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This is an online platform for News & Features that Matter to us Greens, a regular online publication of the Makakalikasan Alliance (Makakalikasan Organization Inc., Makakalikasan Nature Party Philippines and Likas Kabuhayan Multi Purpose Cooperative)

12/06/2025

On this Philippine Independence Day 2025, we ask the hard questions: Amidst our worsening ECOLOGICAL INSECURITY and our inability to protect the integrity of our country's natural patrimony against exploitation by a few at the expense of the many, by exploitation of other countries within our own boundaries and our inability to have a REPUTABLE and RESPONSIVE government amidst the IMPUNITY of traditional politicians, political dynasties, criminal in government and corrupt officials in a clear manifestation of MAL GOVERNANCE, are we truly INDEPENDENT for the interest of the majority of our people as our DEMOCRACY demands???

PROTECT THE REPUBLIC! GO for GREEN GOVERNANCE NOW!

JOIN the Makakalikasan Nature Party Philippines: https://forms.gle/CpXpXfzw6ATM6f1t5

Toxic Schools? Lead Paints Still Sold as “Safe” Despite Health RisksBy: Roy J. Cabonegro - Green Normal TV News ServiceA...
05/06/2025

Toxic Schools? Lead Paints Still Sold as “Safe” Despite Health Risks
By: Roy J. Cabonegro - Green Normal TV News Service

As public schools nationwide gear up for Brigada Eskwela 2025, a recent announcement by a health and environmental watchdog has raised serious concerns about the paints used in thousands of classrooms. On June 3, a non-profit group verified that 205 decorative paint products from 12 manufacturers are now certified lead-safe, compliant with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Chemical Control Order. This certification is timely—but it also exposes a deeper issue.

Despite the 2013 phase-out of lead-containing decorative paints and a 2016 ban on industrial lead paints, many uncertified and potentially hazardous paint brands remain in circulation. The Philippines’ lead exposure problem is far from solved. According to UNICEF and Pure Earth’s 2020 report, around 1 in 3 children globally suffer from lead poisoning. The Philippines, a country with a young demographic, remains vulnerable, especially as informal sellers and discount stores continue to distribute cheap, toxic paint.

The government's endorsement of certified brands is commendable but incomplete. It risks misleading the public into believing that all school paints are now safe—ignoring the reality of lax enforcement and widespread non-compliance. Simply announcing “lead-safe” brands is not a guarantee of safety across the education system.

The Makakalikasan Party's Green Agenda on Ecological Economics calls for a “true-cost” approach to environmental harm, holding producers accountable and ensuring toxic-free environments through strict regulation. Yet current policies still lean heavily on voluntary compliance and private certifications, rather than systemic reform and public accountability.

Why, despite over a decade of legal bans, does toxic paint still end up in schools? Who profits from these loopholes? Until the government fully bans uncertified paints, strengthens its enforcement arm, and penalizes violators, children’s health will remain at risk—hidden behind brightly colored walls.

BREAKING LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS with GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS: Mga muhon nilagay kahapon diumano sa isang mangrove area sa ...
05/06/2025

BREAKING LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS
with GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS:

Mga muhon nilagay kahapon diumano sa isang mangrove area sa San Juan, Batangas na part of Isla Berde Passage protected area - the most important marine conservation area in the world. Small fisherfollks fear this is another attempt at grabbing this public land by some private interests or worse misguided government agency. Is this to facilitate conservation or profit?

Exclusive report sa ELIZALDE NEWS BREAK mamayang 12:30PM:

> Elizalde Broadcasting: https://www.youtube.com/live/9_1CQmWd1ZE
> Green Normal TV: https://www.youtube.com/live/rgu_FFxSmV0

Net-Zero by 2050 May Destroy Nature Before It Saves the ClimateBy: Roy J. Cabonegro - Green Normal TV News Service A new...
05/06/2025

Net-Zero by 2050 May Destroy Nature Before It Saves the Climate
By: Roy J. Cabonegro - Green Normal TV News Service

A new global report warns that the race to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 could come at the expense of biodiversity, with alarming consequences for ecosystems and food security.

Released in May 2025 by an international energy and environment consortium, the report reveals that the expansion of land-based carbon removal strategies—particularly bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and afforestation—could use up to 1.2 billion hectares of land globally, roughly equivalent to the size of Canada and the United States combined.

The study, supported by satellite data and peer-reviewed modeling, shows that deploying these land-intensive technologies could increase land-use pressure in key biodiversity hotspots, including parts of the Amazon, Southeast Asia, and Central Africa. Researchers estimate that if current trends continue, over 300 million hectares of natural ecosystems could be converted to monoculture plantations by 2050. This could push an additional 1,000 species closer to extinction.

The primary actors driving this shift are national governments and energy companies aiming to meet legally binding net-zero pledges. Many of these pledges rely heavily on land-based carbon offsets rather than actual emissions reductions, raising concerns about misleading climate claims. Critics argue this "false climate accounting" diverts attention from reducing fossil fuel use and undermines global biodiversity targets agreed under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Farming Funds or Farm Illusions? Youths Lured While Crisis Brews in BenguetBy: Roy J. Cabonegro - Green Normal TV News S...
04/06/2025

Farming Funds or Farm Illusions? Youths Lured While Crisis Brews in Benguet
By: Roy J. Cabonegro - Green Normal TV News Service

​
On June 3, 2025, local officials in La Trinidad, Benguet celebrated the rise of younger farmers joining the agricultural sector, allegedly reversing a decades-old aging trend among Filipino food producers. With the national average age of farmers pegged at 57, local agriculture data now shows a shift to the 30–40 age group, thanks to government-led programs like the Young Farmers’ Challenge and entrepreneurship support for out-of-school youth and job-seeking graduates.

According to municipal officials, the influx of younger farmers is due in part to millions in agricultural aid, technical training, and proposed scholarships in agriculture and related sciences. Every day, at least 2 million kilograms of vegetables are traded in the town’s markets, generating around PHP40 million in daily economic activity.

However, critics warn that these short-term incentives may be painting a too-rosy picture of youth engagement in farming, without addressing deeper structural challenges that continue to threaten Philippine agriculture. The Green Agenda of the Makakalikasan Party emphasizes ecological sustainability, farmer cooperatives, secure land tenure, and reducing chemical inputs. Yet, La Trinidad’s programs show little integration of agroecology, seed sovereignty, or organic farming systems—elements deemed crucial for truly sustainable agriculture.

Furthermore, no mention was made of climate resilience, water rights, or protection from agri-industrial encroachment. Instead, emphasis remains on economic turnover, productivity, and enterprise—buzzwords that, while appealing, may mask the continuing neglect of regenerative farming systems.

While the growth of vegetable trade in La Trinidad is commendable, the question remains: are we equipping the next generation to feed the nation sustainably, or simply training them to survive in an increasingly industrialized and unstable food economy?

Without a firm shift to community-based ecological agriculture, such youth programs risk becoming attractive bait masking the continued erosion of real food sovereignty.

Billions for Renewables, but Who Really Controls the Power?By: Roy Cabonegro - Green Normal TV NEWS Service​Since mid-20...
04/06/2025

Billions for Renewables, but Who Really Controls the Power?
By: Roy Cabonegro - Green Normal TV NEWS Service

​
Since mid-2022, investments in the Philippines surged by 71%, with a staggering ₱1.7 trillion poured into renewable energy (RE) projects as of April 2024. At the center of this boom are foreign and local corporate giants banking on solar, wind, hydro, and energy storage systems. Just this May 2025, the Philippine government opened public bidding for 9.4 gigawatts (GW) of RE capacity—one of the largest tenders in Southeast Asia to date.

The Department of Energy (DOE) plans to award contracts by mid-June, targeting completion of projects within 3–5 years. These include 5.45 GW of solar, 3.15 GW of wind, and over 800 megawatts of battery energy storage across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The goal: increase RE’s share to at least 35% of the energy mix by 2030 and 50% by 2040.

But who benefits most from these developments? Critics from the Makakalikasan Green Party warn that the current surge in RE investments, while promising on paper, largely favors private corporate interests over people-centered development. Despite the scale of investment, there remains no clear mandate ensuring community-owned microgrids, priority for off-grid indigenous communities, or democratic public control of energy infrastructure.

Moreover, local governments and civil society groups were barely consulted in the design of these RE tenders. The process also lacks environmental justice safeguards. Land rights of indigenous peoples and rural farmers remain vulnerable to forced conversions and speculative land grabs, disguised as “clean energy development.”

While the numbers paint a picture of progress, the deeper reality points to an energy transition hijacked by profit motives. Without reforms prioritizing ecological integrity, social equity, and local empowerment, the Philippine RE boom risks becoming just another corporate takeover cloaked in environmental rhetoric.

Philippine Climate Boasts Mask Inaction on Health and Fossil FuelsBy: Roy J. Cabonegro - Green Normal TV News Services​O...
04/06/2025

Philippine Climate Boasts Mask Inaction on Health and Fossil Fuels
By: Roy J. Cabonegro - Green Normal TV News Services

​
On May 27, at the “Manila Call to Action on Climate and Health” forum, Senator Loren Legarda proclaimed the Philippines’ continuing leadership in climate action. Held in Manila, the forum united policymakers and health experts under a global call to integrate public health into climate change efforts. Legarda emphasized that “there is no Planet B,” pledging that the Philippines will remain at the forefront of global climate policy initiatives.

However, critics argue that the rhetoric outpaces actual performance. The Makakalikasan – Nature Party Philippines challenges the credibility of such statements, pointing to persistent fossil fuel dependence and the lack of a declared national climate and public health emergency.

“Talk is cheap when coal-fired power plants are still operating, plastic pollution continues to surge, and the health sector receives only 5.6% of the national budget,” says the Makakalikasan Party. “Where is the emergency response when communities still lack early warning systems and access to climate-resilient health care?”

The Philippines is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, with over 62 million people living in coastal zones threatened by sea-level rise. Yet, despite international declarations, domestic emissions rose by 114% from 1990 to 2019, with energy and transportation as major contributors.

The Makakalikasan Party advocates for urgent implementation of its 15-Point Green Agenda, including the phaseout of fossil fuels by 2030, universal healthcare responsive to climate-related diseases, and a climate audit of all public investments.

The Party warns against what he calls “climate diplomacy without domestic accountability.” He adds, “You cannot claim leadership when you’re still subsidizing diesel and approving land reclamation projects that destroy mangroves and displace fishing communities.”

As global temperatures inch past 1.2°C above pre-industrial levels, Filipinos must demand more than symbolic summits—they need real, accountable action.

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