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First we should go back to basic, we should as part of the community instill discipline to our selves,children and the whole family to properly dispose our solid waste and not just throw anywhere we want including the informal settlers who are in the river banks of Pasig/Marikina/Tullahan/Laguna Lake . LGU's should really impose penalties( Jail them if necessary I am afraid we will have a sardines like situation as we have limited space in our jails) just like in Singapore which we can follow. Since our country is typhoon prone and with the "Climate Changes" that are now occurring which exacerbate our situation,we can only mitigate the effect of the natural occurrences like the typhoons.

Second, government with the help of private sectors ( I do hope that the billionaires like Henry Sy, Lucio Tan, Gokongwei, Jaime Zobel) will invest small amount of their money on this very important project just like how the late Cardinal Jaime Sin had done a project in Punta Sta Ana where the poor (informal settlers) where provided a low cost housing( to be paid in 30 years at minimal amount) in community in Punta Sta Ana itself without uprooting them from their livelihood. The 5 - 6 storey building is just like tenement buildings built during late President Marcos time.I am against the late Pres Marcos but we should give him credit for that kind of project. The idea is to build a series of low cost 5- 6 storey buildings along the river banks with the ground floor as a school or commercial areas using Architect Palafox idea just like in Cambodia ( I work in that country for a year) where houses are built 2-3 storey with the ground use as garage or commercial area. The buildings will have proper sewage systems either sewage treatment plants or will be connected to city sewerage systems and also garbage disposal areas. With this kind of project, the informal settlers will not be uprooted from their work. If we are going to force them to settle somewhere else say outside of Metro Manila without the means to earn a living to said place, I am damn sure they will just sell their rights and come back again to Manila and again as informal settlers. I am calling the attention of the people who have that extra money, I myself would put some of my hard earn money if they will sell shares for said company,if the billionaires are not interested to help this country and would just do a lip service. Something has to be done about the situation of the informal settlers and the solutions that have been implemented in the past by the government are not working. Forcing people to settle outside of their livehood area will not work and will fail. Its a doom to failure. We have to think of novel way, and this was done before by the Late Cardinal Jaime Sin and Pres Marcos. What we require are the billionaires, SY, TAN, GOKONGWEI, ZOBEL who have the expertise in construction as they themselves are property developers. Put some of your money and as a long you will get your capital without interest in thirty years I do think it is a good investment as returning some to the community.

With the above project implemented , the government can proceed with dredging the Pasig River, Tullahan River, Marikina River, Napindan Channel, other esteros and finally Laguna Lake which is really silted. The goverment should provide the necessary passage of water from Laguna Lake to Manila Bay or to China sea. Either constructing the dikes or to install series of large pumping stations and pump the water out to Manila Bay or china sea.

Fourth, national or local government local units should conduct surveys/inspections on esteros which have been used and reclaimed by unscrupulous people. They have built permanent structures such as houses and buildings. The water passageway have been blocked. This one reason why water stayed longer for days and take time to recede. Check one area, along E Rodrigues Blvd near Araneta Avenue.

Fifth, government should really review the selective logging law, if we want this country to survive for the next 50 years, we should implement a total ban of logging for ten (10 years). Congress is really good in creating a law with loopholes that is the reason why we have a selective logging ban.Who define the area where the ban is to be implemented, the good guys in DENR and anybody can cut trees as long as the money is right. We are becoming people of idiot because of these lawmakers who are only after for their Pork Barrel Funds and the position of Congressmen and Senators comes with power and authority. Money without power is nothing, that is the main reason why a lot of people inspite of the money they had, they still run for elective because of what comes with it.
I live in Bulacan at the back of Sierra Madre Mountain and I believe the mountain may have lost 80 percent of its (Trees)green area because of illegal loggers. Kaingeros cannot destroy that much . I am a witnessed to the effect of this extensive damage on our forrest, the water that came from the mountain is with soil, its muddy, 16 years ago when I first came to my wife place, and experienced the first Super Typhoon, Nov 1995, the water running thru the river is clear water. DENR is becoming part of a problem because of corruption which we cannot minimize since they themselves has to earn money to be able to send their children to school but would not be able to do so because of very low salary in government service. The solution to government employee such us DENR is to make them part of the community or area they are assign. Let them plant trees such mahogany and should be able to harvest/cut the said tree in 10 to 15 years. Cutting of trees had to be done in a way to minimize harmful effect such erosion of soil, this has to be planned and in logical way to mitigate its effect. A novel way is to use the trees as a collateral to bank either to private bank/rural bank with guarranty from the goverment so the Planters such as the DENR employee can have the financial resources to send his/her children to school or whatever purpose they would require such money.

People who have vacant land in rural areas should plant trees such as mohagany. I ve just planted around 800 mohagany trees. I hope it will help me financially when I ve finally decide to retire and will also help our environment in one way, but we as part of a community should do our part and just do not blame our government which I myself really can say is useless. We as a citizen should not wait for government initiative because whatever funds that will be channeled to LGU's will surely be liable to corruption, I would say only 50% at high side will trickle to its intended beneficiary, the rest would go to Lawmakers/Provincial/municipality/Barangay levels. We can do this by not selling our vote and we should contribute a small amount to the candidate we thought the right candidate for said position, with this, the candidate can start a clean slate when he assume the said office. We should follow how President Barrack was voted.

Submitted by tonyabs on Thu, 10/08/2009 - 16:05.

It is best that they are relocated for safety but when relocating them they need to be given access to job and livelihood.

Submitted by FG on Thu, 10/08/2009 - 13:11.