BAGUIO CITY – The number of rural dwellers in the Philippines continues to increase and the larger their concentration in a given area, the greater pressure exists on the resource base in such locality.
Land, water and air make up the resource base or what are also called natural resources of the country, such a life-sustaining foundation being seriously threatened and eroded.
A very fine example to such situation being eroded is what recently occurred in the Bicol Region during the onslaught of typhoon Kristine, when the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) admitted that a master flood plan or river basin plan is needed in all parts of the country rather than just flood mitigation projects.
A master flood plan takes into consideration all aspects of the resource base being protected while a flood mitigation project merely tries to reduce the force of destruction of a flood.
With rural population last year revealed by Philippine Statistics Authority – Cordillera Administrative Region (PSA-CAR) to be at 60,678, 673, a 0.93 percent increase from 2022, erosion of resource base will continue to be aggravated unless government think tank planners come up with innovative policy which will fully recognize the complex relationship between population, resources and the environment.
Of the number, 10.46 million are children, 9.9 million are women and the remaining constitutes the men.
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by the PSA. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.
Such reason for admission is compelling. Philippine demographers have reason to believe that with present Philippine population dynamics, rural population will continue to increase – not decrease – and with it comes the need for policies and investments for the future of the young people to reap benefits of what is called “demographic dividend.” Philippine annual population growth stands at 1.63 percent.
Demographic dividend means the economic growth potential that can result from households having fewer children and a larger number of young productive people who now have better health, better education and decent jobs and who can save and invest.
In the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), rural population as of latest PSA count stands at 1.2 million individuals, or 66.7 percent of the overall population of 1,797,660 persons. Population growth rate in CAR computes at 0.91 percent annually.
Natural resource base in rural areas in CAR and other regions in the Philippines constitute a key base for human security as it provides households and communities with various ecosystems, goods and services.
These resources include, but are not limited to, forests, fishery, agricultural land, pasture and fresh water, game species, soils, mineral ores or timber. Man-made meddling, natural onslaught and climate change pose destructive threats to each of these resources and the goods and services that Cordillerans or other inhabitants, as well, can derive from them.
Natural base resource is deceptively peaceable term that finds widespread application within human geography. It describes products of biological, ecological or geological processes that satisfy human wants.
But classical political economy might describe these as direct material inputs to economic life and the government may restrict or allow their use according to government policies but which can run counter to long-centuries held indigenous laws, customs and traditions.
A classic example to such unwritten, indigenous law clashing with established policy happened in Cordillera in the 1980’s when the late Macli-ing Dulag opposed construction of a dam at Chico River in highland Cordillera.
The plan to construct the dam was not accomplished but, unfortunately, for such a gallant stand, Dulag paid for his life. Hence, every April 24, yearly, Cordillerans celebrate Cordillera People’s Day in remembrance of a leader who protected an important and lasting resource base in CAR.
Today, Philippine laws compel that before any development of resource base on indigenous lands must proceed, such act must have untrammeled consent of indigenous dwellers. No more, no less.
As illustrated by how the norm of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) is implemented in the country, this is due to competing state-centric international and domestic legal norms that privilege state prerogative over natural resources vis-à-vis indigenous people’s rights over their territories.
Yet the law is very clear. The 1998 Indigenous People’s Rights Act (IPRA) grants indigenous people the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) with regard to development projects on their ancestral lands.
Call has been sounded by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) to governments, including the Philippines, which warned that “future of still unborn generations is in serious risk because of damage being inflicted on global resource base.”
In the Philippines, population increases with three babies born every minute and with some 108 million people, is now the 13th most populous country in the world.
On the other hand, global population is increasing by 150 per minute, 220,000 every day and over a million a year with 90 percent of such a growth occurring in the developing countries — where the Philippines — belong which are at least capable of absorbing many more mouths to feed.
In the Philippines, 36 percent of those in the rural areas are deemed poor, dependent on agriculture as the only source of income. Their search for food, water, fuel and other basic needs leads to depletion of the resource base.
They use wood faster than it could grow, farm marginal land at non-sustainable level, deplete water supply and overgraze rangelands with an increasing number of animals.
A study titled “An Analysis of Sustainable Fuelwood and Charcoal Production Systems in the Philippines” by Elizabeth M. Remedio of the University of San Carlos, estimated fuelwood consumption ranges from 2-30 million metric tons per annum while charcoal consumption ranges from 2-4 million metric tons per annum, wood equivalent of 12-24 million metric tons.
Therefore, overall wood fuel consumption in wood equivalent is likely between 32 and 54 million metric tons per annum while combined biomass residue consumption ranges from 12-19 million metric tons per annum.
What does this reveal? Fuelwood and charcoal will continue to be part of the typical Filipino household, whether it be in rural or urban settings.
In CAR, latest data revealed 70.925 hectares of forest loss were detected with an annual deforestation rate estimated at 3,744 hectares annually across the region. Agricultural expansion is the direct driver of deforestation in CAR.
And in the Philippines, a total of 1.42 million hectares of tree cover was lost from 2001 to 2002, representing a 7.6 per cent decrease in total tree cover of approximately 18.684 million hectares. The loss contributed to 848 metric tons of CO2 emissions.
Lost forest equates to disappearance of livelihoods in rural settings, increased carbon emissions, diminished biodiversity and land degradation.
Many of the Philippine resource base include a vast range of ecosystem services which may not directly be consumed by Filipinos yet still are very much necessary for economic production or in the maintenance of life and health, like carbon sequestration, flood control and biodiversity maintenance.
Many of the resource bases provide important “sink” functions by absorbing waste products produced by Filipinos.
In many tribal groups in CAR, for example, there are non-extractive ways in which physical environments and species are considered to provide forms for utility for the indigenous society, or parts thereof.
These resource bases can be recreational and/or aesthetic amenity (like the Burnham Park and other tourist sites in Cordillera, and spiritual inspiration (like Mount Pulag and other lofty mountains in CAR being home to the indigenous deities and other spirits).
These imply attribution to the natural world of a complex range of value systems. Natural resource base, then, is an inclusive category reflecting the different ways in which societies appraise their utility.
The primary purpose of preserving the natural resource base lies on the premise of managerial tradition for environmental systems that facilitate their management to deliver socially desirable goals. For example: for better livelihood incomes without unnecessarily destroying a natural resource base.
Natural resource base in CAR and elsewhere in the country is essential for sustained economic development and a prerequisite for poverty eradication. It is a foundation for wealth generation.
Of course, CAR local government units recognize the potential of “clean, green, resilient paths” as these pursue poverty reduction in the face of a fragile environment. Green, to many CAR economic planners, refers to land, forest, water and air to be sustainably managed for conservation to improve livelihood and ensure food security.
On the matter of water, water shortage is already a problem in many communities in CAR where, paradoxically, CAR is considered the watershed cradle of Northern Luzon, sustaining six major river systems.
Clean refers to low pollution, low emission in which cleaner air and water enable CAR rural dwellers – as well as urban residents – to lead healthy productive lives. It is a situation where development strategies put a premium on access so people will experience low-emission, climate-smart agriculture, energy, rural and urban development.
Resilient means being prepared for shocks, adapting effectively to climate change and better prepared for frequent natural disasters, more volatile weather patterns and long-term consequences of climate change.
As a final point, natural hazards like earthquakes, droughts, floods and storms add up to cause significant loss to CAR’s natural resource base, causing significant loss in life and economic damage.
