Photo Credit: panda.org

MANILA, Philippines — Chinese poachers are making “thousands of dollars” by extracting clams in the Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea and selling them, a US think tank expert said. But such a lucrative business has also destroyed the resource-rich waters’ marine environment and could cost coastal communities their livelihoods.

According to an ABS-CBN News report, the Chinese continue to harvest giant clams at Scarborough, locally known as “Panatag” and is considered as a traditional fishing ground off the coast of Zambales on the western shores of the Philippine island of Luzon.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. tweeted this week that the Philippine government will be taking legal action against Chinese nationals harvesting giant clams in Scarborough, but struck a conciliatory tone saying Manila and Beijing should not go to war over clams.

Replying to one of Locsin’s now-deleted tweets, Gregory Poling, director of Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, said that while Chinese clam poachers earn thousands of dollars, their activity has wiped out vast swaths of reefs — threatening food security in coastal areas.

“The Chinese poachers aren’t eating them either. They can get thousands of dollars for each shell for jewelry & figurines. They toss the meat into the sea,” Poling said.

“They’ve destroyed over 40,000 acres of reef via clam harvesting. That’s more than 10x as much as their island building killed,” he added.

They've destroyed over 40,000 acres of reef via clam harvesting > That's more than 10x as much as their island building killed. Here's a before and after (thx John McManus) of a reef near Thitu/Pagasa before & after the Chinese clam boats arrived. https://t.co/GPb1Mb8Igz pic.twitter.com/IOCa4rOoXI

— Greg Poling (@GregPoling) April 18, 2019

Ties between the Philippines and China have significantly improved under President Rodrigo Duterte, who has set aside a landmark ruling from a United Nations-backed tribunal that struck down Beijing’s “Nine Dash line” claim that encompasses most of the resource-rich sea.

Duterte’s management of the maritime dispute has frustrated nationalists, who criticized his seeming inaction towards China’s military buildup in the strategic waterway.

In a report dated September 13, AMTI said the South China Sea — which accounted for about 12% of global fish catch in 2015 — is “seriously threatened” by overfishing encouraged by government subsidies as well as harmful fishing practices.

Meanwhile, large-scale clam harvesting and dredging for island construction in recent years destroyed over 160 square kilometers of coral reefs, which were already declining by 16 percent per decade, AMTI also said.

Citing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the US-based think tank said the Philippines could work with other claimant nations on management of fish stocks without comprising its claims over the sea.

It added that the only way to arrest the degradation of South China Sea is through multilateral cooperation among claimants, which involved the creation and management of the fisheries zones “regardless of the location of their territorial and maritime claims.”

Source: philstar.com

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Photo Credit: upload.wikimedia.org

NLEX Corp. said it is spending P1.6 billion to expand the capacity of Subic Freeport Expressway, or SFEx, amid growing vehicle traffic.

NLEX vice president for project management Nemesio Castillo said SFEx, or the Tipo section of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway to Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, would be expanded by one lane in each direction.

The project is expected to be completed in 16 months starting this month.

Castillo said a new tunnel and two new bridges—Jadjad Bridge and Argonaut Bridge—would also be constructed while expressway-standard LED lights would be installed to keep the expressway safe for motorists, especially for those driving at night.

SFEx, which was constructed in time for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Subic in 1996, is now a part of SCTEx.

NLEX holds the concession to manage, operate and maintain SCTEx, a 93.77-km four-lane highway, traversing the provinces of Bataan, Pampanga and Tarlac.

The management, operation, and maintenance of SCTEX was turned over by BCDA to the NLEX in 2015.

NLEX said last week it allotted P400 million this year to expand the capacity of SCTEX.

The company, which operates SCTEX, said more lanes would be built in Clark South A and South B exits; Clark North entry and exit; San Miguel northbound entry and exit; and Tarlac entry and exit.

NLEX said the construction would start on July 1 this year and be completed by November this year.

The construction of the Bamban Interchange, which will link the expressway to New Clark City, is also ongoing in time for country’s hosting of the Southeast Asian Games.

Data show since the SCTEx was opened in 2008, the average daily traffic grew by close to 600 percent from just 9,302 to 62,643 in 2018.

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MANILA, Philippines – Countries, especially Southeast Asian nations, without policies banning imports of plastic waste are at risk of being toxic dumpsites, according to the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA).

A report released Tuesday, April 23, showed plastic waste from highly-industrialized nations are rerouted to developing countries after China imposed a ban on importing and processing plastic waste in 2018.

Break Free from Plastic movement global coordinator Von Hernandez said the plastic waste shipped to Southeast Asian countries is “transforming what were once clean and thriving places into toxic dumpsites.”

“It is the height of injustice that countries and communities with less capacity and resources to deal with plastic pollution are being targeted as escape valves for the throwaway plastic generated by industrialized countries,” he added.

GAIA’s study, which also made use of Greenpeace East Asia’s data on the global waste trade, listed the US, United Kingdom, Germany and Japan as among the top exporters of plastic scraps.

Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand bore the brunt of rerouted plastic waste shipments, despite Malaysia and Thailand imposing restrictions in mid-2018. Vietnam also took in plastic waste before restricting imports.

The influx of the plastic waste in these countries resulted to contaminated water, crop death, respiratory illnesses caused by inhaling toxic fumes from burned plastic and the formation of organized crime linked to illegal recycling operations.

Greenpeace East Asia senior campaigner Kate Lin said that once a country tightens its import policies, the sources of the plastic waste move on to other countries that have yet to regulate theirs.

“It’s a predatory system, but it’s also increasingly inefficient. Each new iteration shows more and more plastic going off grid – where we can’t see what’s done with it – and that’s unacceptable,” Lin added.

Outside Southeast Asia, India and Turkey were also notable recipients of plastic waste.

Protecting developing countries

Amid China’s move to tighten its import policies on plastic waste, overall exports of the material dropped from 11.34 million tons in the first 11 months of 2016 to 5.83 million tons in the first 11 months of 2018.

Despite the drop in exports, GAIA noted that plastic manufacturing is expected to increase by 40% in the next decade. Lin said consumer goods makers should reduce its single-use plastic packaging and shift to a refill and reuse system instead.

“Recycling systems can never keep up with plastic production, as only 9% of the plastics ever produced are recycled. The only solution to plastic pollution is producing less plastic,” Lin added.

As for the international community’s intervention, GAIA Asia Pacific regional plastics coordinator Beau Baconguis said that the least that could be done is ensure the right of the countries to know what is being brought into their shores.

The Basel Convention, an international treaty on dealing with hazardous waste, is set to convene from April 29 to May 10 to discuss Norway’s proposal extend the “prior informed consent” system to plastic waste.

The system requires exporters to seek the permission from destination countries before it can ship in its hazardous waste to that country.

“However, ultimately, exporting countries need to deal with their plastic pollution problem at home instead of passing the burden onto other communities,” Baconguis said.

Source: rappler.com

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By: DIVINA D. DELA CRUZ

OVER 400 aftershocks have been recorded since a 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck Zambales
and felt in Central Luzon and Metro Manila on Monday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

Video Credit: Michael Rivo
As of 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Phivolcs recorded 406 aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 1.4 to 3.4 and Intensities from 1 to 3.

WATCH: Allan Belleza took this video showing the damaged boundary arch separating Pampanga and Bataan, right after a magnitude 6.1 quake hits Zambales @cnnphilippines pic.twitter.com/I9zqCE5ERw

— Tristan (@TristanNodalo) April 22, 2019

Video credit: Tristan Nodalo

Phivolcs Research Seismology Research Assistant John Paul Fallar said aftershocks were expected for several days in low magnitudes since the earthquake was fading out. Higher magnitude aftershocks close to the place of origin of the quake are possible but rarely occur, he said.

Damages to St. Catherine Parish Church of Porac, Chuzon Porac Supermarket & Clark International Airport caused by 5:11 pm mag 6.1 #earthquake centered 18 kms N67E of Castillejos, Zambales on 22 Apr 2019. Operation of Clark Airport was reportedly suspended after the mag 6.1 quake. pic.twitter.com/dLFFHveJ4k

— jaime s. sincioco (@jaimessincioco) April 22, 2019

Photo Credit: jaime s. sincioco
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Fallar advised the public to be prepared and be aware of open areas and evacuation centers.

Source: manilatimes.net

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Photo Credit: commontablepr.blogspot.com

The Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), recently held a meeting to define guidelines for the dredging projects in three lahar-clogged river systems – Bucao, Maloma, and Sto. Tomas – in Zambales Province.

Representatives from MGB, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and other local and national government agencies, as well as dredging operators from Zambales Province were present during the consultative meeting.

Various concerns were raised during the open forum, including the suspension of dredging operations, loss of revenue as a result of the former concern, and human health risk due to exposure to lahar.

As a result of these concerns, commercial utilization of minerals and river restoration of the three river systems were also discussed.

During the discussion, Atty Analiza Teh, Undersecretary for Climate Change Service and Mining Concerns (DENR) said that the current system, which requires dredging operators to send their dredging plans to DPWH, is not effective in restoring the river systems.

However, under the proposed Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) on the Guidelines on the Issuance of Clearance and/or Permit of Dredging, DPWH will be the one providing the dredging plan for operators working in the same river system.

Dredging operators will only submit a work program in accordance to the dredging plan.

She also assured everyone that the government is one with the stakeholders in addressing their concerns, and to be successful, economic growth and environmental management must be in equilibrium. She urged everyone to cooperate in order to solve the pressing concerns being faced by the dredging industry.

Source: dredgingtoday.com

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