00 natural environment the filipino identity leones

8/19/2019 00 Natural Environment the Filipino Identity Leones

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Our Natural

Environment and

the Filipino Identity

24th

National ConventionPhilippine Institute of EnvironmentalPlannersNovember 6, 2015AIM Convention Center, Makati City

Secretary Ramon J P Paje

Department of Environment and Natural Resources



Anthropologic Perspective inEnvironmental Planning -- in view of theFilipino Identity• Pre-colonization, affinity ofindigenous communities tothe environment

• Spanish colonization, religiousconsiderations in planning

town centers• American colonial period, newconcepts to town planning

• Current situation

•

DENR measures to“reimagine the Filipino city”

• The task at hand



Pre-colonization Era

• Raw materials and the start of politico-culturalevolutions

Image from https://adventureh.wordpress.com

Image from http://spurtravelpalawan.com/

Stone tools found inHuluga and ondisplay at Museo deOro, Xavier University.

Photo by Elson T. Elizaga,Nazca Graphic Design &Photography.http://heritage.elizaga.net/history/




• People erect their villages “along sheltered bays,coastal areas, and mouths of big river systems,”which were “strategic trade and commercial points.”

• Another factor in choosing the location of asettlement was the need for protection or defense

• Pre-colonial society in this archipelago was“anchored” on the “ecological setting.”




Ifugao FaleImage from http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigberto

Bahay Kubo.Image from abalayan.blogspot.com



Spanish Colonization

• To facilitate administration andcontrol, as well as religiousconversion, the colonizerscompelled natives to relocate to thetown center or poblacion , which was

typically laid out in a grid pattern,with the church, the town hall (casareal ), the court house and the mainsquare ( plaza mayor ) at the core.

• In town planning, the parish churchon one side of the plaza becamethe town’s religious, administrative,social and cultural center



Spanish Colonization

• From 1768-1885 each settlementcould apply for a legua comunal ,consisting of uncultivated land(20,000 sqm) for cattle and

timber cultivation• The Spaniards were apparentlyless interested in our native floraand fauna than in one particularnatural resource: gold.



American Colonization

•

Residential as well as institutionalstructures in the humid tropics reliedon natural ventilation, as well asnatural illumination during daytime.

• But communities also relied onnatural drainage for sewerage, byletting sewers empty untreated water

into creeks and rivers, and ultimatelyinto the seas. This remains aproblem to this day.

• During the reconstruction periodpost the 2nd World War, countlesscitizens flocked to Manila and its

suburbs for jobs and services, andestablished informal settlements,many of which remain to this day.



Current Situation

• Our streets are full of motorvehicles, our esteros – thosethat have not been built over – are becoming garbage chutes.

• Riverbanks are overflowingwith informal settlers, andsettlements are being builteven in areas with knowngeohazards.

• It is in this milieu that we arenow challenged to “reimaginethe Filipino city.”



To “reimagine the Filipino city, theDENR…

• Established extensive terrestrialand marine protected areasthroughout the countryside

• Established nature enclaves in oururban centersThe 22.7-hectare Ninoy Aquino Parksand Wildlife Center in Quezon City;

The 33-hectare La Mesa Eco-Park in the2,659-hectare La Mesa WatershedReservation, also in Quezon City; and

The 175-hectare Las Piñas-ParañaqueCritical Habitat and Ecotourism Area, abird sanctuary which in 2013 wasincluded in the Ramsar List of Wetlandsof International Importance



Forged partnershipswith private sectorsunder the Adopt-an-Estero program, to

keep esterosreasonably clean


Conducted annualcoastal cleanups



Undertaking the mostmassive reforestationcampaign in our history, theNational Greening Program,to plant 1.5 billion trees in 1.5

million hectares of lands for aperiod of six years (2011-2016)


BEFORE

AFTER

1:10,000 Scale Assessment

Produces geo-hazards maps



• The Philippines is among the ten countries thatare extremely vulnerable to climate change.

Major Environmental Challenge

Climate Change



Climate Change Adaptation andDisaster Risk Reduction Initiatives

• The government allocatedaround 132 billion pesos fromnext year’s national budget of3.002 trillion pesos:– The bulk of this outlay will be forflood control involving 18 majorriver basins, principal rivers andwatersheds. Other significantoutlays include those forreforestation under the NGP, andfarm-to-market roads to alleviatepoverty and enhance our foodsecurity.

– This PhP132-B outlay for climatechange for 2016 is a quantumleap from the PhP21.5-Bproposed in 2014 by the budgetdepartment for 2015.



The Task at Hand… • The projected adverseimpacts of climate changeprovide impetus for ourgovernment as well as forthe private sector to give agreater role toenvironmental planners.

• But we environmentalplanners must also upgradeour capabilitiescommensurately.

• For us, catching up withdevelopments on climatechange is a continuingchallenge.



Because climate change willimpact on ecosystems andbiodiversity, it can threaten foodsecurity and public health.

Climate change can alter the

natural environment as we haveknown it.

And because climate change willlast for generations, it caninfluence if not reshape Filipino

identity.

The Task at Hand…

00 natural environment the filipino identity leones

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