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  RIVER REHABILITATION   Whenever there are proposals to rehabilitate rivers, it seems that the first thing that comes to the mind of the planners is to widen the river. That is not always the best idea because of zo ning regulations, and because the lands beyond the river easements could already be privately owned, and there may be no funds available for expropriation.   I therefore think that the more practical idea is to deepen the river, meaning to remove the silt and whatever other deposits that might have sunk into its bottoms. After hundreds of years without any desilting done, it’s probably the right time for a proper r iver cleanup. I am saying that, because the usual idea for a river cleanup is to clean the river surfa ce, which is a rather limited and simplistic view.   Even without artificial river widening, some rivers could become wider because of erosion, which could be a problem for private landowners beyond the river easements. I think tha...

  WHO IS IN CHARGE OF WASTE TO ENERGY PROJECTS?   Who is in charge of waste - to - energy projects? Should it be the DENR, or should it be the DOE? Not unless it is very clear as to who is in charge, this could become a game of finger pointing at the start that could become a game of blame throwing at the end. And in the end, nothing might even happen at all.   Somehow, someway, the DILG should also be involved, but right now, it is not even clear how the DILG is involved, if   it is involved at all. In Metro Manila, the MMDA should also be involved, but it is also not clear how it is i nvolved, again, if it is involved at all. In the provinces, the DA should also be involved with the collection of agricultural waste.   Combustible waste is the material needed for waste - to- energy projects. Obviously, the DOE should have nothing to do with the collection of the combustible waste, because that should be the responsibility of either the DENR, the DILG, ...

  ADVOCATING FOR CHEAPER MEDICINES   Despite the passage of Republic Act 9502 (An A ct P roviding for C heaper and Q uality M edicines) in 2008, it seems that cheaper medicines are still not commonly used in the Philippines. No, I am not saying that cheaper medicines are not available, because they are. Take note however that the law requires medicines that are not just cheaper, they also must be of good quality .   Are cheaper yet quality medicines possible? Or is that not an oxymoron? As for me, it is p ossible, and it is not an oxymoron. The problem I think is in the interpretation of what it means. Usually, the term cheaper medicine is interpreted to mean gener ic medicine , but that is really a very shallow and limited interpretation.   In truth and in fact, even branded medicines could become cheaper as they are , without reducing their quality. The key to that is the packaging, and their method of delivery or distribution. For example, many medicines ar...

  FULLY FREE PUBLIC HOSPITALS   We all have our own beliefs, and we are all entitled to our own beliefs. As for me, I believe that all public hospitals should be fully free, wherein patients do not have to pay a single centavo if they are confined there, or if they go there for outpatient treatment.   And what is the basis of my belief? It is really very simple , and there should be no argument about it . Since all public hospitals are owned by the government, there should be no problem appropriating funds for it , so that it could cover all its costs, as it provides medical services to everyone who goes to them.   Common sense will tell us that private hospitals could never provide the i r services for free, because they are a business, and they must make money . But that is not the case with public hospitals, because they are not businesses and they do not have to make money. Of course, they need money to be able to sustai n their operations, but the governmen...

  RECYCLING FOR CARBON CREDITS   Our waste recycling attempts have failed because there are not enough financial incentives for residential an d industrial recyclers. It's as simple as “no money no honey ”. There are no two ways around it, because not unless th ere is money to be made, individuals and companies will not recycle. Although it might appear to be negative thinking on my part, that is the simple truth about human nature.   At the residential level, I believe that there is still a possibility of creating a market for recyclables, both for biodegradables and non-biodegradables. This is as simple as buying and selling. Individuals will colle ct and segregate recyclables, if there is someone who w ill buy these at a good price .   At the industrial level, I also believe that there is also a possibility of creating a market for recycled finished products, such as construction materials and supplies. Not only can businessmen make money by buying and ...

  COOPERATIVE DEMOCRACY   According to the Revised Cooperative Code of the Philippines (R.A. 9520), every member of a cooperative can cast one vote , regardless of how many shares he owns. Conversely, even those who have many shares could also cast only one vote. This rule of “one man, one vote” ensures that democracy c ontinues to be practiced in the cooperative movement.   That democratic rule also ensures that every member of a cooperative has an opportunity to make money by way of the dividends that he could receive, again even if he only has one share. Not only t hat, he or she also has the opportunity to save money, because coop goods are generally cheaper because of some tax exemptions.   Unlike the for-profit supermarkets and groceries, members of coo peratives could buy goods from their own stores, and not only that, but they could also have a say ab out what to buy and sell, and even what they want to produce on their own in their own farms. This empow...

  COLOR CODING OF GARBAGE TRUCKS   For so many years now, many LGUs have been trying to implement waste recycling programs in their own localities, but very few seem to have succeeded. By the looks of it, many local officials seem resigned to the idea of doing the same thing repeatedly , and expecting different results, which is Einstein’s definition of insanity. Is it therefore the time now to try something different? So that we could have different results?   Instead of just having one type of garbage truck picking up both biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste materials, why not have two separate trucks to do that, with two separate schedules? That way, the biodegradable waste, which is mostly food waste, could be brought directly t o a biodigester facility, where these could be composted and converted to organic fertilizer. W itho ut the biodegradable waste, it would be easier to sort the non-biodegradable waste, which is mostly rec yclables .   Better stil...

  TOWARDS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY   The best way to understand what a circular economy means is to first understand first what a linear economy is. In a linear economy, the products or the wastes of products that enter the market are not returned or recycled back into the production process. In a circular economy however, some of the products or the wastes of some pro ducts are returned or recycled back into the production process, thus creating a loop or a cir cular flow of materials.   Used packaging, used water and food waste are among the most common resources that could be reused and recycled. Some environmentalists are now using the terms upcycled or rep urposed, which boils down to the same thing. Many consumer packages could again be used for packaging and even for construction materials. Used water could even be reprocessed to make it potable again. Food waste could be converted to orga nic fertilizer.   Perhaps the conversion of food waste into organic fert...