"What every Muslim Needs to Know on Environmental Governance"

Eunice Pajo, a friend who once worked for VSO-Peace in Lanao and is currently working for the protection of ecology in Pagadian and some areas in Marawi city, shared to me a the last draft of the manual titled Al-Khalifa (The Steward) What Every Muslim wants to Know about His Role in Environmental Governance. This contain the Islamic perspective on environmentalism.
Pajo said that a hard copy of this document will also be shared to partners.
It is hope that thru this manual, educating the Muslim communities interrelatedness to nature will be genuinely understood by stewards of the earth.
I thought of posting it also here for those who are interested to read this document and for those who wanted to take part in this advocacy.
ecogov _khalifa


I obtained a hard copy of this book through Ms. Pajo which was unfortunately among my book collections that were inundated by typhoon Sendong last December 2011. A final copy of this document is available or posted in USAID website. Clink the hyperlink to access it.

Mining won’t solve RP’s fiscal crisis, says environmental lawyer

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- There is no proof to claims that liberalizing the mining industry could be the answer to the country’s financial crisis and the P47 trillion expected from it is just based on the estimated mineral reserves per region, according to lawyer Marvic Leonen in a round table discussion on mining at the Dynasty Court Hotel here sponsored by the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center.
“This speculated amount is not sourced from fixed accounting because aside from mere addition, the prices of metal in the market are volatile… could rise up or pull down,” Leonen, lead counsel of La Bugal in a case against Western Mining 
Corporation, told his audience of 30 law students from the cities of Butuan, Iligan, Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro.
Based on figures cited by Director Romulo Neri of the National Economic 
Development Authority, Leonen made a computation which showed that the government can only get an average income of .33% from the value of gold.
“It’s less than a cent, not reaching a cent,” he said, adding, “so, how could P 157 billion tax revenue be possible?”
“In large scale mining, the government could only earn from excise tax and not on production tax,” he noted.
“Excise tax is imposed on per value of metal only, hence it’s not a sharing on the basis of ownership and production of minerals but a sharing on exaction. Is this constitutional?” he asked.
“So, why are we rushing to destroy our resources when we will only get .33 cents per value of metal extracted; when there is no equitable sharing of net profit from the extracted resources?” he asked.
“Moreover, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is a passive regulator of mining operations because it will only wait for the submission of the company’s work plan,” he said.
“Why can’t a representative of the government sit in the Board of Directors of a mining company to take part in the decision-making of mining operation especially on matters affecting numerous people? Oh, the Supreme Court said ‘its interference and its bad’ and I said why not when those affected by displacements are citizens of the country?” he continued.
Leonen also said the government will not earn much from mining because companies would avail of tax exemptions and “net losses carry over” in the next five years during which the government will spend more on instead of benefit from mining.
“The Government sends Army in the mine site, spends for environmental rehabilitation, displacement of people from its livelihood with culture shocks, and relocation of people…… the entire bureaucracy is spending for this,” he said.
“We will have a full-blown economic crisis from environmental destruction, political dissatisfaction and social upheavals… too ripe for revolution,” he warned.(Violeta M. Gloria/MindaNews)