UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday, June 15, that countries must start phasing out oil, coal and gas – not just emissions – and demanded that fossil fuel companies “cease and desist” measures that aim to hobble progress on the issue.

Some Western governments and climate-afflicted island nations agree, but the oil-producing United Arab Emirates, host of COP28, says the talks should focus on phasing out emissions. Nevertheless, the UAE’s incoming COP28 president said last week the phasedown of the fuels themselves was inevitable.

The United Nations climate change body said the Bonn talks closed on Thursday with progress on the issues of financing measures to mitigate climate change; the question of liability for the loss and damage it has caused; and funding for measures to adapt to its effects. But it did not specify what had been decided.

The meeting is seen as a mid-way check-in to prepare decisions for adoption at COP28, which begins on November 30.

The landmark 2015 Paris climate agreement set a 1.5ºC increase in the global surface temperature as a limit for averting the most catastrophic effects of global warming in the industrial era – a threshold already close to being crossed.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said delegates in Bonn had laid the groundwork for more ambitious action.

“From what I have seen and heard, there are bridges that can be built to realize the common ground we know exists,” UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said late on Thursday.

But activists accused the US, Britain and the European Union of trying to divert discussions away from their legal accountability for climate change.

And they said rich industrialized countries were pushing developing countries to commit to measures such as expanding renewable sources of power without taking into account their inability to pay for them.

The UNFCCC said climate finance was among the topics heavily discussed in Bonn.

Environmentalists did, however, welcome new UNFCCC requirements for participants in the UN process to disclose their affiliation, a step aimed at curbing the influence of fossil fuel industry lobbyists. – Rappler.com

“The problem is not simply fossil fuel emissions. It’s fossil fuels – period,” Guterres told reporters. “The solution is clear: The world must phase out fossil fuels in a just and equitable way – moving to leave oil, coal and gas in the ground.”

His remarks come after the United Arab Emirates, which will host UN climate change negotiations (COP28) later this year, said that talks should focus on phasing out emissions, not fossil fuels. Negotiators are struggling to agree to an agenda for COP28, due to start November 30, which could put talks at risk.

Some wealthy Western states and climate-afflicted island nations have been pushing for a phase out of fossil fuels, while resource-rich countries have campaigned to keep drilling.

“Fossil fuel companies must also cease and desist influence peddling and legal threats designed to knee-cap progress. I am thinking particularly of recent attempts to subvert net-zero alliances, invoking anti-trust legislation,” Guterres said.

Republican politicians in some US states pushing back against sustainability efforts have charged that companies in such climate alliances and using environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards could be breaking anti-trust laws by aligning their policies.

At least seven members of the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance, launched in 2021, have left – including five of the eight founding parties – over what they say are legal concerns about antitrust lawsuits.

“Governments are pivotal in setting the record straight. They must help by providing clear reassurance: Collective climate action does not violate anti-trust – it upholds the public trust,” Guterres said after meeting with a group of civil society climate leaders from around the world.

Guterres also called out companies for not yet reaching modest operational emissions reductions targets they have set and for relying too heavily on “dubious offset” credits.

For example, Shell plans to scrap its target to reduce oil output by 1% to 2% per year having already largely reached its goal for production cuts, mainly through selling oil assets such as its US shale business.

“Fossil fuel industry transition plans must be transformation plans, that chart a company’s move to clean energy – and away from a product incompatible with human survival,” Guterres said. “Otherwise, they are just proposals to become more efficient planet-wreckers.”

He called on them to create detailed plans that include emissions reduction targets not just for their operations but that target their end use. – Rappler.com

After raising 113,000 pounds ($141,000), partly through crowdfunding publicized by sleeping on their roof for three cold, winter weeks, artist couple Dan Edelstyn and Hilary Powell have arranged for solar panels to be installed on dozens of houses on their street.

“If you can create an offer where you actually are saying: ‘Look, let’s just bypass a broken political system and let’s do something directly ourselves together,’ that’s quite an attractive offer to make to people,” said Edelstyn. Together with Powell, he spent a year convincing neighbors to join the project.

In Waltham Forest, the London borough where the artist couple lives, fuel poverty – meaning households cannot afford to keep their homes at an adequate temperature – is at the third highest level in the capital.

That makes the project particularly valuable for its residents, many of whom live in Victorian-era housing that can be poorly insulated and use more energy.

Ejaz Hussein, who has lived on the street for 45 years, said he was “quite delighted” by the project that he estimates will cut his electricity bill by 70%.

“First of all, it’s good for the environment. And second thing, I can’t afford electricity anymore,” the father of two said. “So that will really help as I’m struggling.”

Households powered by solar panel-derived electricity draw less power from the national grid, cutting energy bills, and they can also sell any excess energy back.

Industry analysts say community projects tend to be more efficient than individual solar installations as costs fall with scale.

‘Big changes need to happen’

The solar panels are being installed by Octopus Energy, which says it is doing the work at cost rather than at any profit, to help raise awareness of the need for adaption to renewable energy, which is carbon-free but is intermittent, meaning it can causes problems for the grid.

“It’s not just a UK problem. This is a global problem: how we move to renewables. Big changes need to happen,” Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, chief product officer at Octopus Energy, said.

“Communities are kind of almost forcing the hand of grids…. This is people coming together and saying we want power in this way.”

Britain’s energy regulator Ofgem said last month it was launching a policy review to speed up the connection of low-carbon energy schemes to the electricity transmission grid.

Edelstyn and Powell said they want their street to inspire others, not just to bring down bills and reduce carbon emissions, but to help drive community action, which in Britain has lost momentum.

Community projects growth slowed to 2.4% in 2022, after doubling in size each year between 2014 and 2017, according to advocacy group Community Energy England.

“We just want people to be able to access the finance that they need if they want to try and retrofit their house and decarbonize their street, and we want it to be simple and straightforward,” Edelstyn said. – Rappler.com

$1 = 0.7879 pounds

Here comes another push for nuclear energy, an alternative with a monumental showpiece: the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). Its proponents argue that nuclear is cheap, reliable, and clean. They say it is the better alternative to fossil fuels.

However, nuclear disasters in the past raise concerns on the government’s preparedness to manage a nuclear plant with utmost regard for safety.

Congressman Mark Cojuangco, chairperson of the House committee on nuclear energy, led a media tour of the BNPP last June 3. Watch the report here. – Rappler.com

The pros and cons of Marcos’ nuclear energy dreams

The open letter was signed by Bishop Broderick Pabillo of the Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay and Bishop Socrates Mesiona of the Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa, along with at least 65 other priests under their care.

In an open letter written in Filipino and published on Monday, June 12, the Catholic leaders of Palawan appealed to the government to “prohibit the expansion and extension of mining operations and to implement a law that bans the opening of new mining sites.”

“On the other hand, it is best to focus on programs in agriculture and tourism,” they said.

Both apostolic vicariates – or communities where dioceses have not been established – cover around a million Catholics combined. Their province is home to rainforests, protected areas, indigenous communities, and biodiversity hotspots including two UNESCO World Heritage sites.

“The natural beauty and natural resources of Palawan are unique, so it is but fitting that we give her a unique kind of care so that we can ensure that future generations can benefit from the things that we enjoy today. To be God’s responsible steward of creation is a huge moral responsibility,” the Catholic leaders of Palawan said.

“If other places in the Mimaropa region tried to close the mining sites in their own territories, shouldn’t we exert much more effort to protect our province as a Last Ecological Frontier?” they added. Mimaropa includes the provinces of Marinduque, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, and Romblon.

Pabillo, 68, and Mesiona, 59, are among the Filipino Catholic bishops who are most in touch with the poorest communities. 

Pabillo, former auxiliary bishop of Manila, is known for speaking out on social justice issues across different administrations. He has been vocal about environmental and other issues in Palawan since Pope Francis promoted him in June 2021 to become the main bishop in charge of the 21-year-old Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay.

Like Pabillo, Mesiona has been involved in social justice issues in Palawan since he was installed bishop of Puerto Princesa in February 2017. A paper by Palawan priest Father Eugene Elivera, for example, detailed Mesiona’s role in shepherding their people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before becoming bishop, Mesiona was superior general of the Mission Society of the Philippines. – Rappler.com

The female American crocodile laid 14 eggs in 2018 within her enclosure, a not uncommon phenomenon among captive reptiles. The more puzzling fact, however, came after three months of incubation when one egg was found to contain a fully formed stillborn baby crocodile.

According to the study published in the journal Biology Letters, scientists tested the crocodile fetus’ genetic makeup. They found DNA sequences showing it was a result of facultative parthenogenesis (FP), or reproduction without the genetic contribution of males.

The phenomenon of FP, which some scientists have referred to by the shorthand of “virgin birth,” has also been documented in other species of fish, birds, lizards and snakes. The scientists said this is the first-known example in a crocodile.

In FP, a female’s egg cell can develop into a baby without being fertilized by a male’s sperm cell.

In making an egg cell, a precursor cell divides into four cells: one becomes the egg cell and retains key cellular structures and the gel-like cytoplasm, while the others hold extra genetic material.

Then, one of those cells essentially acts as a sperm cell and fuses with the egg to become “fertilized.”

The American crocodile is considered vulnerable and at risk of extinction in the wild. According to one hypothesis, FP may be more common among species on the verge of extinction, the study said.

The scientists said the Costa Rica “virgin birth” could lead to new information about crocodile ancestors that walked the earth in the Triassic Period some 250 million years ago.

“This discovery offers tantalizing insights into the possible reproductive capabilities of the extinct archosaurian relatives of crocodilians and birds, notably members of Pterosauria and Dinosauria,” the study said. – Rappler.com

The first step is to listen to the songs of the birds – that should help locate them. When done multiple times – in your backyard, on campus grounds, in the mountains on the off chance you find yourself hiking – bird-watching can reveal certain quirky preferences and behaviors, like courtship dances and favorite perches.

Eventually, a hobbyist can invest in a pair of binoculars, learn to be more eagle-eyed when spotting birds, and identify them just through their sounds and calls.

“It’s both like a mindless and mindful activity,” described Jelaine Gan, a raptor biologist and instructor from the Institute of Biology at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

It’s a good antidote for today’s culture of doom scrolling.

It forces you to disconnect and to just reconnect with nature.

Jelaine Gan, ON BIRD-WATCHING

Finding sparks

Gan was introduced to bird-watching in high school when she joined a guided tour organized by the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) at the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park.

Before that, growing up, Gan took 40 lovebirds under her wing. Her interest in these creatures was primarily motivated by their visual appeal and charm.

But Gan quickly realized what was wrong with this kind of relationship when she started joining bird-watchers. Rather than cage them, it’s better to watch birds from afar, in the wild, because it is their natural habitat.

During her first guided tour, Gan saw a collared kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris). She considers this her “spark bird,” or the bird that started her love for bird-watching and all things avian.

The awe of spotting a collared kingfisher was sparked by Gan initially believing it lived only in other countries, not in the Philippines.

“Napaka-striking niya sa akin kasi noong time na ‘yun, noong unang bird-watching ko, hindi ko alam na may collared kingfisher dito sa Pilipinas.” (It was striking for me at the time because I didn’t know there were collared kingfishers in the Philippines.)

Indeed, an extensive list of birds awaits anyone who wants to take up this hobby.

“It’s addicting once you get started,” Gan said in a mix of Filipino and English. “There’s a challenge to it because, in the Philippines, we have over 700 species of birds. And a lot of them are endemic.”

According to the WBCP, as of 2022, the country is home to 245 endemic bird species. Endemic birds are those found only in certain regions of the Philippines.

Gateway to environmental advocacy

Eventually, Gan’s passion for birds would ignite a scholastic appreciation of nature and biology. Gan is now taking her doctorate degree at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, studying habitat fragmentation in Northern Luzon and how it affects migratory patterns.

Gan said bird-watching is a gateway for many to become environmental advocates.

Karen Ochavo, vice president of the WBCP, said this is because birds are reliable environmental indicators. Watching birds regularly helps create a database of the different species living in certain areas. This accounting also keeps track of the status of species threatened by extinction.

The WBCP regularly updates its checklist of birds in the Philippines with corresponding information, such as conservation status and range distributions or places where they can be found in the country.

The checklist has helped the government and other institutions’ conservation programs. Ochavo cited the example of the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park when it was declared a Ramsar site in 2013 under the Ramsar Convention – an international treaty for the conservation and proper utilization of wetlands – partly due to the data amassed by bird-watchers.

“Before a wetland site is declared as a Ramsar site, it has to be backed up by data,” said Ochavo. “The area supports a certain percentage of [the] population of migratory birds…. And some of the data came from the club.”

A black market of birds

But the Philippines’ biodiversity is a double-edged sword.

Illegal wildlife trade has become a multibillion-dollar industry around the world. In the Philippines, illegal wildlife trade is valued at P50 billion ($889.91 million), according to a report released by the Asian Development Bank in 2019. Palawan, Aurora, and Cagayan are hot spots for bird poaching.

Some of the most traded birds from the Philippines are the blue-naped parrots (Tanygnathus lucionensis) and the Palawan hill mynahs (Gracula religiosa palawanensis). Brahminy kites (Haliastur indus) are hunted as juveniles, while Luzon lowland scops owls (Otus megalotis) are poached by hunters and sold on the street, the black market, and even online.

Online selling of birds gained ground during the pandemic, said Ochavo. Bird-watchers and advocates have had to resort to reporting groups and individuals selling birds through social media platforms, but Ochavo admitted this is not as sustainable as raising public awareness.

“It’s really hard online,” said Ochavo. “People can just remove their profiles and then create a new one.”

Environment Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga acknowledged the proliferation of “insidious” wildlife trade in the country and said the department needs all the help it can get.

“We need the support of the public in terms of reporting to us [about] illegal wildlife trade,” Loyzaga said after a tree-planting activity on Monday, June 5, at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center, considered the country’s national rescue center. The park is home to rescued birds such as Girlie, the Philippine eagle caught in Bukidnon in 1982.

“We also need the support of both public and private [sectors] for the enhancement of this wildlife rescue center,” she added.

For 2023, the NAPWC has an allocated budget of P6.641 million ($118,204.09). The bulk of the fund came from the income generated by the park in 2022 from entrance fees, facility rentals, concessionaires, and parking fees.

Budget remains a big constraint to developing retrieval and rescue operations, the environment secretary said. “Every year, we have to battle for a budget.”

Start simple

The dream is to create and expand protected areas where wildlife can thrive peacefully.

“Hopefully, if we have enough support, we will have a space here also for Philippine marine and coastal environments,” Loyzaga said, referring to the Ninoy Aquino park. “So that in one area in the city, you can come and experience the whole of the country’s natural resources in terms of biodiversity.”

Because of rampant development and degradation of forests, birds are losing their homes. When remaining forests are splintered, this affects the welfare and movement of birds, said Gan.

“One issue is if it’s okay for birds to migrate and pass through areas of development,” she explained in a mix of Filipino and English. Restricted movement means restricted resources; Gan likened this situation to the pandemic experience of having to stay in one area.

This is why saving the Philippines’ protected areas is crucial in taking care of the birds that consider this country home.

Ochavo, who studied environmental science and has seen the improvement of the field through the years, is optimistic that the country will soon strike a balance between development and protection.

“It’s like a slow progression, but we’re getting there. So 10 years from now, hopefully, more protected areas, more sustainable development,” she said.

In the meantime, Ochavo encourages more people to try bird-watching as a first step toward what could be a lifelong passion and respect for nature.

“It’s something that can be done with friends or family. It’s a really accessible activity. It’s as simple as that,” she implored.

“Go bird-watching.” – Rappler.com

$1 = P56.19

The group held the protest on Thursday – also World Oceans Day – seeking the declaration of the VIP as a maritime protected area under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas Act or ENIPAS.

Members of the Protect VIP network brought large cardboard numbers that read “100” – the number of days since MT Princess Empress sank and caused an oil spill off the coast of Oriental Mindoro. The oil spill from the sunken ship reached the VIP, regarded by experts as “the center of the center of marine shore fish biodiversity.”

“This was not the first oil spill in the VIP, and it is unlikely to be the last as long as toxic and dangerous cargo is ferried in these waters.” Protect VIP co-convenor Gerry Arances said.

The group also tied black ribbons at the gate of the DENR compound to signify their “solidarity with communities and lament for biodiversity.”

“Millions of Filipinos depend on the maintenance of VIP as a pristine maritime ecosystem for their livelihood,” said Father Edwin Gariguez, lead convenor of Protect VIP and Social Action Center director of the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan, Oriental Mindoro.

Protect VIP also urged the DENR to approve designated parts of the VIP as non-attainment areas to stop new polluting activities from being conducted in the area.

“Secretary [Toni Yulo-Loyzaga] has already declared before that she favors the declaration of VIP as a protected area. We are here hoping that she will put her words into action,” said Gariguez.

On Tuesday, June 6, the National Bureau of Investigation’s Environmental Crime Division and Pola, Oriental Mindoro Mayor Jennifer Cruz filed a criminal complaint against RDC Reield Marine Services, the owner of the sunken oil tanker MT Princess Empress for falsification of documents and perjury. – Rappler.com

Read more from Rappler’s coverage of the Oriental Mindoro oil spill:

• ‘A no-brainer’: Marcos gov’t urged to declare Verde Island Passage off-limits to certain ships
• Marine life has ways to weather an oil spill. Can we keep up?
• Why it’s important to contain the Oriental Mindoro oil spill ASAP
• After oil spill in Oriental Mindoro, uncertain future grips fishing community
• PANOORIN: Ano ang health risks ng exposure sa oil spills?
• Environmental damage from oil spill may reach P7 billion – DENR chief
• Oil spill exposes a Coast Guard in dire need of modernization
• ‘Pagod na po kami’: Pola mayor wants MT Princess Empress ship owner sued
• Oil siphoning to start in June, but is there ‘black oil’ still left in Princess Empress?
• PH gov’t to shoulder rehab costs as oil spill insurance, aid won’t be enough – DOJ official

Aviation, which produces around 2% of the world’s emissions, is considered one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), grouping 300 airlines and representing about 80% of global traffic, said governments, planemakers, and regulators must all help.

“We are totally committed to achieving our net zero targets in 2050,” IATA director general Willie Walsh said at the end of a three-day summit in Istanbul.

“Everybody’s going to have to play their part,” Walsh told a news conference, listing players from governments to planemakers and airports who would have to “raise the bar to work with us to ensure that we can achieve what is an absolute critical goal.”

IATA’s annual meeting also brought stark evidence of a consumer recovery as many airlines voiced interest in ordering new jets to lock in scarce production slots and meet higher-than-expected demand with modern fleets.

Environmental groups say such rapid growth is at odds with the industry’s commitments on emissions, but suppliers say the most recent available jetliners provide the most efficient starting point to take advantage of alternative new fuels.

‘We’re serious’

Pressure is growing on aviation to limit carbon emissions amid low supplies of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), currently accounting for only 0.1% of airline consumption.

Airlines are relying for 62% of their emissions reduction target on the fuel, which is currently between two to four times more expensive than kerosene.

But they oppose EU-style mandates and are calling for output incentives like those introduced by the United States.

“It’s hard to take IATA’s environmental targets seriously when they have a track record of criticizing…policies that will enable clean technologies like the EU’s SAF mandate,” Jo Dardenne of environmental group Transport and Environment said.

Tim Clark, president of Dubai’s Emirates, which recently announced a $200-million aviation sustainability fund, insisted the industry was taking commitments seriously.

“We’re serious, we’re putting money into it. We’re not technologists. We will operate our fleet as best, as efficiently as we can,” he told reporters.

But Clark, whose airline will host the next IATA meeting in Dubai next June, warned other carriers against complacency.

“We need to do something more than moan and groan and say ‘it’s not fair, we can only do what we are doing,'” Clark said.

Walsh said airlines were not afraid to confront the fact that their share of total emissions will rise as other industries with fewer technological hurdles decarbonize.

“It’s not about moaning. It’s about the reality…it is not good enough for everybody else to join us and say yes, we agree. They need to join us and say yes, we agree and here’s what we’re going to do.”

But Walsh hinted airlines needed more time to reach consensus on interim targets, after their emissions pledge in 2021 was clouded by disagreements seen as an echo of wider climate talks.

“Different parts of the world are moving at different paces and for us, representing global airlines, we’ve got to factor all of that into account.”

One thing airlines agreed on was frustration at aircraft delays, which have disrupted their schedules, with chief executives asking IATA to lobby planemakers.

In practice, a senior aircraft industry source told Reuters, airlines with the biggest order books and clout would be able to cut the best deals and shortest additional waiting times. – Rappler.com

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Seven incorporators and directors of RDC, including its president Reymundo Duldulao Cabial, face a complaint for falsification of public documents and perjury. RDC is a shipping company owned by the Cabial family.

The NBI filed a complaint for use of falsified documents against 19 Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel, two officials of the regulatory agency Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), and six crew of MT Princess Empress.

The sinking of MT Princess Empress last February 28 caused an oil spill that authorities are still racing to contain as the ship is still 400 meters deep off the coast of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.

Before it capsized, the ship sailed 18 times without an updated Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC). (READ: PH gov’t to shoulder rehab costs as oil spill insurance, aid won’t be enough – DOJ official)

Mico Clavano, spokesperson of the Department of Justice (DOJ), said in a media briefing on Tuesday that “RDC directors are presumed to be the authors of the falsified document as they were in possession of the same and made use of the document.”

The captain of the vessel and crew are also held liable as they are considered agents of the shipowner, Clavano said.

PCG personnel are being held accountable as they were expected to conduct rigorous pre-departure inspections, including checking the validity of the CPC. High-ranking PCG officials have testified in Congress that their personnel who allowed the vessel to sail presumed that RDC’s documents were valid.

Must Read

Oil spill exposes a Coast Guard in dire need of modernization

Other documents falsified, according to the DOJ, are the construction certificate, tonnage measurement certificate, certificate of ownership, and certificate of Philippine registry.

“The officials from MARINA and RDC Reield Marine Services Inc. conspired for the purpose of illegally registering the MT Princess Empress with false documents,” said Clavano.

He said there were inconsistencies in RDC’s documents, which gave a false account of the vessel’s condition prior to voyage.

Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez brought this issue up in a House inquiry last May 9. “It was made to appear that the construction was made in Bataan. In actuality, it was constructed in Navotas, but the documents were signed by a MARINA official from Bicol,” he told lawmakers.

In response to the filing of the complaint, RDC maintained that the ship was in tip-top shape when it sailed.

“MT Princess Empress is a newly-built vessel that fully complies with all the requirements and procedures set by the Maritime Industry Authority and the vessel’s classification society (ORS),” RDC said in a statement sent to media on Tuesday. “We will let the facts and our evidences (sic) speak for themselves in due time.”

The DOJ is also looking at filing environmental crimes and graft and corruption charges in the coming weeks.

“‘Yun po ang inaabangan natin and I think mas mabigat po ang parusa doon,” Clavano said.  

(That’s what we’re waiting for and I think the penalties for those are more severe.)

On the 90th day since the oil spill, Pola Mayor Jennifer Cruz aired her frustration over the shipowner’s poor response, as well as the slow progress in cleaning up the oil spill in her town.

“Pagod na po kami sa aming bayan,” she said during a House hearing conducted last May 29. (We’re tired in our hometown.)

MT Princess Empress left the private port SL Harbor Terminal in Limay, Bataan with over 900,000 liters of industrial fuel oil or “black oil” bound for Iloilo on February 28. It encountered strong winds and rough waters along the way, and its engine gave way when seawater poured onto the ship. Fishing bans have hurt coastal communities’ source of livelihood. 

As of June 6, 42,487 families or 200,244 people in four provinces have been affected by the oil spill.  The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said damage to agriculture (fisheries) has reached P4.9 billion. Environment Secretary Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga earlier estimated the damage to coral reefs, seagrass, mangroves and other natural resources at around P7 billion. – Rappler.com 

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