ANYTHING GOES?

Originally used in the 19th Century as 'Everything goes', it simply means that one can do whatever one likes, without rules or consequences.

Anything goes? Yes, it seems so: illegal logging, natural disasters, improper disposal of garbage, climate change, melting icebergs, "my neighbor goes on burning rubber and plastic" (GRABE!), poisonous waste products ... !

Guys, when will you stop doing this? Or, are you waiting for the next tsunami and taifun taking away your family and all your belongings and properties?

Since years, I have on my desk a wonderful brochure entitled "Q&A Questions and Answers on YOUR ecosystem" - mentioning and explaining 365 (!) reasons to stand up for Mother Nature. And to be counted as "Barkada ng Kaliksan"! It's really a primer on environment care, produced by the Kinaiyahan Foundation, Inc. and BARog KA likupan DAbaw, Inc. (BARKADA) with a foreword by Elisea G. Guzon, former secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Even having the fumes of burned poison garbage in my nostrils (I usually enjoy writing my columns somewhere outside in my tropical green garden!) I still study this valuable brochure.

Yes, anything goes! It really seems true! Why should one think about the ecosystem and its structures? Or, solar-energy and life on earth and why should it be protected? The effects of global warming can be seen more and more, but deforestation and profits kill the thoughts and deeds about the value of forests and how to protect them!

Fertilizer and its problems are known, but who really cares? Pesticides and their problems are very well known too, but who really cares? Anything goes? How do we handle major consumers of water managing water resources? Are we overusing groundwater?

Climate change, greenhouse-effect, gases that pollute the atmosphere, acid rains, and biodiversity are foreign words to these people, who continue to destroy our globe and provoke the next natural disaster. The above-mentioned brochure, mentioning the Top 30 Environmental Issues in the 21st Century, is not the only written examination or rebuke. I wish and pray for many followers. For our next generations!

Sustainable consumption: Time to check buying habits

Jul 14, 2024 02:59 AM

  

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We are living amid a problem of unsustainable consumption, and its waste surrounds us, among them rolls of plastic, packaging material, and fashion clothing.

This problem became more apparent during the pandemic when online shopping became the only way to acquire goods.  After that, the door to reach consumers at all hours of the day was opened, and packaging – mostly plastics – that will keep the newness or freshness of a product, added to the waste generated by households. 

Sustainable consumption is Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No.12, part of the 17 goals which aim to transform our world.  In 2015, all the countries in the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The goals are a “call to action to end poverty and inequality, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy health, justice and prosperity.”

Sustainable consumption has become a major concern these days because of consumer behavior in online shopping. In June 2020, global retail e-commerce traffic reached a record 22 billion monthly visits and a staggering $26.7 trillion in sales, Earth.org said. What draws consumers to buy online are: price, speed, and convenience.

“By the end of this year (2023), Asia is set to account for 50 percent of the world’s total online retail sales, most of which take place in China, currently the world’s leading country by retail e-commerce sales. Singles’ Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday are just a few examples of the initiatives that push consumers to buy more and more goods,” the Earth.org article published in December 2023, “The Truth About Online Shopping and Its Environmental Impact,” said.

The problems brought by the convenience of online shopping are many.  The packaging of products contributes to CO2 emissions from producing plastics, polluting ecosystems and adding large amounts of waste to landfills.

The article cites specifics: “Three billion trees are pulped yearly to produce 241 million tons of shipping cartons, the forest conservation group Canopy found. And of the 86 million tons of plastic packaging produced globally each year, not even 14 percent is recycled.”

One area where unsustainable consumption is generating large amounts of waste is in fashion, specifically textile.  A recent report said that in China, the world’s largest textile producer and consumer, “more than 26 million tons of clothes are thrown away each year, according to government statistics. Most of it ends up in landfills.”

The report further said that “textile waste is an urgent global problem, with only 12 percent recycled worldwide, according to fashion sustainability nonprofit Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Only one percent— are recycled into new garments; the majority is used for low-value items like insulation or mattress stuffing.

The problem has been traced to the fast fashion trends and the convenience and speed of online shopping. 

In 2019, the UN Environment launched the Sustainable Consumption and Production Hotspots Analysis Tool that allows countries to see “hotspots” of unsustainable practices in consumption and production. The online application analyses the environmental and socio-economic performance of 171 countries over the past 25 years to provide scientific evidence of areas where improvement can be made, the UN agency said.

We need to stem the tide of unsustainable consumption by reshaping the buying habits of consumers who need to be engaged into becoming responsible stewards of the earth’s finite resources.
 

Flood swamps Mindanao

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By KEITH BACONGCO

DAVAO CITY – Several provinces in Mindanao were flooded on Friday, July 12, and left some road networks temporarily impassable following heavy rain in the last two days.

One of those severely affected was Maguindanao del Norte and parts of Lanao del Sur due to flashflood triggered by heavy rains amid the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) since July 10. 

RESIDENTS cross a damaged bridge in Barangay Kidayan, Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat on Satuday, July 13. The bridge linking the towns of Kalamansig and Palimbag was damaged due to flooding caused by heavy rains. (Photo courtesy of Sukelco Lebak-Kalamansig)

Reports showed that at least five persons were reportedly killed in the flashflood while seven others remain missing as of Saturday morning, July 13.

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Rapid Emergency Action on Disaster Incidence (READi) disclosed that 19 individuals were injured in the flashflood. 

It added that the flooding also affected at least 4,000 residents in Matanog, Maguindanao del Norte.

A portion of the Narciso Ramos National Highway in Balabagan, Lanao del Sur, which links the towns within BARMM and to Zamboanga Region, was temporarily closed to traffic as of 6:40 p.m. on July 12. As of 11 a.m. on July 13, the highway remains closed to traffic.

The severe flooding also affected the neighboring town of Kapatagan in Lanao del Sur.

The highway linking Wao town, also in Lanao del Sur, and Kalingangan in Bukidnon province, was also temporarily closed at 9:45 p.m. on Friday due to a landslide.

It was cleared and declared passable at 1:30 a.m. on July 13, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Lanao del Sur.

On Friday evening, the PDRRMO issued an orange warning over Lanao del Sur, which means there could be about 75,000 to 150,000 drums of rain per square kilometer in the province.  

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) issued a weather advisory at 11 p.m. on July 12 stating that the southwest monsoon will bring heavy to intense rains (100 to 200 millimeters) over BARMM, Zamboanga Peninsula, Sultan Kudarat, Misamis Occidental, and Lanao del Norte until Saturday night.

Severe flooding and landslides were reported in some barangays in the coastal towns of Lebak, Kalamansig, and Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat province on Friday.

As of 10 a.m., the Department of Public Works and Highways-12 reported that the Kalamansig-Palembang Road remains unpassable due to landslides and damaged bridge in Barangay Santa Clara in Kalamansig.

The Kalamansig-Lebak Road, which was briefly closed on Friday night, is now passable after the DPWH cleared the road of debris following a landslide in Barangay Bolebak on Friday.

In the neighboring province of Sarangani, some rice farms in Kiamba were swamped by floodwaters since Friday due to heavy rains.

In Zamboanga City, the local government reported on its Facebook page that about 3,000 individuals from 11 barangays were evacuated to higher grounds due to severe flooding on Friday.

At 6:34 a.m. on Saturday, the city government announced that flights to the city have been suspended due to flooded runway.

On Friday evening, some areas of Cotabato City were also submerged in floodwater.

These severe weather disturbances took place just as PAGASA issued a La Niña alert on Friday stating that its climate monitoring and analyses suggested a 70 percent chance of La Niña forming in August-September-October (ASO) 2024 season and is likely to persist until the first quarter of 2025.

This was due to further cooling of the sea surface temperatures (SSTs) across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific (CEEP), it added.

“With this development, the DOST-PAGASA ENSO Alert and Warning System is now raised to La Niña alert,” PAGASA said.

“The country may experience a higher chance of increased convective activity and tropical cyclone occurrence which may bring above normal rainfall over some parts of the country in the coming months. Potential adverse impacts may include floods and landslides over vulnerable areas, with varying magnitude.”  

 

LPA outside PAR may develop into a tropical depression within 24 hours --- PAGASA

BY

Jul 14, 2024 05:58 AM

  

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The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Sunday, July 14, monitored a low pressure area (LPA) outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

Photo credit to MB Visual Content Group

"At sa kasalukuyan, may binabantayan rin tayong low pressure area sa labas ng ating Philippine Area of Responsibility (Currently, we are monitoring a low-pressure area outside of our Philippine Area of Responsibility)," PAGASA Weather Specialist Daniel James E. Villamil said in the latest weather report.

Villamil explained that as of 3 a.m., the said LPA was last observed at a distance of 885 kilometers (km) west of Central Luzon. 

"Within the next 24 hours, there is a high chance that this low-pressure area will develop into a tropical depression," he said in a mix of English and Filipino, clarifying that "we do not expect direct impacts from this weather disturbance on our country."

In the following days, PAGASA expected this LPA to generally move northwestward towards Vietnam.

Meanwhile, the state weather bureau is currently monitoring a cloud cluster in the eastern part of Mindanao.

"In the coming days, these cloud clusters may also develop into a low-pressure area that could bring rains to the eastern part of Visayas and Mindanao," Villamil said. 

 

'Habagat'

The southwest monsoon or 'habagat' remained the dominant weather system in the country, continuing to affect the western parts of Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

"Due to the habagat, we will also experience rains in large parts of our country, particularly across Mindanao and the western sections of Southern Luzon and Visayas," the weather specialist said.

Meanwhile, according to PAGASA's 24-hour public weather forecast, Metro Manila may experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to "habagat."

PAGASA said locals may experience possible flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms.

BINI drops new summer banger 'Cherry On Top'

Serving eye-popping visuals in new music video

Jul 14, 2024 08:09 AM

  

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BINI

The nation’s girl group BINI brings a delightful addition to their bubblegum discography with the new summer banger “Cherry on Top,” now available on music streaming platforms worldwide. 

Its music video features BINI members Aiah, Colet, Maloi, Gwen, Stacey, Mikha, Jhoanna, and Sheena in eye-popping visuals dancing through a carefree summer vibe sound. 

As of writing, “Cherry on Top” is on Spotify New Music Friday charts in Korea, Australia & New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and the Philippines.  The song also topped iTunes Philippines while its music video immediately became no. 1 on Trending for music on YouTube Philippines. 

“Cherry on Top” follows the group’s “Talaawaran” EP drop last March, which features hit songs “Karera,” “Salamin, Salamin,” and “Pantropiko.” 

After their sold-out three-day concert held at the New Frontier Theater, BINI has embarked on their “BINIverse” tour across the country this July to be followed by their North American tour next month.   

The pop octet, formed by ABS-CBN’s “Star Hunt Academy,” recently debuted on the Global Top Artist Chart on Spotify, becoming the first-ever Filipino artist to achieve this. Labeled the next pop sensation out of Asia, BINI has already received the prestigious Rising Star Award for Women in Music from Billboard Philippines, Rolling Stone’s “Ones to Watch,” MTV Asia's Artist Spotlight title, and one of Teen Vogue's 2024 Girl Groups to watch.

Fans can now listen to BINI’s “Cherry On Top” here: https://orcd.co/bini-cherryontop and watch the official music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wufUX5P2Ds8.