Fundraising show with Bayang Barrios for Larry Pangan for Green Zambales Governor Campaign!

December 18 (Friday) 8pm. Tickets at Php 500.00 Joins us as we celebrate life and solidarity for green development in Zambales. Let us all help and contribute in the campaign of Larry Pangan for governor of Zambales

Fundraising show with Bayang Barrios in Conspiracy

Partido Kalikasan on the Martial Law Declaration in Maguindanao

Attached is the official report of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to Congress on the declaration of Martial Law in Maguindanao.

Partido Kalikasan will issue a public statement soon. We are now consulting party organizations and leaders.

We welcome comments and ideas from party supporters and other green constituencies

Download the report here:
http://partidokalikasan.ning.com/forum/attachment/download?id=2657022%3AUploadedFile%3A614

Join our online forum here: http://partidokalikasan.ning.com/forum/topics/declaration-of-martial-law-in

Start of the PK GREEN Monitoring and Rating Campaign

Today is the deadline of filing of candidacy for the 2010 national elections. As candidates and political parties files their intent to run and field candidates, they also submit their program of governance -- their promise to the people of what we can expect our of their service in government if given the mandate in 2010 elections.

Partido Kalikasan joins other political movements to welcome these many good commitments and commit to closely monitor its full implementation after elections (regardless whether he/they win or not)

As an emerging Green party, we will issue our statements and comments to these platforms of governance of all parties and national candidates and lobby our own green agenda to any of these groups and candidates for adoption.

We will try to document and create a monitoring database of the implementation of these promises in specific websites that we will create soon for each of the parties and national candidates for these purposes.

We welcome the support and cooperation of other greens to embark on this CANDIDATES/PARTIES MONITORING EFFORTS which starts day 1 after elections and the conduct of relevant GREEN RATING every six months thereafter.

Kindly email us at info@partidokalikasan.org or text 0929 4418247

We demand action!

This is a short talk about the PK Ecowaste Governance Framework to community leaders of Brgy San Antonio, Pasig City. Metro Manila who are setting up their village-wide ecological solid waste management system. Contact persons: Cecilia ferrer and/or Josie macapagal or ping ( brgy. sec.) Tel 6345058 Mobile 09178997603

PKI Managing Trustee and PK-Metro Manila Sec Gen, Roy Cabonegro made a short talk about the PK Ecowaste Governance Framework to community leaders of Brgy San Antonio, Pasig City. Metro Manila who are setting up their village-wide ecological solid waste management system.

The talk was held as part of their Barangay Assembly last October 17. This was upon the invitation of PANGMASA's Cecille Ferrer, who is a resident and an active member of the Barangay.

We expect continuing collaboration between PKI, PK-MM and the San Antonio Barangay (Pasig) LGU.

For more information, please contact: Cecilia ferrer and/or Josie macapagal or ping ( brgy. sec.) Tel 6345058 Mobile 09178997603

Copy of the presentation to be posted here soon.
Video of the talk to be posted here soon.

PK Zambales to Field a Candidate for Governor!

Partido Kalikasan welcomes the decision of the greens in Zambales to field a candidate for Governor in 2010 under Partido Kalikasan.

Zambales is one of the most vulnerable provinces to the ill effects of
climate change and other ecological catastrophes. It is not any wonder
why their is a need to have a GREEN GOVERNOR in ZAMBALES.

We call on all the "peoples" of Zambales to help us make this happen. We need volunteers, material, political and technical support.

Pls contact us by email directorate@zambales.partidokalikasan.org or cell 0929 4418247 or visit our website at www.zambales.partidokalikasan.org

Partido Kalikasan Green Calendar for Nov 2-7 2009!

November 2-7 2009

Join or support our work in Partido Kalikasan

View our online calendars at:
http://partidokalikasan.multiply.com/calendar/2009/11 and
http://calendar.yahoo.com/partidokalikasan

Visit www.partidokalikasan.org for more information!

PK Radio Reporting to Kalikasan Vigilante (DWBR 104.3 FM)

Kalikasan Vigilante is the longest running daily environmental radio talk show in the world produced and hosted by Vic Milan on DWBR 104.3 FM, 7:15 to 8:30 PM Monday to Friday

Topic of PKs report: News on the Partido Kalikasan-Metro Manila's Support to the Anti Aerial Spraying March Around Malacanang

PKI Participation in the Green Convergence Monthly Meeting

November 3 2009 (Tuesday)
10:30 am to 2:00 pm
ESI, Miriam College

This is the Monthly Meeting of the GREEN CONVERGENCE for Safe Food, Healthy Environment & Sustainable Economy

In view of Nov. 2 being declared a holiday, our monthly meeting will be held on Nov. 3, at 10 a.m. at the Environmenttal Studies Institute, Miriam College.

Agenda for the day:

1. GC participation in the Lakad Laban sa Laiban
2. Way Forward for GC
3. Other matters

PKI Participation in the NTFAAS-MAAS-DoH Meeting on the Aerial Spraying Ban

November 3 2009 (Tuesday)
3pm to 5pm
DoH Office

Secretary Duque in a meeting with MAAS-NTFAAS-Church said DoH is standing by their study that showed the ill effects of aerial spraying. Aerial Spraying must be stopped. Burden of proof of its safety now rests on industry.

DoH will make their stand public on Wednesday and is inviting farmers and civil society for another meeting on Tuesday, Nov 3 2pm to help finalize the detailed position.

PKI Online Staff Meeting

November 3 2009 (Tuesday)
8pm to 10 pm
Online chat using yahoo messenger (YM). Pls buzz YM ID "partidokalikasan"

This is the weekly online meeting of the volunteer staff of the Partido Kalikasan Institute (PKI)

AGENDA for this meeting are:

(1) Coordination of the People's Green Bus Tour
(2) Preparations for the PK-Led People's Primaries District Processes
(3) Technical support for the Green Budget 2010 campaign
(4) Technical support for the 2nd GA (12-13 Dec)
(5) Technical support for the Grassroots Greenweek Campaign

Those joining should send a private yahoo messenger message to partidokalikasan@yahoo.com by 7:45pm Nov 3

PK TV Segment Hosting BBS in Global Destiny Cable Channel 21 (Investing in Sustainable Development)

November 4 2009 (Wednesday)
930am to 1030am
BBS in Global Destiny Cable Channel 21

This is the regular segment hosting of Partido Kalikasan in the BBS of the Global Destiny Cable Channel 21 from 930am-1030am.

The segment is on "Investing in Sustainable Development"

TOPIC FOR THE WEEK: Integrating Sustainable Development in the Next MTPDP-Opportunities for Investments

PK Participation in an Anti-Aerial Spraying Rally

November 4 2009 (Wednesday)
11am to 2pm
Tentative Venue: DoH Compound

This is an anticipated mass action to support the DoH public statement that they are standing by their position that aerial spraying should be banned.

PK MM Manila Bay Chapter Meeting

November 4 2009 (Wednesday)
5pm to 7pm
Barbara's Vegetarian Restaurant inside Manila Orchidarium, Rizal Park, Manila

This is the monthly meeting of Manila Bay Chapter of the PK-Metro Manila.

PROPOSED AGENDA:

(1) Orientation for applicants
(2) Chapter Operations Planning for 2010
(3) Preparations for Monthly Environment Forum

PK Council of Leaders Monthly ONLINE Meeting

November 5 (Thursday)
4pm to 8pm
Online chat using yahoo messenger (YM). pls buzz YM ID "partidokalikasan"

This is the regular monthly online meeting of the Partido Kalikasan of Leaders using yahoo messenger.

For those joining, please be online with your yahoo messenger ready by 3:45pm and send a personal message (PM) to partidokalikasan YM ID.

PROPOSED AGENDA:

(1) 2009 Assessment
(2) Indicative Goals and Targets for 2010
(3) PK Primaries for 2010 & Engagement in the People's Primaries
(4) Plans for 2010 Campaigns
(5) Preparations for the Local & National General Assemblies (2009)
(6) Post JPEPA LGU Campaign
(7) PK Organic Enterprise as Resource Mobilization Strategy

PK TV Guesting in TRUTHFORCE

This is the 2nd season of Truthforce, a 50 minute interview and discussion of global and national current affairs . This program airs every Thursdays from 7-8 P.M. on GNN channel 21 of Destiny cable.

Host of the program is Nicanor Perlas, environmentalist, agriculturist, micro finance expert, civil society leader and global awardee. Co-host is Cecilia Ferrer.

PKI Managing Trustee and PK MM Sec Gen Roy Cabonegro was the main guest in this episode on Climate Change.

PK MM Marikina-Rizal Watershed Chapter Meeting

November 6 2009 (Friday)
5pm to 8pm
Marikina River Banks Park (exact venue to be announced)

This is the monthly meeting of the Marikina Watershed Chapter of the PK-Metro Manila.

PROPOSED AGENDA:

(1) Orientation on PK Principles, Program of Governance, Organizational Rules (membership & chapter building)
(2) PK MM Green Enterprise - Organic Products Marketing
(3) Preparations for joining the solidarity campaigns for: a) anti aerial spraying, b) anti Laiban Dam, c) anti GMO
(3) Preparations for PK Montalban, San Mateo, Tanay, Antipolo, Marikina Strategic Planning Workshop
(4) Preparations for PK Metro Manila General Assembly (28 Nov)
(5) Preparations for engaging 2010 Elections (PK primaries and the People's Primaries, etc.)

PK Metro Manila Officers' Monthly Meeting

November 7 2009 (Saturday)
6pm to 8pm
Venue somewhere in Makati City (exact venue to be announced)

This is the regular monthly meeting of the leaders of Partido Kalikasan - Metro Manila.

Proposed Agenda

1.Call to Order
2.Determination of Quorum
3.Approval of the Proposed Agenda
4.Reading & Approval of the Minutes of the Last Meeting
5.Matters Arising from the Minutes of the Last Meeting
6.New Business
6.1. PK MM General Assembly (28 November 2009)
6.2.Results and Implications of the results of the PK Council of Leaders Meeting (2010 engagements, coalition work, PK GA process, chapter meetings)
6.3.Status on membership and discussions on Membership Development Program
6.4.Corporative model for a PK MM Organic Marketing Enterprise
6.5.Destiny Cable TV Environment Segment Opportunities for PK MM

PK Global Day of Action (GDA) on Climate Change

November 6 2009 (Friday)
6pm to 7pm

In Metro Manila: Marikina River Banks Park
Other PK Areas to be confirmed

This is a simultaneous local mobilization of PK members to focus on public awareness on the ongoing global climate change negotiations in Barcelona.

This is a preparatory event for the December 12 main GLOBAL DAY OF ACTIONS!

OTHER DETAILS SOON
(for more information, please send an SMS to 0929 4418247 or email info@partidokalikasan.org)

KALIKAS (Kabataan para sa Kalikasan)-Metro Manila GREEN WEEK campaign planning

November 7 2009 (Saturday)
8am to 12nn
Tentative Venue: National Ecology Center (NEC), East Avenue, Quezon City

This is an operations planning of KALIKAS (Kabataan para sa Kalikasan - Youth for Environment), the youth wing of Partido Kalikasan for their upcoming CAMPUS/BARANGAY Grassroots Greenweek Campaign

PK Participation in the TRANFORM POLITICS Joint Operations Workshop

November 7 2009 (Saturday)
1pm to 5pm
Tentative Venue: Environmental Studies Institute (ESI), Miriam College, Q.C.

This is the weekly joint operations workshop of the various working clusters and district core groups of the TRANSFORM POLITICS (People's Coalition for Transformative Politics)

PK Radio Guesting in Kabalikat sa Kalikasan

This is the regular guesting of Partido Kalikasan in the Kabalikat ng Kalikasan (KK). Kabalikat sa Kalikasan is aired every Sundays, 5-6 a.m.at DZME, 1530 kHz AM

TOPIC for the week:

News on the Partido Kalikasan-Metro Manila's support to the Anti Aerial Spraying March Around Malacanang

Partido Kalikasan Participating in the National Day of Protest Against Aerial Spraying

Together with the MAAS 12, the farmers representing the different communities heavily affected by poison rains, we will march to Malacanang and demand PGMA to issue an executive order banning aerial spraying in the country.Parallel events in Davao City and Cagayan de Oro City will also be held on this day.For details and confirmation, please coordinate with Rene Pineda of the National Task Force Against Aerial Spraying (NTFAAS) at 0915-5526177 or Lia Esquillo of Interface Development Interventions (Idis) at 0908-8631229.All Partido Kalikasan Members and Supporters are encourage to come. Please wear black. If you want to wear our color, we will have PK Green Armbands available for the rally.For more information, please visit www.no2aerialspraying.partidokalikasan.org

Noise Barrage Against Aerial Spraying

This is part of the continuing campaign led by the MAAS (Mamamayan Ayaw sa Aerial Spraying) for continuing protests in Malacanang Palace until the President issues an Executive Order to ban aerial spraying.

MAAS is composed of community members directly affected by the aerial spraying of large corporate banana plantations in Mindanao.

-----------------------

Updates from Yesterday, October 19. Day 1 of the campaign:

Yesterday, Mamamayan Ayaw sa Aerial Spraying (MAAS) and National Task Force Against Aerial Spraying (NTFAAS) started the Bantay Malacanang Laban sa Aerial Spraying.

The 12 farmers from different communities affected by aerial spraying of pesticide in Davao City, Davao del Sur and Compostela Valley, with a few support individuals, marched towards Gate 5 of the Malacanang in the morning but eventually was pushed back to Nagtahan Underpass since the police and security outnumbered them. They proceeded to Mendiola and by noon again started to march back to Gate 5. They were again stopped by the police but due to their persistence, they were allowed to hold a short program along J.P.Laurel St. (the street leading to Malacanang). But after one hour, they were again dispersed.

One farmer, Mang Pido, was taken to Philippine General Hospital due to severe stomach pains but was eventually released after a few hours.

They spent the night to plan and take rest for Day Two in a dark corner under the Nagtahan bridge.

Initial Report on the Exploratory Meeting w/ SSS on River Rehab Partnership

Partido Kalikasan represented by the Partido Kalikasan Institute Inc. (PKI) joined the exploratory meeting with SSS (Social Security System) on the possible partnership for river rehabilitation in select river systems in Metro Manila as part of SSS's CSR (corporate social responsibility).

Here is the an initial report of that meeting:

The meeting went very well. PKI with PK MM Diliman Creek Corridor (QC) Coordinator together with Green Convergence, Miriam College Environmental Studies Institute, Concern Citizens Against Pollution, Movement for Better Quezon City and Batas Barangay Foundation met with SSS (Social Security System) Assistant Vice President Joel Palacios on the proposed partnership.

We agreed to pursue initial research and consultation process to develop the project components and targets. We also agreed to focus it on river basin management; with priority on headwaters at the upstream communities within key river systems in Metro Manila.

The group is meeting again this coming Wednesday 21 October 8:30am to 12nn at the Environmental Studies Institute (ESI) of Miriam College to discuss the framework for a technical support proposal we are initially submitting to SSS for funding support of the initial research and consultation process to evolve the major project design and targets.

Online component of the 2nd General Assembly of Partido Kalikasan begins!

"Virtual/Online" 2nd General Assembly of all members of Partido Kalikasan (Philippine Green Party) ongoing. The online forum is at www.2ndga.partidokalikasan.org

From Grassroots to Government: A Study of Recent Green Party Building in the Philippines

Please read: "From Grassroots to Government: A Study of Recent Green Party Building in the Philippines". This gives am insightful glimpse at the current evolution of Partido Kalikasan, an emerging National Green Party in the Philippines.

You can download it from: http://partidokalikasan.org/pipermail/infoshare_partidokalikasan.org/attachments/20090818/aab077df/attachment-0002.pdf

Kalikasan Institute Preliminary Position on the Revival of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP)

WHY THE RUSH FOR BNPP AMIDST BOUNTIFUL RENEWABLES & THE CLIMATE CHANGE CRISIS?
A Preliminary Position Paper of the Kalikasan Institute
February 4 2009

The Kalikasan Institute raises concerns why there is a rush by proponents of H.B. 4631 seeking the recommissioning of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).

The Philippines is endowed with sufficient renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and geothermal that if sufficiently developed as intended by the recently passed Renewable Energy Law will be more than enough to meet our energy needs in the next few decades.

The ill effects of climate change are upon us. While the IPCC in its Fourth Assessment Report has recently included nuclear energy as a means of dealing with global warming. It has also affirmed that despite decades of nuclear energy research, the technology is still with its major risks in terms of safety, nuclear proliferation and radioactive waste.

If the Philippines is to support global efforts at reducing green house gas emission, it can do so through renewable energy development and reduction of energy consumption, energy waste and improving our forests as carbon sinks. The promise of nuclear energy will only diffuse the country's focus on the better renewable energy options that pose considerably less safety issues and virtually zero risks associated with nuclear proliferation and radioactive waste.

Furthermore, supporting nuclear energy plant operation involves huge financial and environmental costs and greenhouse gas emissions associated with fuel transport, uranium mining, release of warm water, semi-permanent management of waste and maintenance of related systems, as well as the waste of electric power due to the difficulty of controlling power output. In fact, these generally tends to weaken arguments for nuclear energy's viability as a climate change option and we hope that IPCC will change its position on this soon.

We demand from our public servants in Congress, particularly the proponents of this bill to step up and open this widely and publicly and confront these concerns that we have raised. We are not at all convince of the current arguments on the viability of recommissioning the BNPP despite the obviously better option of developing our renewable energy and given its risks, we do not find strong argument for the country to join any bandwagon to make climate change action an excuse for nuclear energy.

As the re-development of BNPP will probably take close to a decade, we challenge the proponents to be thorough and take sufficient steps to respond to the many scientific, safety, and technical concerns as well as the more important social acceptability of this option not only to the people of Bataan but the entire country and our next generations that are stakeholders and risk takers of this proposal. The rush attitude of the proponents is to our opinion counter to the national interest.

We urge them instead to hold on to their dear proposal as we continue to debate the science and technical viability and leave them; politicians as they are, to take this public policy debate in their realm. We CHALLENGE the proponents in 2010 to run or have their relative run; as the practice of Philippine politics have been, and make this nuclear proposal a prominent platform of governance in their bid to re-affirm their political authority. Given fair and honest elections, let us see if the people will want them as they offer the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.

For more information, please contact Roy Cabonegro, Secretary of Kalikasan Institute
Mobile Phone 0929 4418247 Email: roy@partidokalikasan.org Website: www.partidokalikasan.org
Room 119 Asian Social Institute (ASI), 1518 Leon Guinto Street, Manila
Kalikasan Institute (a.k.a. Partido Kalikasan Institute Inc.) is a support organization of Partido Kalikasan, an emerging national green party in the Philippines.

Flooding in Cagayan de Oro

Fastlanes
By BenCyrus G. Ellorin/ Jan. 7, 2008

Waiting to happen

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Happy new year can hardly be said of the tens of thousands of people who would have started their Saturday morning January 3, 2009 trying to squeeze some more holiday time and guzzle up on some energy for the work waiting on the 5th of January.

I was in Bukidnon for the New Year Holidays when breaking news came on national TV about the flashfloods in Cagayan de Oro City due to the overflow of the Cagayan de Oro River.

The news indicate more than 5,000 households were displaced, alongside video footages of debris and two persons being carried away by the rampaging waters near the Ysalina Bridge, by the City Hall, with people helplessly watching by.

Yes this is the Cagayan de Oro River that has put the City of Golden Friendship in the country's eco-tourism map.

Way back then, in the aftermath of the Ormoc Tragedy, environmentalists have been warning that because of the insane logging and land use conversation in the Cagayan de Oro and Lanao Watershed, catastrophic floods may hit the city, as the absorptive capacity of the Cagayan de Oro Watershed is reduced due to forest denudation and soil run-off from these denuded landscape make its way to the riverbeds, reducing the carrying capacity of the river.

One peculiar characteristic of the Cagayan de Oro River is that it snakes through at the heart of the City of Golden Friendship, from the hinterland barangays of Besigan, Tignapoloan, Dansolihon, Mambuaya, Bayanga, Lumbia, Indahag,to sub-urban and urban baraganys of Balulang, Macasandig, the Burgos St barangays, Carmen, Consolacion, Kauswagan, Puntod, Macabalan and Bonbon. This spans about 90 kilometers.

Downstream, on the eastern riverbank downstream of the Cagayan de Oro River is the poblacion (barangays 1-40) and populated suburbs like Macasandig, Nazareth, Consolacion, Puntod and Macabalan, on the otherside, Balulang, Carmen, Kauswagan and Bonbon.

This explains pretty much the havoc that Auring-induced rains brought to the city.

Cagayan de Oro River has more than a dozen tributaries, among the more important once are the Batang River some 2,500 meters in the Kalatungan Range in Lanao del Sur and flows to the Bulanog River in the Lanao-Talakag boundaries then going down to the jurisdiction of Cagayan de Oro City. Along the way, several tributaries from the Mt. Kitanglad Range, like the Tumalaong and Bubunawan Rivers, and the Monigue Creek from the mountains of Dansolihon, Mambuaya and Bayanga join the river. (Monigue Creek joins the river in the Macahambus Gorge and Cave Area)

I did some investigation on how the water accumulated so huge and so fast that fateful January 3 of 2009. I was told that steady rainfall in the uplands from news years day, up in the Talakag (southern side), and Besigan and Tignapoloan (northern side) areas had resulted in the build-up of the river elevation. Water had been unusually elevated in the Uguaban Bridge in the Dansolihon area.

Witnesses downstream also reveal that buhawi (cloud burst/ water spout) in the Baungon area, where the Tumalaong and Bubunawan Tributaries come from was observed early morning of January 3.
In fact, there were fears that the wooden bridge in the Tamalaong River in Lingating, Baungon would be carried by the rampaging waters as the water level almost overflowed the bridge. The water elevation in the Maasin Bridge that connects Brgy. Nicdao in Baungon to Bayanga, where the famous "pinoy" whitewater rafting starts and the "western" whitewater ends was also extremely high.

Just a few meters from the Maasin Bridge, joins another tributary, the Bubunawan River which was also draining enormous volume of water that fateful January 3.

The confluence of the high volume of water from the Kalatungan and Kitanglad Range explains the disaster, first stop the low lying areas of brgys Indahag, Balulang, Macasandig and Carmen. Macasandig, specifically Sitio Cala-cala seems to be the worst hit area. Then so on and so forth.

State of Calamity have been declared in 16 Oro Barangays, about 6,000 families displaced consisting of more than 22,000 poor individuals are now in evacuation centers.

In Baungon, Bukidnon, several barangays have been declared by the LGU as calamity areas, like Lingating, Danatag, Langaon, Nicdao. The hanging bridge in Langaon that used by school children to cross to brgy. Bayanga to go to school have been wiped out by the flood. The damage to agricultural crops have yet to be determined.

As they say, all is water under the bridge now. And there is little we can do when nature unleashes its fury.

I disagree, something ought to be done and something must be done to at least mitigate future disasters.

More than eight years after the last anti-logging barricade by our group, the Task Force Macajalar folded in the Manresa/ SM area, nobody seemed to remember the warnings and the call for a stop to logging and the implementation of a no non-sense reforestation measures in the watershed of Cagayan de Oro.

There were small efforts to reforest our watershed. Our group started a small indigenous forest species (dipterocarp) reforestation project in the Dansolihon, Bayanga areas, in the Monigue Creek, but when external funds went dry, it wasn't anymore replicated. Many other small initiatives were done, but none big and sustainable enough was pursued. These big and sustainable project, naturally should have been done by the government, both the local and national government. But instead, our officials looked the other way, enjoyed the bright city lights and ignored the elephant in our backyard so to speak. Then came January 3, 2009.

Fortunately enough, Mother Nature did not spank us in the dark of the night, had it been otherwise, the loss of lives could be hard to even to imagine.

The cause of the disaster that visited us is not a result of short-term causes but a result of 20 – 30 years of abuse and neglect to our forest ecosystem, the watershed of Cagayan de Oro. It was a result of unabated legal and illegal logging and mindless land use conversion.

Now that the lightning had struck and have seen our elected officials quick to blame correctly illegal logging and mindless land use conversion (HELLLOOOOO!???), after making the sign of the cross, I am proposing four things:

1) Improve our disaster preparedness so that people will not helplessly get flushed from their homes to the Macajalar Bay when flashfloods come. Global Warming may bring more bad rains;

2) Conduct a comprehensive watershed physical characterization of the Cagayan de Oro River and its tributaries. We do have competent people and facilities to do this using GIS technology in generating natural hazard maps, watershed drainage maps, so on and forth of the Cagayan de Oro River and its tributaries;

3) Develop a warning mechanism so that people downstream the river are alerted whenever there are abnormal build-up of water upstream the river and its tributaries;

4) Implement a comprehensive reforestation and river rehabilitation program in the Cagayan de Oro River. Definitely, not the one they are doing now, which is mostly aesthetic in nature focusing only in the downstream. Those things they are doing in, what is that, CORDA??? will just be flushed to Macajalar Bay if nothing is done upstream. Inputs on how to go about this may come from number 2.

Till, then, let us help each other in alleviating the plight of the victims of the flood. Politicians, enjoy your time in the limelight helping the victims, but please do something sensible this time.

Kudos to all those kindhearted people who helped in the relief operations. To contribute its five-cent worth, the Cooperative Sector in the city have launched its relief drive too. The first batch of its aid was turned over to ABS-CBN's Sagip Kapamilya Jan. 9, 2009. This is spearheaded by the City Cooperative Development Council headed by Dr. Anselmo Mercado, the Regional Cooperative Development Council of Atty. Isidro Q. Lico and the Cooperative Development Authority 10 headed by Dir. Orlando R. Ravanera.

(The writer is an environmentalist and community worker based in Cagayan de Oro. Comments can be sent to bency@journalist.com)

Results of the Dec 6 1st General Assembly of Partido Kalikasan - Metro Manila

Last December 6 2008 the First General Assembly of all Partido Kalikasan Metro Manila Airshed members. There were five (5) major decisions during this General Assembly.

These are:

• Area Coverage of Partido Kalikasan-Metro Manila. Considering the current organizational capacity of the party, we cannot as of now pursue the bio-regional coverage of the party organizing for the entire Metro Manila airshed (which technically should cover NCR, Pampanga, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite and Laguna). In this regard, we decided that at least for 2008-2009, the Partido Kalikasan - Metro Manila will not cover the entire airshed but will only cover Metro Manila (all 16 cities and 1 town). In our next meeting, we will decide whether we will also cover the towns and cities in Rizal province as some of the current members are actually residents of Rizal.

• Registration of the PK-Metro Manila as a Local (Regional) Political Party. While we support the effort of the Partido Kalikasan Institute (PKI) to facilitate the registration of one single national Partido Kalikasan in COMELEC covering all the current 14 local PK groups and other local PK groups that will be formed all over the country, the PK-Metro Manila will register itself by 2009 as a local (regional) party in COMELEC NCR. If and when the NATIONAL PARTIDO KALIKASAN will be formed, PK Metro Manila shall be part of this national party.

• Priority Thrusts and Goal for the next 2 years. For 2009-2010, we have adopted the following priority thrusts: a) Building and registering the Partido Kalikasan - Metro Manila as a local (regional) political party b. Develop and adopt a clear PK-Metro Manila Party Orientation Paper (discussing our guiding principles and ideological basis), Party Internal Organizational Rules and Operating Guidelines and Party Regional Platform of Governance and on the basis of these facilitate participation of the Party in relevant public advocacies c. Develop the resource mobilization capacity of the party based on membership & supporters contribution and party-wide green enterprise ventures to make the party financially viable and self-sustaining d. Build a knowledge management and public information-sharing mechanism of the Party starting with a video and web-based system using blogs and online video documentations

• These three (3) main thrusts shall push the party to realize its main goal in 2009-2010, which is to field as many PK-Metro Manila candidates in the 2010 NCR local elections as well as to endorse politicians/political parties and political platform of governance that supports the party platform of governance and our guiding principles and ideological basis

• Party Membership. The group also decided to “clean up” the actual membership base of the Partido Kalikasan Metro Manila. Only those who have participated in the Dec 6 General Assembly (personally or those assigned official proxy), those who confirmed membership as per the original deadline of 30th November and those who explicitly communicated that they still want to continue being a member of the party as of December 6 will be considered members of the Party.

• Party Leadership. To provide the leadership in the Party, we have elected the following officers and appointed the following working groups chairpersons for 2009:

Chairperson : Vicky Segovia (vicky@partidokalikasan.org)
Vice Chairperson : Rafael Barozo (raffy@partidokalikasan.org)
Secretary General & Spokesperson : Jules Penales (jules@partidokalikasan.org)
Treasurer : Albert Banico (albert@partidokalikasan.org)

Resource Mob Working Group : (to be headed by Rafael Barozo)
Party Building Working Group : (to be headed by Roy Cabonegro & Albert Banico)
Knowledge Management Working Group : (to be headed by Cynthia Estrada)
Party Orientation & Advocacy Working Group : (to be headed by Jules Penales w/ PKI)