiences during the year. Today however, we do not only look at our strengths and weaknesses, we also look at the challenges facing us as we draw-up our plans for the coming year. We are currently being confronted with two great challenges that would break the humdrum of the yearly routine planning activities.

A 25-year moratorium on small scale mining has been declared by the provincial government of Palawan. We see this as an opportunity to put appropriate systems in place to open up an avenue for responsible mining in Palawan. We have drawn up a 10-Point agenda to be accomplished during the first 5 years of the moratorium, the foundational activities however, must be accomplished in 2009.

Moreover, we need to align ourselves to the communities of the world that is being greatly challenged by the effects of Climate Change. It has been estimated that the effects of climate change shall be more profound in island states and regions such us Palawan. It is therefore necessary to align our plans according to the plans of the national government to combat climate change through mitigation of its cause and adaptation to its effects.

At this point, let me outline the PCSDS thrusts for 2009 and let these guide us in crafting our plans for the next 2 days.

The conduct of research and policy studies shall focus on determining the carrying capacity of the province in relation to mining and other key industries and the valuation of resources. In addition to existing policies, we need to come up with a policy that shall establish a body or committee that shall preside over the issue of climate change in Palawan.

The monitoring of the conditions of our resources thru the operation of EMES is essential. Systems for information storage, retrieval and manipulation must be strengthened so that information generated from research and monitoring could be used for proactive planning and decision-making.

We shall continue to pursue the review and updating of SEP to strengthen its weaknesses and magnify its strengths.

Advocacy and IEC shall continue to be conducted to wean the people from destructive activities but it is also equally important to develop a program for capability building for communities to respond to the challenges of mining and climate change. On the other hand, a campaign for eco-governance must also be forwarded to strengthen corporate social responsibility among the players in the mining industry.

To have a basis for sustainable development planning for Palawan and a basis to align plans and programs, a provincial ECAN Map must be drafted and legislated. In subsequence, LGUs shall be assisted in reviewing their Comprehensive Land Use Plans in consonance with ECAN and SEP.

The SEP Clearance system shall be strengthened by allowing the ECAN Boards to participate in the system through project assessment, endorsement and monitoring synchronised with the activities of the DMOs.

In the implementation of the Wildlife Act, a wildlife Management Committee shall be created within PCSD composing of different scientific authorities. Wildlife Traffic Monitoring Stations shall also be set up in all air and seaports. Wildlife Rescue Centers shall also be established in the 4 PCSDS DMOs.

The Caves and Chainsaw Acts shall continue to be implemented vigorously and litigation and adjudication of cases in violation of these Acts and PCSDS Administrative orders shall continue to be undertaken.

We shall continue to seek solutions to the problems that have long beset Calauit. We shall continue to formulate agreements with other government bodies and the privates sector that shall increase income for the project. We hope to come up with a management strategy that will ease the tension between the community of people and the community of animals that need to be protected.

Moreover, there are major works that we need to support in the Feasibility Study of SEMP-II. We hope to continue the works that we have started in SEMP-I: to zone and map-up the entire province in order for us to be able to protect the bio-diversity of Palawan.

Along this line, there is a need to formulate proposals for projects that will generate funds and to allow us to work along the course of responsible mining and the objectives of mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change.

The Management Information System shall be strengthened to respond to the need of the management for timely information that is a necessary input to effective decision making. As a start, the MIS Unit shall work under the ECAN Planning Division for efficient monitoring of plans and programs.

I would like to thank you all for continued support and for working as a team. Let us continue on supporting each, working together and face 2009 with more vigor and hope. Good day!