Filed under: Greenpeace, Life at work, Philippines | Tags: 10/10/10, 350.org, Global Work Party, Greenpeace, Philippines
We need our politicians to Get to Work.
The past week leading up to last week was a rush. It has been quite a while since we have seen ourselves as part of something bigger, but then again it’s easy to be anaesthetized if much time is spent working within the framework of your organization only. However, the Global Work Party comes as a wake-up call, not only to world leaders but for people like me, as I’ve often worked within the confines of the office.
I remember yesterday as I was speaking at the last of the various Global Work Party activities that we went to and I was wearing a TckTckTck t-shirt and I said: “I’m wearing this t-shirt to demonstrate the irony of the climate problem as TckTckTck is an unprecedented global alliance, One of over 10,000 events in nearly every country on earth organized by TckTckTck partners and supporters in 2009 representing hundreds of millions of people from all walks of life, who are united by a desire to see a strong global deal on climate change. It was made up of leading environment, development, and faith-based NGO’s, youth groups, trade unions and individuals, and we are calling for a fair, ambitious and binding climate change agreement.
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Filed under: Greenpeace, Life at work, Philippines | Tags: Asian Theological Seminary, Christianity, Theology
I’m pretty sure that many are not aware that apart from doing web work at Greenpeace for the past five years, I am also a seminarian working taking up a Master’s Degree in Theology at the Asian Theological Seminary.Chuck Baclagon
Filed under: End the nuclear age, Philippines, Stop climate change | Tags: Nukes, Energy [R]evolution, Pangasinan
Lately there’s a lot of clamour for energy sources that can meet our electrical needs in the face of catastrophic climate change.
At the same time, this has also been taken up by the nuclear lobby in order to push forward their nuclear agenda on Philippine soil.
However, we here at Greenpeace believe that quick fixes, PR and rehash of old problems fall short of taking ‘genuine’ actions. Thus in the face of climate change, we here from what is known as the most-vulnerable least-prepared countries for climate impacts would like to push forward for a revolution!
An Energy [R]evolution!
Filed under: Stop climate change, Project Clean Water, Life at work, Philippines | Tags: SONA, President Noynoy Aquino, State of the Nation Address, Nereus Acosta, Bebeth Gozun, Fr. Robert Reyes
Every year the President of the Republic of the Philippines, opens the resumption of the joint session of the Congress to report on the status of the nation in what we call the State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Early this morning a handful of Greenpeace volunteers and concerned citizens together with Fr. Robert Reyes, Former Representative Nereus Acosta and Former Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary, Bebeth Gozun braved Commonwealth Avenue, in Quezon City all the way to Batasan Pambansa, starting their march from Quezon City Hall, where Fr. Reyes was able to speak about the ‘real state of the nation’ in as far as the water crisis that Metro Manila and nearby provinces in Luzon are experiencing as the Angat Watershed’s dam reached a historical low of 157.55 masl last July 16 despite the rains, triggering interrupted water supply in Metro Manila. Prompting water utility companies to implement a water rationing scheme to address the dwindling volume of water in the reservoir.
Filed under: Greenpeace, Philippines, Project Clean Water, Stop climate change, Volunteers | Tags: climate, Water, GEI, angat dam, water crisis, angat
From Solar Generation – Pilipinas
Where does water come from? A question that has been asked of me unexpectedly in one of the meetings I’ve attended for a cause. I was taken aback for it was actually the first time that I heard someone asked that kind of question. I then began formulated uncertain answers such as “from the faucet?” or “from the purified water station near our apartment?” or rather “from the sea?” Could be, right? And from that moment on, I keep on asking myself, “where does water really come from?” This is the question that all of us ought to know the answer.
Filed under: Greenpeace, Stop climate change, Project Clean Water, Life at work, Philippines | Tags: Greenpeace, Philippines, Climate Change, Global Warming, Water, tubig, water crisis, water scarcity, saan galing ang tubig mo, san galing tubig mo, tagtuyot, summer, el nino
As I walked in the 5 hectares of land in Brgy. Mangumbali, Candaba Pampanga, I can feel the land crumbling under my feet. The land is so dried that Mr. Numeriano Alabado was not able to harvest any rice crop that he planted in his area. His fields are now full of bigcracks that if you’re not cautious, the soil might collapse.
Their water source is from UPRIS-Upper Pampanga River Irrigation System.Pantabangan Dam is the main source of their irrigation system, because the dam has stopped supplying water due to drought; their rice lands have been destroyed. Almost all the farmers in this town have lost their income due to extreme drought. All of them we’re saying that this was the first time that they’ve experienced this kind of phenomenon.
The local government provided them aid by giving them STW or Shallow Tube Well but its already late to be use for this season because of lack of water. For them, only rain could restore their devastated lands.
A.C. Dimatatac
Filed under: Greenpeace, Philippines, Project Clean Water, Stop climate change | Tags: Philippines, Climate Change, Global Warming, Water, tubig, water crisis, water scarcity, san galing tubig mo, tagtuyot, summer, el nino
We’re on our last day of our travel in the drought affected lands of Central and North Luzon. We went to Brgy. San Isidro in Naguilan, La Union wherein we met some farmers who are members of Pakisama, an organization which is into sustainable agriculture and supports capacity building of farmers in the North.
Mr. Ronaldo B. Calica, a farmer whose crop
s are mainly corn, said that this is the worst drought ever. The sources of water in their area are the small creeks nearby and they are mostly dependent to rain. According to him, the last rainfall they had was when typhoon Pepeng hit the country last October 2009. After that, they didn’t experience any rainfall at all. He normally earns around 10 to 15 thousand pesos from his 1 hectare of corn but now it’s zero balance. He spent too much for the gasoline of his water pump and fertilizers but it was all for nothing because his land got dried up due to insufficient supply of water. He showed us his corn crops that are so small he can no longer use it. Continue reading
Filed under: Deep Green, Greenpeace, Greenpeace Core Values, Life at work, Philippines | Tags: birthday, Direct Action, Earth Day 2010, greenpeacebuzz, love
Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment.
22 April 2010: Earth Day
It is almost midnight.
Earth Day is only minutes away from being over. Another day, has passed and like in so many things that are subject to time, this day now becomes part of my memories and are now recorded as a chapter in my life.
I am more than glad that this remembrance of Earth Day was done with the celebration of the life of a dear person with whom I count myself fortunate to have as a friend .
Perhaps it is safe to say that in as far as speaking about Earth Day and the need to uphold the urgent struggle of safeguarding the environment, the celebration of Earth Day and the work for those in the environmental movement must always be reflected in the context of love for life –and I am not talking here about token sentimentally about Mother Nature, nor am I simply being a bleeding heart for the cute and cuddly animals, nor am I romanticizing my love for the outdoors –far from it!
While it is true that the aforementioned things are part of the things that bear weight in my decision to commit myself to my work with Greenpeace, a larger part of me recognizes the resolute urgency of taking action for the environment lies in the love that can be found in life that is shared in relationships –relationships that can be found in that of parents, grandparents, children, siblings, relatives friends, comrades, kindred spirits and lovers.
Filed under: Greenpeace, Philippines, Stop climate change | Tags: GEI, Green Electoral Initiative, saan galing ang tubig mo, tubig, Water, water watch project
Day 1-19 April
Bgy.Caingin San Rafael
After 8 days of camping out in Angat Dam to monitor the fast receding rate of the water levels, Water Watch Project takes on the surrounding agricultural lands.
The first farmland that the team head on is Barangay Caingin San Rafael, Bulacan. For those farmers who started planting rice last January, their farmlands have already been affected by El Niño. Mr. Leoncio Hernandez, a farmer with 3 hectares of land relay his story by showing his green fields in which the land is starting to dry up due to the scarcity of water. He said that rice crops can still be harvested but it will be mostly just ipas or empty shells. The water source of their farmlands comes from Angat Dam but since the dam stop supplying water for irrigation their rice land now suffers more. During the first week of April they were trying to save their fields by pumping what little water they can from a small creek nearby. But now even the creek is drying up. He said that if they won’t still have water this week, they won’t be able to save their rice crops.
A.C. Dimatatac
Filed under: Greenpeace, Philippines, Project Clean Water, Stop climate change | Tags: Bro. Eddie Villanueva, Dick Gordon, Erap Estrada, Forests, GEI, Green Electoral Initiative, Jamby Madrigal, JC Delos Reyes, Manny Villar, Nicky Perlas, Noynoy Aquino, UP Baguio Mountaineers, UPBM Run for Trails 2010, Water, water watch
I
t was 14 degrees Celsius up here in Baguio City when we arrived to join the University of the Philippines(UP) Baguio Mountaineers Trail Run 2010 this morning. The cool temperature suited the runners’ mood for a 13-K run for trails which kicked off at Scout Barrio. The event started at exactly 8 AM after the briefing and orientation, with more or less 80 participants. Greenpeace supports the 7th Edition of the Run for Trails 2010 which is an annual run organized by the UP Baguio Mountaineers to highlight the importance of conserving our forests and promote trail running as a sport. Continue reading
Greenpeace Southeast Asia 