Comprehensive Study Notes: Environment, Natural Resources, and Disaster Risk Management (Philippines)

ISYUNG PERSONAL

  • ISYUNG PERSONAL – refers to issues that occur between a person and those close to him/her.
  • ISYUNG PANLIPUNAN – a public issue, typically a crisis or problem of social institutions.
  • MGA ISYUNG PANGKAPALIGIRAN – topics about the state of nature and environmental degradation, which affect people and the economy.
  • MGA ISYUNG PANGKAPALIGIRAN: Major subtypes listed are:
    • 1. ISYU SA SOLID WASTE
    • 2. PAGKASIRA NG MGA LIKAS NA YAMAN
    • 3. CLIMATE CHANGE

I. SOLID WASTE AND BEST PRACTICES

SULIRANIN SA SOLID WASTE

  • Some Best Practices have been implemented in different Philippine localities to address waste problems:
    • Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte
    • Bago City, Negros Occidental
    • Bagumbuhay Project 4, Quezon City
    • Teresa, Rizal
    • Quezon City
  • Observed practices and policies include:
    • No Segregation, No Collection
    • No Orientation & Implementation of Ecological Solid Waste Management; No Issuance of Municipal Permits
    • Municipal-wide composting & livelihood projects
    • Takakura Market Waste Composting
    • Garbage Points
    • Residual Waste Management
    • Dumpsite Conversion with Methane Recovery for Power Generation

Mga NGO o Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) involved in reducing solid waste problems

  • Mother Earth Foundation – assists in putting up Municipal/Barangay Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs)
  • Clean and Green Foundation – involved in Orchidarium and Butterfly Pavilion, Gift of Trees, Piso para sa Pasig
  • Bantay-Kalikasan – uses media to inform citizens; led reforestation of La Mesa Watershed and Pasig River Rehabilitation
  • Greenpeace – aims to change attitudes toward nature and promotes peaceful stewardship of the environment

II. PAGKASIRA NG LIKAS NA YAMAN (Degradation of Natural Resources)

  • The Philippines is richly endowed with natural resources; it is estimated that about 15%15\% of the country's income comes directly from natural resources.
  • Natural resources are raw materials for new products and serve as energy sources for electricity.
  • They are being depleted due to: overexploitation, rising demand from a growing population, and natural calamities.
  • Status of major natural resources:
    • Kagubatan (forests): rapid and continuous decline in forest cover; from 17 ektarya to 6.43 (units in the text; commonly this implies million hectares – reflect the material's figures).
    • Yamang tubig (water resources): decline in total catch weight of the last fish harvests—from about 10 kg10\,kg per day to 3 kg3\,kg per day.
    • Yamang lupa (soil/land resources): about 50%50\% of fertile land has been degraded in the last decade.
  • YAMANG-GUBAT (Forest resources) – benefits and roles:
    • Serves as habitats for various species of animals
    • Provides livelihoods for people
    • Helps prevent soil erosion
    • Protects watersheds
    • Contributes to climate change mitigation
  • Deforstation (Deforestation) – long-term and permanent destruction of forests due to activities such as:
    • Illegal logging
    • Illegal mining
    • Migration
    • Rapid population growth
    • Fuelwood harvesting

Epekto ng Deforestation

  • Increases occurrences of floods and landslides.
  • Intensifies climate-change effects via disruption of the carbon cycle.
  • Affects communities that rely on forests for livelihoods.

MGA BATAS UPANG MAPROTEKSYONAN ANG YAMANG- GUBAT

  • Batas Republika Bilang 2706 (Reforestation Administration): strengthens programs for national reforestation.
  • Batas Republika Bilang 9072 (National Caves and Cave Resources Management and Protection Act): protects caves and their resources as part of the nation's natural wealth.
  • Batas Republika Bilang 7586 (National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 1992): declares protected areas/national parks where hunting, logging, and other commercial activities are prohibited.
  • Batas Republika Bilang 9175 (The Chainsaw Act): bans the use of chainsaws to curb illegal logging.

PAGMIMINA (Mining)

  • Mining is the process of extracting minerals (metallic, non-metallic) and mineral energy sources from the earth to produce finished products.
  • Masamang Dulot ng Pagmimina (Adverse Effects):
    • Pollutes rivers, lakes, and other water bodies.
    • In areas prone to landslides, mining activities can trigger disasters.

MGA BATAS TUNGKOL SA PAGMIMINA

  • Philippine Mining Act: established to regulate mining nationwide with environmental safeguards.
  • Executive Order No. 79 (signed by President Benigno S. Aquino III): aims to reform the mining sector with new policies to ensure environmental protection and responsible mining.
  • Philippine Mineral Resources Act of 2012: aims to streamline research and monitoring of mineral resource extraction; ensures equitable benefits to the state, indigenous peoples, and local communities.

PAGKU-QUARRY (Quarrying)

  • Defined as the extraction of stone, sand, gravel, and other minerals from the earth via blasting, digging, or boring.

III. CAUSES, EFFECTS, AND SOLUTIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

SANHI/DAHILAN NG CLIMATE CHANGE (Causes)

  • Pagsusunog ng solid waste (solid waste burning)
  • Deforestation
  • Patuloy na paggamit ng fossil fuels (ongoing use of fossil fuels)
  • Mataas na antas ng CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere
  • Water pollution
  • Air pollution
  • Coral bleaching
  • Pagkalusaw ng mga iceberg sa Antarctica (melting of icebergs in Antarctica)
  • Mga Kalamidad (increasing incidence of natural disasters)
  • Pagliit ng produksyon sa sektor ng agrikultura (reduced agricultural production)
  • Mga sakit (health impacts/diseases)

EPEKTO NG CLIMATE CHANGE (Effects)

  • Increased frequency and intensity of disasters
  • Disruptions to agriculture and food security
  • Impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems
  • Human health risks and disease patterns
  • Corals and marine ecosystems stress (e.g., coral bleaching)

SOLUSYON NG CLIMATE CHANGE (Solutions)

  • Reforestation o pagtatanim ng mga punong-kahoy (reforestation/afforestation)
  • Paggamit ng renewable resources (use of renewable resources)
  • Solid Waste Management
  • Mga Batas na may kaugnayan sa pangangalaga sa kalikasan (environmental protection laws)
  • Bawasan ang pagkonsumo ng kuryente (reduce electricity consumption)

IV. HAZARD AND DISASTER TERMINOLOGY

HAZARD

  • Refers to threats from natural or human-made sources that can cause damage to life, property, and the environment. When unavoidable, they can lead to harm.

ANTHROPOGENIC HAZARD

  • Hazards arising from human activities (e.g., the dark smoke emitted by factories and vehicles).

NATURAL HAZARD

  • Hazards arising from natural processes (e.g., storms, earthquakes, tsunamis, thunderstorms, storm surges, and landslides).

DISASTER

  • An event that poses danger and damage to people, the environment, and economic activities. Disasters can be natural (typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions) or human-made (wars, pollution).
  • A disaster is often said to be the result of Hazard × Vulnerability × Insufficient Capacity of a community to cope with hazard.

VULNERABILITY

  • Susceptibility of people, places, and infrastructure to be affected by hazards.
  • Influenced by geographical location and socioeconomic status; e.g., houses built with weak materials are more vulnerable.

RISK

  • The expected level of damage to people, property, and life due to a hazard.
  • The vulnerable segment of a community typically bears higher risk due to limited capacity to cope.

HUMAN RISK OR STRUCTURAL RISK

  • Distinguishes between risks to humans (e.g., health and safety) and risks to structures (e.g., buildings, infrastructure).

RESILIENCE

  • The capacity of a community to withstand and recover from the impacts of disasters.
  • Can be structural (e.g., strengthening houses, bridges, earthquake-proof buildings, flood defenses, firewall, and safe exits) or non-structural (e.g., knowledge and practices among people that help ensure safety).

PHILIPPINE DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2020

  • Two main objectives aligned with the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Framework (PDRRMF):
    1. The challenges posed by hazards and disasters must be anticipated and addressed proactively, not only during actual hazard events.
    2. The government has to play a crucial role in reducing damages and risks; emphasis on national and local readiness and resilience through unity and cooperation across sectors and citizens.

V. COMMUNITY-BASED DISASTER AND RISK MANAGEMENT (CBDRRM)

  • Purpose: to prepare communities and prevent wide-scale loss of life and property; implies citizens are part of planning, decision-making, and implementation.
  • Importance: without community readiness, hazard and disaster impacts can be severe; CBDRRM aims to build disaster-resilient communities.
  • APPROACHES: TOP-DOWN APPROACH and BOTTOM-UP APPROACH

HAKBANGS SA PAGBUO NG COMMUNITY-BASED DISASTER RISK REDUCTION MANAGEMENT PLAN (CBDRRMP)

I. UNANG YUGTO: DISASTER PREVENTION AND MITIGATION
  • This stage involves assessing hazards and the community’s capability to respond to various environmental problems.
  • Outcome: information gathered leads to an effective disaster management plan.
  • Key components:
    • Hazard Assessment: scope, extent, and potential damages a location may face.
    • Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment: measures community weaknesses and strengths to face disasters.
    • Risk Assessment
    • Prevention: actions to avoid hazards and disasters
    • Mitigation: actions to lessen severe impacts on people and property
    • Structural Mitigation: interventions on the physical fabric of the community (e.g., dikes, sandbags, floodgates, earthquake-proof buildings, firewall, fire exits)
    • Non-Structural Mitigation: plans and preparations to keep the community safe (e.g., disaster management plan, population control, ordinances and laws, information dissemination, hazard assessment)
II. IKALAWANG YUGTO: DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
  • Focus: actions to be taken before a disaster/hazard hits.
  • Objective: reduce the number of people affected and expedite recovery.
  • Three objectives:
    • 11 To inform – provide knowledge about hazards, risk, capability, and the community’s physical characteristics.
    • 22 To advise – provide information on protective actions, preparation, and avoidance of disasters/hazards.
    • 33 To instruct – provide steps to take, safe places to go, and authorities to approach for help during hazards.
III. IKATLONG YUGTO: DISASTER RESPONSE
  • Purpose: assess how widespread the damage is in a community.
  • Three types of assessments:
    • 11 Needs Assessment – primary needs of victims
    • 22 Damage Assessment – the extent of damage to property
    • 33 Loss Assessment – temporary loss of services and infrastructure
IV. IKAPAT (IKAPAT) NA YUGTO: DISASTER REHABILITATION AT RECOVERY
  • Focused on repairing damaged facilities and infrastructure and restoring essential services to return the community to normalcy after a disaster.