Environment

During one of the committee hearings on the proposed Payment for Ecosystem Services ordinance, some councilors were arguing against the provision asking all concessionaires of the Cagayan de Oro City Water District (COWD) to add P5 a month to their monthly bills to be used for the rehabilitation and maintenance of the Cagayan de Oro Water Shed.

The European Union (EU) Delegation to the Philippines will work together with Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and its implementing partners, International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives - Local Governments for Sustainability, Manila Observatory, and Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan to implement the project titled “Clean Energy Living Laboratories (CELLs): The development of centres of excellence on energy access, renewable energy, and energy efficiency” under the Access to Sustainable Energy in the Philippines.

The Philippines is under threat from effluents which pollute its rivers systems and the general lack of sewage treatment facilities which pose an increasing threat to the health of Filipinos. Generally, sewage in the Philippines is treated insufficiently, if at all. In 2010, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported that only about 15% of the 11.6 million people in Metro Manila were connected to sewage pipes, and the rest use poorly designed and maintained septic tanks.

While the Cagayan de Oro Council is debating the merits and demerits of the proposed ordinance on the Payment for Ecosystem Services, at least four forward-looking local government units (LGUs) in the Visayas and Mindanao are now reaping the benefits of implementing similar measures.

A Kagay-anon environment advocate who has been championing the protection, preservation and rehabilitation of the Cagayan de Oro River Basin has been selected as one of four honorees for the 2018 Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Awards. Dr. Hilly Ann Maria Fernandez Roa-Quiaoit, Ph. D., is the executive director of the Cagayan de Oro River Basin Management Council (CDORBMC), is the 2018 TOFIL Awardee for Environmental Conservation. The awards night has been scheduled for 6PM Wednesday, December 5, 2018 at the Sequoia Hotel in Quezon City.

The Port of Cagayan de Oro has been recognized as one of the APSN Green Port Award System (GPAS) winners for 2018 among candidate ports from 18 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

11 October 2018 – The ever-increasing threats from climate change, evidenced by the increasing severity and frequency of disasters, require concerted efforts to build and strengthen resilience of communities in countries most vulnerable and at-risk from disasters, like the Philippines. In response to this challenge, and to mark the International Day for Disaster Reduction on 13 October, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) have signed today a Memorandum of Understanding that will enable collaborations on emergency response, preparedness, mitigation and building livelihood resilience.

7 August 2018 – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has cited the Philippines’ acceptance of two international agreements that will further boost efforts in ensuring sustainable management of the country’s marine resources. The Philippines is a global center of marine biodiversity and boasts one of the longest coastlines in the world. The country is among the top fish producers globally, according to FAO’s 2018 State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report.

The Philippines leading domestic carrier has launched Juan Effect, a sustainable tourism program targeted at the grassroots where everyJuan can do his share to sustain the environment for present and future generations. Teaming up with the Department of Tourism (DOT) with the support of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Cebu Pacific (CEB) hit the nail on the head with its program aimed at engaging travelers and local stakeholders to mitigate the impact of tourism on the environment.

June 8, 2018 is World Oceans Day. The action focus for this year is “Preventing Plastic Pollution and Encouraging Solutions for a Healthy Ocean.”

“May napaparusahan po pag pinapatay ang tao pero walang napaparusahan kapag pinapatay ang ating mga bundok, ang ating mga puno, at ang ating mga dagat.” Some 400 participants from all sectors of society braved torrential rains last May 30, 2018 to join the third leg of the Salakyag Para sa Sangnilikha 2018: Sama-samang Sakay-Lakad-Layag Para sa Sangnilikha Trans-Philippines Pilgrimage and Caravan calling for increased protection for the Environment and upholding the Rights of Nature.

Without a doubt, Mindanao is a magnificent place. It not only boasts of valuable rich natural resources, but also possesses the Philippine’s world renowned islands with pristine beaches, and mountain ranges lush with forests and watersheds, teeming with exotic wild life. It is also a melting pot of people of different faiths and ethnic backgrounds – the Indigenous People (IP or Lumads) and Muslims(Moros) - as the original inhabitants of the island, and Christian settlers—all of whom consider Mindanao as their home.

Unless Cagayan de Oro City shifts to sourcing its potable water supply from underground to surface water, it would sooner or later face a water crisis even worse that what some areas are now experiencing. That’s because the groundwater on which the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) now sources 80% of its water is fast depleting, and the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) wants all water districts under its purview to stop drilling for new ones by 2030.

AboitizPower’s adopted Philippine Eagle, Pangarap, turned 19 years old on February 23, 2018. AboitizPower has been supporting the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) since 2010 by providing funds for Pangarap's food, veterinary care, and shelter maintenance.

Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan, University of St La Salle, Université de Namur, Catholique Université de Louvain, and Université de Mons of Belgium have joined forces in the research project, Building up an Integrated Methodology for Water Resources Assessment and Management in Urban Coastal Areas (BIMWAM).

AboitizPower subsidiary Hedcor Bukidnon, Inc. is on the final phase of commissioning its 69-MW hydropower facilities in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.

Used cooking oil may be harmful to health but a little bit of science can turn it into an environment savior. This is exactly what Davao-based Emiliano Quitiol, an inventor, found out way back in 2003 when he started working on his own biofuel. Now he has perfected his product he dubbed EFQ Bioforce.

Top players in the country’s chicken roasting industry may soon be using green charcoal to cook their famous grilled products, thanks to a Pampanga-based firm and technologies from the Department of Science and Technology’s Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI).

9 October 2017, Rome - Millions of young people in developing countries who are poised to enter the labour force in the coming decades need not flee rural areas to escape poverty, argues a new FAO report published today. Rural areas actually have vast potential for economic growth pegged to food production and related sectors, The State of Food and Agriculture 2017 says. And with the majority of the world's poor and hungry living in these areas, achieving the 2030 development agenda will hinge on unlocking that oft-neglected potential, it adds.

The backyards of the residents in Brgy. Maluko, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon became spacious after sacking and turning over heaps of recyclable wastes to Hedcor, a subsidiary of AboitizPower, on the first Eco-Market Day in Bukidnon held recently.