No doubt, Filipinos are one of the most resourceful and creative citizens of the world! Aside from alcohol and face mask which remain staple as we continue battling with COVID-19, the mandatory wearing of face shield is the newest addition to the set of general health protocols ordered by the Department of Transportation (DOTr). (Read: Heads Up! Wearing of Face Shield in Public Transport is Now Mandatory) For many, The new rule has been a quite challenge ‘cause it means another cut for their budget and even called it an ‘anti-poor’ move. But, thanks to the creativity and resourcefulness of...

Photo courtesy of Johair Siscar Addang / Facebook For the past months, community lockdown across the globe has been implementing to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, and evidently, we are seeing a lot of reports of how this measure has left a positive effect on the environment—cleaner air due to less road mobility and economic activities. The notable drop in air pollution somehow serves as a success amid the health crisis, but, it’s only in the air. How about water and energy consumption, and emissions of other substances, which also contribute to the damage of nature once exceed? This...

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) annually organizes events for World Environment Day, the most renowned day for environmental action which encourages worldwide awareness and action for the protection of the environment. It is celebrated every 5th of June in over 100 countries.     In 2020, the theme is biodiversity– a concern that is both urgent and existential. Recent events, from bushfires in Brazil, the United States, and Australia to locust infestations across East Africa – and now, a global disease pandemic – demonstrate the interdependence of humans and the webs of life, in which they exist. In the Philippines, the...

The month of May is “Month of the Ocean” by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 57 signed by then President Joseph Estrada on Dec. 11, 1998. The said Constitution recognizes that “coastal and marine resources provide both economic and ecological benefits, such as food, livelihood, recreation and other services, as well as biodiversity, aesthetic value, and shoreline protection”. The Proclamation also reiterated the provision in the Constitution that “the State shall protect the nation’s marine wealth in its archipelagic waters, territorial sea, and exclusive economic zone, and reserve its use and enjoyment exclusively to Filipino citizens.” This year’s theme is “ Para...

After the novel coronavirus broke out in Wuhan, China in late December 2019, it didn't take long for conspiracy theorists to claim it was manufactured in a nearby lab. Scientific consensus, on the other hand, is that the virus — SARS-CoV-2 — is a zoonotic disease that jumped from animal to human. It most likely originated in a bat, possibly before passing through another mammal. While the virus was certainly not engineered in a laboratory, this doesn't mean we haven't played a role in the current pandemic. Human impingement on natural habitats, biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation are making virus spillover events...