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PREVENTING THE SAN
JOSE TIMBER CORPORATION FROM OPERATING AGAIN
By
SHIELA TAGABAN ZANGL
December 16, 2005
-----Original Message-----
From: Shiela Zangl <shiel62de2001@yahoo.com>
To: Cesar Torres <cesar1185@aol.com>; Cesar <ceasar1185@aol.com>
Sent: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 15:38:02 -0800 (PST)
Germany, 14.12.2005
Dear Professor
Torres,
You don't know me,
but I hope you will understand that I am prompted to send this email
because of the urgency we all feel in doing something to stop the
reopening of San Jose Timber Corporation. I am from Northern Samar
but living in Germany for 20 years now. I came across
samarnews.com,
then talsik, on Oct. 30, this year. It was just lately that I saw
Gugma han Samar. I read your articles. You are a loyal Samar-sohn.
You have my trust and hope that you could lead and consolidate all
the forces that are aimed in the preservation of the Samar rain
forest.
It is still not
very sure if the operation of San Jose Timber Corporation will be
stopped.
Professor Torres,
how about suggesting the continuation of the petition with as many
signatories as possible, to be gathered hand-written and online,
similar to the one written to get the Balangiga bells back. The
petition should demand the stop of San Jose Timber Corporation and
other logging companies in Samar, better still, demanding something
written from the government, declaring the rainforest of Samar as a
national reserve to be protected and that no body now or later can
apply for a concession or whatsoever. The petition should be
addressed to the President of the Philippines, the members of
Congress, with copies for the governors of the different provinces
of the Philippines especially the three provinces of Samar, also to
prominent national and international non-governmental organizations
fighting for the preservation of the environment and natural
resources, to relevant institutions worldwide, also to those in the
United Nations and the European Union, and perhaps also the chairman
of the green political party of Germany, etc. etc.
The petition
should also be published in the leading newspapers and magazines of
the country and the leading international newspapers. Also in
alternative newspapers like the bulatlat online newspaper. We have
to shoot in different directions to reach results.
Let's us do all we
can and all we think we can't to prevent this company and other
logging companies from operating and to preserve the rainforest of
Samar. It is just so shameless and painful for a native of Samar
like us, that these rich, foreigner to Samar and corrupt people just
decide all by themselves what to do with the very life support
system that the Samarnons has. And we will just helplessly watch
there and let us be raped? And after that, be left behind to pick up
the debris? Just because Enrile claims that his permit is legal? And
who made it legal? Of course his co-elites. So, what could be done
to make his legal permit be declared illegal? In Palapag, Northern
Samar - my hometown - the logging company PACWII (I think, it means
Philippine Associated Companies of Wood Industries Incorporated),
and George logging limited, operated there until the late 1980's or
early 1990's. George logging had a sawmill there before; logs from
Butuan, Mindanao were cut there too. When this sawmill stopped its
operations, the remaining sawdust attracted some insects/beetles
which damaged the coconut trees of the neighboring area, affecting
the livelihood of the people.
In Europe,
especially here in Germany, people are very aware and sensitive to
issues concerning the preservation of the environment. In Germany,
it is not even allowed to urinate on a tree in their forest let
alone cut it down. In their forest, there are placards getting the
attention of the people to refrain from urinating on a tree. Anyone
caught urinating on a tree is fined 50 Euro - equivalent to more
than 300 pesos. To the government, urinating on a tree means
subjecting the tree to over-fertilizing, which damages the tree in
the long run. It shows how important their forest are for them.
I don't want to
think that the SJTC would operate again. Preventing its operation
would be the best option. If it starts its operations, it would be
very difficult to stop them. This is a huge opponent, because they
have a powerful support group – the corrupt elite. And I think a lot
of people of Samar have no substantial knowledge about the need to
preserve the Samar forest. Another big percent of the people of
Samar benefit in one way or another from the corrupt provincial
governments, which supports of course the corrupt national
government, so they will not rally to oppose Enrile and Defensor.
And the big rest of the people of Samar are just too poor, too
uninformed and too distracted with their day to day subsistence,
that they are not in a position to think about the preservation of
the Samar forest. Their thoughts are only enough, to think from
where the next meal could come. Their silence, could be interpreted
by Enrile, Defensor and their supporters as a willingness of these
people to be raped by them. We don't know what would be the outcome.
It would just be very simple if there are a lot of legislators who
will draft a law to declare Enrile's permit illegal. Or a new
president who will do the same. In the absence of these, it would be
another means to oppose it if we start with a petition like the done
demanding the Balangiga bells back. Through this, the opposition to
the operation of SJTC would be very well-publicized. I think, most
of the buyers of logging companies are from abroad, especially Japan
and Europe; they could be warned if they would read the published
news, it would catch their attention. People outside the
Philippines, which would be the possible end consumer of the
products from the logs would be made sensitive to these issues. I
think the end-consumer of Europe are hesitant to buy products when
they know that the production of it damages the environment. Through
well-publicized articles, people of Samar, the Philippines and the
world could be briefed again about the need to protect the
environment. I think, that a lot of politicians in the Philippines
don't realized the sorry state the Philippine environment has. Just
look at the Pasig river! In the Philippines, we don't have the
technology to clean our waste and our environment. In Germany, they
separate their garbage into different recyclable and not. The
garbage which can't be recycled anymore are burned in closed
buildings or containers, and the smoke is filtered to prevent air
pollution. They also filter their waste water, and the water is
clean again. They use the residue as fertilizers. They have this "Kläranlage"
(cleaning their waste water) even in a very small village. I don't
know the technical terms about this. And also, after 20 years of
speaking German (not always grammatically flawless), I'm lost with
the English language.
I'm working full
time and have children to attend to. So, I can't often write
flawless letters or emails to send to TALSIK or Gugma han Samar
which has a wider readers. So, I'm writing you, knowing that you
are the best avenue.
Sincerely,
Shiela Tagaban Zangl
--oOo--
Below is a link to
the speech of a certain Sangguniang Panlalawigan, and my comments to
it:
http://www.samarnews.com/news2005/dec/f507.htm
My
comments/opinions:
- We can't allow
logging companies to operate, especially in Samar. Not only SJTC
operated before for many years. They have already denuded the Samar
forest. That's why the flooding, erosion, etc. The few trees that
are still there now are only the remaining ones.
- They can't
rationalize this through reforestation because, these trees existed
thousand of years ago. They can never replace these trees. We would
at the very least wait a few thousand years before a newly planted
tree would grow to ever replace these trees now. And we know that
the company don't do any tree-planting program. The forest rangers
and the provincial authorities of DENR don't check and control this
because they are on the payroll of the company.
- They would argue
that this generates tax for the government. The taxes that they
would pay to the government would only be the remaining coins from
their perennial doctoring of their loadings, etc. And it could never
cover even the half of the cost the government could incur in
cleaning the mess that will eventually follow. It can't cover to
pay the families which are victims of the flooding. And if ever
there are rest coins-taxes, it will not benefit Samar because it
would not be enough to fill the deep pockets of the corrupt
politicians.
- They could argue
that this is an employment opportunity to the people. No this is
not. They hire skilled workers from Bicol or provinces bordering
Manila, okay, they are Filipinos too. But, the Samareneos would only
be helpers and unskilled low-paid workers. Their hand to mouth
existence continues, and the risk to accidents and to sickness is
very high with such a high-risk job. If they get sick, their salary
will not be enough to pay. They are better-off without a job and
employer like this. The PACWII, in Palapag N. Samar, before, had a
lot of workers from places other than Samar. It is common to be
rolled over by logs especially during the rainy season, when the
roads are muddy and the trucks full of logs could not run smoothly.
Who will support the remaining family members, if a father could be
a victim? This company, deducted from the salaries of workers
amounts to be paid to the SSS every month, but only to find out
afterwards, that they remitted sporadically, only a few months,
although the wages of the workers were always deducted for the
contributions to SSS. So, this is not a stable employment
opportunity.
- If SJTC would
make it, other logging companies will follow.
- Allowing SJTC to
log in Samar is tantamount to the Aesops fable killing the goose
that lays the golden egg, instead of taking good care of the goose
so that it will lay more golden eggs.
- Poverty could
better be eliminated through enacting relevant laws like: elevating
the positions of katulongs to household employees and not as
household slaves and their salaries to the minimum wage. The
majority of the people in the Philippines are poor. And these poor
people have a lot of children working as katulongs. If their
position and their salary would be elevated, they will have more
money to support their family. If they should be treated (supported
by a law) as household employees, the rich people will not look them
down, it will empower them and boast their self-esteem. They would
feel, they are like everybody else and they would strive for more in
life. Also, obliging the employers of katulongs to let them attend
population education courses and other helpful courses or vocational
training. In this way, they would become responsible parents later,
who might not have a lot of children if they can't afford it.
Another relevant law, which will have a great impact to the lives of
the poor is to declare the lending of money or goods with astronomic
interest, illegal. Anybody caught doing it should be fined. At the
same time, the government should provide a bank, where the very poor
can borrow money without or with a very low interest payable in a
manner that is affordable to them. Another relevant law, is to levy
taxes to the incomes of OFW whose original families are well-off.
Those OFW who has poor original families should be exempted from
this tax. Also, to enact laws which will protect the rights of the
OFW and their protection from the recruiters and employers, and
demand the international community to endorse and support it. These
are just a few examples. The point is, the elite and the middle
class should take responsibility for the elevation of the poor
Filipinos. The majority of our people are very poor. The children of
these people comprise a huge part of the Philippine population.
Imagine how will the Philippine society will look like after 20
years if the children of these people will not have a chance to
better their lives. Their loss is a loss of us all. Imagine if our
very poor people would be elevated to the middle class, by any
miracle means. How will the Philippine society will look like? But
of course, all the above examples are useless if the government is
corrupt, they will always look for an excuse of the laws for the
people they favor. So, the challenge first is to lessen or stop
corruption.
There are all
reasons to stop SJTC from operating, while there is not a single
ground why we would let them rape the last paradise of the Visayas
called Samar.
Lastly, I come
across the following website: Please click on it.
http://nologging.easternsamar.de/
http://www.easternsamar.de/index%20eng.htm
http://www.balita.ca/12_a_2005_08.htm
Correction is
under your care. I didn't re-read this email. I just wanted that it
would be read immediately.
Thank you very
much for taking the time to it.
Shiela Tagaban
Zangl
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