We are pleased to invite you to a night of music, art, drinks and solidarity for the environment.
What: State of the Environment Jam: Don’t Seen Zone the Green Zone
When: July 21 (Friday), 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Where: Sagul Malingap Foodpark (#43 Malingap St., Teacher’s Village East, QC)
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is set to deliver the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 24 at the House of Representatives. As green advocates, we are keen to expect the president to express support for the Green Bills (National Land Use Act, Alternative Minerals Management Bill, Forest Resources Bill) and include recent pressing issues regarding the environment (e.g. extrajudicial killings of environmental and land rights defenders, accountability of mining companies, etc.) in his SONA.
Our network has long been pushing for the said Green Bills.
We hope to see you in this event as a sign of your solidarity in pushing for environmental justice!
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National Land Use Act (NLUA)
The Philippines’ total land area amounts to 300,000 sq. km. As of 2013, the country has an estimated population of 97 million according to the world population statistics. This is versus the fact that 20 years ago the Philippine census has recorded that the population was only above 60 million. As massive as it sounds, land area remains finite while the population is continuously growing.
With inappropriate use of land and irresponsible exercise of property rights, scarcity of land resources is further aggravated.
The National Land Use Act (NLUA) aims to address this issue through the promotion of the “protection of areas for rehabilitation, conservation and preservation of land and resources in the country to maintain ecological balance” and a more informed formulation of land use plans and execution of strategies for a safer and more sustainable communities.
Source: Marin, G. R. (2014, June). The NLUA Benefits All [PDF]. Campaign for Land Use Policy (CLUP) Now! Network.
Alternative Minerals Management Bill (AMMB)
The Alternative Minerals Management Bill (AMMB) seeks to scrap the Republic Act 7942 or the Mining Act of 1995. This is because the nature of the RA 7942 primarily facilitates the entry of multinational mining corporations to communities and ecosystems for the exploration and extraction of minerals in exchange for revenues from these giant corporations.
This change in the Philippines’ mining laws were brought about by the push for structural adjustment programs (SAPs) during the 80s towards the 90s by International Financial Institutions such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
The AMMB “champions conservation of nonrenewable mineral resources for the benefit of both present and future generations of Filipinos by adopting a sustainable, rational, needs-based minerals management geared towards effective utilization of mineral resources for an ecologically-sound national and modernization of agriculture.”
Source: The Alternative Minerals Management Bill. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2017, from https://www.lrcksk.org/ammb
Forest Resources Bill (FRB)
The Forest Resources Bill or FRB is Haribon and its partner organizations’ version of the Sustainable Forest Management Bill which applies the following provisions: The functional definition of forest is used; All remaining natural forests are protected; Forest restoration is prioritized; The watershed continuum is recognized as the basic forestland management unit; Indigenous people and other forest communities can harvest forest products from protection forestlands for subsistence; Local governments and communities have important roles in forest management.
Source: The Haribon Foundation (2015, September 18). The Forest Resources Bill or FRB. Retrieved July 15, 2017, from https://goharibon.wordpress. com/2015/09/18/forest- resources-bill-frb/
