STRAIGHT FROM THE BIG CITY

Ike ‘Ka Iking Seneres
Environment and livelihood in tandem

MANILA -- It is really just a matter of perspective. Restoring the environment is a distinct goal by itself, but looking at it another way, environmental restoration could open up a lot of livelihood opportunities for the poor and the unemployed. As to which one is more important or more beneficial is perhaps an academic question only, because the bottom line is the same. These two goals both serve the public interest, and everyone benefits from the attainment of these goals.

It is also perhaps a matter of semantics, because it is not that important whether the main benefit in environmental restoration is public health or a safer environment, because these two benefits could just practically be considered as by products of livelihood generation.
For example, on the question of cleaning our rivers, we have the potential of not just having a clean environment, but more important than that, it gives us the chance to have sources of clean water to irrigate our farms, and to have fresh water areas where we could commercially grow fish again.

Is it really possible to restore an urban area into a natural watershed, back to the original form it was in before urban development brought in its harmful effects? This is the challenge that the La Salle Institute of Governance (LSIG), the La Salle Institute for the Environment (LIFE) and the Sama Kabuhayan Association (SKA) has taken on, as it plans to return the La Salle Taft campus to the “status” of a watershed.

I hope that this experiment will succeed, because the idea could inspire a new environmental consciousness that could restore urban villages and urban centers into watersheds. This idea also holds the promise of cleaning the land in order to clean the rivers, the latter being a requisite to cleaning our bays and oceans. Truth to tell, water is the ultimate resource that could ensure not just good health, but also the sustenance of life itsef.
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Government agencies seldom coordinate with each other in working towards the convergence of their policies and programs. This is true in the case of the Department of Health and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as it is true in many other Departments. For sure, there are many potential policy and program areas where they could work together, if only they could put their acts together.

To cite an example, there is no doubt that dirty and polluted rivers pose a threat to the health to the health of everyone, not only to those who live along the riverbanks. Using this as an example, it is very well within the authority of the DOH to sanction the polluters of rivers for health reasons, aside from the sanctions that the DENR could impose upon them.

Citing a case in history, the Americans convicted Al Capone for tax evasion, because they could not gather enough evidence to convict him for his other crimes. Without going around the bush, I say that murdering a river is a crime and if we could not get the criminals for environment reasons, we should get them for health reasons, and why not?

The La Salle Institute for Governance (LSIG) and the La Salle Institute for the Environment (LIFE) are planning innovative programs to enable students to become more active in cleaning the environment. The program will help river polluters in developing corrective measures that would be good for all.

All drugs containing PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE (PPA) are being recalled in the USA . What is the DOH doing about this? Certain drugs allegedly contain this ingredient (Alka Seltzer, Dimetapp, Robitussin, Dexatrim, Bioflu, Neozep, Tuseran and Disudrin). It is reportedly linked to INCREASED HEMORRHAGIC STROKE (bleeding brain) among women ages 18 to 49 and seizures among children. Visit the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) web site www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/ppa.

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