We the Church people together with the farmers, fisherfolks, youth, professionals, the academe of Davao Oriental together with our national and international advocates hereby urge Hon. Roy Cimatu, DENR Secretary, TO STOPTHE MINING OPERATIONS NOW AND TO REVOKE ANY MINING AGREEMENTS WITH AUSTRAL ASIA LINK MINING CORPORATION AND HALLMARK MINING CORPORATION BOTH UNDER THE ASIATICUS MANAGEMENT CORPORATION (AMCOR) IN MAGUM, PUJADA BAY AND SALINGCOMOT, MATI CITY, PROVINCE OF DAVAO ORIENTAL. We are also against any large-scale mining activities in the whole province of Davao Oriental, as they are apparently detrimental to nature. The Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) was issued on June 8, 2004; hence, in 2020 they have been mining for 16 years already and still have 9 more years before the twenty- five years agreement expires! During these sixteen (16) years of mining operations, the residents of the localities have witnessed the deteriorating conditions wrought by the mining lodged between two protected areas: MT. HAMIGUITAN -proclaimed as a Wildlife Sanctuary (R.A. No. 9303) and a UNESCO World Heritage and PUJADA BAY - declared as a Protected Landscape/Seascape (R.A.7586, Executive Order no. 431 July 31, 1994). Likewise, Pujada Bay was also declared one of the Most Beautiful Bays in the world during the 15th World Bays Congress in Toyama prefecture, Japan held from October 16-20, 2019. In addition, the forested area of barangay Cabuaya in Mati City which is also located near the region was also declared a protected area as it is the natural habitat of the endangered Philippine Eagle. In Mt. Hamiguitan, the cutting of trees not excluding the pygmy forests and watershed areas, had caused forest denudation, soil erosion and siltation. The residents decried lamentations on the decreasing water supply to their communities. They were likewise saddened with the discovered wastage of cut logs left untended until they were rotten. There was also no rehabilitation nor replacement of cut trees. In Pujada Bay, researches on nutrient mapping showed its risk on eutrophication, reducing productivity and declining marine life diversity. Once more, we reiterate our main contention on opposing these mining corporations even at the onset of their mining application. Based on the study published on http://bhpbilitonwatch.net/2009/10/21pujada-hallmark-nickel laterite-project profile/, some 4,778 hectares of mining permits overlap on five major drainage water systems and watersheds which either drain to Pujada Bay or to the Davao Gulf. These bodies of freshwater are the main water supplies for the communities living within and around the area. Additionally, the Pujada region is situated on the Pacific Cordillera fault line. The 2008 report “Philippines: Mining or Food” recommended that “no mining should take place on Mt. Hamiguitan or near Pujada Bay which are centres of biodiversity with high ecotourism potential.” Under these conditions, any mining activity in the area should be strictly prohibited. The loss of forests and woodlands entails loss of species which may constitute extremely important resources in the future – not only for food but also for curing diseases and other uses. Different species contain genes which could be key resources in years ahead for meeting our needs and regulating environmental problems (Laudato Si # 32). With their extinction, they will no longer give glory to God in their very existence nor convey their message to us. People have no such right! (Laudato Si # 33). The Philippines is one of the 17 richest countries in the world in terms of biodiversity; with more than half of it, found nowhere else on earth! In the final report: Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Priorities (2002), there was an appeal to take action now...“We are simply running out of time to meet the biodiversity crisis” Researches done by DOSCST have shown decreasing diversity indices of the different species on both Mt. Hamiguitan and Pujada Bay (2017- E 17; 2015 P8). Studies on Blue Carbon Stock Assessment (2016- D 4; 2017, D 5; 2019- E-22) have also shown that coastal vegetative habitats including sea grass resources capture carbon up to 70% in the marine realm; hence part of this threatened biodiversity is a crucial potential climate change mitigation and adaptation strategy! Because of the dire conditions of Philippine biodiversity, Eugene Linden (Environmental Journalist) and John Terbough (Plant Ecologist) assessed that our country was already being damaged beyond repair. But the DENR and the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) still believe that there is still a small window of opportunity through urgent conservation action... “To stem the tide of destruction before a point of no return is reached.” (Theresa Mundita Lim, Treasures of Philippine Wild, 2014 by BMB and DENR). From the start of their existence, these mining firms have been existing illegally in violation of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 (R.A. 7942) Chapter III Sec.19 f – “Areas closed to Mining Applications include ‘old growth or virgin forests, proclaimed watershed forest reserves, wilderness area, mangrove forests, national parks, provincial/municipal forests, parks, greenbelts, game refuge and bird sanctuaries’ as defined by law and in areas expressly prohibited on the National Integrated protected Area system (NIPAS) under Republic Act No 7586, Department Administrative Order No. 25, series of 1992 and other laws.” Damages had been done and ‘the dangerous point of no return’ might be reached if mining operations are not stopped now. We ought to remember that the environment can exist without us but we can never exist without the environment. We have only one common home: planet Earth and there is no other.

A petition that condemns the plan to cut down eight trees, mostly Narra trees, along the sidewalk of Ateneo de Davao University Grade School in Mc Arthur Highway to give way for a layby or road widening. With the current situation of our city where our Urban Heat Index is increasing, it is of utmost importance to have trees in the roads or parks to allow walkability and decrease heat and pollution in the city.

The Bantay Gubat of Ipo Watershed are the forest rangers who roam the 6,600 hectares of Ipo Watershed to protect it against deforestation which is very rampant in the area. While the Ipo Management Plan was still pending for approval, a Memorandum of Agreement dated September 2014 between MWSS and DENR was made wherein MWSS agreed to hire selected members of the People’s Organizations (POs) as Bantay Gubat to assist in forest protection and anti-illegal logging operations. Furthermore, it was stipulated that the DENR will be responsible for the deputization and day to day supervision of Bantay Gubat while the MWSS, through the water concessionaires shall provide funds for the payment of their salaries. Each Bantay Gubat was hired without individual job contract which was signed by them. Since the time they were hired, the salary that they received was delayed by almost one (1) year from the MWSS. There were also no fringe benefits such as SSS, PhilHealth and even insurances that were very essential considering their job as forest rangers involves imminent danger on their lives. Moreover, these Bantay Gubat failed to received equipments and uniforms from the MWSS that were necessary to carry out their function as forest rangers. They left themselves unarmed and defenseless patrol of the 6,600 hectares of Ipo Watershed against the high powered gun of illegal logging syndicates. In fact, sometime in May 2017, a group of 60 men armed with guns and rifles surrounded a group of Bantay Gubat when they were doing their rounds near Sitio Ilas and Sitio Lubog in Barangay Puray, Rodriguez, Rizal. Hence, it was decided by the MWSS with the help of DENR to hire additional Bantay Gubat, therefore, increased from 23 members to 91 members. However, the MWSS is still delayed in paying them their below-minimum wage salaries. As of this writing, no TWG or even implementation of Ipo Watershed Management Plan and Supplemental MOA was done. Despite several meetings done and complaints filed before the MWSS pertaining to the delayed salary of Bantay Gubat, the problem remains unheeded and unaddressed. Since the time the MWSS hired the Bantay Gubat, there is no individual employment contract indicating the terms and conditions of employment as required under the Civil Service Rules and COA. In fact, even PENRO Emelita Lingat notice the same during the meeting held on December 6, 2018. The Bantay Gubat should be paid at least once every two (2) weeks or twice a month pursuant to Article 103 of P.D. 442 otherwise known as the “Labor Code of the Philippines”. The processing of salaries of the Bantay Gubat done at bulk every four months is, up to this day, a clear violation to the labor standards. The MWSS should observe compassionate and social justice towards the Bantay Gubat. Hence, when conflicting interests of labor and capital are to be weighed on the scales of social justice, the heavier influence of the latter should be counter-balanced by sympathy and compassion the law must accord the underprivileged worker. In view of the afore-said policy, the MWSS had a solemn obligation to assist and provide the Bantay Gubat a membership with Social Security System, PhilHealth and other insurances considering their duties as forest rangers involve the assumption of risks. Even the law dictates the afore-said requirements, the MWSS failed to act on that matter and neglect their duties to the Bantay Gubat. MWSS through Watershed Division failed to act on this matter and fell deaf ear to the pleas of Bantay Gubat. Moreover, MWSS failed to immediately facilitate the Ipo Watershed Management Plan which was pending for almost nine (9) years from 2011 up to the present. The Bantay Gubat are considered as “modern heroes” as they protect the Ipo Watershed, the source of Metro Manila’s drinking water. They risk their lives so that millions of Filipino could have an adequate supply of potable drinking water. Hence, the Bantay Gubat do not deserve this labor discrimination and abuse. Without these modern heroes the deforestation in Ipo Watershed will be more rampant and most of the mountains within will be totally denuded. If this happen, there would be a water shortage in Metro Manila and millions of Filipinos will be affected especially this time of pandemic when water is essential.

Three typhoons hit the Philippines in less than one month. Typhoons Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysees battered Luzon, damaging homes and livelihoods and forcing thousands of families to leave their homes. Like with past disasters and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, these storms revealed deep structural gaps in our country’s disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) and climate adaptation. In each of these storms, disempowered local government units had to stretch their already insufficient resources because of delays in the response of the national government, which was once again caught flat-footed. At a time where the country faces ever-worsening threats, the current administration slashed the appropriation for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund. Even more damning is the lack of a coherent national strategy for mitigation, preparedness, and response. We believe no amount of spending can make up for an uncoordinated and ad-hoc approach. This is why we are demanding that the government develop a national strategy focusing on three areas: prioritization of DRRM and climate adaptation; coordination and collaboration with stakeholders at the national and local levels; and pursuit of Climate Justice. Over the years, survivors have learned recovery, perseverance, and the pursuit for justice. Meanwhile, governments and corporations responsible for environmental disasters have remained unflinching in their non-action. The lack of policy implementation, long-term solutions, and radical change is glaring proof of the negligence of governments and exploitative industries, as they continue to profit off of environmental destruction that are causing these climate-related disasters. We refuse to reduce resilience to a front-page photo of a person smiling amid floodwaters. Local and national governments must face responsibilities beyond immediate relief response. True resilience in climate-impacted communities should mean weather-proof infrastructure, independent energy systems, and development centered on sustainability.

This moratorium is a first step that the ERC and Congress can do to safeguard the interests and rights of electric consumers who have long suffered at the hands of OEDC. Beyond this, we urge our energy regulators to: 1. Advance the development of renewable energy technologies especially in the form of microgrids to pave the path for a decentralized power sector, which is the best solution for problems encountered with OEDC. This would yield long-term economic benefits, including cheaper electricity, energy sector resilience, and creation of green jobs. 2. Review and renegotiate all PSAs that did not go through a Competitive Selection Process or were passed anomalously or are detrimental to consumers by lack of carve-out clauses and inclusion of add-on charges and lock-in provisions, among other factors. 3. Expand the lifeline rate to 210 kwh to benefit more residential consumers, and afford them increased discounts in distribution, supply, and metering charges and other subsidies, especially for the low-income, low-consumption classes. 4. Review the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) towards an overhaul. The present OEDC bill shock is but an epitome of the law’s failure “to ensure the quality, reliability, security and affordability of the supply of electric power.”

The E-Commerce industry has been growing at an exponential rate, projected to be worth more than $300 Billion by 2025. In the Philippines, the industry grew last 2018 by as much as 31%, outpacing the global growth rate of 21%. This is apparent in the huge popularity of e-shopping platforms such as Lazada and Shopee, where we have come to expect to have big monthly sales. Once our orders reach our doorsteps, however, we are also confronted with another problem: unnecessary plastic packaging waste. It takes an average of just 12 minutes for plastic packaging to transfer from consumer hands to the trash bin. This problem is exacerbated when we look at the plastic waste we produce annually. Each person contributes around 12.4kg of packaging waste, most of which end up in landfills and left to decompose slowly for hundreds of years. This problem is only magnified because of the current COVID-19 pandemic, where plastic waste is projected to increase by as much as 300%. As much as consumers are responsible for waste disposal, so too are corporations accountable for the plastic they end up producing, especially unnecessary plastic packaging. Sellers themselves have noted this and are doing reduction and reuse strategies on their own initiative. One doesn’t need to look further, our own parents have always reused plastic packaging as a cost-saving technique, and as a waste reduction method! If consumers and sellers are already doing their share for a healthier planet, why can’t corporations take on the same responsibility and accountability? We’re calling the largest E-Commerce Companies in the Philippines, Lazada and Shopee, to be part of the #BetterNormal.

Waste incineration can not solve the waste management problem of the country neither it can provide clean, safe and affordable energy for electric consumers. The reality is opposite. It will only encourage generation of more waste because it will undermine the proper waste management practices such as reusing, repurposing and recycling. It also runs contrary to our aspirational goal of keeping the temperature rise of climate to 1.5 degrees because waste incineration especially plastic waste produces significant greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, it will only convert ordinary wastes to poisonous residues and fumes and persistent organic pollutants including dioxins and furans enough to cause serious health problems such as cancers and will affect future generations.

"ANG BUHÁY NA SIERRA MADRE AY BUHAY NATING LAHAT" ...kung mamamatay ang Sierra Madre, mamatay din tayo... KAMI, na sang-ayon at kusang loob na lumagda dito, ay binubuo ng iba't ibang mga may taya mula sa hanay ng mga CSO's, Academe, Batayang sektor, Interfaith-based groups, Katutubo, Pribadong sektor, Negosyante, at Youth group dito sa bayan ng Infanta, ay kaisa at sumusuporta sa di matitinag na pagtutol sa panukalang pagtatayo ng Kaliwa Dam ipinahayag sa pamamagitan ng mga Resolusyon at Ordinansa ng di pagsang-ayon sa proyekto ng bayang ito. DAHIL DITO, kami ay magalang na humihiling na manindigan ang local na Pamahalaang Bayan ng Infanta sa pagiging pangunahing tatayo bilang "complainant" sa mga isasampang kasong may kaugnayan sa iba't-ibang paglabag sa planong pagtatayo ng Kaliwa Dam. SAPAGKAT, ang Kaliwa Dam, na isa sa mga proyekto sa ilalim ng "Build, Build, Build" program ng Pamahalaang Nasyunal at itatayo sa loob ng Protected Area ng PP 1636 at sakop din ng Lupaing Ninuno ng mga Dumagat-Remontado ay makakasira sa mayamang samu't-saring buhay. SAPAGKAT, sang-ayon sa mga dalubhasa at syensya, ang epekto ng dambuhalang dam ay mahigpit na kaugnay sa labis na pag-init ng mundo at pabago-bagong klima. "Baha sa panahon ng tag-ulan at tagtuyot naman sa panahon ng tag-init;" SAPAGKAT, ang epekto nito ay hindi lamang mararanasan ng mga pamayanang nakapalibot malapit sa itatayong dam kundi gayudin sa milyon-milyong mamamayan sa ibabang bahagi nito at posibleng makasira ng mga ari-arian, mga sakahan at mismong buhay ng tao, gaya ng naranasang delubyo noong November 29, 2004 dito sa Real-Infanta-Nakar (ReINa); SAPAGKAT, hindi naman nagmumula sa dambuhalang dam ang suplay ng tubig, kundi sa mayamang kagubatan at malusog na watershed. Hindi matutumbasan ng perang kikitain sa pagtatayo ng Dam ang mga serbisyong ekolohikal (ecological services) na ibinibigay ng Sierra Madre, tulad ng malinis na tubig at hangin, mga produktong-gubat, halamang gamot, mga hayop, isda sa kailugan at halaman na pinagkukunan ng ikinabubuhay ng mga upland communities, lalo na ng mga katutubo; SAPAGKAT, naniniwala tayo na "ANG BUHÁY NA SIERRA MADRE AY BUHAY NATING LAHAT"...at kung mamamatay ang Sierra Madre dahil sa planong itayong Kaliwa Dam, mamatay din tayo...; SAPAGKAT, ang MWSS na siyang project proponent, kasama ang iba pang ahensyang katuwang nito ay marami nang nagawang paglabag, iregularidad sa proseso ng pagkuha ng pagpayag sa komunidad at walang local permits para simulan ang kontruksyon ng access road. KUNG KAYA'T kami po ay magalang na humuhiling sa Punong Bayan, Miyembro ng Sangguniang Bayan at Municipal Development Council, na maging isa sa mga pangunahing tatayong "complainants" ang lokal na Pamahalaan ng Infanta sa mga kasong isasampa kaugnay sa mga paglabag ng mga sangkot na ahensya sa planong itatayong Kaliwa Dam.

The Northern Negros Natural Park (NNNP) is a protected forest area in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. It is located in the northern mountainous region of Negros island in the Visayas, and is the ancestral domain of the Ata-Negrito tribe. The NNNP is spread over five municipalities and six cities. It is the province's largest watershed, providing water for seventeen municipalities and cities, including the Bacolod metropolitan area. In 1935, the park was first established as a forest reserve spanning 107,727 hectares, but was reduced to its present area of 80,454 hectares in 1946. In 2005, the protected area was converted into a natural park under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act by virtue of Proclamation No. 895. Located on the northwestern part of the island, the Bago River Watershed is nestled between Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park (MKNP) and the NNNP. Both parks constitute the largest portion of the remaining terrestrial forest ecosystem on the island, with a combined area of more than 150,000 hectares. Some three million people depend on the ecosystem services provided by the Bago Watershed, MKNP, and NNNP (e.g. water for domestic use, food, livelihood, soil formation, flooding and erosion control). These natural assets reduce the risk of climate change and natural hazards and serve as important biodiversity conservation sites that are included in the Alliance for Zero Extinction in the Philippines. The NNNP hosts a number of threatened and endangered species that are endemic to the area, some examples are the Negros Bleeding Heart Dove, Visayan Warty Pig, Visayan Spotted Deer, and Red Lauan. Continued forest and habitat degradation are prevalent, caused by unregulated extraction of forest resources, illegal tree cutting, unsustainable fuel-wood collection, illegal hunting, intensive conversion of forest into agricultural and residential land, and illegal human settlements. These pressures on the natural forests resulted in 2,400 hectares of forest degradation per year and a net forest loss of at least 290 hectares per year (DENR, 2015). The NNNP is again facing another threat. On August 27, the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) allowed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to proceed with the road construction from the Municipality of Calatrava to Barangay Patag in Silay City which traverses the NNNP. The PAMB is composed of mayors from around the NNNP and representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Details of the project are as follows: Contractor: Trimluv Builders and Supply Date started: June 26, 2019 Contract completion date: March 20, 2020 Contract cost: PHP125,132,966.09 Construction consultant: DPWH - Region VI Sources of fund: GAA 2019 Station limit: STA, 00+000.00 - STA. 02+900.00 Cadiz City, Negros Occidental Width: 3.35m Thickness: 300mm Net length: 3.701km/7.402 lane km The PAMB members are mandated to safeguard the remaining protected areas in the province, but have instead opened the floodgates to allow wealthy and powerful individuals to build illegal structures for the interests of business and their personal recreation. All of this at the expense of the already depleted common property resource. This pattern of land occupation is already evident in Barangays Patag and Lantawan in Silay City, and in Don Salvador Benedicto and other parts of the protected area wherein resorts and leisure parks are currently operating. We strongly condemn the decision of the PAMB - the mayors and representatives from DENR - to giving a go signal to DPWH to proceed with the road construction inside the NNNP which violates all laws governing natural park and protected area management. Please sign and share this petition to hold the PAMB and DENR accountable for this gross violation, and once and for all, END the systemic land occupation inside the natural park for reasons of greed and control. We need to protect the last remaining forest habitat on the island of Negros. Let us stand up for the vulnerable and voiceless wildlife that is unique to our homeland. Let us unite to protect our environment, because the ones who are mandated to do so are not. SIGN AND SHARE THIS PETITION! *The photo used in this petition is the exact road construction site within NNNP.

A suspension of MERALCO bill shock payments—endorsed through a resolution by the members of the Congress of the Philippines and imposed through an order by the Energy Regulatory Commission—can provide the long-sought justice and immediate financial relief to ordinary consumers struggling today. This too, is the least that MERALCO should be compelled to do to correct its abuses against its customers with decades of overcharging and unreturned refunds. Especially in a time of high unemployment rates, not having to worry about paying the questionable electricity bills provides security, albeit temporary, in an unstable financial situation. Consumers must not be forced to pay the anomalous March to May bills until our energy regulators ensure the following: 1. A swift and just resolution of the MERALCO bill shock through the completion of an in-depth investigation and audit of MERALCO's cash flows and liabilities. MERALCO and other parties found to be responsible for unreasonable electric bills must be penalized. 2. Return of all bill shock payments and pending MERALCO refunds in the form of cash or credit to consumers’ bills, as preferred by the consumer. 3. Reforms in MERALCO’s billing practices, rate settings (especially under the PBR) and charging of exorbitant fees (such as system loss charges). This moratorium is a first step that the ERC and Congress can do to safeguard the interests and rights of electric consumers who have long suffered at the hands of MERALCO. Beyond this, we urge our energy regulators to: 1. Advance the development of renewable energy technologies especially in the form of microgrids to pave the path for a decentralized power sector, which is the best solution for problems encountered with MERALCO. This would yield long-term economic benefits, including cheaper electricity, energy sector resilience, and creation of green jobs. 2. Review and renegotiate all PSAs that did not go through a Competitive Selection Process or were passed anomalously or are detrimental to consumers by lack of carve-out clauses and inclusion of add-on charges and lock-in provisions, among other factors. 3. Expand the lifeline rate to 210 kwh to benefit more residential consumers, and afford them increased discounts in distribution, supply, and metering charges and other subsidies, especially for the low-income, low-consumption classes. 4. Review the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) towards an overhaul. The present MERALCO bill shock is but the epitome of the law’s failure “to ensure the quality, reliability, security and affordability of the supply of electric power.” We demand the ERC and the Philippine Congress to act swiftly on these matters. #TigilBayad #NagmamahalMERALCO

In defiance of the Supreme Court MMDA Ruling (https://lawphil.net/judjuris/juri2008/dec2008/gr_171947_2008.html) and even Administrative Order No. 16, (2019) ‘Expediting The Rehabilitation And Restoration Of The Coastal And Marine Ecosystem Of The Manila Bay And Creating The Manila Bay Task Force’, this ill-conceived project violates at least five laws that impact heavily on our fisheries, biodiversity, and marine habitats,: 1. Environmental Impact System Laws and regulations No person may undertake environmentally critical projects or any project in environmentally critical areas without an environmental compliance certificate. Major reclamation projects and resource extractive industries such as major mining and quarrying projects are environmentally critical projects. Presidential Proclamation No. 2146 includes the following as environmentally critical areas: *All areas declared by law as national parks, watershed reserves, wildlife preserves and sanctuaries *Areas which constitute the habitat for any endangered or threatened species of indigenous Philippine Wildlife (flora and fauna); *Areas of unique historic, archaeological, or scientific interests; and *Areas frequently visited and/or hard-hit by natural calamities geologic hazards, floods, typhoons, volcanic activity, etc. 2. The Fisheries Code (RA 8550) as amended by RA 10654 The Fisheries Code requires a detailed Environmental Impact Statement prior to undertaking projects which “will affect the quality of the environment.” (section 12) It also prohibits aquatic pollution defined as anything introduced to water bodies that can harm living and non-living marine resources or humans. 3. The Clean Water Act, RA 9275 The Clean Water Act prohibits depositing of any material into bodies of water or their margins that cause water pollution 4. The National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, RA 10066 The National Historical Commission declared Manila Bay, from Del Pan Bridge to the Cultural Center of the Philippines, as a national historical landmark in 2012. The law prohibits alteration of its original features: Prohibited Acts. - To the extent that the offense is not punishable by a higher punishment under another provision of law, violations of this Act may be made by whoever intentionally: Xxx (b)Modifies, alters, or destroys the original features of or undertakes construction or real estate development in any national shrine, monument, landmark and other historic edifices and structures, declared, classified, and marked by the National Historical Institute as such, without the prior written permission from the Commission. This includes the designated security or buffer zone, extending five (5) meters from the visible perimeter of the monument or site. At the local level, the project proponent is also required to consult the local government unit. 5. The Local Government Code of 1991, RA 7160 National agencies planning or implementing projects, such as the Department of Environment, must consult the stakeholders of the local government unit, in this case, the City of Manila. The project cannot proceed without consultation with and prior approval of the Sangguniang Panglungsod of Manila. Likewise, New Civil Code of the Philippines, RA 386, declares that: *Article 5. Acts executed against the provisions of mandatory or prohibitory laws shall be void, except when the law itself authorizes their validity. (4a) *Article 7. Laws are repealed only by subsequent ones, and their violation or non-observance shall not be excused by disuse, or custom or practice to the contrary. When the courts declared a law to be inconsistent with the Constitution, the former shall be void and the latter shall govern. Administrative or executive acts, orders and regulations shall be valid only when they are not contrary to the laws or the Constitution. (5a) *Article 25. Thoughtless extravagance in expenses for pleasure or display during a period of acute public want or emergency may be stopped by order of the courts at the instance of any government or private charitable institution. Jurisprudence Aside from the laws, the MMDA, et al. v. Concerned Residents of Manila Bay Ruling directly applies in this case. Here, the Supreme Court noted that “the cleanup and/or restoration of the Manila Bay is only an aspect and the initial stage of the long-term solution. The preservation of the water quality of the bay after the rehabilitation process is as important as the cleaning phase.“ Because of this, the Court has put the heads of all concerned departments-agencies, bureaus and offices under them on continuing notice about, and to enjoin them to perform, their mandates and duties towards cleaning up the Manila Bay and preserving the quality of its water to the ideal level. Hence, the acts of DENR and DPWH as well as its bureaus in dumping dolomite rocks as ‘white sands’ which are in fact pollutants, are in direct contravention of their continuing and mandated duties in the said case. In addition, relying on Section 65 of RA 8550, as amended, the Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) was ordered by the Supreme Court to improve and restore the marine life of the Manila Bay in the said case.

In our continued tracking of any GMO-permeation in Bohol, we are deeply alarmed and concerned by recent pronouncements from the top leadership of the provincial government of Bohol and the regional office of the Department of Agriculture in openly supporting and promoting GM crops, and laying out plans of establishing plantations, specifically of BT corn and golden rice, in Bohol – which, if deemed constituent to prohibited acts in Bohol’s GMO-Free Ordinance that include the rather unfortunately broad-phrased “any activity whatsoever for the propagation of or experimentation related to GMOs” in the province – if not directly violative of said ordinance, at the very least, desecrates the very intent of Bohol’s GMO-Free ordinance, that is, to protect and ensure the health of both our people and the environment from the negative threats and impacts of GMO cultivation. The Province of Bohol has clear policies in safeguarding the health of its people and ensuring the conservation and sustainable management of its environment. And with lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the urgent need to intensify Bohol’s agenda for food self-sufficiency, food security and nutrition must veer from grandiose industrialist agriculture solutions and should be oriented towards the development of resilient, sustainable and equitable food systems that are attuned to the local context, culture, and natural biodiversity. Bohol’s food revolution will be ultimately Bol-anon, and it will be GMO-free. ABOUT BOHOL's GMO-FREE POLICY In 2003, through the combined efforts of grassroots stakeholders, civil society, non-government organizations, and the provincial government of Bohol, the province of Bohol, with the passage of Sanggunian Panlalawigan (SP) Resolution No. 2003-235, declared itself GMO-Free or free from genetically-engineered or modified organisms (GMO), or products of genetic engineering or genetic manipulation of an organism’s genome using modern biotechnology to produce transgenic plants, animals and micro-organisms with novel traits. To further safeguard the health of Boholanos and protect the ecological integrity of Bohol from the possible disastrous ill-effects of genetically modified organisms, the SP resolution was cemented with the enforcement, shortly thereafter, of Provincial Ordinance No. 2003-010 or “The Safeguard Against GMOs”, which decrees that “no person shall conduct any laboratory or field-testing or any activity whatsoever for the propagation of or experimentation related to GMOs of any plant, animal, or microorganism in any area within the territorial jurisdiction within the Province of Bohol”. This legal instrument, along with our sustained monitoring and proactive thwarting of attempts at introducing and allowing the growing of genetically modified (GM) crops in our province, remains a landmark achievement for Bohol, oft- cited and benchmarked by other local government units (LGUs) in their bid to prevent the introduction of GMO production in their towns and provinces.