PHILIPPINES
China's 33-day permit to survey PH's eastern seaboard begins
The permit allows China to gather data on the ocean circulation in the Western Pacific, covering the 'eastern side of Luzon and Mindanao'
Carmela Fonbuena
@carmelafonbuena
Published 10:11 AM, January 24, 2018
Updated 11:01 AM, January 24, 2018
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CORAL-RICH. Researchers say Benham Bank is rich in corals. Photo courtesy of Dr Hildie Nacorda/UPLB-SESAM
CORAL-RICH. Researchers say Benham Bank is rich in corals. Photo courtesy of Dr Hildie Nacorda/UPLB-SESAM
MANILA, Philippines – China's permit to conduct maritime research in the eastern seaboard of the Philippines began on Thursday, January 24, based on a document shown to Rappler.
The permit allows China to gather data on the ocean circulation in the Western Pacific Ocean. It expressly bans hydrographic survey or mapping activities within Philippine maritime jurisdictions, drilling in the Philippine continental shelf, and fishing.
The permit is good for a total of 33 days or until February 25. It covers the "eastern side of Luzon and Mindanao." Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said it includes Benham Rise.
The 4-page document was titled "Consent to Conduct Marine Scientific Research (MSR) in Areas Under the National Jurisdiction of the Republic of the Philippines."
DFA granted the permit to the Institute of Oceanology of Chinese Academy of Sciences (IO-CAS), which will conduct the study in tandem with Filipino scientists from the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI).
The Filipino scientists should be given "unrestricted access" to all areas in the vessel and to equipment.
The Philippines also reserves the right to suspend the research project.
Chinese ship arrives in PH
China will use the survey vessel Ke Xue Hao. The ship – along with the vehicles, platforms, and installations they will use in the study – are suposed to be under the close monitoring and security supervision of the Philippine Navy or the Philippine Coast Guard.
The ship must also provide the Philippines regular updates on its position and situation.
Ke Xue Hao is already in Philippine waters, according to Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano in a statement Tuesday night, January 23.
Government critics slammed the approval of the permit. Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who led the country's international case against China's "squatting" in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), called it "dumb" to allow China to explore the waters on the other side of the country.
China reclaimed at least 7 maritime features in the South China Sea, including Mischief Reef inside the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone.
A test of China's commitment
Filipino maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal initially welcomed China acquiescing to partner with Filipino scientists to join its survey. Batongbacal noted that China proceeded to conduct surveys on Benham Rise last year despite denial of its requests.
The permit puts China under obligation to follow Philippine laws. Batongbacal said he hopes China will abide by the rules set by the Philippines in the permit and that it will share the results of its study with the Philippines.
"They've always been submitting these applications even before 2012. They've always been denied without Filipino partners. We have yet to see if they're going to comply [with the terms of the agreement]," Batongbacal told Rappler.
"It's a good way to pressure them. They've been harping on maritime cooperation," he said.
China is expected to provide Philippine weather bureau PAGASA, the Philippine Navy, and the Philippine Coast Guard "real-time" and "unrestricted access to original data" on ocean circulation like sea level pressure, wind direction and speed, rainfall, and air temperature among others.
China must also provide the Philippines its preliminary results, its cruise track, names of its crew, and all raw and processed data.
Issue of trust
But Alejano said China cannot be trusted. "China has been known for saying one thing but does another," Alejano said.
Latest pronouncements from Malacañang also made Batongbacal "feeling a little less welcoming" to China's maritime research.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said China was allowed to do the research because it's the only country that can do it.
Batongbacal slammed Malacañang's ignorance of what Filipino scientists have achieved.
"For government to say that Filipinos need China to explore Benham Rise as if there is no one else that can do it is both a brazen falsehood and a disservice to the hard work and dedication, the talents and capacities, of the Filipino scientific community," he wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday night.
Batongbacal said this is not the last time he expects China to seek permission to study the country's eastern seaboard. "It has a big project, up to 2020, to study the entire Western Pacific," he said. – Rappler.com
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Filed under:Benham RiseChinaGary AlejanoInstitute of Oceanology of Chinese Academy of SciencesJay BatongbacalPhilippinesUniversity of the Philippines Marine Science InstituteMarine Scientific Research
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PHILIPPINES
Malacañang says Filipinos need China for Benham Rise research
Filipinos alone can't conduct research in the resource-rich underwater plateau because they don't have the needed capital, says Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque
Pia Ranada
@piaranada
Published 1:16 PM, January 23, 2018
Updated 1:16 PM, January 23, 2018
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SOVEREIGN RIGHTS. This photo shows Filipinos exploring Benham Rise for the first time in 2014. File photo courtesy of Dr Gil Jacinto/UP-MSI
SOVEREIGN RIGHTS. This photo shows Filipinos exploring Benham Rise for the first time in 2014. File photo courtesy of Dr Gil Jacinto/UP-MSI
MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos can't conduct research in Benham Rise without China's help.
This was how Malacañang defended the approval granted by the Philippine government to China to conduct marine scientific research in the resource-rich continental shelf east of Luzon. (FAST FACTS: What you should know about Benham Rise)
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, on Tuesday, January 23, was asked why it was necessary to approve China's request and why Filipinos could not just conduct research on their own. (READ: PH researchers explore Benham Rise)
"No one can do it because, apparently, it's capital intensive," said Roque during a Malacañang press briefing.
As to why it was China given permission and not other countries also capable of providing the needed funding, Roque said only China "qualified" for the initiative. (READ: DFA on Benham Rise: 'Same rules for all countries')
"Because only China has qualified so far. There are other applications, unfortunately, they did not qualify according to fixed guidelines already set by the government," said Roque.
Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano previously said Philippine law requires that any scientific study of Benham Rise must ensure that Filipinos are on board the ships used for the study and that the findings must be shared with the Philippine government.
Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano, who first made public the government's approval of China's research in Benham Rise, alleged that the Department of Foreign Affairs rejected a similar application by a French organization.
Alejano also said it was the Chinese Academy of Sciences that was given the approval. The institute is partly funded by the People's Republic of China.
Malacañang has emphasized that while the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea gives the Philippines sovereign rights over Benham Rise, the Philippines cannot claim it as part of its national territory.
However, sovereign rights means the Philippines alone has the right to explore and exploit the oil, gas and other mineral resources in Benham Rise as part of its extended continental shelf.
Benham Rise, which Duterte has renamed Philippine Rise, is a 13-million-hectare underwater plateau thought to be rich in minerals and gas. – Rappler.com
Filed under:Chinese Academy of SciencesHarry RoqueMalacañangPhilippine RiseBenham Rise
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PHILIPPINES
'Benham Rise is ours,' Nene Pimentel says after PH allowed China research
'We would like to emphasize Scarborough Shoal is ours, Kalayaan shoals are ours, that Benham Rise is likewise within our exclusive economic zone,' says the former Senate president
Camille Elemia
@CamilleElemia
Published 12:40 PM, January 23, 2018
Updated 2:44 PM, January 23, 2018
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BENHAM RISE. Former Senate president Aquilino 'Nene' Pimentel Jr says the Philippines has jurisdiction over Benham Rise. File photo by Senate PRIB
BENHAM RISE. Former Senate president Aquilino 'Nene' Pimentel Jr says the Philippines has jurisdiction over Benham Rise. File photo by Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines – Benham Rise is ours.
Former Senate president Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel Jr said the Philippines has jurisdiction over Benham Rise and other islands being contested by China, including Scarborough Shoal and the Kalayaan Group of Islands.
Pimentel, founder of President Rodrigo Duterte's party PDP-Laban, was speaking at the second Senate hearing on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) on Tuesday, January 23.
"Even as discussion in this particular forum is focused on BBL, our people should not forget that if we talk about BBL, that applies to the Republic of the Philippines. We are not only talking about Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, we would like to emphasize Scarborough Shoal is ours, Kalayaan shoals are ours, that Benham Rise is likewise within our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as defined by the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea)," Pimentel said during the hearing.
The former Senate president's statement came after the Duterte administration allowed China to conduct maritime research in Benham Rise. It was Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano, an opposition lawmaker, who first revealed the information. Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano later confirmed it. (READ: Lorenzana: China showed interest in PH's Benham Rise)
Benham Rise is a 13-million-hectare underwater plateau off the coast of Aurora, which the Philippines fought for and won before the United Nations in 2012. (FAST FACTS: What you should know about Benham Rise)
In May last year, China said the Philippines could not claim Benham Rise as its own territory. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque agreed with the statement and said on Monday, January 22, that the Philippines has "sovereign rights" and not "sovereignty" over the area.
"We do not have sovereignty in the Benham Rise because what we only have in Benham Rise as part of our extended continental shelf is the right to explore and exploit the natural resources found thereat," Roque said.
In recent years, China has aggressively developed maritime features in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
Duterte, during the presidential campaign, vowed to defend the Philippines' maritime territory.
But ties between Manila and Beijing have warmed since Duterte assumed office and he has since softened his stance on the dispute. (READ: 5 ways Duterte can defend Scarborough without going to war) – Rappler.com
Filed under:Aquilino Pimentel JrBenham RiseChinaHarry RoquePhilippinesScarborough ShoalSenateSouth China SeaWest Philippine SeaNene Pimentel
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https://www.rappler.com/nation/194314-nene-pimentel-benham-rise-philippines-china-research
Nestle CEO: Corporations Come Before Humanity
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SageOfQuay
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This is a stunning (and I mean stunning) interview. This is for anyone who is still walking around in an unawakened stupor... in this interview - water is not a human right... these are the people running the world folks... it's time to pop your head out of your butt and wake up...
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Comments are disabled for this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=vWkA-uAPXCE January 21, 2018 ardit
Mind blowing Nestle CEO says “WATER IS NOT A HUMAN RIGHT”
Is water a free and basic human right, or should all the water on the planet belong to major corporations and be treated as a product? Should the poor who cannot afford to pay these said corporations suffer from starvation due to their lack of financial wealth? According to the former CEO and now Chairman of the largest food product manufacturer in the world, corporations should own every drop of water on the planet — and you’re not getting any unless you pay up.
The company notorious for sending out hordes of ‘internet warriors’ to defend the company and its actions online in comments and message boards (perhaps we’ll find some below) even takes a firm stance behind Monsanto’s GMOs and their ‘proven safety’. In fact, the former Nestle CEO actually says that his idea of water privatization is very similar to Monsanto’s GMOs. In a video interview, Nestle Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe states that there has never been ‘one illness’ ever caused from the consumption of GMOs.
Watch the video below for yourself:
The way in which this sociopath clearly has zero regard for the human race outside of his own wealth and the development of Nestle, who has been caught funding attacks against GMO labeling, can be witnessed when watching and listening to his talk on the issue. This is a company that actually goes into struggling rural areas and extracts the groundwater for their bottled water products, completely destroying the water supply of the area without any compensation. In fact, they actually make rural areas in the United States foot the bill.
As reported on by Corporate Watch, Nestle and former CEO Peter Brabeck-Letmathe have a long history of disregarding public health and abusing the environment to take part in the profit of an astounding $35 billion in annual profit from water bottle sales alone. The report states:
So is water a human right, or should it be owned by big corporations? Well, if water is not here for all of us, then perhaps air should be owned by major corporations as well. And as for crops, Monsanto is already working hard to make sure their monopoly on our staple crops and beyond is well situated. It should really come as no surprise that this Nestle Chairman fights to keep Monsanto’s GMOs alive and well in the food supply, as his ideology lines right up with that of Monsanto.
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Matthew 24
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matthew 24
← chapter 23chapter 25 →
Papyrus 1 - recto.jpg
Matthew 1:1-9,12 on the recto side of Papyrus 1, written about AD 250.
Book Gospel of Matthew
Bible part New Testament
Order in the Bible part 1
Category Gospel
Gospel of
Matthew
Chapters [show]
Matthew 24 is the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the Olivet Discourse spoken by Jesus Christ and his prediction of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.[1] The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Matthew the Apostle composed this Gospel.[2]
Contents [hide]
1 Text
2 Structure
3 Cross references
4 Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple
5 Mount of Olives
6 Verse 15
7 Verse 35
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
Text[edit]
The original text is written in Koine Greek or Hebrew/Aramaic[citation needed].
Some most ancient manuscripts containing this chapter are:
Codex Vaticanus (AD 325-350)
Codex Sinaiticus (330-360)
Codex Bezae (c. 400)
Codex Washingtonianus (c. 400)
Codex Alexandrinus (c. 400-440)
Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (c. 450)
Codex Purpureus Rossanensis (6th century)
Codex Sinopensis (6th century; extant: verses 3-12)
Papyrus 83 (6th century; extant: verses 1, 6)
This chapter is divided into 51 verses.
Structure[edit]
This chapter can be grouped (with cross references to other parts of the Bible):
Matthew 24:1-2 = Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple (Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:5-6)
Matthew 24:3-14 = The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age (Mark 13:3-13; Luke 21:7-19)
Matthew 24:15-28 = The Great Tribulation (Mark 13:14-23; Luke 21:20-24)
Matthew 24:36-31 = The Coming of the Son of Man (Mark 13:24-27,32; Luke 21:25-28)
Matthew 24:32-43 = The Parable of the Fig Tree (Mark 13:28-31; Luke 21:29-33)
Matthew 24:37-44 = No One Knows the Day or Hour (Luke 17:26-30,34-36)
Matthew 24:45-51 = The Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant (Luke 12:41-48)
Cross references[edit]
Matthew 24:15: Daniel 11:31; Daniel 12:11
Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple[edit]
In the preceding chapters, Jesus has been teaching in the Temple and debating with the Pharisees, Herodians and Sadducees. Jesus and his disciples leave the Temple (Matthew 24:1), or the temple grounds in the New Living Translation,[3] never to return.[4] Jesus predicts that "not one stone shall be left here upon another". The prediction follows the sentiments expressed by Jesus in Matthew 23:37-38:
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem ... See! Your house is left to you desolate.
Methodist founder John Wesley says that the prediction was "most punctually fulfilled", in that the majority of the temple buildings were burned and then dug up on the orders of the invading Roman general Titus in 70 AD.[5]
Mount of Olives[edit]
Jesus and his disciples proceed to the Mount of Olives, where a "private" conversation takes place regarding "the end of the age". Jesus' words here are referred to at the "Little Apocalypse" or "Olivet Discourse". Jesus appears to have led ahead of his disciples (Matthew 24:3), who come to him to enquire about the timing and signification of his parousia (Greek: παρουσιας). Mark 13:30 states that only Peter, James, John and Andrew came to speak with him.
Verse 15[edit]
New King James Version
Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand)[6]
Citation from Daniel 11:31; Daniel 12:11
Verse 35[edit]
King James Version
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.[7]
Jesus' words refer to an Old Testament saying recorded in Isaiah 51:6.
See also[edit]
Abomination of desolation
Noah
Noah's Ark
Noah's Flood
Olivet Discourse
Other related Bible parts: Genesis 6, Genesis 7, Isaiah 51, Jeremiah 15, Daniel 11, Daniel 12, Matthew 25, Mark 13, Luke 12, Luke 17, Luke 21, 2 Peter 3
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Halley, Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook: an Abbreviated Bible Commentary. 23rd edition, Zondervan Publishing House. 1962.
Jump up ^ Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012.
Jump up ^ New Living Translation
Jump up ^ Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible on Matthew 24, accessed 19 February 2017
Jump up ^ Wesley's Notes on the Bible on Matthew 24, accessed 19 February 2017
Jump up ^ Matthew 24:15
Jump up ^ Matthew 24:35
External links[edit]
Matthew 24 NIV
Organic Farms and “Eco-Parks” are Ruining Baguio’s Mountainsides
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For the nth time, numerous so-called “environmental activists” have come under the case of the vapors against tree cutting around Baguio. Once again, I’m inclined to reiterate on how gullible and how off-the-point the people of Baguio are, especially those who claim to be “for the environment.”
Mt. Sto. Tomas, locally known as Cabuyao, is a reservation just outside City limits, harboring a large tree reserve, a watershed and a former US AA radar station that gives the peak its unique look.
stotomasradar_zps682abe3a
Just recently 300 or so pine trees were cut down in Sto. Tomas to widen a road that goes to, of all places, a resort that doubles as an “eco-park.” Apparently the cutting, which was conducted near a vital water source, was done by the brother of current Baguio Congressman Nicasio Aliping Jr.; the latter may be ordered by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to pay PhP50,000, or roughly PhP800 for each pine tree.
Time and again, Get Real Philippines has shown that the people of Baguio don’t get the whole picture of why their City has, for a lack of a better term, gone to crap. First, and most importantly, the majority of voters in Baguio used their democratic rights to put the people responsible for these cuttings in the positions they’re in today, in peaceful local elections I might add. Now before any “y-Baguio” reading this essay brings out the true-yet-tired excuse that “our democratic system is corrupt,” they shouldn’t forget that they chose to participate in that system and allow these politicians to claim these seats of office.
In short, don’t blame them for doing it, blame yourselves for electing them in the first place. To say that “oh I didn’t vote for them” is petty and childish, akin to saying “he started it” after a brawl. It only shows how little Baguio people regard the democratic process they claim to exalt.
It would perhaps be better for Baguio to elect someone who does NOT run on a platform of “environmental awareness,” because that person would be honest about his intentions. Years of electing people who supposedly “care for Baguio’s future” have turned the City into a microcosm of what’s wrong with the Philippines when it comes to its natural resources. The fact that Baguio’s national representative (and center of all this current mess) is now the chair of the local chapter of the Liberal Party is a minor digression, but supports the microcosmic view.
Additionally, the cutting of trees in Sto. Tomas overlooks the problem of people turning its slopes into organic vegetable farms such as this one:
baguio_5
Given the increasing popularity of “organic” produce these days, more land would be used for growing such crops; a higher demand would then force farmers to clear larger tracts of land for cultivation. Trees then would then be inevitably felled for these farms, and the cycle continues ad nauseam. Sadly, “environmental activists” in Baguio also prefer to promote the “benefits” of these organic crops (as shown in pseudo-environmental group Save 182’s “Boycott SM” Facebook page) while completely ignoring the fact that organic crops deal a lot more damage to the environment than genetically modified (GMO) crops.
What these “environmentalists” can’t (or won’t) tell you is that GMO crops take less time to grow and less land to use. The yield can be as much as twice that of an organic crop, taking up less space for agriculture, thus giving potential space for trees to grow. The anti-science provocateurs, however, would rather ignore this and destroy these crops due to unsubstantiated claims of “potential harmful effects.” As it turns out, the same people who believe that GMO’s are “evil” often are the same people who think that “vaccines cause autism.” It could therefore be obliquely stated that a conscious and deliberate distortion of scientific facts is causing the destruction of tree reserves on the slopes of Mt. Sto. Tomas.
The graver irony here is the fact that these trees were cut to give way to an “eco-park.” There are quite a growing number of these in Baguio, and I believe that the proliferation of such, despite their innate intentions of “ecological preservation,” actually contributes to the City’s ecological decline. The primary reason for this is the fact that in order for people to get to these places, the infrastructure has to be present. It’s outright hypocrisy when people put up an “eco-park,” then roads have to be constructed and parking lots have to be paved for visitors’ vehicles. And what point is there in trying to look for the quiet sanctity of nature within these “eco-parks” when services within them include animatronic dinosaurs? The purpose of environmental preservation is thus defeated when such a place is turned into a theme park.
If they’re really serious about putting up these ecological reserves, the best way to do it is to put up a nature preserve and KEEP IT OFF LIMITS TO HUMANS. If the government can successfully keep throngs of die-hard spiritual devotees off the slopes of Mt. Banahaw for years at a time (thus ensuring the return of that place’s wilderness areas), the local governments of Baguio and Benguet can certainly keep casual weekenders from climbing the supposedly protected forests of Mt. Sto. Tomas. That is, of course, if the people of Baguio and Benguet don’t fall into the same trap they keep getting into every three years by electing the same type of laughable “pro-environment” candidates over and over again.
More than a year ago, Get Real Philippines writer Paul Farol wrote an essay entitled “Why Baguio is Dying.” I would like to disagree with what he said: Baguio is dead; it got buried under the rubble of the Earthquake of 1990. Just as science has recently proven that it’s now too late to turn back when it comes to climate change, I believe that nothing short of plague or geological cataclysm can reverse what Baguio has evolved into. I’ll close this essay with a comment about Baguio written by Lisa on 3 November 2012, in response to another article by Paul Farol:
“There are no genuine environmental groups here to speak of, the people would rather do battle with a corporation and other co-residents than take on a corrupt government that is party to the degradation. This is why the city looks and behaves as it does now.”
[Sto. Tomas radar doshes photo courtesy of Pinoy Mountaineer. Vegetable terrace photo courtesy of Weekend Trip Baguio.]
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Categories: Culture, Environment, Government, Politics / 14 Responses / by MidwayHaven
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14 Comments on "Organic Farms and “Eco-Parks” are Ruining Baguio’s Mountainsides"
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vangie
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vangie
all know but no one seems to underscore the fact that the same people have been in city hall for 20 years plus…they just play the game of merry go round….they have been in office longer than the deposed dictator!
0 REPLY3 years 7 months ago
MidwayHaven
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MidwayHaven
The sad part is that the people of Baguio VOTE to keep them there. CONSCIOUSLY and VOLUNTARILY.
And those that they claim to be “alternatives” to the incumbents are more or less in the same political basket.
In Baguio, it always has been a choice between the corrupt or the incompetent (which somehow is just like Philippine national politics), and the Baguio electoral race in 2016 is gearing up to look like the same damn thing.
0 REPLY3 years 7 months ago
Anonymou5
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Anonymou5
Interesting article, though we should all be aware that most of the voters in Baguio are not actually from Baguio. Even the said elected officials. Sad reality right there.
0 REPLY2 years 11 months ago
MidwayHaven
Guest
MidwayHaven
Are we sure that the voters are not from Baguio? Where are the statistics that prove this claim?
Until there’s concrete evidence for such, then it would be best to put forward the assumption that Baguio’s ills are created by the people of Baguio themselves.
0 REPLY2 years 11 months ago
Toro Hyden2
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Toro Hyden2
It is unfortunate that such a brother of a politician is the one denuding the forest of Baguio…soon more lanslides will occur in the place. Organic Farming is just a fad. Farming without the use of commercial fertilizer is organic fartming. Commercial fertilizer is the same as the natural fertilizer, because the chemical elements in it, like Nitrogen, etc…are of the same atomic structure. The behaviour of that person that is denuding the Pine forest of Baguio is just plain greed. Yet, the people of Baguio do not even raise a voice of complain…it is apathy and passivity on the… Read more »
0 REPLY3 years 7 months ago
Krauss
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Krauss
It’s insulting really… The brightest minds of our country are doing everything they can on improving food production, yet here these boneheads are furthering their dubious agenda with unsubstantiated claims. The scientific process is something that could not be respected in this anti-intellectual society that we painfully still have now.
I’ll be an Agriculture student soon, so I should be offended by this.
0 REPLY3 years 7 months ago
Krauss
Guest
Krauss
In the world of Agribusiness, the farmers gets just one-third of the profits they get from their yield. The rest of the money goes to bodies in charge of transportation, processing, packaging, refrigerating, marketing and etcetera. What we’ve seen in the last sixty years is that chemically-modified pesticides, fertilizers, and, of course, seeds have been thrown into that mix; if there are any real evils to these, it is that these are prone to corruption and if there is any then it’s the people fault for putting in place the bodies responsible anyway. Blame those who use them, not the… Read more »
0 REPLY3 years 7 months ago
Toro Hyden
Guest
Toro Hyden
Food production is not denuding the forest. California, U.S.A. is where most of the vegetables and fruits are grown, in the U.S.. They did not denude their forests to grow these plants. Same as Mexico. They have vegetable growing provinces also. Mexico did not denude its forest to grow their crops. These crops are not even grown in terraced mountains. They are grown in plains. Other South American countries also do the same. They grow crops and export it to other countries. It is in the process of growing, that the Philippines cannot grow and sustain the needs of its… Read more »
0 REPLY3 years 7 months ago
thom Hardy
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thom Hardy
All of the elections in the country are potentially rigged, if the wrong person is going to win…the rigging occurs. It is a no win situation for the people. To say that in an ‘oblique way’ that ‘deliberate distortions’ of ‘scientific facts’ is responsible for the destruction of the trees involved is just completely laughable. It appears that yet another elected official has given a government contract to a family member and that family memeber has taken it upon himself to cut down the fuckin trees for a huge profit. It is that simple.No need to complicate it. To say… Read more »
0 REPLY3 years 7 months ago
MidwayHaven
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MidwayHaven
What you wrote is basically the same trap others fell in: that only the government is to blame.
Sure, we have that situation where an elected official squandered his position in relation to the environment, but again, the emphasis is on the PEOPLE who do the same thing, regardless of whoever is in power.
And by “annihilation of the established order,” you pretty much seem to be in favor of anarchy and a breakdown not just of a rotten system but also of systems which have been proven useful.
Your semantics are eerily similar to what “The Zeitgeist Movement” would say.
0 REPLY3 years 7 months ago
Marius
Guest
Marius
It never ceases to amaze me that people who know nothing about farming seem to feel qualified to hold forth on the subject. First off, there is no such thing as “organic” farming. The word is a catch-all for a huge range of techniques, some of which are sensible, and some of which as stupid. Modern chemical-free farming systems that use polycultures, animals and trees integrated into the system produce 2-5 times more profit than chemical-fed GMO monocultures, while continually improving the soil. The terraces in the pictures are the WRONG way of doing it: this is basically just traditional… Read more »
0 REPLY3 years 6 months ago
MidwayHaven
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MidwayHaven
First of all, your claim that GMO’s are sterile has been debunked:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/10/18/163034053/top-five-myths-of-genetically-modified-seeds-busted
Secondly, farmers who use GMO’s are not “beholden” to seed suppliers; that’s been debunked as well:
http://debunkingdenialism.com/2013/07/04/unraveling-five-popular-anti-gmo-claims/
Third, large-scale “natural” farming in the Cordilleras, especially in the Benguet region, cannot be done with the methods you most likely know due to a forced system of pesticides and greenhouse farming (which invariably consumes more electrical energy):
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2009/412054/
0 REPLY3 years 6 months ago
marius
Guest
marius
Nobody is forcing farmers to use pesticides. They use them because they’re idiots, and because the people advising them are idiots.
This doesn’t change the fact that better methods are possible.
0 REPLY3 years 6 months ago
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ABS-CBN’s Forevermore Teleserye Contributes to Benguet Watershed Destruction | igorotplus
[…] decimated hundreds of trees to develop their “property” in the said forest reserve. The article “Organic Farms and “Eco-Parks” are Ruining Baguio’s Mountainsides” paints a grim picture of our northern uplands and exposes the culprits behind the loss of hundreds […]
0 REPLY2 years 11 months ago
