UNESCO Director General writes Ph DFA head and Chairman of the National Commission of the Philippines for UNESCO.

This is the response letter of UNESCO DG Irina Bokowa to Aldaw Palawan’s letter.
Many thanks to ALDAW Palawan for sharing.

UNESCO DG LETTER

The Director-General 18 FEB 2011
Ref.: DG/2.8/11/5864/419

Dear Secretary,

Honorable Dr Alberto G. Romulo
Secretary of Foreign Affairs Chairman of
the National Commission of the Philippines
for UNESCO G/F Department of Foreign Affairs
Bldg. 2330 Roxaz Boulevard Pasay City, Manila Philippines

Over the last few days, I have received over 4000 e-mails from
environmental and indigenous groups voicing concerns over mining
activities in the Palawan Biosphere Reserve, which is located in your
country. As you know, the Palawan Biosphere Reserve was included in
the World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 1990. A sample e-mail is
attached to this letter for your information .

In this context, I wish to invite you kindly to provide a
comprehensive report to UNESCO on the mining situation in the Palawan
Biosphere Reserve, and to inform me on whether current and future
mining activities would have adverse impacts on the core zones of the
biosphere reserve. While mining may occur in buffer and transition
zones of biosphere reserves , it is on the condition that it respects
environmental safeguards and the regulations governing biosphere
reserves, as well as the interests and well-being of local and
indigenous communities.

We would appreciate it if the Philippines authorities could monitor
the situation closely. Ideally, an open meeting with different
stakeholders could be organized so that a constructive dialogue could
be initiated among the various parties concerned, most particularly as
regards environmental conservation, sustainable development and local
and indigenous issues. Should the Philippines authorities so wish, a
UNESCO mission could be fielded to Palawan at an appropriate time to
participate in and contribute to such a process.

I look forward to hearing from you shortly on this issue and take this
opportunity to thank you for your co-operation in implementing
biosphere reserve activities in the Philippines.

Yours sincerely,

Irina Bokowa

“We are squatters in our own land”

simple lives, simple dreams. hut near Bulanjao

this mother showed me her baby’s ulcerated wound.

‘we don’t have any place to go’

Sumbiling smile

three generations of Sumbiling women ” we will live and die here”

streams like this often catch laterites from the mining facility

Sumbiling children playing

Bulanjao ricefield

“We don’t care because we don’t know”

color key: red for threatened bird localities

These maps show how the SEP-core forest protected zones are overlapped with large and small-scale mining applications. The map showing the Philippine forest cover represents the total remaining forest cover, as of year 2000. The PCSD (Palawan Council for Sustainable Development) claims that Palawan’s forest cover is still the largest in the country. It seems impressive, until you look at the entire map of the archipelago. That impressive forest cover are the defined only as mountain forests,excluding the lowland forests. Both kinds are now virtually overlapped with permits to explore and mine.

Beauty and the Beast: mining in Palawan

named after an explorer, the Point is seen from Brooke’s Town

Nothing is sacred from the jaws of mining. Bulanjao’s forest is now threatened by large scale mining

Brooke’s Point’s watersheds are crucial to life for its people

A mining marker within the protected forest

these women and children deserve clean air , water and forests, not a mined-out wasteland

flooded farmlands, Brooke’s Point

flooding in Brooke’s Point, 2010

contaminated soil, Balabac Palawan

two smokestacks release toxic fumes which are inhaled by communities around Rio Tuba

this slope shows visible soil erosion and degradation, Narra

many of the waterways belonging to local farmers are re-routed

test pits, six to sixty feet deep, are often left uncovered or with flimsy fences

the remains of cut trees by mining operators

Illegally cut tree, Gantong

Rio Tuba Mining in Bataraza

Beauty and the beast: mining in Palawan

Iwahig river and the majestic peaks beyond

Iwahig mangroves

Iwahig river firefly tour

Doc Gerry’s presence is all around

One of the 3 dams in Maasin, prone to toxic mine contamination

beautiful and threatened, Brooke’s point under Macro Asia mining claim

with mining in the horizon, what does the future hold for her and her family?

Mang Paquit is visibly anguished at the mining claims on his farmland

Panlima Nelson, a tribal leader is the voice for his community

Beauty and the beast: mining in Palawan

Mangrove forests- life sustaining ecosystems

Palawan has the largest remaining mangrove forests

Mangrove forests though low lying and at shoreline, are as important as mountain forests

the beauty of mangroves seen from the air

The lush old growth forests -fragile and threatened

newly constructed roads

My past Palawan trips have left indelible images of breathtaking beauty and endless adventures above and below its clear blue (or emerald) waters. The past few weeks though, have revealed another side of palawan, as this rich but fragile paradise is under threat by the mineral industry. Since the discovery of nickel, chromite, cobalt and titanium deposits- it has been targetted by the government and mining companies for rapid development, which has attracted large and small scale operators and investors to explore and extract from the north (Malampaya’s natural gas) to south (bulk of nickel-laterite, chromite, copper etc). Mining which is a non-sustainable invasive activity, never did sit well with protection of biodiversity, respect and reverence for nature. Seeing the beauty and the destruction made on the forests has been difficult to stomach, especially when we know what mining has done to the islands of Rapu-rapu, Negros and Cebu. Irrepairable damage, the total lack of rehabilitation (except in the mining industry’s rhetoric) tales of woe from the affected people and toxic contamination are the legacy of mining, which last long after the money is gone. Why is our government hell bent on this despite the disasters? Are we digging out Palawan and going the way of Nauru?

Mangrove forests- life sustaining ecosystems

Balai Drawings

Balai in Mabini Batangas catches the light differently at various hours. I’ve found it to be full of surprises and beautiful nooks, corners and details, and that is just Balai on the surface. Below the water is another story!

Ghost Tree-Nude Tree, Sombrero Island

Chair, sea