ENVIRONMENT WATCH

‘Walang plastikan’ for Isabela ladies group
SAN MATEO, Isabela — To minimize, if not eradicate, the widespread use of plastic bags in town, the San Mateo chapter of the Isabela Green Ladies Organization launched Tuesday a campaign it called "Walang Plastikan."

This was intended to discourage indiscriminate use of the non-biodegradable containers commonly used in modern shopping places, public markets and high-end malls.

"The message which figuratively means be true to one’s self literally means no to plastics," said Dr. Crispina Agcaoili, IGLO president and wife of San Mateo Mayor Roberto Agcaoili. A municipal ordinance discourages the use of plastic bags as containers especially in the San Mateo public market.

"While we have a strict garbage disposal system being implemented in our public market and in all the 33 barangays, discouraging the use of plastics will substantially reduce the mounting problem of waste management, not only in our municipality but in the entire country as well," Mayor Agcaoili said.

Because non-biodegrable, plastic bags and similar containers cause problems at garbage dump sites. "Because plastic does not decompose, you can just imagine millions of tons of it covering the earth every minute, every second. What will happen to us?" Doctor Agcaoili said.

The mayor’s wife said that food stalls, variety stores and mobile juice carts using cellophane pouches and sachets in the sale of bottled soft drinks and juices or even hot food and soup were advised to stop the practice.

"Cellophane pouches may look clean, but these could be dangerous to our health because there are unknown chemical elements in them that may react with cold soda drinks or to extremely high temperature of food," Doctor Agcaoili said.

The use of the traditional "bayong" (nipa basket) or rattan baskets, commonly used by rural folk decades ago, is being revived to save the ailing environment. "In our modern times, bayong or basket may initially look awkward, but as the renewed practice goes in full swing, we will get use to it as our official shopping kit.

Besides, we can save money because we will no longer buy every now and then plastic bags which cost from R2 to R5 depending on the size. And as a result, we can clean our dump sites and get rid of eyesores," Mayor Agcaoili said.

Led by the municipal government, civic groups and schools, "Walang Plastikan" is now a byword in the town in both its literal and figurative meaning. – CP


Expansion of Quirino fish sanctuary sought
CABARROGUIS, Quirino -- The municipal government here is poised to push for an expansion of its five-hectare fish sanctuary, following the re-emergence of an endangered soft-shelled turtle there, the Philippine Environmental Governance, a USAID-funded project, said.

EcoGov’s Bing Jaleco said the freshwater turtle, which was last seen in the area seven years ago, was discovered to have resurfaced two weeks ago, boosting biodiversity conservation efforts in Cabarroguis town.

“More than anything else, it shows how sound environmental management and good governance can impact positively on biodiversity, in this case on habitat,” Jaleco said.

He cited the improved governance of Quirino’s forest and forestland resources through the town’s Forest Land Use Plan, which was prepared with technical assistance from EcoGov.

Leo Valdez, municipal environment officer of Cabarroguis, said the freshwater juvenile Cantor’s Giant Soft-Shelled Turtle (Pelochelys cantorii), locally known as cagot, was discovered after it got trapped in the fishnet of a fisherman along Addalam River in Barangay Eden two weeks ago.

The turtle was immediately brought to the municipal agriculturist’s office for proper documentation. Valdez said the Addalam River watershed irrigates rice lands in Cabarroguis, Aglipay and Saguday in Quirino, and nearby towns in Isabela.

He said the site where the cagot was found is part of the fish sanctuary established in the mid-1990s. Intensive quarrying and illegal fishing along the river prompted local leaders to protect the area to enable it to renew and increase fish stocks, Valdez said.

Sectors join to preserveLagawe’s watershed
LAGAWE, Ifugao – The ongoing deforestation of Mount Binahagan, Lagawe’s highest mountain and the source of drinking water for the five barangays surrounding it, has prompted some concerned sectors to join in a tree planting activity and community consultation here initiated by the municipal local government unit last July 12.

Some 1,000 mahogany seedlings and 400 arabica coffee seedlings were planted at the peak of the said mountain by at least 60 participants mostly young people from Don Bosco High School, the Ifugao State College of Agriculture and Forestry, Kiphodan, and Kataguwan. Employees from the provincial government and LGU-Lagawe participated also in the event.

Sharon Sarol of the Lagawe municipal government said the tree planting activity was an advocacy in itself since it heightened awareness on the importance of biodiversity conservation among the youth and the community in line with the concerns on global warming. Sarol said involvement of the young people in the said activity was in commemoration of World Population Day.

“The youth comprises the majority of the world population and involving them in this activity could help change the notion that they could hardly make a difference nowadays,” she said.

“I was worried of any unwanted incident to the participants as we climbed the peak of the mountain but we made it,” she added.

Sarol told the young people that by planting a tree, the person develops his or her nurturing capacity or the ability to care and grow emotionally. She stressed to them that activities such as this help them stay away from destructive activities.

As a response, a Don Bosco student testified that with the activity, she developed a sense of responsibility. She said she was able to prove to herself that she could do something worthwhile.

“Being a student of Don Bosco who stays at Poblacion, I was unaware of the actual situation of the far-flung barangays of Lagawe so I find this activity truly educational,” she said. “At the peak of Mt. Binahagan, I saw how human activities cause the deterioration of the rich natural resources of Lagawe.”

The activity resulted to consultation among elders and residents initiated by Dionisio Umlano Jr., barangay captain of Pullaan, who promised to monitor the planted trees. Encouraged by the positive feedbacks from the participants and the community, Lagawe Mayor Caesario Cabbigat said Mt. Binahagan could be developed as eco-tourism site.

Ifugao Gov. Teddy Baguilat Jr. also said he hoped the activity would be replicated in other municipalities. -- Jeremy M. Gawongna