Philippines Sustainability Watch Network

Chairperson’s 2007 Year-end Report

The year 2007 was an important milestone in the history of CSCCSD (henceforth, CSD). We have been trying to implement the significant decisions made during the 2006 General Assembly.

Re-engagement with the PCSD still prevails after a long drawn discussion on the relevance of working with the government (particularly NEDA) despite its unfriendly attitude toward civil society organizations. The Execom has met with the DENR to call for the revival of the counterparting mechani sm toward the achievement of the sustainability agenda. As a result, a formal meeting between secretaries of the DENR and NEDA will be organized in January to tackle the concern and resolved ways on moving forward.

The Philippine Environment Code has not gone forward from its zero draft status in the Congress for lack of attention by our Representatives. Hopefully, the Committees on Ecology and Natural Resources in Congress will bring good news as Committee representatives are scheduled to give updates on the PEC, as well as other pending bills, on December 20 at the National Computer Center, U.P. Diliman.

Collaborative Governance at the heart of a watershed

“Which watershed are you in?” may become a common question in coming years in Davao City. Managing watersheds is becoming serious business in the city. Davao City has eight watersheds. The Talomo-Lipadas watershed4

Watershed (TLW) is a model of management that is ecosystembased, collaborative and integrative, and enhances the capacities of stakeholders.

Supplying 96% of the city’s water requirements, the TLW is indeed the city’s life source. As with many watersheds, it is a site with many competing uses. The Philippines- Canada Environmental and Economic Management (PCEEM) Project stepped into this arena in 1998. It was managed by a multisectoral council and in 2003, it made its transition into the People Collaborating for Environmental and Economic Management in Davao Foundation, Inc. (PCEEM Davao Foundation, Inc.). Today, the TLW board of trustees is represented by 11 sectors and 6 government agencies. Communities directly participate in the barangay-level governance structure. Recognizing the governance model initiated by the PCEEM Project, DENR issued Department Administrative Order No. 23-2005 adopting this collaborative approach to watershed management.

The CSCCSD Story: Challenges in Institutional Building

As the CSCCSD faces a new year, a review of its programs is being conducted with regard to its mandate and strengths, and in consideration of the challenges it currently faces.

The CSCCSD membership is national in scope and showcases a wide range of expertise in sustainable development: natural resources management, community organizing, biodiversity conservation, climate change, sustainable agriculture, environmental education, gender mainstreaming, indigenous peoples, policy advocacy, environmental law and many others. This broad scope, plus the legitimacy and credibility of its leadership, shows that CSCCSD has the capacity to influence good governance and to reach out to a significant number of citizens in order to promote and make real sustainable development.

Back On Track

After a lengthy lull, CSD is now back on track with monitoring the local implementation of the sustainability agenda—Philippine Agenda 21.

With support provided by LTK, the CSD has been able to revive the local SD coordinating and monitoring mechanism in each major island region. Taking up the cudgels for CSD are:

Luzon – Environmental Broadcast Circle (Ms. Dulce Cuacoyes)

Visayas – PROCESS Panay (Mr. Boy Homicillada)

Mindanao – Mindanao Environment Forum (Ms. Grace Teoxon)

The Road to Bali

The Philippine Network on Climate Change (PNCC) held a twoday seminar workshop sponsored by Oxfam Hong Kong last November 6-7, 2007 at the Sulo Hotel in preparation for the international convention on climate change currently being held in Bali this December.

The forum was attended by more than 80 participants from different organizations working on environment and climate change.

Dialogue with the Department of Energy

Civil Society representatives from Concerned Citizens Against Pollution (COCAP), Miriam-PEACE, and CSCCSD sat down with DOE Secretary Angelo T. Reyes and Undersecretary Ramon G. Santos (Executive Director of National Biofuels Board) last November 15, 2007.

Several questions were raised regarding the position of the DOE on climate change and its priorities to cater the needs of the communities. According to Usec. Santos, the development of biofuels is one of the strategies of government to combat climate change. The use of biofuels, he claimed, will decrease greenhouse gas emissions while saving the country dollars from lower petroleum imports and generating new jobs.

ATM Honors Sibuyan Councilor Marin

In October, Alyansa Tigil Mina's activities were focused on the tragic death of Councilor Armin Marin of Sibuyan Island, Romblon. Shot during an anti-mining protest, Councilor Marin was a staunch anti-mining

activist and long time environmentalist, who had worked with the WWF during their years in Sibuyan. ATM and its member organizations, particularly the Sibuyanons Aton Manggad (SAM), staged several events in his memory.

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