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BAGUIO CITY — Katribu Partylist declared that climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives must be pursued at the community level as it commended and welcomed the the draft climate change ordinance of Negros Oriental. This came as the dismal results of the Climate change negotiations in Copenhagen, Denmark hit the news.

“There is not much to expect from the Copenhagen Accord. KATRIBU Partylist would rather rely on the strength of local communities in mitigating the effects of climate change through sustainable practices”, Beverly Longid, President of KATRIBU Partylist asserted.

She added that global initiatives like the proposed climate change ordinance in Negros Oriental must be strengthened, supported and promoted.

“The fight against Climate Change should be won on the ground by local communities because the impact of the climate crisis is severely felt at that level”, declared Longid,
The Negros Oriental provincial board environment committee is currently hearing a proposed ordinance that seeks to consolidate the efforts of individuals, institutions and the provincial government to address risks posed by climate change to vulnerable sectors and communities.

Longid, an Igorot of Bontok and Kankanaey, said that indigenous peoples have also been undertaking adaptation and mitigation measures since time immemorial to deal with climate change as manifested in their daily toils as defenders of their ancestral lands and nurturers of the environment.

Indigenous peoples, not only in the Philippines but also in the entire world have customary laws and practices that protect the environment and promote biodiversity. Our sustainable livelihoods and practices certainly contribute to mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change.

Indigenous farmers, for instance, follow traditional knowledge on resource management that works with the laws of nature. They grow varieties of crops to sustain biodiversity and practice organic farming that do not rely on pesticides that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

KATRIBU Partylist, together with the indigenous peoples it seeks to represent, vows to protect ancestral lands and resources. Without forests, there would be no water for irrigating the swiddens and the rice lands we till, without which our food security and livelihoods are threatened, Longid said.

The group also expressed concern that the Philippines is ill-equipped to face the challenges of climate change. Food security, health, and the general welfare of Filipinos including indigenous peoples are at stake. Ironically, indigenous peoples are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change even if we contribute the least to the climate crisis.

Reacting to the Philippine delegation’s decision to lobby and support the non-binding Copenhagen Accord, Longid said that this only reflects the weak stance of the Arroyo government on environment issues.

Considering its poor record on protecting the environment and its proclivity to accommodate foreign interests, the Arroyo government was expected to buckle under the pressure of the US and other developed countries during the climate negotiations in Copenhagen, said Longid.

The Copenhagen Accord was brokered by the United States and was approved after rich countries bullied their way into its passage. Several developing countries including the Philippines reportedly helped in brokering the deal. It allowed for a market mechanism, carbon-trading, which allows carbon emissions as long as the emitting country pays governments, companies and forest-owners for keeping the forests intact. # nordis.net

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It is an election year. With all that has happened in the country’s economic and political scene just last year is basis that can be used to make some resolutions for the new year especially in the selection of new officials.
Considering that many of us have always made the choice for the lesser between two evils these past so many elections maybe for this election the standards can be raised.

On the party system and platforms, there has not been much difference between the traditional political parties in their platform, loyalties or services to their constituents. As seen in the practice among politicians they can transfer from one party to the other anytime it pleases them. If the party declared a platform the party member still has the choice to implement it or not or simply ignore it. Some call this party unity, which is not.

Accountability, while all candidates declare during the campaign period that they will serve the people to the best of their ability they actually only mean to be the voters’ fair weather friends. Especially if in the past year they condemned workers who go on strike as a means to call the attention of authorities to look into their unpaid wages, unsubmitted insurance payments, unsafe workplace, etc.
Or, instead of listening and coming to terms with the peasants’ plea for land to till soldiers are sent to resolve the situation with force.

Even members of the fourth estate whose only task is to keep the public informed are dealt with the use of assasins.

Individually, government officials maybe innocent of actually implementing anti-people acts, even if it was simply ministerial, but as party members or LGU members, or council members they have not stood to question policies formulated by their organizations. Surely they still stand accountable for ‘wrong’ moves done by their administration.

All good hearted and ordinary citizens will effect a great change in our governing system should it be resolved by all to intelligently seek and choose to seek out the best well-meaning peoples leader for the candidate in the coming elections.# nordis.net

By REV. LUNA DINGAYAN
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“She will have a son, and you will name him Jesus – because he will save his people from their sins.” — Matthew 2:23

Distortion of Christmas
Christmas is perhaps the most widely celebrated Christian festival, yet it is also the most distorted in terms of its original meaning. For instance, our Seminary staff attended this weekend the wedding of our friend’s daughter in Cavite. On their way home to Baguio they were accosted by a police officer in Metro-Manila actually asking for money as Christmas gift in the guise of violating a traffic rule. Then, the other day we were on our way to Isabela passing by the Sta. Fe road when a group of local officials put a rope across the highway to stop every passers-by and ask for “donation” for their supposedly barangay fiesta in the “spirit” of Christmas. The “donation” is supposedly out of the willingness of the heart.

In Baguio City and elsewhere, you find people going around during the Christmas season asking for their “Christmas gift.” Even indigenous peoples, like the Mangyans and the Aetas, and some elderly people from Mt. Province have come to learn that the Christmas season is a time for them to go down to the lowlands or to the city to ask for “Christmas gift.” We really don’t know where they got this distorted view of Christmas. Perhaps, this is one of the negative consequences of the commercialization of Christmas, so that when Christmas season comes, people think more of what they get rather than what they give.

Whose Birthday, Santa Claus or Jesus?
By just merely looking at the Christmas decorations hanging around in the homes, in the malls, and other public places, we could already imagine whose birthday people are actually celebrating. Certainly, it is not Jesus’ birthday; it is more of Santa Claus’ birthday than of Jesus Christ our Lord. We could see more of Santa’s images than of Jesus. This is symptomatic of what people think about Christmas. Santa traditionally represents material gifts each one would desire to get during the Christmas season. Hence, commercial establishments promote Santa more than Jesus because of the consumerist attitude it generates profitable for business.

But that is precisely the opposite of Christmas. Christmas is a season of giving and not of getting. Of course, we gratefully receive what is heartily given to us, but it is different when we are the ones going around asking people for material things that are supposedly “Christmas gift” , sometimes using all sorts of gimmicks and manipulation all in the name of the child born in Bethlehem. This is precisely the opposite of what Jesus intends to be and to do in being born into this world.

Meaning of Jesus’ Name
According to the Scriptures, Jesus was named Jesus because he will save his people from their sins (Mt. 2:23). Jesus did not remain a child; he grew up into maturity to fulfil the meaning and purpose of his life. And in the fullness of time, he offered his life in the service of the people. He cured the sick, gave light to the blind, fed the hungry, and forgive the sinners. In the words of the Gospel of Mark, “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”(Mk. 10:45).

Indeed, giving not getting is the motto of Jesus’ life. For Jesus, giving what we are and what we have is the very expression of love. As the saying goes, “you can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” Genuine giving, however, is not something that is manipulative or forced on us, but something that comes out of the abundance of a grateful and loving heart.
May you have a meaningful Christmas!# nordis.net

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By TITO SANQUI
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By TITO SANQUI
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By ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW
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Benguet SP support their cause
BAGUIO CITY — Families and clans affected by a geothermal project in Daclan, Bokod, opposed anew the project as it caused stress on the social environment and disrupts the peaceful relationships of indigenous peoples in the area.
Bonded under the Kalesay ni Emaga-ngan (Bokod) Association, Inc., they doubt that the geothermal project adheres to sustainable development and undermines their rights as indigenous peoples.

“To put another energy project in Bokod which already hosts two hydro-electric dams, and provides water to another mega dam (San Roque) downstream is subjecting the natural environment of Bokod to too much environmental stress,” the Kalesay ni Emaga-ngan statement said.

Questionable FPIC
The residents in their statement said that the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples’ Benguet office process of consultation and consent acquisition is insufficient.

Nordis learned that in an NCIP Benguet office facilitated free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) consultation held on May 14, the affected residents rejected the project.

Despite questions and protests, another FPIC process was held on August 20 which resulted to a favorable consent on the project.

“No matter how well meant the NCIP might be, the process is inherently flawed. Proper consultation of people for an application of this magnitude could not be properly contained in a single process,” it said.

The residents pointed out that the process does not allow the acquisition of consent of all areas to be affected by the project. “It does not have any environmental impact measurement, but relies solely on what the proponent states in their application,” they pointed out.

Support from local legislators
As the NCIP allegedly failed to recognize the peoples position against the project, the residents utilized venues to advance their position.

Last week, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Benguet conducted a hearing on the geothermal project in Daclan, Bokod.

They came out with a resolution that the FPIC process shall be started again based on their findings and support on the residents claim that the process was questionable, a resident explained.

Historical injustice
The residents claimed that they have learned their lesson from the past when resources of Benguet were exploited for various “development projects.”
They enumerated the projects which include the Ambuclao and Binga dams that displaced their people, the mining of Mankayan and Itogon, and the San Roque Multi-purpose dam.
“We learn that seemingly bright promises will likely be empty ones. More so, we learn that there are no short-cuts along the road to genuine development. We learn that there is a need for careful, holistic, and well planned development projects,” the statement said. # nordis.net

By CONYAP G.
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BONTOC, Mt. Province — Various sectors held a dialogue with the 54th IB of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on their bid to seek justice for the victims of human rights violations and to mitigate the effects of the military presence in the province. A resolution was also made by the sectors urging the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) to resume peace talks.

The Mt. Province dialogue with the AFP based in Mt. Province was sponsored by the Bontoc-Lagawe Diocese of the Roman Catholic church headed by Bishop Rodolfo Beltran, the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Philippines under Bishop Brent Alawas, the Local Government Unit of Bontoc headed by Mayor Franklin Odssey and the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA).

The participants present excluding the AFP also agreed that reinvestigation and investigation of alleged human rights violations be done immediately and for the Peace Executive Council (PEC) to assist in this. They said that in the interest of justice, victims and survivors should be indemnified by the AFP and commitments previously made be given. The participants also called for the immediate pull out of military and para-military personnel from the province and the dismantling of the AFP and Civilian Auxilliary Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) detachments in the communities.

To date, the 77th CAFGU IB, the 54th IB, Task Force Montanyosa and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are n the province. They are located in their main Headqarters at Bontoc and in various detachments in Tocucan, Guinaang, Natonin, Barlig, Bauko, Besao and Tadian.

The CPA called on the gov’t. to stop the state sponsored Oplan Bantay Laya and terrorist attacks against the CPA and other progressive organizations.

Mayor Odssey and Bishop Beltran delivered their message in support of efforts to seek peace and to resolve the roots of the armed conflict through non-violent means. Odssey said that the PEC should be strengthened to serve as center for human rights. The Epicopal Northern Diocese in the Philippines (ENDP) in the person of Fr. Lioba spoke of the development programs of the church in the countrysides.

Vice-governor Loy Claver spoke of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), which is an agreement between the NDFP and GRP signed during the presidency of Joseph Ejercito Estrada. It clearly defines the rights and violations in the conduct of war and states the rights of civilians as well as combatants.

A resolution urging the NDFP and the GRP to resume their peace talks was drafted and signed by all participants excluding the representatives of the AFP. A certain Lt. Sta. Maria and Terricampo say that they are not in authority to sign as this is a matter that has to be referred to their superiors.# nordis.net

By RODA TAJON
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VIGAN CITY — A staff of a non-government organization (NGO) in the Cordillera Administrative Region has been charged with cases filed about 20 years ago in Quezon Province.

Rodolfo Reyes, 42, a Provincial Staff of the Cordillera Disaster Response and Services, an NGO linked with people’s organizations in Cordillera provinces, has been accused of kidnapping with serious illegal detention by combined forces of 503rd Brigade Philippine Army (PA), Philippine Air Force (PAF), Military Intelligence Company (MICO) and Philippine National Police (PNP).

At around midnight of December 17, some 20 men led by Capt. Jean Bustos went to the Reyes’ residence in Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur to serve the Alias Warrant dated November 29, 1988 docketed as Criminal Case No. 22 Kidnapping with Serious Illegal Detention for a certain “Ricardo Reyes A.K.A Bong/Elis/Eking,” signed by Hon. Felix A. Caraos of Municipal Trial Court (MTC) Candelaria, Quezon.

Reyes denied the charges and insisted that he was not the person they were looking for because his name is Rodolfo. The security forces, however, insisted that he was the one they were looking for and even showed a picture of Ricardo Reyes. Reyes said that the picture would not confirm the identity of the accused. After a series of explanations, Sto. Domingo Chief of Police Arsenio Ramos offered Reyes protective custody to avoid further threat on his security and to explain his side on the charges against him.

Reyes and his family decided to accept the offer of Ramos out of fear for their security. He and his family with their Barangay Captain Juanito Tacad arrived at the police station at around 1:30 AM with the combined security forces escorting them.

Ramos assured Reyes and his legal counsel, Atty. Randy Kinaud, that he would be released after lunch should they find no evidence against him. By 10 AM, Reyes underwent medical examination to ensure his family and the court of his physical condition. At around 2 PM, Reyes was released by the police.

Ilocos Human Rights Alliance (IHRA) and Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA), human rights organizations in the Ilocos and in CAR expressed their condemnation of the recent attacks by the military and the Arroyo regime against people’s organizations and NGO’s.

According to them, the Oplan Bantay Laya 1 and 2, the counter insurgency program of the government, should be blamed for persecuting civilian activists and NGO workers.

IHRA and CHRA further said that the AFP is rushing to meet its deadline on the OBL and that the case of Reyes is a clear manifestation of the desperation of the US-Arroyo regime to crush the people’s movement.

Rudy, as his colleagues called him, currently serves as the Provincial Staff for Abra of the Cordillera Disaster Response and Development Services (CDRDS), working closely with people’s organizations in Abra such as KASTAN and Cordillera People’s Alliance (CPA). # nordis.net

By ALDWIN QUITASOL
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BAGUIO CITY — Cordillera People’s Democratic Front (CPDF) Spokesperson Simon “Ka Filiw” Naogsan said the Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army is in the same sinking boat as the Ampatuan private army and other armed groups pampered by the President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration.

In an e-mailed statement sent to the media, CPDF said the most recent in the long-running series of splits in the CPLA led to the formation of a new and reformed group. “…But it is composed of the same old opportunist elements,” stated Naogsan.

According to Naogsan, the ouster of Mailed Molina and the new group headed by Arsenio Humiding is a result of a quarrel inside the CPLA. Naogsan added that the same thing repeatedly happened to the CPLA in the past as various factions squabbled over funds, weapons and jobs in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
“As an armed group devoid of any ideological mooring, the CPLA serves as a special para-military force for AFP counter-insurgency operations in the region. Its members were involved in horrible human rights violations such as the abduction, torture, and murder of Cordillera Bodong Association chairman and Cordillera People’s Alliance vice-chairman Ama Daniel Ngayaan and the killings of scores of Cordillera activists and civilians,” Naogsan further stated.

Naogsan added that various factions of the CPLA serve in the private armies of warlord-politicians in Abra and other Cordillera provinces. He said that CPLA members served in the private army used by the Dy clan to land-grab in Isabela province. Naogsan said that in the past years, the Philippine National Police has been complaining about the armed robberies, extortion, illegal logging, land grabbing, drug dealing, gambling protection rackets and other crimes done by the CPLA.

“The current CPLA interim leadership keeps on harping on the same tired issues of the integration of more of their members into the AFP and the continuation of their supposed peace-talks with the government. This underscores their confused and laughable position. Peacetalks are held between adversaries. The CPLA is not an adversary of the government. In fact, the CPLA is pleading for more of their members to be integrated into the reactionary armed forces,” Naogsan added.

Naogsan said the CPLA even raises the issue of their imaginary peacetalks and their threats of going back to the hills whenever they demand more financial assistance and projects from the government. He lambasted the CPLA and said they should be ashamed calling themselves rebels or a “liberation army.” Naogsan said that the CPLA is simply a criminal armed group being used by the military in counter-insurgency operations against the New Peoples Army (NPA), the rest of the revolutionary movement and the people.

“The CPDF calls upon the public not to be deceived and to vigorously reject the purported new and reformed CPLA. It is nothing more than an armed gang of lapdogs begging for crumbs from an increasingly isolated regime. The CPLA must be immediately disarmed, disbanded, and punished for the various abuses and human rights violations it committed against the Cordillera people!” ended the statement.

Last month, the CPLA launched “Oplan Dalus” issuing a special order creating a task force to investigate involvement of CPLA members in squatting and demolition activities in Dontogan, Piripin Bato and Dreamland all in Baguio City. The Task Force was also ordered to make a special investigation on Molina’s involvement in other activities by representing CPLA without the supposed collective nod of the group. # nordis.net

By WENDY ATUBAN
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BAGUIO CITY — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources looks forward to a zero importation of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) an ozone-depleting chemical, in January next year.
On Wednesday, the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of DENR-CAR announced that by January of next year, there will be a total freeze on the importation of CFCs. Banned CFCs includes CFC 11, CFC 12, CFC 13, CFC 113, CFC 114, CFC 115, and R 502.
This action is triggered by the government’s target of gradually phasing out all Ozone Depleting Substances in accordance with  the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, in which the Philippines is a signatory. 
This protocol which has 194 member countries as of March 2009, was aimed at reducing and eventually phasing out the production and consumption of ODS among the signatory countries.
DENR-CAR Regional Executive Director Regidor De Leon said the country has been successful in gradually phasing out imported CFCs. Importation of CFCs gradually dropped from 3,382 metric tons in 2005 to 169 MT last year. Next year there will be no more importation said De Leon, adding, only those in the Philippines will be cleared next.

“Butas butas na ang ozone layer kaya globally nag-aact para iligtas ito (the ozone is too punctured that’s why everybody around the globe acts to save it),” he said during the press briefing on Wednesday. “The problem,” he added, is the “depletion of the ozone layer.”

The Montreal Protocol blames human things that emit too much unwanted substances in the atmosphere for the fast depletion of the ozone layer.

Marie Pina Rodas, Ozone-Depleting Substances (ODS) officer of the Pollution Control Division of the EMB, said CFCs which are used in various industries as refrigerant, propellant, solvent and cleaning agent and found in things like foams, air conditioner, refrigerator, among others, are capable of destroying the ozone molecules in the atmosphere resulting in the thinning of the ozone layer.

The ban on importation, which is projected to be totally realized in 2010 started in 1995, aims to drastically reduce amount of CFC in the Philippines. Rodas informed all CFCs are imported because the country cannot manufacture it.

Alex Luis, officer in-charge of the Pollution Control Division of the EMB, said even if the CFCs’ impact on climate change is not significant compared to carbon dioxide, the phasing out of this substance will help save the ozone layer.

However complicated ozone depletion to the ordinary man is, the Department of Trade and Industry through officer William Sabado, said ordinary citizens can share in the global effort of saving the ozone layer. He advised the people to patronize CFC-free products by looking at the labels.

Likewise, people can also use the alternative for CFC which is the hydrocarbon. Rodas added, those with cars could convert their aircon systems to CFC-free system. Same goes for those households with CFC refrigerators. Other things using CFCs include pesticides, fire extinguishers, foam, aerosols, spray cans, chillers and freezers, air conditioners, etc.

Meanwhile, Luis recommended “proper disposal of garbage in order for CFC to be contained properly.” He explained if wastes are properly disposed of with proper segregation, all materials emitting CFCs will be contained properly. # nordis.net

By CONYAP G.
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BONTOC, Mt. Province — Acknowledging that the militarization of Indigenous Peoples’ territories such as the case in some parts of this province and in the Cordillera region as not an isolated case, a newly accredited partylist representing the indigenous peoples urged respect for laws and t IP lands.

The group asked for an end to the militarization of IP territories saying the Philippine government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) must respect and uphold the laws covering IP rights as outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

The UNDRIP clearly states that the armed forces must respect Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of IPs not only with regards to government and foreign projects, but of military deployment as well.

Beverly Longid, Katribu PartyList president and first nominee said intensive militarization of IP communities, which she said is national in scope, serves both as counter-insurgency measure and as security forces backing foreign economic interests and investments in the country.

IP territories are said to be militarized due to their rich mineral resources that are moslty covered by local and foreign economic interests.

Longid said that when IPs assert their ancestral land rights, they are tagged anti-government and thus a target for military operations.

They are also said to be often tagged as New Peoples Army guerillas or sympathizers just because they live in the hinterlands.

Longid called for the the government to stop the recruitment of civilians and IPs into the Civilian Auxilliary Forses Geographical Unit (CAFGU) and other para-military groups because she said recruitment of natives into the CAFGU and other para-military groups only increases incidents of inter-tribal conflicts and human rights violations in the areas.

Displacement of IPs is an outright effect of militarization as they are forced out of their communities everytime there are military operations in their areas.
Economic and livelihood activities such as pasturing cows, gathering firewood, and traditional mining are disrupted during operations.

These effects are on top of the fact that IP communities are difficult to access thus, services by government and private institutions are hard to come by. # nordis.net

By WENDY ATUBAN
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LA TRINIDAD — Acknowledging that the “true measure of success is not financial but the amount of help given to host communities,” SN Aboitiz Power Corp., Inc. turned over to some Benguet municipalities donations in cash and in kind as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) on Wednesday at the Capitol here.
SNAP Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Rubio led the turn over ceremony, handing officials of the province checks amounting to five million and some items.

950, 000, 000 of the five million went to Shakilan Bokod municipality, 700,000 for the building of waiting shed in Ambuklao, 749,225 went to barangay Tikey, 200,000 from the CSR fund of Gov. Nestor Fongwan went to the Fianza Memorial High School, 100,000 from the CSR fund of mayor Galwan went to the Binga National High School, and another 300,000 from the CSR fund of Fongwan was alloted for the establishment of a computer room at the Fianza Memorial High School.

The indigenous peoples of Tinongdan municipality were also given a check amounting to 1,000,380.

Aside from the cash donations, SNAP also gave the province one 17 foot rescue boat plus several vests which Engr. Rubio said can be used during disaster response.

Through the CSR fund of Mayor Mario Godio, needs of the provincial police were also furnished. Awarded were five units computer, five units printer, five digi cameras, one LCD, and a laptop that was promised to be given later. Nine units of computer were alos handed to officials of Itogon for the use of the Alternative Learning School there.

On the other hand, Gov. Fongwan presented SNAP a certificate of appreciation for the services rendered thru their CSR. Likewise, he thanked the power corporation for the company’s role in  uplifting the lives of the people and in being partners to the local government during the aftermath of the disasters brought about by typhoon Pepeng and Ondoy.

“We don’t regret not opposing the entry of the power corporation because they are proving they are cooperative partner in uplifting the lives of the people in the communities,” he added. # nordis.net