Saturday, July 20, 2013

Greenpeace International and Its Help to the Environmental Concerns of the Philippines



      In every passing day of our lives, we reach a point in which there is no return. We can make good decisions, and even bad ones. Damages made to the environment can never be taken back whether we like it or not and whether we were aware of it or not. Every damage that we cause to our environment is being stacked up on an invisible container and when the time comes that it gets filled up, it will pour back on us and slowly take its toll upon us. So, it is our responsibility to care for our environment because this planet that we live in is the only one that we have, this is where we keep all our stuff, so we should watch over it and protect it at all costs. Among the long term effects of the damage we have done is the change of climate due to the excess greenhouse gases accumulated in the atmosphere or simply the phenomenon that we call global warming. Though it is difficult to attribute the calamities to the phenomenon but somehow it has its effects.

   In an effort to keep our environment protected and preserved, some organizations have been made to be able to increase awareness of our environment, one of them is Green Peace International. Green Peace is an International Organization whose aim is the preservation and the protection of the environment. As stated in their website, this organization started some 40 years ago when a ship full of volunteers and journalist sailed into Amchitka, somewhere north of Alaska where the US government was conducting underground nuclear tests. This prompted them to start a campaign against destructive materials that would cause the devastation of nature. As an international organization, it does not promise an absolute solution to all our environmental problems but it acts more on awareness and campaigning in order to attain attitude and behavioral changes from the people themselves. Aside from the awareness campaign, the organization itself also goes to the area where destruction of the environment is happening and it exposes the damage to the public, this promotes a much more open debate among those that will see it. As stated in their website, bearing witness is a part of their core values, they go to the scene of destruction not only to show the world what's going on but also to let the perpetrators know of their opposition. They also stay in the vicinity in a peaceful and a non-violent way.

   Right now, at the turn of the 21st century, the Philippines had experienced multiple calamities that has cost the lives of a lot of filipinos. Among these calamities, there is one that is really very inconvenient and when taken for granted, could be devastating; flash-floods. Flash floods and all other forms of floods have cost the Filipinos millions for damages every time there is a storm. This is a natural occurrence that can also be prevented and resolved by nature itself, but because of our abuse and the people's lack of care for our environment, the natural mechanisms of nature to prevent floods have been reduced because trees are no longer there to absorb the water to their roots when the level of water rises. So, it is like a boomerang wherein every time we do something bad to the environment, after a certain period of time, those things will come back at us like a boomerang and with speed much faster than when it was first launched. Our drainage system is also clogged up with garbage like plastics, rubber, and all other kinds of garbage that are thrown by the people. It is just also very ironic though that the people who lives near rivers and creeks are also the very ones who throw the garbage improperly despite government warnings and information campaign about the consequences of throwing garbage in our rivers. A possible explanation for this phenomenon is the lack of awareness of the people about environment care. This issue is not only present in the Philippines but also in other countries all over the world whether it is a developing country or a developed country, but except of course in those countries that has a different context. In the last quarter of 2011 and in 2012, the Philippines had experienced a couple of storms which led to the flooding of certain areas and resulted to the death of hundreds of people. It is acknowledged that storms are inevitable forces brought upon by nature, however,  there is something that we can do about it.

  Greenpeace international is campaigning for almost all concerns related to the environment. One of their job is to preserve and restore the forests. What the organization does is conduct tree planting activities in such a way that could help restore the bald forests in the future. As was always taught in environmental science, the forests plays a great role in avoiding floods because they absorb and hold the water that is brought upon by rain. The more trees planted, the less flood water will go down to the cities. One example is the case of SM in Baguio, where in a plan of expanding and creating a parking area, trees needed to be cut. Well, it has caught everyone's attention and the company had to improvise the project in such a way that the trees will be preserved. Green Peace played a big role in that instance, and it was done through massive campaigning via blogs posted on their website and by having protests in Baguio City. Even if Green Peace is a non-governmental organization, it does its job by exposing the deeds to the public and letting the public become aware of what is going on. This in turn, prompts the public to do action and gain the support of the other people in the community so that they can together protect the environment.  Just like other International Non-governmental organizations, it makes use of the principle of self-authorization to gain the people's trust since they do not have as much power as the government does.

   Volunteering for Green Peace is open to all aspirants, depending on the availability of positions, they offer volunteering opportunities ranging from clerical work down to going into the field and spread awareness. The qualifications of a Green Peace volunteer is that they should support and commit to uphold the Green Peace core values of nonviolence and independence and believe in its mission and must be able to commit to at least one of the worm areas for volunteers and agrees to be recognized as such.  There are a number of types of volunteers, one is to be an activist. According to their website, activists are the ones who take direct action in support of Green Peace's campaigns. These are the people who go out on the streets, go on the Green Peace boats, go climbing, trekking. They do everything  that is humanly possible in a non-violent way just to spread the cause, and help mother nature. They go out and look for people who abuse nature, they expose the damage being made and calls upon the authorities to do something to protect our environment. Next are interns, they are the ones who render unpaid office-based work to complement the campaign staff. Among the engagements possible is to work as research assistants on specific campaign issues, media work and public outreach. This opportunity is what is more ideal for student interns because this gives tasks that is relevant to the academic side of being an International Relations student. Research task, and public campaign is a good venue for individuals to be able to grow and develop not only their skills in research and public organization and speaking but also deepen their advocacy and love for nature. This is the opportunity for volunteering that is more suitable for student volunteers. Another is to be a cyber activist, cyber activists participate in web-based campaign and do whatever possible to help the cyber public be aware about our environment. This is the easiest way to campaign and one of the efficient ways to do so, especially if you are targeting the youth. Almost all the youth nowadays have access to the internet, and all other forms of new media. This enables them to check on news and updates regularly without the bulk of paper. This paperless campaign also helps preserves trees, because the less papers are to be produced, the less trees are gonna be cut because paper is mainly composed of wood material.

    Given these opportunities for volunteering, the application is easy. One just needs to fill out an application form with a picture and a photocopy of a valid id and send it to their applications team. This will then be added to their databases and will be processed. So, for undergraduate students, it is highly possible to volunteer for the Greenpeace International so long as they share the same advocacy and if they actually meet the certain qualifications. This internship or volunteering opportunity is a very good one because this gives the youth, specially the students a venue for them to take part of saving mother earth. In the small things that people do, lives are being saved, lives of the present generation and of the future generations to come. 





Sources:


SAFnet Dictionary|Definition For [deforestation]. Dictionary of forestry.org (2008-07-29). Retrieved on 2013-3-15

Green Peace International - South East Asia Website. (http://m.greenpeace.org/international/en/high/Get-Involved/)



Court saves trees from SM Baguio expansion, for now



Background January 8, 2009 (2009-01-08). "Greenpeace International FAQ: Questions about Greenpeace in general". Greenpeace.org. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/about/faq/questions-about-greenpeace-in. Retrieved 2013-2-23. 

Monday, July 15, 2013

Migration to the Philippines: A Boost to its Economy

Globalization has significant impacts on the country, among the many things are economic opportunities and challenges to our security. These must be addressed by the country accordingly. With the advancements of the ASEAN, where the member countries are aiming for an open economic zone within the neighbor countries, free trade will be encouraged within the countries and could aid economic growth in all the countries. The ASEAN as a regional body will pursue greater regional cooperation on common issues such as combating piracy, smuggling, human trafficking, terrorism and other transnational crimes. With this, borders are opened for immigration. The National interest of a country is very flexible, depending on what the present situation of the international community is. For now, since there is less threats of war, the focuses of states is more on the development of one's economy. 


Boosting our economy has been one of our country's priorities ever since. One of the primary contributors to our economy is the tourism in our country. The Philippines is considered as one of the top tourist destinations because of our hospitality and nice tourist spots. This phenomenon is beneficial for our economy because it generates more income, however, this also poses a threat to our security because of the influx of foreigners. In my thesis, I am looking into the attitudes and perceptions of the Filipinos, specifically the Cebuanos towards foreigners. This looks into how the locals view the foreigners, specially the migrating ones in the area, whether they tolerate having them or not. Every man's perception and attitude towards them varies depending on one's political socialization.
The Philippines' foreign policy specifically targets national security, economic gains, and the welfare of our overseas filipino workers. These three are the things in which our contemporary national interest is closely associated with. In Article IV, Section 5 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Dual allegiance of citizens is inimical to the national interest and shall be dealt with by law. This would serve a kind of dilemma for the country, if we continue to admit migrants or not. However, Immigration is growing and expanding here in the Philippines. Every now and then, we see foreign migrants settling in. According to the Bureau of Immigrations, as of December 31, 2012 there are more than 200,000 foreigners with resident visas in the Philippines, a 6% increase compared to the data gathered in 2011. Having foreigners live in the country, gives them a good grasp as to what really is happening in the Philippines. Foreigners would get acquainted to our culture and could spread good word about the good things in the country. This eventually leads to an increase of the foreign investors in our country. One of the problems of getting investors in the country is the danger or threats that are being broadcasted by the media all around the world. However, there are two sides of a coin, it cannot be generalized that reports of armed conflict and etc. in the country, are conclusive of how bad it is to live in the country. Having testimonies from foreigners that would contradict with the negative reports would be beneficial to the country.