By Benedicto Q Sánchez
Nature Speaks

I'M in the company of celebrities of the Visayas.

Name droppables, if someone is familiar with the environmental scene in this neck of the woods.

There's Dr. Angel Alcala, former DENR secretary, Dr. J.R. Nereus O. Acosta, Dr. Renato Solidum Jr, Dr. William Granert, among so many others. This place has more people with doctorates per square foot than the whole University of the Philippines-Tacloban where the Visayan Environmental Forum is being held.

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But the congress discussion is any thing but flippant. Pretty grim and determined on hazard risks and natural disaster management. How do you deal with them in this grim period of climate change? How do you tackle increasing scarcity of freshwater?

Acosta touched on problems on the country's limitations on measuring the effects of climate change. The country simply has few scientists. In the national budget, the Department of Science and Technology has the least budget at P6 billion, with 65 percent going to salaries. He's one of the few scientists who evolved into a three-term congressman of Bukidnon.

That's why he's dissed with Congress. According to him, if pro is the opposite of con, then the opposite of progress is congress. That brought the house down.
Alcala, on the other hand, mentioned that our fisheries stand on shaky grounds. Or more exactly, the ocean depth. Gensan, noted for its tuna products, doesn't get its yellow-backed tuna from Philippine waters anymore, but in the Solomons and Papua New Guinea. In other words, Filipino fishing vessels are poaching on international waters.

Granert, a Peace Corps volunteer who put his lifetime stakes in the Visayas, said saltwater intrusion has reached 50 ppm chloride content up to the Cebu's capitol building. In other words, Cebu has so over-pumped its aquifers that saltwater, through the overconing process, has infiltrated its underground water.

Malls are one of the culprits why aquifers don't get to replenish its water supplies. There is no way for rainwater to percolate down to the aquifers.
Then, there's the problem with building codes. Buildings aren't required to install gutters and cisterns to collect rainwater that can be used for dishwashing or flushing toilets.

On the other hand, the presenters provided solutions.

Alcala pushed for the establishment of more marine sanctuaries. Citing Apo Island, the conservation efforts especially of corals enabled the local fishers to harvest 15-20 tons a year, near the coast.

Acosta cited the case of SM's Hans Sy who watched Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth." That sent him to introduce green innovations in all the malls, such as waterless urinals in the restrooms, or ecological solid waste management. Acosta was invited to make a case for green innovations in the SM loop.

To conserve freshwater, Granert batted for simple solutions. Fix leaky faucets. Use mugs while brushing teeth. The controversial proposal is to charge higher rates for pumping water or getting the resource from the Metro Cebu Water District.

His point: consumers are willing to pay for the bottled mineral waters, which in Leyte cost P17 per 500 ml.

So, bite the bullet and save the planet. We might end up paying more in the end.
Please email comments to bqsanc@yahoo.com

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(November 29, 2008 issue)
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