No More Lands for Agriculture in Cavite?

By Josette Emily De Jesus, Jenny de Venecia, Marianne Faye Mirambel (4MCPJ 2010)

The ever-growing economy around the world left us no choice but to catch up, even if it means sacrificing a culture that the Philippines was once known for. We were the teachers of our neighboring countries that dreamt of cultivating their lands and producing from their own rice fields. Now the tables have turned. What was once its teacher is now buying products, especially rice, from what were once its students.

Rise and fall of the economy

The Philippine economy is not stable and is also not growing fast enough to catch up with first world countries. As a result, prices of commodities increase while salaries remain the same. This is primarily the reason land owners sell their lands and farmers settle for the compensation.

According to Tanza Vice Mayor Yuri Pacumio, he sold his land due to their needs. The land was now converted to one of the subdivisions in Tanza. “Kailangan talaga, pangangailangan din. Yun lang ang naiwan sa amin. Noong panahong iyon nag-aaral pa kami, ngayon wala kaming pagkukuhanan dahil naiwan na kami. Kami ay naulila ng maaga kaya ibenenta na namin. Yun nabenta namin ng buo hindi kami na nagdevelop noon” (We really need to, because of our needs. That is the only thing left to us. That time we were still studying, we don’t have any sources of income because we were left out. We were orphaned at a very young age so we sold it. We were not the one who developed the lands that we sold).

The continuous increase of the prices of fertilizers, seeds and tractors has pushed farmers to their limits. Not to mention problems with irrigation. Farmers are finding the expenses too much to bear. Considered as ‘easy money,’ the disturbance compensation farmers get is enough for them to start a living.

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Electric Jeepneys: An in-depth look after two years of its introduction

By Joanne Tabije, Mille-Ann Razon, Princess Feraren (4MCPJ 2010)

Historically, the Jeepney has been a symbol of Filipino creativity in industrial design and one of the most recognizable cultural icons of the Philippines. It never fails to be mentioned as an example of Filipino ingenuity. While providing the cheapest means of commuting, the diesel-guzzlers are notorious air polluters, posing a health risk for the drivers and commuters.

In today’s society, every item we consume is created by an industrial process, and hence has greenhouse gas emissions associated with it. It’s not just your car, your electricity and gas but everything. Private and industrial carbon dioxide emissions will cause significant global environmental damage unless action is taken to reduce the level of carbon in the atmosphere.

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Bayan ni Juan sa Calauan: A Happy Relocation?

By Stephanie A. Bagulbagul, Stephanie M. Bayle, Glaiza May G. Muzones (4MCPJ 2010)

In January 6, 1999, the Pasig River Rehabilitation Program (PRRP) was launched through Executive Order (EO) No. 54, which was later amended through EO No. 65.

EO No. 65 created the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) which aims to rehabilitate and revive Ilog Pasig. One of the functions of the Commission is to relocate settlers, squatters, and other unauthorized or unlawful occupants along its banks.

As an effort to save Ilog Pasig, a partnership between Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and ABS-CBN Foundation (AFI) launched Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig (KBPIP) through PRRC in February 2009. KBPIP aims to restore the river in a span of seven years. As part of KBPIP, a resettlement project in Calauan, Laguna, for the informal settlers of Ilog Pasig was developed to provide them shelter and livelihood. This resettlement is dubbed as Bayan ni Juan sa Calauan.

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Bringing back to life: The Rehabilitation of the Pasig River

By Jacqueline May Matias, Beatrize Blanche Oria and Patricia Loren Rances (4MCPJ 2010)

The Pasig River was one of the country’s most alluring tourist spot and used to serve as the people’s source of living and even as their drinking water back in the early 1900’s to 1920’s.

Today, recent generations are deprived of these same benefits given by the river. Once one of the country’s most abundant treasures, it was also the Filipinos’ source of beauty and riches that bridged the gap between culture, history, and economy. It is thus not surprising that there are efforts revive and bring back to its glorious past. As expressed by the executive director of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC), Arch. Deogracias Tablan, “Change will always rely on the people; especially the ones residing near the river. We are rehabilitating the Pasig River we want to use it. We have long forgotten about this river, we have turned our backs to it and now’s the time to  revive and preserve its natural bounty.”

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