ikeseneres

HOW MANY BARANGAYS STILL DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO SAFE DRINKING WATER? We have heard the terms homeless and jobless being used quite often, but not so much the term “waterless.” Perhaps we should start using it more, because a family without access to safe drinking water is, for all practical purposes, a family without water. With a little sarcasm, some people might say that water is everywhere. True enough—but tell that to someone surrounded by floodwater that cannot be safely drunk. Water may be everywhere, but there may not be a drop to drink. So how many of our barangays are actually “waterless”? The Commission on Audit provides an important answer, although it also exposes a problem. Under the SALINTUBIG program, 1,353 waterless barangays and 455 waterless municipalities were originally identified. DILG reported that 1,123 barangays and 340 municipalities had graduated from waterless status, leaving approximately 230 barangays and 115 municipalities on the original list. But COA...

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOT COMPOSTING AND SLOW COMPOSTING? At first glance, this sounds like a technical question. But I think there is something wrong with the way the question is framed. Shouldn't the comparison be between hot composting and cold composting ? Or perhaps between fast composting and slow composting ? Personally, I would vote for cold composting, which is essentially the same as slow composting. What is the hurry anyway? Hot composting deliberately raises the temperature of organic materials to accelerate decomposition. It can reach roughly 57°C to 71°C and can produce finished compost within weeks. Cold or slow composting, on the other hand, allows organic materials to decompose naturally over several months. I understand the argument for hot composting. High temperatures can destroy weed seeds and many pathogens, which can be important when dealing with certain wastes. But I also wonder whether we sometimes become too obsessed with speed. Composting is fun...

ARE WE LOSING THE WAR AGAINST THE RED-STRIPED SOFT SCALE INSECT? The bad news is that, as of now, we appear to be losing the war against the Red-Striped Soft Scale Insect (RSSI) . More areas are becoming infected despite the efforts of government agencies, researchers and farmers. But the good news is that the war is not over yet . We could still win this war if we finally get our act together. The RSSI was first officially documented in Bacolor, Pampanga, in June 2022. It subsequently reached the sugar-producing areas of the Visayas, particularly Negros, and the infestation has continued to expand. The uploaded material reports more than 39,000 hectares affected nationwide, with more than 37,000 hectares in Negros alone. Why is this happening? One major problem appears to be the movement of infected planting materials between islands and districts. Another is that farmers often fight the pest individually, while the pest itself does not respect farm boundaries. The crawler stage can m...

HOW TO COMBAT THE RED-STRIPED SOFT-SCALE INSECT WITH MULTISECTORAL COOPERATION It is difficult to understand why, after four years, we are still struggling to control a pest that was first officially documented in Bacolor, Pampanga in June 2022. I am referring to the Red-Striped Soft-Scale Insect (RSSI) , identified in research materials as Pulvinaria tenuivalvata , which has become a serious threat to sugarcane, particularly in the Negros Island Region and other sugar-producing areas. The good news is that there is now a promising multisectoral effort involving the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Central Philippines State University (CPSU), RU Foundry Machine, Inc. (RUFMI), and entomologist Dr. Ravindra C. Joshi . RUFMI was represented by its President, Mr. Ramon Uy, Sr. of Bacolod City I find this cooperation particularly encouraging because it demonstrates something I have always advocated: the government, the academe and the private sector should work together when confrontin...

BOHOL DEVELOPS A MOBILE APP TO TRACK DOWN AND COMBAT PLASTIC POLLUTION There is something refreshing about seeing a province outside Metro Manila come up with an innovative solution to a very serious national problem. Bohol has adopted the “PlastiZen Basura Patroller,” a citizen-science mobile application that allows residents, visitors and organizations to report plastic pollution by simply taking a photograph and submitting it anonymously. The application automatically records the location, creating geotagged information that can be used to identify pollution hotspots. Bohol has separately been expanding its provincial ecological solid-waste management structure, which makes the app particularly timely.  What makes this initiative particularly interesting is that it was developed through cooperation among the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP MSI), Bohol Island State University (BISU), UP Baguio, DOST-PCIEERD and the Provincial Government of Bohol . The ...

HOW CAN WE CREATE MORE LIVELIHOOD PROJECTS IN MANGROVE FORESTS TO MAKE THEM MORE SUSTAINABLE? I have an idea. It is such a simple idea that it is almost a no-brainer: If we want people to protect mangrove forests, let us create more livelihoods from the forests without destroying them. I am an alumnus of the Sigma Rho Fraternity of the University of the Philippines. Years ago, two distinguished Sigma Rho alumni, former DENR Secretary Fulgencio Factoran and former Aklan Congressman Allen Quimpo, helped establish what is now known as the Bakhawan Nature Study and Eco-Park in Kalibo, Aklan. Both have passed on, but their legacy lives on. I visited the mangrove forest about ten years ago, and perhaps it was there that I became seriously interested in mangrove advocacy. The lesson I learned was fascinating: healthy mangroves support plankton; plankton support shrimp and other marine organisms; and these, in turn, attract fish. Crabs also thrive in mangrove ecosystems. But why stop there? I ...