Philippines Issues

Environmental : Alarming Waste Problem In The Philippines

The Philippines is looming with garbage problems despite the passage of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act or the Republic Act (RA) 9003

2007 first quarter data from the National Solid Waste Management Commission shows that there are 677 open dumpsites, 343 controlled dumps, and 21 landfills in the country. An additional 307 dump sites are subject for closure or rehabilitation plans but without definite schedules for enforcement. About 215 additional landfills are being proposed to be set up nationwide.

Environmentalists stress that Republic Act 9003 calls for the adoption of the best environmental practices in ecological waste management and explicitly excludes waste incineration as an ecological option. These polluting disposal facilities are major sources of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere which adds to global warming.
Landfills and open dumps, according to studies, account for 34 percent of human-related methane emissions to the atmosphere, a global warming gas that has 23 times more heat-trapping power than carbon dioxide. These landfills and open dumps are illegal under RA Incinerators, on the other hand, have significantly higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions (per kilowatt) than a coal-fired power plant when all of the carbon coming out of an incinerator stack is measured. Such emissions are banned by the country’s Clean Air Act.
Inaction on garbage contributes to the death of at least two persons every minute due to complications from environmental problems, which could be prevented if the country only developed a more efficient environmental management program.

Mismanagement of waste has serious environmental consequences: ground and surface water contamination, local flooding, air pollution, exposure to toxins, and spread of disease. Many of the disposal sites contain infectious material, thus threatening sanitation workers and waste pickers.

Source:http://imagineechoprojectswaste.blogspot.com/2008/04/alarming-waste-problem-in-philippines.html

COMMENT :

People’s behaviour toward waste is one of the key cultural aspect that is embedded in people’s way of life. Studying a community’s behavior and introducing new ones requires intensive and long-term. There is a study that the attitudes and behavior of the communities and some barangay have a negative impact in our environment. Recognizing the importance of the environment’s immediate recovery and effects of improper waste management to the Philippines, there is a need for understanding and reformation of attitudes and concern towards the protection of environment. The impending garbage crisis can be prevented if we only practice waste segregation at source, recycling, and composting as what the law requires. An intensive social marketing program has to be established on a long-term scale within a barangay – the smallest unit of the local government.

POLITICAL : THE PHILIPPINES AND CORRUPTION

Nowadays foreigners and citizens alike say that the Philippines has the most corrupt leadership and economy. Corruption in the Philippines has become "a humanitarian crisis"and scandals increasingly seem to dominate the news.

The worseningcorruption has eaten up the right of every citizen to good governance, freedom, decent life, and more importantly his or her dignity.

Corruption is a serious obstacle to the social and economic development of a country. The biggest losers are the Filipino people. In effect, the end-users are made to pay for overpriced goods or services or are made to deal with low-quality or substandard goods or services.

According to the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2008-2009, companies have identified corruption as their number one concern for doing business in the Philippines, and bribery appears to be an increasing problem for companies.

In the World Bank & IFC Enterprise Survey Philippines 2003, 45% of companies admit to having paid bribes in order to 'get things done', and in the SWS Business Survey on Corruption 2007, three out of five managers were asked for a bribe in at least one transaction the previous year, and the amount of the bribe was higher than it had been in the past.

Corruption is often encountered when interacting with public officials. Half the companies surveyed by SWS report that they are discouraged and claim that corruption is systemic, forming an integrated part of the way government works. They also state that most companies they compete against must pay bribes in order to obtain a government contract. Nearly 28% of companies in the Philippines report that bribes are solicited in their meetings with tax officials.

Other areas where companies state that bribes or facilitation payments are often expected is in obtaining operating licences, construction permits and import licences. Although the corruption level of the private sector is not as high as in the public sector, one-fifth of all company managers claim that bribes are needed to win a private contract.

Source : http://www.taclobanhotels.com/corruption-in-the-philippines.htm

COMMENT :

There has been corruption since the beginning of time and it's not going to go away. There cannot be one solution for all types of corruption.  There are many solution but also many people hard to obviate to do corruption, it is said that corruption may start in a small single way and may result to a huge corruption. The solution may start even in each of us, by teaching morality in homes and schools. That's morality in the larger sense, the concept of right and wrong. No wonder the kids of today have no one to look up too, so it's up to the parents to point out that there really are some good people out there who do good things for others. After all, we are brothers and sisters and should be helping each other. Unfortunately there are many, especially those who gravitate toward politics, who do not understand the word. Power corrupts, ultimate power corrupts ultimately.

It's also up to all of us adults to fight corruption as best we can. If you simplify this when any politician is running for a position it's the people that vote them in and thus, we are actually their employer and they work for us. To prevent corruption you would first have to remove the entire government. Then you would need to make all future politicians accountable for every single action. . If the official has kept their promises all is well, but if not the people should have the right to vote them out.  And ensuring we are registered to vote and vote in every election and consider standing for election ourselves. It is easier to change ourselves than other pople and by trading fairly and honestly it is less likely others will feel a need to get back at other cheats.

SOCIAL :  ISSUES AND PROBLEMS IN THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Education in the Philippines changed radically after the liberation of the Philippines in 1946. Elementary and high school education are compulsory, and are overseen at a state level by the Department of Education; they deal with issues such as the assurance of funding for school services and equipment, recruitment of teachers for all public schools, and the supervising and organisation of the education curricula.

Education funding in the Philippines decreased after the economic crisis of 2008 following the conditions imposed by different funding agencies. Class sizes increased and teachers are teaching more classes per week. School infrastructural development programmes and teachers’ salaries have yet to be affected.

The recently proposed 2013 Philippine education budget rose from 22.6 per cent to P292.7 billion; from P238.8 billion in 2012. President Benigno Aquino III said the increase is meant to eliminate all resource gaps—classrooms, teachers, textbooks, and other facilities by 2013. Next year will mark the second year of implementation of the K-12 basic education programme in all Philippine schools, which added two more years in high school for all students.

Defending the Department of Education’s proposed P292.7 billion budget for 2013,

Sources :

http://www.educationincrisis.net/learn-more/country-profiles/asia-pacific/item/569-philippines

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_common_problems_of_the_Philippine_Educational_System

COMMENT :

Schools are the building blocks of our societies. These venues of learning play significant roles, they are unable to provide the best way they can, due to their numerous flaws. They can be considered our foundational instruments. But unfortunately our country has gone through many changes and development. Relatively, the changes have given us advantages and advantages that brought causing downfall to many people. These continous changes made great impacts to many Filipino’s live, because of many issues arises and problems existimg in our country, like the educational System as to how we can resolve it the best way we could to attain that kind of quality of education we have been searching and longing for. There are some reasons of low quality of education in our country and may be resolve in simple way such as :

1.      Government should  spend adequate money, because our government spends only 12 percent of the national budget for education, that is far from the suggested cut of the WORLd Bank which is 20%. our finance to education is very far from other country.

2.      Imparting of enough well trained teachers and classrooms so that, it can prevent the cut down number of students.

3.      Incrementing the salaries of teachers.

4.      Imparting on additional quality and standardized education to provinces, instead of giving much time to schools near in Manila

5.      Adding of instructional materials for teachers.

ECONOMIC : CHILD LABOUR

MANILA - Over the past decade, the incidence of child labor in the Philippines increased by almost 30 percent from 4.2 million in 2001 to 5.5 million last year, the 2011 Survey on Children of the National Statistics Office (NSO) indicate, alarming both the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) and the International Labor Organization (ILO). 

The NSO, which ran a survey on working children last year, also said the number of children engaged in hazardous work increased by 25 percent from 2.4 million in 2001 to 3 million 2011.

Hazardous child labor was higher among boys, with 66.8 percent as compared to girls with 33.2 percent. Central Luzon (10.6 percent), Bicol (10.2 percent), Western Visayas (8.5 percent), Northern Mindanao (8.2 percent) and Central Visayas (7.3 percent) were the regions with the highest incidence of hazardous child labor.

NSO gave its findings today during the Philippine Celebration of World Day Against Child Labor in Pasig. The survey was made of the 29 million Filipino children, aged 5-17 years old.

The same survey revealed that farms are the most common place of work (55.4 percent) of children. Some 12 percent work in their own homes as a part of a family enterprise. Those working in the streets and working at sea similarly account for 9 percent of where working children are found.

Source :  http://www.interaksyon.com/article/35801/child-labor-in-philippines-up-by-30-percent-over-10-years

COMMENT :

Hazardous child labor is defined as being likely to harm children’s health, safety or morals by its nature or circumstances. Children may be directly exposed to obvious work hazards such as sharp tools or poisonous chemicals. Other hazards for child laborers may be less apparent, such as the risk of abuse or problems resulting from long hours of work. Hazardous work is considered as one of the worst forms of child labor.

Parents should protect their children and give them proper education, food, and shelter. Children are deserved to be in school to study and learn instead of working hazardously. Government should have to get to the root of child labor which is linked with poverty and lack of decent and productive work and strive to keep children in school and away from child labor. Ensure decent and productive work for parents and basic social protection for families.