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By Ira Karen Apanay, Senior Reporter
Many Filipinos believe that laws on protection
of the environment are toothless, according to a survey by the
Social Weather Stations (SWS) that was commissioned by Greenpeace.
The SWS survey showed that 40 percent of
Filipinos nationwide think that environmental laws in general are
“rarely enforced;” 29 percent said “occasionally enforced,”
16 percent “often enforced,” and 8 percent “almost always
enforced.” Seven percent said they do not know or refused to
answer.
The survey, conducted from November 30 to
December 3, 2007, also found that 50 percent of Filipinos consider
water pollution as a “very serious” threat to health. Some 22
percent said it was “somewhat serious,” “little serious” 9
percent, and “hardly serious” 19 percent.
Fifty percent of the respondents said water
pollution is a “very serious danger” to the environment, 22
percent said “somewhat serious,” 10 percent “a little
serious,” and 18 percent “hardly serious.”
The results also revealed that 50 percent are
not aware of any acts to prevent pollution, as against the 48
percent who are.
“Greenpeace believes that the SWS poll should
jolt the government into taking more aggressive action to combat the
growing threats to the country’s water resources and to the
environment in general,” Beau Baconguis of Greenpeace Southeast
Asia said. Greenpeace is an independent global organization that
advocates protection of the environment and promotion of world
peace.
“The fact that majority of Filipinos
nationwide perceive the government to be almost inutile in
protecting their health and the environment is a stinging indictment
of the government’s overall performance in this department,”
Baconguis added.
The SWS survey asked respondents their opinion
on the statement “Pollution is an acceptable trade off for
economic development.” Only 42 percent disagreed with the
statement. Thirty-six percent of those asked agreed, and 20 percent
were undecided.
For national percentages, sampling error margin
was plus or minus 3 percent and for area percentages, plus or minus
6 percent.
Baconguis said the results of the survey are
also a challenge to the newly established environmental or
“green” courts. He added that the speedy resolution of cases of
environmental abuse and destruction will be one indication that the
government is serious about protecting the environment
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