Lawyers Head GLACC-Iloilo Launching

Last June 5, 2009 at IBP-Iloilo Chapter Office, Hall of Justice Iloilo City, GLACC-Iloilo or Global Legal Action for Climate Change was formally launched and legal letter petitions were sent to different local and national agencies, calling for their attention as to their roles in curbing environmental issues, especially climate change.

Different sectors from NGOs, Youth Groups and residents of municipalities signed the petitions with the assistance of volunteer Iloilo lawyers, members and officers of IBP Iloilo Chapter. Among the lawyers present were Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)Iloilo Chapter President Marven Daquilanea, Visayan Sea Squadron Hector Teodosio, and GLACC lawyers namely, Norberto Pocesion, Shanelle Salinas, Victor Decida, Pet Melliza, and Prosecutor Bionat.

The Letter Petitions that were signed and sent by members of Responsible Ilonggos for Sustainable Energy, Paulinian Environmental Society, residents of Iloilo City and of the different Municipalities of Iloilo, Philippines are as follows:

1. Letter Petition to Secretary Arthur Yap, Secretary of Department of Agriculture, requesting him for Guidelines for the Demarcation of Municipal Waters with Outlying Islands and inquiring from his good office why there was no promulgation as such guidelines considering RA 8550 (The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998) has been passed more than 10 years ago.

2. Letter Petition to Secretary Arthur Yap, Secretary of Department of Agriculture, and Secretary Ronaldo Puno, Secretary of Department of Interior and Local Government, reminding them that under RA 8550 and EO No. 774, at least 15% of the Municipal waters must be set aside as fish sanctuaries, and that they must conduct massive information, education and communication as part of their role as a task Group on Fisheries, respectively.

3. Letter Petition to Secretary Arthur Yap, Department of Agriculture, and Secretary Lito Atienza, Secretary of Department of Environment and Natural Resources, requesting their good offices for data on inventory of abandoned fishponds, areas available for mangrove reforestation, actions done by the specified departments on reverting or reforesting these degraded mangrove areas, and success rates of reforestations. The request is based on RA 8550.

4. Letter Petition to Secretary Lito Atienza, DENR, requesting for a copy of the National Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan, and in its absence, an answer why such plan was not done despite the passage of the RA 8749 (The Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999) ten 10 years ago, more or less.

5. Letter Petition to Secretary Angelo Reyes, Secretary of Department of Energy, requesting as to the update on the use of environment-friendly source of energy, the ecological impact of Carbon Dioxide as a result of our preferential use of coal and oil, and why Philippines still grants coal and oil exploration which is incongruent to RA 7638 (Department of Energy Act of 1992).

6. Letter Petition to Secretary Angelo Reyes, DOE, requesting an update as to the status on the implementation of curbing air pollution contributed by the transportation system in the Philippines, specifically as to the provisions of the Constitution, Art II (Secs. 15 and 16), RA No. 8749 and EO 290 (Implementing the Natural Gas Vehicle Program for Public Transport).

7. Letter Petition to Secretary Angelo Reyes, DOE, which specifically questions the inconsistent mandate of the law and the granting of the Coal Plant in Iloilo City . RA 7638 created the functions and role of the Department of Energy in promoting non- conventional energy resources (biomass, wind, solar, and so on), which is incongruent to the granting of a coal plant in Iloilo City, when in truth and in fact there are other alternative sustainable energy sources that can be benefited from.

8. Letter Petition to Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Secretary of Department of Transportation and Communication, requesting on the update of the status of adopting an environmentally sustainable transport strategy, specifically to mandate public land transport vehicles to use cleaner fuels and technologies. This is based on the Philippine Constitution, Art. II (Secs. 15 and 16) and RA 8749.

9. Last, but not the least, Letter Petition to House Speaker Prospero Nograles and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, petitioning the Congress to immediately enact a law in determining the metes and bounds of forest lands and final forest lines in the country, this is in promotion to the right of the Filipinos, and generation thereafter, to a balance and healthful ecology as protected by the Philippine Constitution.

The press briefing was attended by different media groups: the TV, radio and print media of Iloilo City . Aside from the volunteer lawyers, the press briefing was attended by representatives from the Paulinian Environmental Society of St. Paul University and Melvin Purzuelo of Responsible Ilonggos for Sustainable Energy (RISE). By Frances Shanelle Salinas