ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE TYPHOON SENDONG EXPERIENCE

Presented by Suri sa Sakuna: A Forum on the ScienceAnd Social Impacts of Recent Disasters13 January 2011

OUTLINE

TS Sendong in brief

Contributing factors

Who are culpable?

What must be done?

TS SENDONG IN BRIEF

DEADLIEST STORM OF 2011

Only 100 km/hr max wind but released 3 times of normal DEC rainfall levels

Deadliest PH storm in the past 12 years with 1,257 dead, 4,663 injured

P1.39 billion in damages to agriculture and infrastructure

NO LESSONS LEARNED

P15 billion worth of damage in agriculture and infrastructure caused by TS Pedring and Quiel just this OCT 2011

TS Ondoy inundated Metro Manila with unprecedented amounts of rainfall at 455 mm

Ormoc flashfloods killed 8,000 on NOV 5,1991, largely linked to deforestation

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

LACK OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

There was no warning system on the ground (SMS system was not utilized)

P5 billion disprep budget vetoed by Aquino from 2011 budget

Only P59.739 million of P527.739 million (%0.11) for barangay disprep was released by DBM

FOREST COVER LOSS BY
EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES

CDO and Iligan are basins of Mt. Kalatungan and Upper Pulangi watershed tributaries

6 ongoing IFMAs cover 53,578 hectares, and 298 CBFMAs cover 213,770 hectares in Northern Mindanao and ARMM

Vicmar Devt Corp., and Buayan Multipurpose Coop exempted from EO 23 total log ban

SPECIAL MENTION: MINING AND DISASTERS

Not directly related to TS Sendong, but also exempted from EO 23 cover at least 1M hectares of land

At least 21 abandoned mines right now with contaminants that can spill over

Ex. cyanide and mercury spilling from TVI Resources' tailings dam into Canatuan and Siocon river in 2007

LAND-USE CONVERSION SCHEMES

2009 aerial survey and rapid assessment says 2,000 hectare Del Monte pineapple plantation in CDO increases vulnerability of downstream communities

4,000 hectare Rapalin palm oil plantation in Lanao del Sur

More land-use conversion encroaching forests around PH: 11,000 hectare bioethanol plantation in Isabela

POVERTY, A KEY FUNCTION
OF VULNERABILITY

2009 NSCB poverty incidence data shows Northern Mindanao home to poorest families

DSWD priorities: CCT dole-outs eat P59.273 billion, only P48.043 million for disaster response

$500 million conditional debt from World Bank pushes further impoverishment

LGU INEPTITUDE AND CORRUPTION

In 2006, CDO mayor Vicente Emano legalized Isla de Oro settlement despite DENR prohibition

CDRRMC of CDO was never convened despite DENR's outline of practical measures

ARMM officials permitted IFMAs and CBFMAs despite EO 23

WHO ARE CULPABLE?

BUNGLED RESPONSE OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL GOV'T

Lack in massive climate change education, SMS-based early warning system was not implemented

Aquino's veto of disprep funds and DBM's minimal release of funds for barangay disprep

No action on land-use conversion, IFMA and CBFMA contracts still active

ANTI-ENVIRONMENT LAWS

Mining Act of 1995, Fisheries Code of 1998, CARPER, Forestry Code of 1975, etc. run diametrically opposed to our NCCAP

RA 9729 or Climate Change Act of 2009, weak law for stringent climate change adaptation and mitigation

WHAT MUST BE DONE?

POLICY ADVOCACY

Ensuring greater state subsidy on scientific, community-based climate adaptation and DRR programs

Provide guaranteed access to social services, public utilities, livelihood especially to relocation sites

Replace anti-environment laws with alternative and progressive legislations like the People's Mining Bill, GARB

INTENSIFIED CAMPAIGNS

Broaden and strengthen campaign against foreign and large-scale mining plunder, legal logging

Pressure the Aquino gov't to hold US and other top GHG polluters accountable

Remove and punish erring government officials

Ensure the democratic representation of environmental agenda in PH political arena

MARAMING SALAMAT!

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