History and Medicine in the Philippines

Causes and Effects in Environment

Throughout the years and even today, we, people, always look for good food, water, shelter, security, education, clothing, medicine, and other basic needs. Sometimes or most of the times, they tend to exploit the natural resources of lands, water and air in different parts of the world.

They also want to achieve something. They want to gain and earn titles, awards, names, prestige, honor, and privileges for themselves, family, friends and countrymen. Some people achieve them through bad and good means. They justify their means of taking, exploiting and invading territories that belong to other people.

Throughout the world, foreign and local invaders, colonizers, explorers, criminals, traitors, and residents had performed illegal mining, logging, deforestation, excavating gold, silver, sand, marble, chromite, mineral deposits, oil, and other natural resources, dynamite fishing, landslides, coastal erosion, biodiversity loss, and the extinction of animals, plants and other resources. They have threatened, outsmarted, bullied, killed, raped, tortured, abused, insulted, and invoked war, revolt, invasion, war, violence, and other harmful things to women, children, men, plants, animals, and other species. The people caused the pollution of air, water, and land.

In the Philippines, economic development policies have supported a series of industries that have had major impacts on land cover and natural resource uses in logging, mining, and industrial agriculture. In agriculture, land has been used to produce rice, mung beans, taro, yam, bananas, coconuts, and other basic commodities for domestic and international market that is a threat to the country's biodiversity.

In the 333 years of Spanish colonial rule, it has been estimated that 25% of total forested land in the Philippines were cleared. Baguio was one of the lands that were used to expand colonial territory and to discover gold buried in the mountains. The Spaniards spread rumors that the magical El Dorado or City of Gold was to be found in the northern Cordilleras. However, they failed to complete the search of gold as they had a difficulty in navigating the mountain terrain. They also faced a problem in fighting the Igorots in the Cordillera mountains.

The Spanish government then issued exorbitant taxation, harsh confiscation, and oppressive labor practices to the inhabitants in Baguio, Benguet and other colonial territories. Nevertheless, the inhabitants in tribal communities had remain consistent in their cultural and political-economic system. Among them were members of the Ibaloy and the Kankaney.

Moreover, it has been estimated that the Philippines lost 2.1% of its forest cover each year between 2000-2005. This is the second fastest deforestation rate in Southeast Asia and the 9th in the world.

Forests, mountains, hills, plants, animals, and other natural resources are cleared to cultivate agricultural lands. The people have increased demands for rice, spices, cocoa, herbs, tobacco, cotton, medicine, and other domestic products as they decide to make expansion of agricultural lands.

Forest lands, mountains, sandy areas, hills and other lands are used to construct bridges, roads, railroads, houses, commercial buildings and other infrastructures. From the forest lands, they extracted sands, stones, mineral deposits, shells and other natural resources to produce bricks, cement, marble, glass, porcelain, gun powder, clay pots, sculptures and other things.

From the forest, they have hunted, poached, captured, slaughtered, and drove birds, reptiles, insects, and animals. Most of them are endangered like Philippine eagle, tamaraw, Philippine crocodile, Walden's hornbill, Negros breeding-heart pigeon, and tarsier.

The Philippines has a diverse coastal, marine, and island ecosystem. It is located within the Coral Triangle, which is home to the world's greatest marine biodiversity. This environment is under grave threat.