WED-Phils on DENR's Orientation and Design

from World Environment Day (WED)-Philippines Network, also named Green Families and Communities Network (GFCN)

One of the ultimate reasons behind the poverty of Filipinos in our seven thousand one hundred one islands, is the destruction of ecological habitat of the millions of ecology dependent families of tribal societies in the upland, farming families in the lowland and fishing families in the vast coastal area considered to tbe twice longer than the entire coast of the United States of America.  These are the three sectors of the Economy of the Commons in our Island Economic Systems. At present, this marginalization of communities primarily dependent upon Ecological Habitat, became the primary actors beneath the new dimensions of social realities in our society: Overseas Contract Workers and the Phenomenon of Urban Poverty (railroad and solid wastes dependent communities, in Payatas, and so forth).

The bottomline here is the destruction of ecology systems where these millions of families have been primarily dependent for daily sustenance in the upland, lowland and coastal areas in the country.  The protection and preservation of these ecosystems have been the primary mandate of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

While the effect is clearly manifested in the Domain of the DENR, the cause is clearly in another Domain, that of NEDA, specifically its Medium Term Philippines Development Plan, which had created all of this pandemonium in the Economy of the Commons.  The way out therefore of National Poverty that we are in today is not only along the Dimension of the Domain of NEDA but a balance between the domain of the Economy of Globalization of NEDA with the Economy of the Commons within the Domain of the DENR.

A handy tool for this dilemma would be a National Environment Plan (NEP) approved by the Filipino People through a Regional Consensus of the Office of the President.  In this regard, the National Environment Plan of DENR would become a tool to audit the adverse impact of the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan of NEDA on the Economy of the Commons in the Countrysides.

At present, there are no clear dimensions of thinking along this line of conflict between the Economy of Globalization of NEDA and Economy of the Commons supposed to be protected by the DENR.  With this, too, all the regional offices of the DENR must be fully equipped to implement the objectives defined by this NEP, approved by the Filipino people under the leadership of no less than the President of the Republic of the Philippines.

Presented by Dr Ernesto R Gonzales of Pateros River Basin Organization (PATRiBOrg).  More of WED-Phils @
http://readdingz.blogspot.com/2010/05/proposed-resolution-agenda-for-green.html

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