LEGASPI ROLAND MARI O.
COB 2nd YEAR
A NEW DAWN
Urbanization has been a clear sign that a country is progressing in terms of
development. A country which have finished the process of urbanization means that it is
climbing the ranks of mega power nations in terms of power, economic status, political
influence and other aspects which can help the country globalize. For third-world
countries such as the Philippines, it is of great advantage for us to urbanize and develop.
The million-dollar question is, what do we sacrifice to urbanize? Exploiting natural
resources and of course changing the landscape of environments in which these said
resources can be found is the ultimate price.
For conservationists and environmentalists, these would disrupt the balance of
nature and ruin existing ecosystems in these areas and would create more harm than
good. Obviously, capitalists see profit in these areas because of the untapped resources
that they have. And smack at center of it is our government whom had to balance these
two. Take into account that DENR sec. is an unqualified buffoon who says that he’d rather
believe in himself than the advice of experts who have done their researches and are
more qualified in this specific field, and we have a “SNAFU” in our hands.
Globally speaking, uncontrolled urbanization is a major cause for climate change
and resource depletion. Research by WHO and WEF(World Economic Forum) has shown
that resource demand in ratio to projected growth of population would skyrocket by the
year 2050 and scarcity would become a major problem for us all. If we look at these facts,
if our country desires for more progress without keeping our natural resources in check,
we would definitely deplete it and cause more problems. So how do we keep these two
hand-in-hand?
Simple. First step to that is to coordination and cooperation. By coordinating two
sectors such as DENR and private business sectors, we can discern how to handle the
progress without touching much of the environment. Let’s give a bad example of this.
The dolomite sand used in Manila Bay project was taken from Pugalo, Cebu which
caused a rapture to not only to the mountain environment but also the marine
environment of the area. This a clear bad example of coordination and cooperation
because the government here decided without consulting. Next step is making sure that
the natural environment is not harmed in the urbanization process by giving specific nogo area or safety areas which would be restricted for urbanization with the sole purpose
of preserving natural life. With this process, it can be safe to assume that despite
urbanization, we still have natural environments and resources preserve especially the
ecosystem living the area. Also, controlled urbanization can be implemented in this case
so that it cannot harm the environment but still help in progressing our country. Lastly, for
God’s sake appoint someone suitable for the job when comes to positions in the cabinet
members. Appoint someone who are expert in these fields such as environment and
natural resources so that in that way they can be proficient with their jobs. Don’t appoint
a general or whatever job description they had before to a field they are not related to.
In that way, we can get better grasp on how to handle situations such as the environment
and urbanization problem.
It is simple, but it is not easy. But with proper coordination and cooperation, I firmly
believe that urbanization and preservation can go hand-in-hand with proper guidance
and analysis. For us living in the third world, this is could give a glimmer of hope that we
can push forward to new heights as country if we can handle it properly.
REFERENCES:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/10/can-we-balance-conservation-anddevelopment-science-says-yes/
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/09/20/preventing-another-tragedy-why-cebuprovince-banned-dolomite-mining
https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/42817/philippines-national-urbanassessment.pdf
https://ptvnews.ph/denr-defends-dolomite-project-in-manila-bay-anew/