ikeseneres

WHAT ARE THE HIDDEN TRUTHS BEHIND THE OMBUDSMAN'S GARBAGE TRUCKING EXPOSE? For many years now, I have been writing about corruption in the hauling of municipal garbage. That is why I am glad that Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla has finally brought this issue into the national spotlight. In my opinion, the alleged corruption in garbage hauling could even be bigger than the much-publicized flood control scandals because it affects almost every city and municipality in the country. According to the Ombudsman, garbage hauling has become the "biggest business" of many local chief executives. That is a very strong statement. While the Ombudsman did not publicly present specific evidence during his interview, his remarks should be enough to trigger serious investigations and institutional reforms. His proposal to assign Resident Ombudsmen in local government units is certainly worth considering. However, I cannot help but ask: doesn't the Commission on Audit (COA) already as...

  HOW COULD COMMUNITY-BASED FOREST MANAGEMENT SITES BECOME THE KEYS TO REFORESTATION? Could watershed restoration, environmental protection, indigenous peoples' welfare, and reforestation possibly be combined into one national strategy? Many people think these are separate programs that should be managed independently. I disagree. In fact, I believe they should be integrated into one comprehensive program. Better still, why stop there? We could also incorporate wildlife protection, rewilding, food security, climate security, and sustainable livelihoods. Let me clarify one important point. Wildlife protection is not the same as rewilding. Wildlife protection means conserving the animals that still survive in their natural habitats. Rewilding goes one step further by breeding native species and restoring them to the wild where they once thrived. Likewise, reforestation is not incompatible with agriculture. That is precisely the essence of agroforestry, where trees and crops are grown...