Support the government’s drive against illegal wildlife trade

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) during its Third National Wildlife Law Enforcement Summit held online last November 16-18, 2021 appealed to the public to support the government’s drive against illegal wildlife trade (IWT), emphasizing its links to the health and economic stability of Filipinos.

“These diseases emerge not because of the existence of wildlife, but because of people who exploit wildlife. Our own survival as a species is at stake and everyone has a role in combating illegal wildlife trade,” said DENR-BMB Director Datu Tungko M. Saikol during the Culmination Programme and Turn-over Ceremony of the DENR-Asian Development Bank (ADB)/Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Combating Environmental Organized Crime Project held on the third day of the said Summit.


Saikol said that the COVID-19 pandemic proved that public health could be adversely affected by zoonotic diseases emerging from contact with wildlife, or infectious diseases transmitted from animals to humans. In 2020, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Wildlife Crime Report indicated that zoonotic diseases represent up to 75 per cent of all emerging infectious diseases. As hunters, middlemen, and consumers come in close contact with wild animals at different points of the trade, they can contract novel, unknown diseases and pass these on to other humans. “The pandemic is a wake-up call for us to avoid colliding head on with nature, a call to protect our natural resources and the health of millions,” he added.


Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change Chairperson Senator Cynthia Villar, for her part, said that there is a need to be proactive when it comes to wildlife protection. “It is the constant exploitation of wild animals and their habitat, mostly through human actions, that drives the risk of zoonotic diseases’ transmission,” she said in a recorded message to the participants of the Summit.


Saikol also sought the public’s involvement against IWT for economic reasons. “Conserving and protecting our biodiversity creates jobs, supports local businesses and tourism, and increases local tax revenue. It is common-sense economics,” he said. The DENR estimates that IWT costs the Philippines 50 billion pesos every year, covering the market value of wildlife, poaching-related damage to habitats, and loss of ecotourism revenue.


The DENR-BMB urged the public to report alleged IWT crimes through DENR’s social media accounts or to the nearest DENR regional offices. “The DENR cannot do this alone,” Saikol said. “We need the public to act as eyes and ears in their communities and help report wildlife violations,” he added.


Forest rangers and law enforcement partners can use the WildALERT mobile application to report suspected illegal wildlife trafficking. The WildALERT- Fauna app was initially developed with the support of USAID-PROTECT Wildlife but was later expanded to include the flora component, with support from the DENR-ADB/GEF Project.


The Project also collaborated with the DENR-BMB in producing video documentaries and other communication, education, and public awareness materials, including posters in Tagalog and Bisaya, to further engage the public on the issue.


“Addressing illegal wildlife trade is of primary importance,” said DENR Undersecretary for Protected Areas and Special Concerns Edilberto Leonardo. “We continuously strive to equip people to be environmental defenders,” he added.


“Filipinos must stop buying illegal wildlife, their by-products, and derivatives. The IWT runs on greed and profits. Without the demand for illegal wildlife, the trade will dry up,” Saikol said.

As one of the world’s most mega-diverse countries, the Philippines is an important source, transit, and destination point for illegal wildlife trade, which is now the fourth largest illicit trade worldwide behind illegal drugs, arms, and human trafficking.


“Wildlife law enforcement may be the mandate of the DENR, but helping stop illegal wildlife trade and conserve our biodiversity is every Filipino’s responsibility,” Saikol concluded.

What’s next for the Philippines after COP26?

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Surprise announcements and flowery speeches won’t solve the climate crisis; Urgent actions and decisions should come immediately.

The UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) ended in overtime and on a disappointing note despite the urgent calls for world leaders to make commitments on crucial points, including the phasing out of fossil fuels.

“While the text agreed is far from perfect, we are moving in the right direction. What is essential to watch for now are the concrete steps Philippine government officials will take,” according to Atty. Angela Ibay, WWF-Philippines’ Head of Climate and Energy, said.

Now that the conference is over and the delegates are back home in their respective countries, the real and definite work begins. Policies need to be put in place, executive decisions need to be made, implementation enhanced, and stakeholders must be gathered and galvanized so that the country can move towards a future responsive to climate change.

“After COP26, we have a chance to Change the Ending for the planet. Our officials know their roles, they know the targets needed to be achieved to keep on track and aligned to the 1.5C temperature goal. Implement our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) properly and unconditionally, while ensuring nature stays at the heart of our response to the climate crisis, in tandem with a full transformation of the energy system,” Ibay said.

“Most Filipinos are already suffering from the climate crisis, but that doesn't mean the situation is hopeless. This is the fight for our survival and for the planet. And we need to win. Whatever it takes,” she said.

Philippine government officials should take the following urgent concrete steps following the pledges and promises they committed to at COP26 in Glasgow:

• Accelerate the clean and just energy transition through more renewable energy sources and energy efficiency use

• Undertake enhanced implementation of the Philippine NDC and ensure that the Philippine national budget supports our climate actions

• Put in place executive measures and policies that integrate sustainability in the systems that provide our basic needs

• Seriously implement actions to stop nature loss, scale-up restoration, and integrate the value of nature in our national plans

• Use effective leadership to get our local governments, the private sector, and all stakeholders to apply solutions towards climate resilience, environmental protection, and sustainable development.

COP26 wrapped up one day beyond the schedule with weak decisions in a number of important areas, including adaptation, loss and damage and climate finance. But, there are significant hooks in the text for countries to increase short-term climate ambition and to implement binding climate policies. 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres admitted that countries “did not achieve these goals at this conference. But we have some building blocks for progress,” 

"Unfortunately, the collective political will was not enough to overcome some deep contradictions," he said in a video statement after COP26.

He also had a message for the "disappointed" young people, indigenous communities, women leaders, and all those leading the charge on climate action.

“I know you are disappointed. But the path of progress is not always a straight line. Sometimes there are detours. Sometimes there are ditches. But I know we can get there. We are in the fight of our lives, and this fight must be won. Never give up. Never retreat. Keep pushing forward.”

The Philippines was a signatory in several declarations announced during the conference including the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use which commits to halting deforestation and restoring forest land.

“COP26 is not just a one-time event where world leaders make surprise announcements and flowery speeches. Words won’t solve the climate crisis. Actions are what we need to see to Change the Ending for the planet now,” Ibay said.

“The Philippine delegation, led by DOF Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, should make it clear now what direction the country is heading to protect nature and people from the worst effects of climate change,” Ibay said. “With the elections and a change of administration coming next year, our leaders should not put off addressing the climate crisis for later anymore.”

More information about WWF-Philippines’ call to #ChangeTheEnding by transitioning to a new and green normal can be found here: https://wwf.org.ph/resource-center/story-archives-2020/the-new-normal/

France's International Program Produire au Sud Puts a Spotlight on PH Cinema on its 20th Anniversary

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The Produire au Sud (PAS), the international training program designed for young directors and producers from Africa, Latin America, and Asia, and the professional side of the Festival des 3 Continents (also known as the Three Continents Festival), with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) as its official partner, presents one film and one film project representing the country in the festival from November 20 to 26 in Nantes, France.

The PAS 20th anniversary celebrations are within the framework of the 43rd edition of the Festival des 3 Continents. The PAS anniversary program this year includes the retrospective, “20 Years of Produire au Sud,” a diverse selection of eighteen films featured in the past to illustrate the success of  the workshop and festival through the years, using the occasion as well as an opportunity to reflect both upon the history of the workshop and its future position within a changing and dynamic industry. Part of the selection is Shireen Seno’s award-winning Filipino film Nervous Translation that took part in the 2014 Bangkok PAS workshop.

PAS alumni, Nervous Translation tells the story of Yael, a shy eight year-old girl who lives in her private world, and finds out about a pen that can translate thoughts and feelings of nervous people.

As part of the PAS 20th anniversary celebration, Festival des 3 Continents is hosting the 21st PAS workshop where The Boy and the Fight of Spiders (Diwalwal), directed by Jarell Serencio and produced by Alexandra Maria Poblete of Los Otros, is participating along with five other producer-director pairs and their respective feature film projects benefiting from the experience, teaching, and  training of a group of experts, from development to the beginning of production. Both Serencio and Poblete are physically attending the workshop in Nantes, with the support of the Agency.

Diwalwal, an FDCP Southern Voices (SoVo) Film Lab grantee and participant, is about a spider-obsessed 12 year-old boy living in the Southern Philippines, who uncovers a web of lies as he looks for the bodies of his brother and father after losing them in a tunnel collapse.

“As a partner to this prestigious international workshop, we are proud that our country is represented by the award-winning film Nervous Translation, which has been selected to be part of the retrospective for the 20th anniversary of PAS. For the 21st edition this year, our very own SoVo grantee film project Diwalwal, following in the former’s footsteps, is taking part in this workshop. We strongly believe that this journey will equip the participating filmmakers with the knowledge and tools they will need to complete their film,” said FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño.

The Festival des 3 Continents is an international competition with special screenings, retrospectives, tributes and thematic programmes, the festival presents a wide range of fiction and documentary films from Africa, Latin America, and Asia. The festival runs from November 19 to 28.