OVP Environment Situationer

10-14 June 2013

RODOLFO D. ENALPE, JR.

Environment e e! "a#" ivor# !ru"$in% "en&" "tron% me""a%e to vio'ator"
CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) !elcomed the crushin" or tearin" do!n of around five tons of elephant tus#s !hich !ere sei$ed %& a team of la! enforcement a"encies in various dates last &ear' DENR- Re"ional E(ecutive Director Dr' )sa%elo *onte+o said that the activit& is an e(pression of a stron" and no-nonsense campai"n a"ainst ille"al ivor& trade' *onte+o said this sends a messa"e to those !ho !ould !ant to en"a"e !ith this #ind of %usiness that the "overnment is indeed serious in addressin" this concern' DENR ,ecretar& Ramon Pa+e !ill lead in destro&in" the confiscated ivor& tus#s on -une ./ at the Nino& 01uino Par#s and 2ildlife Center in 3ue$on Cit&' 0 road roller !ill %e used and the tus#s !ill %e %urned in the presence of forei"n e(perts and anti-ivor& trade advocates, DENRspo#esperson Ed 4lamedo said' 4lamedo added that the& !ill %e sendin" a representative from DENR5s protected area, !ildlife and coastal $one mana"ement services' 6)n Ce%u, !e don5t have confiscated elephant tus#s, mostl& it5s in *anila,6 4lamedo said' The said activit& is one of the hi"hli"hts of the Philippine Environment *onth cele%ration' 4lamedo said that in /787, the 9eneva-%ased Convention on )nternational Trade in Endan"ered ,pecies of :lora and :auna (C)TE,), to !hich the Philippines is a si"nator&, %anned the %u&in" and sellin" of ivor& to com%at a massive ille"al trade that caused dramatic decline in elephant populations throu"hout most of 0frica in the /7 ;s and /78;s' <e added that elephants are listed in 0ppendi( / of C)TE,, !hich means the& are hi"hl& endan"ered, and are %anned from international trade'

6C)TE, said the hi"h demand for ivor& found in elephant tus#s drives the #illin" of the animal, especiall& in 0frica,6 as 1uoted %& 4lamedo' C)TE, is an international a"reement adopted in *arch /7 = to re"ulate !orld!ide commercial trade in !ild animal and plant species' <e said that in /77 , the Conference of Parties of C)TE, included the Philippines as one of the nine countries of priorit& of concerns re"ardin" ille"al ivor& trade, particularl& its role as a trade route and transit countr& for elephant tus#s' 4lamedo revealed that aside from the Philippines, the other ei"ht are >en&a, Tan$ania and ,outh 0frica, !hich are considered as ma+or sources of ivor& in illicit trade? China and Thailand as destinations of ille"al ivor& and <on" >on", *ala&sia and @ietnam as trade routes and transit countries, he said' )n a related development, *onte+o pointed out that !ildlife traffic monitorin" units in strate"ic air and seaports all over the re"ion have %een alerted to ensure the strict compliance and effective implementation of all e(istin" !ildlife la!s, rules and re"ulations, includin" si"nificant international a"reements are full& complied !ith' (FREE)AN* ,AURCEB httpBCC!!!'philstar'comCce%une!sC.;/=C;DC/EC7F=8E=Cenvironment-e(ec-sa&s-ivor&-crushin"-sendsstron"-messa"e-violators B& *ari"old P' 4e%umfacilC*)T (The :reeman) G Updated -une /E, .;/= /.B;;am

P+, &etain" Vietname"e "$i- !re.

*0N)40, Philippines - The Philippine Coast 9uard (PC9) has ta#en custod& of the /8 @ietnamese cre! of a ship that alle"edl& ran a"round at a marine sanctuar& and dama"ed . ; s1uare meters of corals in Biliran province' PC9 spo#esman Commander 0rmand Balilo said &esterda& the officers and cre! of *C@ Unicorn 4od"er, led %& their s#ipper, E/-&ear-old N"u&en 0nh Tuan, !ere held at the PC9 station in Naval to!n' H2e are coordinatin" !ith the Bureau of :isheries and 01uatic Resources to determine if the forei"n ship has committed an& lia%ilit&' )t is still %ein" assessed if the& committed an& violations of B:0R or Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) la!s,I said Balilo' <e said the F'D7/-ton ship of Panamanian re"istr& had %een e(tracted from the area'

The PC9 also called divers from its ,pecial Aperations 9roup in Eastern @isa&as for a possi%le under!ater hull inspection' The PC9 reportedl& received a call from *anuel -esse, careta#er of ,am%uan )sland *arine ,anctuar&, that the ship ran a"round at appro(imatel& 8; meters south!est of ,am%uan at /;B/F p'm' of -une /=' The vessel, !hich reportedl& came from *ala&sia, !as on its !a& to -apan to deliver /,D; pieces of lo"s !hen it hit a shallo! area' The PC9 sent a team to investi"ate the report' The PC9 also coordinated !ith officials of the Department of :orei"n 0ffairs and the Bureau of )mmi"ration'

Sto- marine re"our!e" &e"tru!tion

E(pressin" concern over the incident, ,en' 4oren 4e"arda said concerned a"encies should determine !hether there is a need to elevate cases of marine resources destruction to the United Nations' H)f need %e, let us call the attention of the concerned parties to the UNC4A, (United Nations Convention on the 4a! of the ,ea), usin" the appropriate channels, to see# their cooperation and support to!ard puttin" a stop to these destructive incidents,I 4e"arda said' ,he noted that man& of the !orldJs marine resources continue to suffer from the irresponsi%ilit& of the o!ners and operators of forei"n vessels' H)t is lamenta%le that !e have another incident of coral reef destruction caused %& a forei"n vessel,I 4e"arda said' HConductin" investi"ations, one after another, and deportin" the culprits is not the solution to the pro%lem,I she said, addin" that responsi%le parties should %e made to ans!er for the destruction the& have caused' 4e"arda said Hmore "rit and teethH is needed in the enforcement of local and international maritime la!s' HEnou"h of the Kslap on the handJ approach,I she said' The senator also reiterated her call for the PC9 to %e more vi"ilant in "uardin" Philippine !aters' H2e ma& not %e a%le to "uard ever& inch of the entire coast and Philippine territorial !aters, %ut !e have to find !a&s to stren"then our capacities to "uard and protect our marine environment,I she said' L /it$ +$ri"tina )en&e0

SOURCE: httpBCC!!!'philstar'comCheadlinesC.;/=C;DC/8C7FF.;8Cpc"detains-vietnamese-ship-cre! B& Evel&n *acairan (The Philippine ,tar)

PAJE 1ELLS DENR E)PLO2EES3 /OR4 5ARDER 1O PRO1E+1 15E ENV6RON)EN1

,ecretar& Ramon -'P' Pa+e on *onda& lauded emplo&ees of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for a +o% !ell done and challen"ed them to surpass the a"enc&5s achievements in environmental protection and nature conservation' 0ddressin" his official famil& durin" the DENR5s .Dth anniversar& cele%ration, Pa+e said these accomplishments that "ained pu%lic support and reco"nition %& the international communit& "ive ever&one in the department the reason to %e proud' Despite these achievements, ho!ever, Pa+e said it is important for DENR !or#ers to perform at their full potential in order to sta& ahead of challen"es in implementin" environmental protection measures' 62e can still e(ceed the %est !e have produced' Please #eep up the e(cellent !or# as !e strive to %etter tomorro! our &esterda&Js %est,I Pa+e told DENR !or#ers' Pa+e said the DENR5s "ood performance !ould not %e possi%le !ithout the 01uino administration displa&in" a stron" environmental "overnance !ith focus on reversin" environmental de"radation and ena%le sustaina%le livin"' <e cited in particular President Beni"no 01uino )))Js total lo" %an and reforestation policies L initiatives that pushed the ran#in" of the Philippines up in the Environmental Performance )nde( (EP)) of the 2orld last &ear' The implementation %& the DENR of the lo" %an in natural forests pursuant to E(ecutive Arder (EA) No' .= had su%stantiall& reduced to =/ the ille"al lo""in" hotspots from a hi"h of /7 %efore the la! too# effect, Pa+e pointed out' EA .=, !hich !as si"ned %& President 01uino in :e%ruar& .;//, has also halted all authori$ed lo""in" operations in natural forests nation!ide, virtuall& stoppin" tim%er e(traction of a%out =;; million %oard feet a &ear'

0lso in :e%ruar& .;//, the President issued EA .D esta%lishin" the National 9reenin" Pro"ram, !hich see#s to plant /'F %illion trees coverin" /'F million hectares in si( &ears endin" in .;/D' These t!o presidential directives each received a perfect score of /;; percent in the EP), improvin" the Philippine ran#in" %& ei"ht notches to No' E. in .;/. from No' F; in .;/; amon" the /=. countries evaluated %& Male Universit&, Colum%ia Universit&, the 2orld Economic :orum and the -oint Research Center of the European Commission' 0lso, the "overnment5s anti-ille"al lo""in" campai"n has led to the confiscation of .. million %oard feet of forest products, filin" of 7./ cases in court and conviction of /;7 persons' The sei$ed lo"s !ere converted into chairs, des#s and other school furniture, and turned over to the Department of Education' Ather achievements of the DENR include the revision of the countr&5s centur&-old cadastral surve& and its completion %& .;/E? delineation of forestland %oundaries in all re"ions e(cept the 0utonomous Re"ion in *uslim *indanao? partnership !ith the private sector in the cleanup and reha%ilitation of .=. !ater!a&s nation!ide under the 60dopt-anEstero6 pro+ect? and the National Ecosavers Pro"ram that promotes ecolo"ical solid !aste mana"ement in pu%lic elementar& and hi"h schools' Pa+e said the 01uino "overnment5s minin" polic& reforms under EA 7, !hich aims to %alance development and environmental protection, !ere main reason !h& the Philippines re"istered "ood sho!in" in the recent "lo%al report issued %& the Revenue 2atch )nstitute (R2)) and the countr&5s acceptance as candidate countr& to +oin the E(tractive )ndustr& Transparenc& )nitiative (E)T))' The Ne! Mor#-%ased R2) "ave the countr& a score of D= out of /;; under the Hinstitutional and le"al settin"I as a result of its Hcomprehensive minin" le"islationI and ran#ed .=rd overall amon" F8 resource-rich countries surve&ed on the 1ualit& of "overnance in the oil, "as and mineral sectors' Based on the R2) stud&, the Philippines ran#ed in the top half of countries surve&ed on all four components, Hsu""estin" that the "overnment has made meanin"ful pro"ress to!ard improved resource "overnance'I Pa+e earlier e(pressed optimism that the Philippines !as on the ri"ht to!ard achievin" compliant status !ith the E)T) %& .;/F "iven the comprehensive minin" reforms laid do!n in EA 7' EA 7 see#s to %alance important concerns on minin" development in reinforcin" environmental protection measures, promotin" responsi%le minin", providin" a more e1uita%le revenue-sharin" scheme and

providin" coordinative mechanisms amon" sta#eholders includin" local "overnment units' E)T) is a "lo%all& developed standard that ensures more transparenc& and %etter "overnance of a countr&Js minin" resources' Bein" an E)T) compliant is important for an& resource-rich countr& %ecause it !ould result in improved revenue collection and %oost investment climate' N

,AURCEB httpBCC!!!'denr'"ov'phCne!s-and-featuresClatestne!s'htmlOstartPE Monday, 10 June 2013 15:40

NE/ D6S1R67816ON AREAS FOR P56L6PP6NE EA,LE 6DEN16F6ED

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has identified the Cordillera *ountains and )li"an Cit& in 4anao del Norte province as ne! distri%ution and conservation areas, !ith 4e&te as rediscover& site, for the Philippine Ea"le (Pithecopha"a +effer&i) as part of the on"oin" efforts to improve the chances for survival of the criticall& endan"ered %ird' DENR ,ecretar& Ramon -' P' Pa+e said the decision came after si"htin"s of the ma+estic ea"le in 0pa&ao and 4e&te provinces !ere reported earlier this &ear %& the Philippine Ea"le :oundation (PE:) and the Universit& of the Philippines (UP), respectivel&' ,a&in" these si"htin"s offered Hne! %eacons of hopeI for the Philippine Ea"le, Pa+e called for a more conscious effort amon" :ilipinos to ensure the continued e(istence of the so-called H<arin" )%onI or >in" of Birds' HThe citi$enr& should manifest its stance to uphold !hat this charismatic and ma"nificent %ird depicts L the :ilipinosJ insatia%le desire and aspiration to rise and soar a"ainst the challen"es the& are faced !ith,I Pa+e said' The recent si"htin"s of the rare ea"le !ere the focus of the cele%rations mar#in" the Philippine Ea"le 2ee#, !hich is held ever& -une E-/; of each &ear' The Philippine Ea"le, the countr&Js national %ird since /77F and once called as Hthe !orldJs no%lest flierI %& 0merican aviator Charles 4ind%er"h, is considered criticall& endan"ered %& the )nternational Union for the Conservation of Nature and Birdlife )nternational for its diminishin" num%ers in the !ild, !hich is mostl& caused %& ha%itat destruction and poachin"'

Throu"h the Philippine Raptors Conservation Pro"ram of the Protected 0reas and 2ildlife Bureau (P02B), the DENR has partnered !ith or"ani$ations such as PE:, UP and <ari%on :oundation in informin" the pu%lic a%out the Philippine Ea"le, particularl& in identified ea"le ha%itats' Under the conservation pro"ram, !hich is implemented in /; re"ions nation!ide, surve& and monitorin" activities are done to document the location of %reedin" pairs and nests in the !ild' These activities have also &ielded data on ne! distri%ution areas or Hrediscoveries,I +ust li#e in 4e&te !here the last documented si"htin" !as =; &ears a"o' The Philippine ea"le si"htin" !as first documented in /87D in Paranas )sland off ,amar province' )ts natural ha%itats such as Northern ,ierra *adre, *t' >itan"lad and *t' 0po have %een declared as protected areas' P02B Director Theresa *undita 4im said the discover& of ea"les in the !ild calls for the preservation of the remainin" forest ha%itats' HThe Philippine ea"leJs presence in the forest spea#s of a health& and sustaina%le environment,I she said' 4im e(plained that the ea"le, as a natural predator, upholds the ecolo"ical %alance in the forests %& re"ulatin" the population of smaller animals li#e rodents and sna#es that can destro& a"ricultural crops and pose dan"er to humans' Ather raptors also serve as Hnatural "ar%a"e disposersI !hen the& scaven"e on dead animal carcasses to prevent disease out%rea#s, thus maintainin" a %alanced and ro%ust ecos&stem' 4im said a!areness pro"rams include correctin" misconceptions on the ea"le %ein" a nuisance or pest' H<a%itats that are conserved and protected %& communities therefore contri%ute to environmental sta%ilit& and securit& of human !ell%ein", especiall& in the face of climate chan"e,I she pointed out' )n :e%ruar& /777, Presidential Proclamation No' 7 declared -une E-/; of ever& &ear as Philippine Ea"le 2ee# to commemorate efforts in environmental conservation and see# support to stren"then attempts to save the Philippine Ea"le from e(tinction throu"h colla%oration amon" various sectors' N ,AURCEB ne!s'htmlOstartPE httpBCC!!!'denr'"ov'phCne!s-and-featuresClatest-

Thursday, 13 June 2013 17:10