President Aquino visits typhoon-hit area

Some years ago I was a passenger in a Cessna 172 piloted by a friend - flying over Bataan was instructive as the only places where there were stands of trees were places where nobody could get equipment to haul the logs out.

Luzon was essentially logged out in the 1950's.

This is quite a good summary of the Oposa v Factoran case.

I find the concept amazing. Intergenerational responsibility.

Title
Minors Oposa v. Secretary of the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources

Court/Judicial Body:
Supreme Court of the Philippines

Citation:
33 ILM 173 (1994)

Date:
30 July 1993

Instrument Cited:
Constitution of the Philippines

Summary:
A group of children, including those of renowned environmental activist Antonio Oposa, brought this lawsuit in conjunction with the Philippine Ecological Network, Inc. (a non-profit organization) to stop the destruction of the fast disappearing rain forests in their country.

The plaintiff children based their claims in the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, which recognizes the right of people to a “balanced and healthful ecology” and the right to “self-preservation and self-perpetuation” (see Section 16, Article II). Oposa also raised the idea of “intergenerational equity” before the court, which is the idea that natural resources belong to people of all ages and that if adults were to harvest all of a country’s resources, they would be stealing from their children, their children’s children, and all future generations.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the children, and made several groundbreaking and powerful statements, finding:

The right to a clean environment, to exist from the land, and to provide for future generations are fundamental.
There is an intergenerational responsibility to maintain a clean environment, meaning each generation has a responsibility to the next to preserve that environment, and children may sue to enforce that right on behalf of both their generation and future generations.
The Philippine Constitution requires that the government “protect and promote the health of the people and instill health consciousness among them.” (see Section 15, Article II).


http://www.crin.org/Law/instrument.asp?InstID=1260

'Pablo' death toll may reach 2,000 - NDRRMC

"National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Executive Director Benito Ramos fears that the death toll due to typhoon "Pablo" could rise to nearly 2,000.

Ramos gave this estimate as 932 people are still missing and feared buried deep under thick mud in Compostela Valley.

Pablo, the worst typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, has already claimed 906 lives.

At least 505 remain missing in landslide- and flashflood-hit Compostela Valley, while 108 have yet to be accounted for in Davao Oriental, where the typhoon made its first landfall last week.

"Kung kasama itong missing [aabot na sa 2,000], pero hindi muna natin i-declare silang patay until makita," Ramos told dzMM.

Ramos said search operations have proven to be difficult due to the thick mud. The rotting corpses of animals also confuse K-9 units searching for missing people.

The NDRRMC said at least 5,516,181 people were affected by the typhoon. Of the affected residents, 59,764 remain inside evacuation centers.

The cost of damage from the typhoon now stands at P15.1 billion."

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/12/14/12/pablo-death-toll-may-reach-2000-ndrrmc-ndrrmc