Contemporary Issues & Philippine Natural Resources

Contemporary Issues: Definition

• Derived from Latin "contemporarius": "con" (with) + "temporarius" (of time)
• Defined as events, situations, or conditions with significant relevance to the present (Kendall $2013$)
• Public in nature – matters of common concern

Goals of Studying Contemporary Issues

• Enrich knowledge of current events through critical and analytical approaches
• Broaden understanding of diverse perspectives in a globalized Philippines

Characterizing Contemporary Issues (Charon & Vigilant $2009$)

• Key Questions
  • What is the issue about?
  • What makes the issue contemporary?
  • What are its causes and effects?
  • What solutions are possible?
• Indicators of Contemporary Nature
  • Socially oriented
  • Societal contributions identified
  • Potential to cause social disorder or disrupt relationships
• Origins & Dynamics
  • Human choices and actions create issues
  • Human nature shapes issue emergence
  • Effects vary with proposed solutions due to society’s complexity

Benefits of Studying Contemporary Issues

• Become part of the global community
• Make informed decisions
• Stimulate constructive discussions
• Build and strengthen personal relationships
• Foster appreciation of cultural relativism

Philippine Natural Resources

Overview

• Tropical archipelago of $7\,641$ islands, area $300\,000$ km${}^2$
• Abundant in minerals, forests, water, and fertile land

Fishery Resources

• Ranked $7$th among world fish-producers (≈$4.87$ million metric tons)
• $3$rd largest producer of aquatic plants
• Employment: $1$ million Filipinos (≈$3\%$ of labor force)
  • $68\%$ municipal
  • $26\%$ aquaculture
  • $6\%$ commercial

Environmental Concerns (Republic Act $10654$ – Philippine Fisheries Code $1998$)

• Targets illegal, unreported, unregulated fishing
• Population growth → higher marine demand
• Water pollution (solid & chemical waste) → fish kills

Land and Soil Resources

• Total land: $30$ million ha
  • $50\%$ forest lands
  • $47\%$ alienable & disposable
  • $3\%$ unclassified forestlands

Key Problems

• Soil erosion ↓ land productivity & ↑ water pollution
• Land conversion: agricultural → non-agricultural use

Mineral Resources (DENR)

• $5$th largest global mineral reserve
• Rankings: $3$rd in gold, $4$th in copper, $5$th in nickel
• ≈$9$ million ha contain significant deposits

Impacts of Mining

• Biodiversity & ecosystem degradation
• Effects on livelihood and employment
• Health risks to communities
• Economic contributions (revenues vs. costs)