NO TO MINING IN PALAWAN

Mining refers to the process of extracting metals and minerals from the earth. Gold, silver, diamond, iron, coal and uranium are just a few of the vast array of metals and minerals that are obtained by this process. In fact, mining is the source of all the substances that cannot be obtained by industrial processes or through agriculture. Mining reaps huge profits for the companies that own them and provides employment to a large number of people. It is also a huge source of revenue for the government. Despite its economic importance, the question that how does mining affect the environment is a pressing environmental issue.

 

Effects of Mining on Environment

Effect on Land

Deforestation: Mining requires large areas of land to be cleared so that the earth could be dug into by the miners. For this reason, large scale deforestation is required to be carried out in the areas where mining has to be done. Besides clearing the mining area, vegetation in the adjoining areas also needs to be cut in order to construct roads and residential facilities for the mine workers. The human population brings along with it other activities that harm the environment.

Loss of Biodiversity: The forests that are cleared for mining purposes are home to a large number of organisms. Indiscriminate clearing of the forests lead to loss of habitat of a large number of animals. This puts the survival of a large number of animal species at stake. The cutting down of trees in itself is a big threat to a number of plants and trees growing in the forests.

Pollution: Despite measures being taken to release the chemical waste into the nearby rivers through pipes, a large amount of chemicals still leak out onto the land. This changes the chemical composition of the land. Besides this, since the chemicals are poisonous, they make the soil unsuitable for plants to grow. Also, the organisms that live in the soil find the polluted environment hostile for their survival.

Effect on Water

Pollution: Chemicals like mercury, cyanide, sulfuric acid, arsenic and methyl mercury are used in various stages of mining. Most of the chemicals are released into nearby water bodies that leads to water pollution. In spite of tailings (pipes) being used to dispose these chemicals into the water bodies, possibilities of leakage are always there. When the leaked chemicals slowly percolate through the layers of the earth, they reach the groundwater and pollute it. Surface run-off of just soil and rock debris, although non-toxic, can be harmful for vegetation of the surrounding areas.

Loss of Aquatic Life: Release of toxic chemicals into the water is obviously harmful for the flora and fauna of the water bodies. Besides the pollution, mining processes use water from nearby water sources. The result is that the water content of the river or lake from which water is being used gets reduced. Organisms in these water bodies do not have enough water for their survival.

River dredging is a method adopted in case of gold mining. In this method, gravel and mud is suctioned from a particular area of the river. After the gold fragments are filtered out, the remaining mud and gravel is released back into the river, although, at a location different from where they had been taken. This disrupts the natural flow of the river that may cause fish and other organisms to die.

Spread of Diseases

Sometimes the liquid waste that is generated after the metals or minerals have been extracted is disposed in a mining pit. As the pit gets filled up by the mine tailings, they become a stagnant pool of water. This becomes the breeding ground for water-borne diseases causing insects and organisms like mosquitoes to flourish.

Although the developed countries have tight norms regarding mining, such rules can be easily flouted in countries which lack strict monitoring of the procedures being followed for mining. The effects in such cases can be devastating for the environment. Be it due to ignorance of the regulations or just a freak accident, incidents like the Guyana spill of 1995 highlights the fact that issues like how does mining affect the environment are worth some serious deliberation.

MINING IN PALAWAN 

Meanwhile, Palawan is the Philippine’s Last Frontier—its richness in biodiversity is beyond comparison amongst other tourist destinations worldwide. It boasts of a mantel of rainforests, grandiose mountains, prehistoric caves, pristine dive sites and beaches.

Among many others, its virgin forests are rich in minerals such as mercury, copper and nickel—all of which are sought after by local and international miners.

Mining in Palawan is said to have destroyed forests and caused siltation of water sources, causing farmers and other Palaweños to cry for help in protecting their land. While mining provides job opportunities for some, the degree of damage to the earth, on the livelihood of farmers and Palaweños’ general well-being has become exceptionally alarming.

The issue caught greater public attention with the death of environmentalist and radio commentator Dr. Gerry Ortega in January 24. He used the media for his apparent advocacy to stop mining in his native land.

The ire of the people for the slaying of Ortega translated into a nationwide signature campaign to fulfill his dream and to finally put an end on the destruction of their region. The Save Palawan Movement aims to gather ten million signatures to represent ten percent of the Philippine’s entire population.

Abner Mercado, ABS-CBN News Correspondent, is at one with their crusade. He deeply desires to make people realize what is really at stake—the irreversible damage to the earth for temporary wealth and livelihood. Stop mining in Palawan!

Farming vs. mining

One outweighs the other depending on which side you benefit from. As there is always to sides to a coin, there are also two faces of mining. One profits while the other suffers the consequences.

For someone whose livelihood depends entirely on agriculture, mining is a severe detriment. From Barangay Calategas in Narra, Palawan, Rolinda Villanueva or Aling Yolanda cries at the sight of her rice grains. The harvest dwindled from 60 to 18 sacks of rice—the product, a far cry to the quality she used to sell and feed her family.

Rice grains are often white or brown but Aling Yolanda’s are noticeably red. When cooked, the rice still becomes sticky even after seven washes. She weeps in desperation just looking at it. They could barely eat it but says they do not have a choice.

The rice poses serious health risks because of the presence of laterite, a red residual soil enriched with aluminum and iron oxides. Aling Yolanda’s family could suffer from food poisoning if they continue to eat the red rice. Because of that, it has also become impossible for her to sell the sacks they yielded.

Narra, Palawan is considered as the rice granary of Palawan. Sadly, it caught the eye of mining companies, for instance, Nickel Mining Development Corporation and City Nickel. According to the farmers, the soil and rivers are being ravaged—they have turned red during its operations.

“Yong dating top soil nasa baba na. Yong nasa itaas iyong laterite. Kaya iyong palay, wala nang sustansiya. ‘Yong laman noong palay walang kuwenta iyong bunga. Habang kumakapal iyong laterite, pababa ng pababa ang ani namin”, farmer Teofilo Tredez explains.

(What used to be the top soil is now underneath the laterite. The rice grains have lost its nutrients, it has become useless. As the laterite thickens, our harvest decreases.)

Farming has been their source of income all their lives. Aling Yolanda once dreamed of breaking out from poverty so her children could have better lives. But now, despite all their hard work, they could barely survive. They are just one of the many families who are clamoring for the forbiddance of mining in Palawan.

In contrast to the plight of farmers, Miguel Ventura is a miner who lives in the town of Bataraza where the largest mining operation can be found—the Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Development Corporation (RTN) which started mining in Palawan in the 1970s.

Miguel favors the mining activities in their town. Because of it, he was able to send his children to a private school and build a home for his family. Aside from his salary of P8,000 a month, he also receives benefits as a bulldozer operator for RTN.

While he understands the risks involved in addition to the impact of mining to the environment, Miguel is grateful to his company and will continue to partake in the mining industry because he sees no other livelihood that gives better compensation.

Mining companies like RTN are said to have established schools and hospitals for their employees as well.

Meanwhile, Abner visited the mining site on the report of an overturned barge loaded with tons of nickel ore last March. The cargo was about to be shipped out to China and Japan—major traders of nickel worldwide. He was reminded of the Marinduque Marcopper accident in 1996, the largest industrial tragedy in the country.

Engineer Ricardo Esquires, Assistant Resident Mine Engineer of RTN, confirmed the incident. It happened on the first night of March due to terrible weather conditions. In their defense, Engr. Esquires says it did not cause any damage to the sea. They realize the necessity of caution and believe that the accident will not happen again with proper weather forecasting.

Gomer Miano, Barangay Captain of Rio Tuba, came into RTN’s defense as well, saying that the company has helped their area progress on account of the amount of tax the corporation pays. Furthermore, Captain Miano says that RTN follows the provisions of Mining Act of 1995.

RTN boasts of their reforestation project but Abner argues how insufficient such efforts can still be if compared to the extent of damage it has caused the mountains.

Saving Palawan

With the emergence of industrialization and commerce, nature is being utilized to its maximum capacity and even beyond. Palawan is being regarded in particular because it is one of the few left in the country with corpulent rainforests and fresh bodies of water.

Palawan feeds the La Mesa Watershed. In itself, it has a total of 33 watersheds capable of supplying water to the whole country if only well taken cared of. Likewise, Palawan is also home to various kinds of animals not found anywhere else. Mining causes the destruction of the species’ habitat, endangering them more than ever.

“Pinapatay mo kung saan tayo Number 1. And ano mangyayari diyan pagkamina, wala. ‘Yong minerals kinukuha sa bansa natin, dinadala sa ibang bansa. Paano tayo nakikinabang niyan?”, Gina Lopez, Executive Director of ABS-CBN Foundation, asserts.

(You are killing where we are number one. And what happens after mining? Nothing. The minerals are taken from ours, brought to other countries. How do we benefit in that situation?)

Enacted in 1992, the Republic Act 7661 or Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP Law) enforces rules and regulations in order to protect the natural wonders of Palawan. In its provisions, it states that all forests are core zones—areas of maximum protection. However, companies are still being granted authorization to mine in core zones.

Attorney Gerthy Mayo Anda, Founding Executive of Environmental Legal Assistance Center, supposes that corruption is the reason why mining permits are still being issued despite the prohibition. 

At a press conference held last February 10, former Palawan Governor Joel Reyes denied the allegations of issuing mining permits and his involvement on the death of Dr. Ortega. This is also the stance of the current governor, Chairman Baham Mitra. Both officials pass on the blame to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

But DENR Secretary Ramon Paje contests, saying that Palawan has a specific law [SEP Law] and that even if they grant permits and licenses, they do not process without clearance [from the local government].

“It will not take effect without the clearance of the Provincial Government in Palawan and PCSD”, he says.

Both parties have the power and responsibility, which makes them both accountable for the deliverance of Palawan from mining. Instead of constantly debating over who is to blame, government and non-government officials, as well as ordinary Palaweños should come together and act to save Palawan from the brink of devastation.

Make your signature count

Join us in our march to 10 MILLION SIGNATURES to STOP MINING in Palawan. The numbers are rising and with your signature below, we can make a difference! Go to www.no2mininginpalawan.com, sign, and spread the word! Sign the petition, save Palawan.

SPREAD AWARENESS! NOW! 

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 Here are some Palawan Rights activists I follow on Twitter

Here are some Palawan Rights activists I follow on Twitter. I am so appreciative of the work they do and what I learn from them. You might want to check them out too if you’re a Twitter fan. If you haven’t tried Twitter, check it out.

 

 

NO TO MINING IN PALAWAN TWITTER ACCOUNT (INTENDED FOR EDUCATORS 107)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Theories of Learning

Stimulus Response  Theory

Stimulus Response Theory is a concept in psychology that refers to the belief that behavior manifests as a result of the interplay between stimulus and response. In particular, the belief is that a subject is presented with a stimulus, and then responds to that stimulus, producing "behavior" (the object of psychology's study, as a field). In other words, behavior cannot exist without a stimulus of some sort, at least from this perspective. 

Classical conditioning (also Pavlovian or respondent conditioning, Pavlovian reinforcement) is a form of conditioning that was first demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov (1927).The typical procedure for inducing classical conditioning involves presentations of a neutral stimulus along with a stimulus of some significance, the "unconditioned stimulus." The neutral stimulus could be any event that does not result in an overt behavioral response from the organism under investigation. Conversely, presentation of the significant stimulus necessarily evokes an innate, often reflexive, response. Pavlov called these the unconditioned stimulus (US) and unconditioned response (UR), respectively. If the neutral stimulus presented along with the unconditioned stimulus, it would become a conditioned stimulus (CS). If the CS and the US are repeatedly paired, eventually the two stimuli become associated and the organism begins to produce a behavioral response to the CS. Pavlov called this the conditioned response (CR).

Popular forms of classical conditioning that are used to study neural structures and functions that underlie learning and memory include fear conditioning, eyebling conditioning, and the foot contraction conditioning of Hermissenda Crassicornis.

The original and most famous example of classical conditioning involved the salivary conditioning of Pavlov's dogs. During his research on the physiology of digestion in dogs, Pavlov noticed that, rather than simply salivating in the presence of meat powder (an innate response to food that he called the unconditioned response), the dogs began to salivate in the presence of the lab technician who normally fed them. Pavlov called these psychic secretions. From this observation he predicted that, if a particular stimulus in the dog's surroundings were present when the dog was presented with meat powder, then this stimulus would become associated with food and cause salivation on its own. In his initial experiment, Pavlov used a bell to call the dogs to their food and, after a few repetitions, the dogs started to salivate in response to the bell.

                                                                         Ivan Pavlov

      

Behaviorism 

 

Behaviorism is described as a developmental theory that measures observable behaviors produced by a learner’s response to stimuli. Responses to stimuli can be reinforced with positive or negative feedback to condition desired behaviors. Punishment is sometimes used in eliminating or reducing incorrect actions, followed by clarifying desired actions. Educational effects of behaviorism are key in developing basic skills and foundations of understanding in all subject areas and in classroom management.
 

The term behaviorism refers to the school of psychology founded by John B. Watson based on the belief that behaviors can be measured, trained, and changed. Behaviorism was established with the publication of Watson's classic paper Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It (1913). Behaviorism holds that only observable behaviors should be studied, as cognition and mood are too subjective. According to behaviorist theory, our responses to environmental stimuli shapes our behaviors. Important concepts such as classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and reinforcement have arisen from behaviorism.

Gestalt Theory 

Gestalt theory was the outcome of concrete investigations in psychology, logic, and epistemology. The prevailing situation at the time of its origin may be briefly sketched as follows. We go from the world of everyday events to that of science, and not unnaturally assume that in making this transition we shall gain a deeper and more precise understanding of essentials. The transition should mark an advance. And yet, though one may have learned a great deal, one is poorer than before. It is the same in psychology. Here too we find science intent upon a systematic collection of data, yet often excluding through that very activity precisely that which is most vivid and real in the living phenomena it studies. Somehow the thing that matters has eluded us.

What happens when a problem is solved, when one suddenly "sees the point"? Common as this experience is, we seek in vain for it in the textbooks of psychology. Of things arid, poor, and inessential there is an abundance, but that which really matters is missing. Instead we are told of formation of concepts, of abstraction and generalization, of class concepts and judgments, perhaps of associations, creative phantasy, intuitions, talents - anything but an answer to our original problem. And what are these last words but names for the problem? Where are the penetrating answers? Psychology is replete with terms of great potentiality - personality, essence, intuition, and the rest. But when one seeks to grasp their concrete content, such terms fail.

This is the situation and it is characteristic of modern science that the same problem should appear everywhere. Several attempts have been made to remedy the matter. One was a frank defeatism preaching the severance of science and life: there are regions which are inaccessible to science. Other theories established a sharp distinction between the natural and moral sciences: the exactitude and precision of chemistry and physics are characteristic of natural science, but "scientific" accuracy has no place in a study of the mind and its ways. This must be renounced in favour of other categories.

Without pausing for further examples, let us consider rather a question naturally underlying the whole discussion: Is "science" really the kind of thing we have implied? The word science has often suggested a certain outlook, certain fundamental assumptions, certain procedures and attitudes - but do these imply that this is the only possibility of scientific method? Perhaps science already embodies methods leading in an entirely different direction, methods which have been continually stifled by the seemingly necessary, dominant ones. It is conceivable, for instance, that a host of facts and problems have been concealed rather than illuminated by the prevailing scientific tradition. Even though the traditional methods of science are undoubtedly adequate in many cases, there may be others where they lead us astray. Perhaps something in the very nature of the traditional outlook may have led its exponents at times to ignore precisely that which is truly essential.

 

    One of the co-founders of Gestalt therapy was Fritz Perls and it reflects partially the spirit of times when he lived. Having received the M.D. degree in 1926, Perls left for Frankfurt-am-Main to become an assistant of Kurt Goldstein. They worked at the Institute for Brain Damaged Soldiers and Professors Goldstein and Adhemar Gelb influenced him much there. He also got acquainted with Laura who became his wife later. At that point in time Frankfurt-am-Main can be called a center of intellectual life and Perls was subjected to influence of psychologists, psychoanalysts and existential philosophers, who had a leading role in Gestalt therapy in direct and indirect manner.

Fritz Perls started career of a psychoanalyst. He was under the direct influence of Karen Horney and Wilhelm Reich, Otto Rank and other specialists, who influenced his work indirectly. But Wilhelm Reich influenced Perls more than others. Wilhelm Reich was Perls' analyst in the beginning of the 1930s. Perls said that he was the first who drew his attention to the essential aspect of psychosomatic medicine - to the motoric system function of being an armor. (F. Perls, 1947, p. 3).

It is worthwhile mentioning three major influences on Perls' academic development. One of them was Sigmund Friedlander, a philosopher. Fritz Perls took up the notions of differential thinking from his philosophy as well as of creative indifference, which Perls mentions in his 1^st book, Ego, Hunger and Aggression, written in 1947. The prime minister of South Africa, Jan Smuts, also exerted influence upon Perls when he moved to Africa together with his from Nazi Germany and then Holland was occupied by Nazi. Prior to career of politician, Smuts had written a book about holism and evolution which actually scrutinized the wider ecological "whole" from a Gestalt perspective. Smuts devised the word holism. And the third person, the semanticist, Alfred Korzybski, also affected Perls' thinking and development.

Laura Posner Perls cofounded Gestalt therapy together with her husband. Laura's influence upon husband was widely known. She also contributed to the book Ego, Hunger and Aggression. One chapter in it was written by her. When she met Fritz Perls, she was a student and studied psychology. In 1932 she received the D.Sc. degree in the Frankfurt University. She was also influenced by Martin Buber and Paul Tillich, who were existential theologians. Her contribution to Gestalt therapy is great, though there is little she wrote about the subject under her name (Rosenfeld, 1978).

In spite of the fact, that Fritz Perls became a training psychoanalyst, he was irritated by dogmas coming from established Freudian psychoanalysis. The 20s, 30s, and the 40s of the last century were times of protest against Newtonian positivism. It was so for all spheres of life and not only science (Einstein's field theory, for instance), was permeated by a phenomenological-existential influence, but art too in addition to theater and dance, architecture and so forth. Afterwards, phenomenological-existential influence on Gestalt therapy was also big. (Kogan, 1976). Here we can mention, for instance, acknowledgment of responsibility and alternative to create personal existence, the dominance of existence over essence, in addition to the existential dialogue.

Gestalt psychology gives Fritz Perls integrating framework principle for Gestalt therapy. Gestalt belongs to the pattern or model of a set of elements and Gestalt psychologists consider that organisms unconsciously perceive whole models or patterns and not some pieces of it. Full patterns have different characteristics and they are not noticed when you analyze parts. Perception is not a passive process. It is not an outcome of sense organs stimulation received in a passive way. Integral organization of everything about the person should be considered. Organisms have the capability for correct perception when native ability of immediate experience in point of here and now is used. The assignment of phenomenological research and therapy is to use this capability to achieve insight into the studied structure. People logically perceive the whole patterns when they happen, real awareness can be believed more than dogma and interpretation.

Functionalism 

Functionalism is a theory of the mind in contemporary philosophy, developed largely as an alternative to both the identity theory of mind and behaviourism. Its core idea is that mental states (beliefs, desires, being in pain, etc.) are constituted solely by their functional role — that is, they are causal relations to other mental states, sensory inputs, and behavioral outputs. Functionalism is a theoretical level between the physical implementation and behavioural output. Therefore, it is different from its predecessors of Cartesian dualismbehaviourism and physicalism (declaring only physical substances) because it is only concerned with the effective functions of the brain, through its organization or its ‘software programs’. (advocating discrete mental and physical substances) and Skinnerian

Since mental states are identified by a functional role, they are said to be realized on multiple levels; in other words, they are able to be manifested in various systems, even perhaps computers, so long as the system performs the appropriate functions. While computers are physical devices with electronic substrate that perform computations on inputs to give outputs, so brains are physical devices with neural substrate that perform computations on inputs which produce behaviours.

While functionalism has its advantages, there have been several arguments against it, claiming that it is an insufficient account of the mind.

 Functionalism is the oldest, and still the dominant, theoretical perspective in sociology and many other social sciences. This perspective is built upon twin emphases: application of the scientific method to the objective social world and use of an analogy between the individual organism and society.

 Darwin and Functionalism 

 Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection was tremendously influential on the establishment of functionalism.  After his famous voyage on The HMS Beagle, Darwin labored many years to produce the book responsible for a dramatic paradigm shift:  The Origin of Species.  Darwin’s argued that the environment forces a natural selection upon its inhabitants and favors those inhabitants that have adaptive characteristics.  The members within a species who have adaptive characteristics pass on this survival component to their offspring while those members without the adaptive characteristics begin to disappear.

The theory of a mechanistic universe proposed by Descartes seemed to be crumbling under the weight of a chaotic and impersonal force of evolution.  The function of mind and behavior was now looked upon as adaptive rather than innate.  Individual differences rather than universal laws of the mind and behavior became the center of creative and scientific energy.  William James became a major proponent of this changing scientific focus.

 

Humanistic

The focus of the humanistic perspective is on the self, which translates into "YOU", and "your" perception of "your" experiences. This veiw argues that you are free to choose your own behavior, rather than reacting to environmental stimuli and reinforcers. Issues dealing with self-esteem, self-fulfillment, and needs are paramount. The major focus is to facilitate personal development. Two major theorists associated with this view are Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow.

Carl Rogers feels that each person operates from a unique frame of reference in terms of buliding Self Regard or their self concept. Self Concept is one's own belief about themselves. These beliefs stem, in part, from the notion of Unconditional Postive Regard and Conditional Positive Regard. Unconditional positive regard occurs when individuals, especially parents, demonstrate unconditional love. Conditioned positive regard is when that love seems to only come when certain condtions are met. Rogers theory states that psychologically healthy people enjoy life to the fullest, hence, they are seen as fully functioning people.

Abraham Maslow feels that indivduals have certain needs that must be met in an hierarchical fashion, from the lowest to highest. These include basic needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, achievement needs, and ultimately, Self-Actualization.

According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, the needs must be achieved in order. For instance, one would be unable to fulfill their safety needs if their physiological needs have not been met.

Maslow's Hierarchy Triangle is as follows:

 

 

Social Learning Theory 

        Social learning theory is the view that people learn by observing others. Associated with Albert    Bandura's work in the 1960s, social learning theory explains how people learn new behaviors, values, and attitudes. For example, a teenager might learn slang by observing peers. Social learning requires attention to the person(s) observed, remembering the observed behavior, the ability to replicate the behavior, and a motivation to act the same way. For example, a child might see a sibling receive a lollipop for behaving politely and imitate the sibling in the hope of getting a treat, too. Not all learning is acted on (as when someone learns to pick a lock but never does, for example). Sociologists have used social learning to explain aggression and criminal behavior especially.

Albert Bandura

 

General principles of social learning theory follows: 

1. People can learn by observing the behavior is of others and the outcomes of those behaviors.

2. Learning can occur without a change in behavior. Behaviorists say that learning has to be represented by a permanent change in behavior, in contrast social learning theorists say that because people can learn through observation alone, their learning may not necessarily be shown in their performance. Learning may or may not result in a behavior change.

 

3. Cognition plays a role in learning. Over the last 30 years social learning theory has become increasingly cognitive in its interpretation of human learning. Awareness and expectations of future reinforcements or punishments can have a major effect on the behaviors that people exhibit.

 

4. Social learning theory can be considered a bridge or a transition between behaviorist learning theories and cognitive learning theories.

The social learning theory proposed by Albert Bandura has become perhaps the most influential theory of learning and development. While rooted in many of the basic concepts of traditional learning theory, Bandura believed that direct reinforcement could not account for all types of learning.

His theory added a social element, arguing that people can learn new information and behaviors by watching other people. Known as observational learning (or modeling), this type of learning can be used to explain a wide variety of behaviors.