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Ilonggos rally for environmetal protection
by T. Villavert

Iloilo City (23 June 2005) -- The urgency to address the environmental degradation took center stage in the activity dubbed “Walk Advocacy for a green Iloilo City”.

This is a 7:30 A.M. parade in the city participated in by various sectors bearing placards, banners and posters that highlights public awareness on the consequences of neglect and destruction of the ecosystem. The Walk Advocacy is a joint undertaking of the Iloilo City government thru the Task Force on Clean and Green and the DENR. The activity has gathered big participation of students from various universities qand colleges in the city.

In a program held at the Freedom Grandstand, Val Talabero, OIC-Regional Executive Director of DENR VI warned of the great costs of environmental degradation. Sharing the information he learned from the World Bank’s Philippine Environment Report 2004, Talabero said that environmental degradation is costing the country some Pl00 Billion annually.

Sharing further the data, Talabero said that the country was losing P67 billion annually due to water pollution; P23 billion for lack of management of fisheries resources and P2l billion in health bills because of air pollution.
Talabero challenged everyone to support the government’s environmental protection program which is best addressed by Republic Act 9003, otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) Act of 2000, the first Republic Act signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

RA 9003 provides for a systematic and comprehensive ecological waste management program for all sectors of society to adopt and implement.

Likewise, Talabero congratulated the Iloilo City government for implementing the law. Iloilo City he said, generates 300 tons of garbage a day. Now the City government has converted the Calajunan open dumpsite into a controlled dumpsite.
To further solidify support to the environmental protection program, Barangay Captains in the city has manifested their pledge of commitment to practice, promote and implement the ESWM program of the city government.

Ecological Solid Waste Management refers to the systematic administration of activities which provide for segregation at source, transportation, storage, transfer, processing, treatment and disposal of solid waste and all other waste management activities which do not harm the environment.

The program at the Freedom Grandstand likewise, emphasized the “May Pera Sa Basura” through the success stories revealed by Sonia M. Marquillero, proprietess of Gabi Junkshop who is proud of her poor parents that through the basura she was sent to school and finished her law degree. Another testimony was heard from Barangay Captain Jess Mercado of Barangay Navais.

With World Bank’s assessment of environmental degradation costs, and with the economic gains one can get through proper environmental management, what else can Juan dela Cruz do to help maintain a viable environment? (PIA)

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