The Republic of the Philippines is an archipelago of some 7,100 islands and islets, majestic in their splendor. The numerous islands support a broad range of highly productive ecosystems, tropical forests and mountains, mangrove swamps and coral reefs.  

Ours is a developing country with a population of almost 77 million Filipinos. We have the oldest democratic traditions in Southeast Asia, and we deeply care about our freedom. For those who love the sun, beach, surfing and the exotic life at a very low cost, the Philippines is paradise.  

But even in paradise, we endure problems caused by a high incidence of poverty, by industrial expansion, and by rapid population growth. There is considerable abuse of our natural resources -- the destruction of coral reefs, poison and dynamite fishing, slash and burn farming on our mountains, the pollution of our lakes and rivers. We have been personally and directly involved in the effort to diminish five major problems of the Philippine environment, the problems of deforestation, air pollution, urban waste and garbage, and the toxic contamination of former United States military bases.  

The problem of deforestation. At the start of the 20th century the forested area of the Philippines was some 21 million hectares or almost 70 percent of the country's total land area of 30 million hectares. Today our remaining forest cover is below one million hectares. Moreover, on the average, our rate of deforestation was 203,905 hectares annually while our rate of reforestation was only 9,398 hectares. This means that for every tree planted, 21 are cut down.  

The effects of deforestation have been tragic and devastating. Some 6.5 million tribal Filipinos have lost rich hunting and inland fishing grounds. Species of flora and fauna have been lost forever. Biological diversity has been greatly diminished and there are periodic erosion and floods everywhere.  

We responded to this problem in two ways. One was a proposed legislation which will ban commercial logging for 30 years, and this legislation is now being carefully deliberated. Our second response was to introduce "Luntiang Pilipinas" or Greening the Philippines Movement. The goal of this movement is to create a tree park in every city and town plaza with at least 100 trees of forest varieties. Each tree park serves as "lungs" of the community, beautifying the plaza and raising community consciousness about the environment at the same time. The movement has created forest parks in over 1,800 towns and cities, and the number is rising each month.  

The problem of smog and air pollution. High levels of industrial emission and the increasing number of motor vehicles on our roads have seriously degraded air quality in urban areas. The consequences are rising levels of respiratory and lung ailments in our population, fatigue and poor concentration among adults, and nervous disorders in children.  

Our response was the sponsorship of legislation which became the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1998. Among other things, this law provides an air quality management fund, imposes new vehicle emission standards, and provides incentives for pollution abatement and prevention.  

The problem of waste and garbage. In Metropolitan Manila, where some 12 million people work and live, some 6,000 tons of garbage is generated daily. An estimated 24 percent is illegally dumped in vacant lands or thrown into our rivers or waterways. This exacerbates the flooding of streets during the rainy season and the poor sanitation conditions of many communities. In addition, the capacity of garbage landfills has long been exceeded, and there is a need to develop new landfill sites.  

Our response was to author a bill which was enacted as the Integrated Solid Waste Management Act of 2001, the first legislation signed into law by our new President, Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. This law created a structure to provide technology, research, organization and facilities to alleviate the waste problem and reduce health hazards.  

The problem of toxic contaminants in the former US military bases. These contaminants continue to produce ailments, diseases and death for Filipinos. A variety of hazardous substances -- including mercury, dieldrin, benzene, toluene, heavy metals and organochlorines -- have been found in water and soil samples. The Canadian International Institute of Concern for Public Health three years ago reported conspicuously high levels of kidney, urinary, nervous and female reproductive system and skin disorders in at least six communities in the former Clark Air Base and the Subic Naval Base. A number of children have died of rare cases of cancer and leukemia. In 1998, of 144 persons suffering from exposure to toxic elements, 76 of them experienced a painful death.  

The US government is aware of this tragedy but it refuses to act. The US senate and the US departments of defense and state have taken cognizance of this widespread and serious contamination. However, because "the cost of bringing all contaminated sites into compliance with US standards could approach Superfund proportions," the American government declines the responsibility for cleaning up these bases.  

The US correctly claims that it has an agreement with the Philippine government that, in effect, releases the US from any obligation by virtue of the transfer of improvements and infrastructure on those bases to the Philippine government. But this is a highly questionable claim because the American government never indicated the widespread extent and the gravity of contamination in the former US military bases. Further, US authorities were aware that the Philippine government did not have the sophistication or tools to detect this enormous hidden danger.  

Our response has been to spearhead a campaign against this monstrous problem and this injustice foisted by America, a continuing information campaign in the halls of our government, in the domestic and international media, and in the US Congress. It is our hope -- our fervent hope -- that one day the US Congress will respond to our plight. When that time comes, perhaps we may regain our trust in the fairness and in the sense of responsibility of the only Super Power left on this planet.