As the population in the Philippines grows, natural resources are becoming insufficient and the environment is experiencing negative changes. Some key issues discussed are air pollution, deforestation, and landslides. Air pollution is one of the leading causes of respiratory diseases in the country. Deforestation, such as in Bulacan, is reducing fresh water supplies to Metro Manila as trees play an important role in the water cycle. Landslides, like one that recently killed two people in Benguet, are becoming more common due to heavy rains in mountainous areas. Preventing further environmental degradation is a responsibility shared by all.

1. ENVIRONMENTAL
CHANGES IN THE
PHILIPPINES
B Y :
C A G A B C A B , L Y G I N E
M A S C A R D O , J A N C A R L O
M O R A L E S , K Y L A
O B O D , L O U B E R T

2. As time passes through, the population also grows as the resources
are becoming insufficient. We slowly lost our natural resources
because we do not discipline ourselves in using it and we are closely
suffering because we experiences response of nature on what we
have all done. The following are the current environmental changes
we are all experiencing in the current years.

3. AIR POLLUTION

4. The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) is threatening to
sue owners of vehicles who will fail smoke emission tests.
The reason?
Petroleum-fueled vehicles are the top contributors to air
pollution in Metro Manila.

5. AIR POLLUTION
is among the leading causes of respiratory diseases in the country.
Air is the ocean we breathe. Air supplies us with oxygen which is
essential for our bodies to live. However, human activities can
release substances into the air, some of which can cause problems
such as smog, acid rain, the green-house effect, and "holes" in the
ozone layer. Each of these problems has serious implications for our
health and well-being as well as for the whole environment.
Therefore, preventing air pollution is not only the duty of an
individual but also the responsibilities of all people who are living in
this earth.
Inhaling polluted air can result to colds, cough, and asthma, which, if
become unchecked, can develop into serious respiratory illnesses
such as pneumonia and lung cancer.

6. According to a study by the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources Environmental Environment Bureau, pollution at Metro Manila
stands at 166 suspended particulates, which is almost double the 80-
particulate threshold set by Republic Act 8749, or the Philippine Clean Air
Act of 1999, as “Good.”
The DENR iManila, whose 11.8-million population is the largest among
the country’s regions. DENR Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Section Chief
Emmanuel Gutierrez said that they are targeting to lower the amount of
suspended particulates in the Metro air to 90.
The DENR runs 12 air monitoring stations all over the s aiming to lower the
levels of suspended particulates in Metro region. Three of these—in
Valenzuela, Taguig, and Ateneo in Quezon City—are able to churn in real-
time results. Air in Pasay Rotonda, Cubao, Monumento and Makati, are
said to be the most polluted in the Metro Manila.

8. DEFORESTATION

9. Deforestation, clearance or clearing is the removal of a forest or
stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest
use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to
farms, ranches, or urban use.

10. Example of deforestation in the Philippines is Bulacan deforestation
‘drying up’ metro manila water supply.
In the Ipo watershed in Norzgaray, Bulacan, large brown spots of burnt
forest stain the mountainside like bruises.
The Ipo watershed's 6,600 hectares of forest provides fresh water to more
than 11 million people in Metro Manila by generating water that flows to
the Ipo Dam and then to La Mesa Dam.
A typical tree breathes out 250 to 400 gallons of water per day through its
leaves, humidifying the air. This process, called evapotranspiration, is
responsible for most of the rain that falls inland, far from oceans.
Thus, without trees, there is no rain and it is rain that supplies much of
the freshwater humans need to live.

12. WATERSHED ON FIRE. Another massive forest fire taken in April 2014 within
view of the Ipo dam. Photo from Edwin Santa Maria

13. LANDSLIDE

14. Is the movement of rock, debris or earth down a
slope. They result from the failure of the materials
which make up the hill slope and are driven by the
force of gravity. Landslides are known also as
landslips, slumps or slope failure.

15. On the recent news, Two persons died and five others were injured after a van and a jeepney were
buried in a landslide early Monday morning (July 13) along Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet. Warning
signs are also installed along the highway prone to re-occurrence of landslide and rockslide brought by
the continuous heavy rains in the Cordilleras. Due to the landslides, the Baguio to Itogon Road and the
Acop to Kibungan Road are closed, while only one lane of the Naguilian Road is passable.