Championing the environment

Photo from Lemuel Manalo
Photo from Lemuel Manalo

Becoming an environmentalist is a passion and advocacy that is usually ingrained early on in a person’s life.

For Lemuel Manalo, it was his stint as a student leader in college that exposed him to different issues surrounding him and the environment, and as he grew older, he found himself working for advocacies and efforts aligned with the intention of making the world a better place - most especially Davao City.

As a staunch advocate, Manalo dreams for the city to become a sustainable, green urban city in the future.

He is currently working as a Program Coordinator for the Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (Idis) - one of the distinguished environmental groups in Davao that lobbies for various advocacy-lead policies.

Manalo spent five years as a research specialist for Idis and under his leadership, Idis conducted a research project that identified heritage trees in the city, which then led to the creation of City Ordinance No. 0784-21 Series of 2021 “Heritage Tree Ordinance” that aims to save trees that have a valuable impact.

He also pioneered the research for permeable pavement system (PPS) which led to the ordinance promoting the use of PPS in Davao City last 2018. Thanks to the ordinance, the city requires to incorporate PPS in establishments, which acts as a stormwater management facility that can absorb flood and help in the reduction of heat.

However, before these projects gained attention and are enacted into law, Manalo and Idis, as well as other organizations like them, go through countless obstacles to lobby for such advocacies.

Even though environmentalists work for the benefit of others and the environment, they are often portrayed negatively since they stand firm to oppose policies that are destructive and harmful.

“If we have a lot of opposition, it's because of our care for the environment. All of our stands are coming from our studies and it's proven through science. When it comes to those issues, we are really firm on our stand because we know it can really harm and destroy both the environment and its people,” Manalo said.

Despite this, Manalo only focuses on their work and their principles, with the end goal to lead Davao City in the direction to become sustainable in the long term. He mentioned that he aims for the city to be aligned with Sustainable Development Goals 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

It may be a tough journey, but his dream for Davao City is what keeps him motivated. The hard work is all for the mission to make the city as sustainable, efficient, and resilient as possible for the benefit of the Dabawenyos.

“I have a lot of dreams for Davao City. We still need to improve and comparing it with other cities in the Philippines or other countries, there’s still a lot that we haven’t provided yet for the citizens that I believe they have the right to have,” he said.

Although the challenges may sometimes be pressing, Manalo stands firm on his ground as he wants to become part of the wave of change-makers that would transform Davao City for the better.

For those who want to do the same but find themselves voiceless or afraid, he advises that it’s best to surround themselves with like-minded people who care about their advocacies and start learning about the different issues affecting the city to effectively communicate their cause.

“The philosophy of environmentalism is you start caring not only about yourself, you also care for others. But it's also not just about the environment, it also includes care for the society and our communities,” Manalo said. ICM

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