V. REVIEW OF MONITORING MECHANISMS
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| V-C | V-D ]
C. Perceived weaknesses of the current monitoring system
[ C | C-1 | C-2 | C-3 ]
Nearly all observable indicators point to the worsening of environmental conditions in the Philippines. That is especially true for the brown environment where air and water pollution, solid waste management, flooding, traffic congestion and uncontrolled land-use conversions continue to plague the urban environment. To a great extent, the failure of monitoring and enforcement efforts by the government are contributing to the worsening levels of degradation.
1. Inadequate facilities for monitoring
Air pollution monitoring in urban areas has not been systematic because of equipment breakdowns, the lack of spare parts and the high cost of maintaining monitoring stations.
The result has been a forced reduction in the variety of pollutants being monitored. The lack of laboratory facilities for analyzing environmental samples has also hampered the enforcement of pollution control laws.
By 1985 all monitoring had been stalled and the lack of data effectively constrained the assessment of air pollution problems and their severity.
With regard to solid waste management, the inefficient garbage collection system has adversely affected waterways and rivers; uncollected garbage is mainly dumped in canals and on riverbanks and it ends up in the marine ecosystem.
2. Institutional inadequacies
Pollution control in the Philippines suffers from institutional inadequacies and constraints. Well-intentioned pollution control policies have failed to gain support from the private sector in view of the reported rampant violations by government agencies and bodies, and the circumvention of pollution control laws by powerful political and economic interests.
3. Jurisdictional problems
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, with staff support from EMB, is the main enforcement agency with regard to pollution matters (Executive Order No. 192, Section 4). There are, however, certain areas of jurisdiction which fall outside the scope of the authority of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
In such cases, in accordance with Section 10 of Public Document 984, the rules and regulations issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as the main policy-making body on matters pertaining to pollution "prevail over any rules or regulations" issued by other government agencies or bodies in the same project.
That provision implies: (a) the lack of authority of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to cover waterworks and sewerage operated by MWSS: and (b) the granting of responsibility to MWSS to ensure compliance with rules and regulations which it did not formulate in the first place, and for which it was not prepared. At present, domestic waste is a major cause of pollution in the Philippines; therefore it is unfortunate that it is not a major concern of MWSS.
Similarly, cases of overlapping can be observed in the monitoring and enforcement functions of the government.
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