Ondoy at Pepeng's Devastation: Part of a deeper disaster

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan USAOctober 28, 2009

Outline

Introduction Environmental Problems in the Philippines Climate Change Ondoy and Pepeng Conclusion

Man’s interaction with nature Resources for the production of

his needs Ffood, clothing, shelter

Tools, processes, technologies Man’s interaction with man

Relations with others Dominance of a segment of

society over others

Our environment is interlinked

Advances and challenges

Great and exciting advances – e.g. Information

technology, automation, genetics and medicine

Greatest challenges– Famine and hunger, rapid

ecological destruction, breakdown of health systems, social decay and disintegration

one billion people are hungry

160 million more malnourished

every day world wide: 70,000 persons join hungry and starving masses

Deforestation

FAO's State of the World's Forests 2007 reports world's net forest loss of 20,000 ha/day

Phil. forest reduced from 70% (1909) to 18.3% (1999)

Increased demand for cheap and plentiful wood in Europe, Japan and the US

¾ of world's commercial timber output is utilized by only ¼ of population

Spanish colonization (270,000 km2 forest cover =90% of total land area)

Brief history of logging in the Country

1400 1600 1800 2000

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

350000

Mining

Mining for export Large scale plunder of

the environment for larger profit

Mine spills, acid mine drainage, no clean up of mining activities

Large scale TNC plunder in mining is one of the main causes of environmental degradation in the country

8

Philippine mineral reserves

13 metallic ores 7.1 B MT

29 non-metallic 51 B MT

Philippine production Gold (2nd) Copper (3rd)

COPPER4COPPER4.8B MT.8B MT

limestonelimestonemarble

Non-metallic

Metallic

9

State of the local mining industry

Extractive Export-oriented Dominated by local

and foreign mining elite

Dependent on foreign capital and technologies

10

State of local mining industry

Environmental Destruction Export-oriented production lead to extract

voluminous minerals to earn superprofit Liberalization of the Mining Industry

FTAA gives 100% ownership and control Trampling of People’s Rights and

Welfare Communities bear brunt of mining operations Displacement and fear of their lives

23 Priority Mining Projects

Lafayette Mining Limited, Oxiana Mining Corp, Mining giants (BHP Billiton, Anglo American, Xstrata)

11

OPERATING MINESOPERATING MINES2 Big mines2 Big mines::Victoria Gold MineVictoria Gold Mine

Padcal Copper MinePadcal Copper Mine

4 Medium-scale nickel mines4 Medium-scale nickel minesRio Tuba Nickel MineRio Tuba Nickel Mine

Cagdianao Nickel MineCagdianao Nickel Mine

Sigbanog Project of HMCSigbanog Project of HMC

Taganito Nickel MineTaganito Nickel Mine

3 Medium-scale chromite mines3 Medium-scale chromite minesMasinloc Project of Benguet Corp.,

Omasdang Project of Crau Minerals

Homonhon Project of Heritage Res.

5 medium-scale gold mines5 medium-scale gold minesCanatuan Project of TVI

Acupan SSM Operations of Benguet

Diwalwal Direct State Development Project of NRDC

Banahaw Gold Project of Philsaga Mining Corp.

Johson Gold Mining Corp. in Panganiban

15 Cement plants and quarries15 Cement plants and quarries

Water

Only 2.53 % of world water is freshwater

Asia has less than 36% of the world's water resources

Almost in developing countries are exposed to polluted water sources

Mega-dams, privatization

Pollution and water availability

Oil spills: Petron Guimaras, Visayas Affected more than

10,000 fishermen and their families

Rapu-rapu mine spill Drinking water

Costly, low pressure Privatized

Pollution

Large-scale factories remain top contributors of pollutants

Underdeveloped countries become dumping grounds

Obsolete and dirty technologies imported in the Philippines

Energy Mega-sale

Expected foreign investments P295 billion in investments

P177 billion potential investment in the renewable energy sector for 2004-2013

EPIRA: IPPs, SPUG SPEX in Malampaya

45 % Shell, 45 % ChevronTexaco

10% to be sold

Petroleum Service Contracts: Sold/for sale

Malampaya (Shell/Chevron Texaco) Exxon Mobil in Mindanao, a consortium of BHP Billiton

(Australia), Amerada Hess Ltd. (US), Unocal Sulu (US) Ltd. and

Sandakan Oil II, LLC in the Sulu Sea Alcorn Gold Resources Corp., Trans-Asia Oil and Energy

Development Corp. and PetroEnergy Resources Corp. in the East Visayan basin off Leyte island

EF Durkee and Associates in the Cagayan Valley region (Piat-San Jose area)

Laxmi Organic Industries Ltd. (India) in the Mindoro-Cuyo basin west of Mindoro island

in West Palawan (Ottoman Energy Ltd., Australasian Energy Ltd. and Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corp)

Nido Petroleum Philippines Ltd. off-Palawan off-Mindoro with Petronas Carigali Philippine National Oil Co.-Exploration Corp., Cagayan basin : Aragorn Power Corp., South Cebu : Phil-Mal Petroenergy Corp. Ottoman Energy Ltd. in Northewest Palawan.

Climate change

Accelerated warming of surface due to human-related releases of greenhouses gases

Projections of Surface Temperature ChangeProjections of Surface Temperature Change

Accelerated temperature change

1900’s – hottest century

2005 and 1998 – hottest years;

1995 to 2006, (except 1996) =

Top 12 hottest years since 1850

Increase in temperature

in the last 50 years was

0.13 degrees centigrade/decade

0.75 degrees in the past century

Greenhouse Gases

Carbon dioxide CO2 - 54.9% second most common GHG. makes up about 25% of the natural greenhouse effect. Burning of oil and gas (for heat, transportation, industry), cement manufacturing, deforestation and other land uses. Also occurs naturally through photosynthesis, volcanoes, forest fires. Methane CH4 - third most common GHG ; Oil and gas production, coal mining, rice paddies, dams, landfills. Occurs naturally as things decompose and from livestock digestion.

Nitrous oxide N2O - Burning of oil, gas, coal, and wood, fertilizers, coal mining. Also occurs naturally.

OTHERS: Water vapor, Sulfur hexafluoride SF6, Perfluocarbons PFCs, Hydroflurocarbons HFCs

Adverse Impacts Agriculture

• Productivity in tropics/subtropics; food shortage

Water Resources

• Water availability + quality; floods and droughts; hydropower sources

People's Health

• Vector and water borne disease, heat stress, nutrition, EWE deaths

Coastal Areas and Fisheries Species and Natural Areas

• Biodiversity loss Forest cover loss Human Displacement

Source: Science Magazine, Sep 16, 2005

Hurricanes/Typhoons(Category 4/5)

There’s a consistent 50-year upward trend in every region except Oceania.

Changes in climate are already causing harm

Major floods per decade, 1950-2000

Estimated mortality attributable to climate change

Top CO2 emissions

United States and TNCs

GHGs in RP

1999, Philippines emitted 75,998,000 metric tons of CO2 or 0.3% of world total emission.

From 1990 to 1999 our CO2 emission increased by 72%.

Developing countries are most Developing countries are most vulnerable vulnerable

Impacts are worse Low capacity to adapt

Lack of financial,institutional andtechnological capacity andaccess to knowledge

Impact disproportionately upon the poorest countries and the poorest persons within countries

Exacerbating inequities in health status and access to adequate food, clean water and other resources.

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

Pe

rce

nta

ge

aff

ec

ted

LDC

Dev'ing

CIT

Dev'ed

The poor face greatest challenges The poor face greatest challenges from climate changefrom climate change

2 billion people in developing countries affected by climate related disaster in the 1990s.

The rate has doubled this decade.

-

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

Nu

mb

er

aff

ec

ted

(M

illio

ns

)

Dev'ed

CIT

Dev'ing

LDC

Asymmetric responsibility and vulnerability

Inverse relationship between climate change vulnerability and responsibility

Primary emitter countries must change their production activities and consumption of energy and seek sustainable solutions.

Basic human needs, economic and social development need adequate energy and infrastructure.

Free-market globalization

It is free market globalization that accelerated this to dangerous levels Unbridled (anarchic)

overproduction Rapacious greed for resources Wars of conquest and

aggression

Carbon offset/CDM

Carbon offset mechanisms shift out carbon mitigation and reduction out of industrialized countries towards developing countries.

Distort development activities while keeping consumption and production activities of industrialized countries.

Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) and carbon trading effectively marketize carbon emissions

Shuffles around responsibility to curb emissions.

The Philippines is often visited by storms and earthquakes

We can prepare even if we cannot predictwww.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/tropical.html

USGS data

Typhoon Ondoy

September 26, 2009 85 kph with gustiness of

100 kph

08:00:00 AM 12:00:00 PM 04:00:00 PM 08:00:00 PM 12:00:00 AM 04:00:00 AM 08:00:00 AM

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Sa isang araw halos kalahating metro ang ulan (455 mm/24 hr)

Water discharge moved through Marikina river basin

From Wawa to lower Marikina river (4-6 hours) [David et.al.]

Figures from G. Tabios and www.reliefweb.int

Figures from Google.com and Lagmay et.al.

Figures from Google.com and Lagmay et.al.

Typhoon Pepeng (PARMA)

Pepeng made a turnaround

Large amount of rainfall over Pangasinan and Cordilleras

reliefweb.int pagasa.dost.gov.ph

Ambuklao Reservoir

Oct 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Oct 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Oct 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Oct 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

San Roque

Oct 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Oct 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Binga

Source: Rom Beltran, NPC

Bumalik na si Pepeng

Dito pa lang naglabas ng tubig

AGNO RIVER IS ONE OF THE MAJOR RIVERS IN THE CORDILLERA REGION, which is very important to the life and culture of the ibalois and kankanaey indigenous peoples

AMBUKLAO DAM WAS BUILT IN THE 50’s

BINGA DAM WAS BUILT 60’s

San Roque Dam is the

3rd dam along the Agno river

Construction begun in 1998

Impoundment of reservoir started in August 2002

Construction completed and became operational in May 2003

SAN ROQUE DAM

Height: 220 metersLength: 1.13 kmReservoir capacity: 850 million cu,m.Surface area of reservoir: 12.8 km2

Purposes:Power generation: 345 megawatt: present level of power generation- 270-280 Irrigation: 7,800 hecFlood controlWater quality improvement

Magkano? Sino may ari?

Cost: US $1.2 billion $ 800 loan ng may proyekto na may garatiya ng

gobyerno $ 400 loan ng gobyerno para subsidya MAINLY FUNDED BY EXPORT CREDIT

AGENCY (ECA)

Ownership: Pribadong kumpanya (Marubeni/Kansai Electric)-100% foreign company

SRPC CONTRACT Power Purchase Agreement (PPA): BOT for 25 years

• National Power Corporation-NPC(government) needs to pay $9 to $10 mil / month to SRPC regardless of whether there is sufficient water available to generate power for 10 years

• No accountability of project proponents to environmental and social impacts

• Project proponent can pull out of the project if deem not commercially viable

** the contract guarantees return of investment and big profit, while environmental and social adverse impacts are not accounted for

Conclusions

Hindi gumana ang San Roque Multipurpose Dam para pigilan ang baha Magkaibang interes ng paggawa ng kuryente at

labanan ang baha Tama ang mga komunidad na para lamang sa tubo

ang SRMP Questions: Mali ba ang pagpapalabas ng San

Roque Multipurpose Dam noong Oct 6/7? Oo. Dapat mas maaga pa

Palpak ang sistema sa evacuation at babala ng baha

Pinapalala ng malalaking pagmimina sa itaas ng San Roque Multipurpose Dam na nagdulot naman ng mga landslides sa Benguet/Cordillera

People's Initiatives Community based disaster

response Capacity building for

vulnerable communities Work for social change –

structural and systematic; towards a society where human rights, national patrimony, genuine land reform, and national industrialization is pursued

People's Initiatives Popularize and implement

proper and sustainable use of our natural resources – in line with people's welfare and interests, proper technology, and mitigation measures

Popularize correct perspective towards environmental issues – pro-people, patriotic, and scientific orientation

Help communities cope and respond to environment

Alternatives to development

Development for people's good not for profit

Development not for the local partners of globalization but for grassroots benefit

Conclusions San Roque Multipurpose Dam failed as a flood management

program

Opposing interest of power generation and flood management

Communities were right all along in saying that SRMP was a for-profit project

Questions: Did San Roque Multipurpose Dam management failed to release water when they saw increasing water levels?

Failure of flood warning and evacuation systems

Situation is aggravated by siltation due to mining extraction activities in the catchbasin and the upstream dams which were old

Social vulnerability = Climate vulnerability

Main environmental effects of imperialist plunder

Deforestation Mining Water Pollution Energy

Poverty and underdevelopment

Lack of capacity to meet challenges of disasters

Lack of planning to mitigate disaster effects

Asymmetric responsibility and vulnerability

Inverse relationship between climate change vulnerability and responsibility

Primary emitter countries must change their production activities and consumption of energy and seek sustainable solutions.

Basic human needs, economic and social development need adequate energy and infrastructure.

Imperialist plunder and climate change effects

It is imperialist globalization that accelerated the rise of GHGs to dangerous levels Unbridled (anarchic)

overproduction Rapacious greed for resources

especially in neocolonies Wars of conquest and

aggression

Developing countries are most Developing countries are most vulnerable vulnerable

Impacts are worse Low capacity to adapt

Lack of financial,institutional andtechnological capacity andaccess to knowledge

Impact disproportionately upon the poorest countries and the poorest persons within countries

Exacerbating inequities in health status and access to adequate food, clean water and other resources.

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

Pe

rce

nta

ge

aff

ec

ted

LDC

Dev'ing

CIT

Dev'ed

Environmental crisis

The rapid destruction of the environment is a direct result of the rapid, unchecked appropriation of the world's resources for the benefit of a few.

environmental plunder

environmentaldestruction

Sakunang pinalala ng isang malakolonyal at malapyudal na lipunan

Sakunang pinalala ng isang malakolonyal at malapyudal na lipunan

Bulnerabilidad dahil sa imperyalistang pandarambong at burukratang

kapitalista

Ang pandarambong ng dayuhan ang may sala kasama ang

kakuntsabang kumprador at PML