ARE WE READY FOR WETLANDS RENATURALIZATION?

ARE WE READY FOR WETLANDS RENATURALIZATION?

Just when I was getting comfortable with the term rewilding, here comes another — denaturalization. Both feel new in our conversation, but they are not new words. Other countries have long since embraced them. Why, then, do these ideas still feel so distant from our own awareness? Perhaps because behind these words lie concepts so deep and transformative, we’re only now starting to grasp them.

Most of us understand reforestation — planting trees where forests once stood — and its opposite, deforestation. But how many truly understand afforestation? Afforestation is not restoring what was lost; rather, it’s planting trees where no forest existed before. That distinction may seem subtle, but it matters. It shapes how we restore land, how we value ecosystems, and how we mitigate climate change.

Returning to wetlands: what does denaturalization mean in that context, and what can we do about it?

My first thought is we need to map where wetlands used to be — those lost long ago — and identify where they could be restored. This is not only a technical task, but a political and legal one. In theory, many fishponds on public lands are merely concessions; if the public interest demands it, their rights might be revoked. But for former alienable and disposable (A&D) lands already titled to private owners — can the state still reclaim them? Perhaps through eminent domain, especially when public safety (flood risk) is at stake.

Yes, restoring wetlands would cost money. But what’s the price of inaction? The loss of human life, property, and ecological resilience? And if the state steps in, fair compensation is part of the bargain.

There is strong momentum abroad. In Europe, for instance, the EU Nature Restoration Law — recently adopted — requires member states to restore at least 20 percent of their land and sea by 2030, and all degraded ecosystems by 2050.

Specifically for peatlands and wetlands: the law mandates that 50 percent of drained moors be restored by 2050, with one-third of them rewetted

Why is this so important? Well, moors make up only about 3 percent of Europe’s land, but they store twice as much carbon per hectare as forests. That’s not a minor detail — it is the kind of leverage nature offers in the climate fight.

And the benefits? We have real-world proof. A recent RMIT University study found that in just one year, restored floodplain wetlands cut carbon emissions by 39 percent — and did so without triggering a methane surge common to peatland restoration.
These rewetted wetlands also held on to more water (soil moisture rose 55 percent) and retained more nitrogen — improving water quality and nutrient cycling. 

This tells me wetlands are not just a nice-to-have. They are nature’s multi-taskers: flood buffers, carbon sinks, water purifiers.

Back home in the Philippines, the question looms large: Are we ready? There are legal and moral pathways. Environmental groups, like Wetlands International Philippines, have urged the government to revert idle or underused fishponds (especially those on A&D lands) back to mangroves. Under Philippine law, particularly under RA 8550 and its amendments, there may be legal basis for such reversions. Moreover, our legal tools are stronger than many realize. Do we invoke a Writ of Kalikasan — a constitutional remedy that protects the right to a healthy environment? 

Of course, obstacles are real: political will, compensation, and competing land uses. Some landowners may balk. But is that weighty compared to the societal cost of inaction — more floods, fewer carbon sinks, worse biodiversity loss?

We might draw lessons from the EU model: they are crafting national restoration plans, balancing farmer compensation, and setting legally binding targets. Could we pilot something similar at our barangay level, especially in areas that used to be wetlands? Maybe starting with a few former fishponds, creating a basin-based governance plan, mobilizing local communities, mapping potential restoration sites, and securing funding.

My questions to us — to our leaders, our scientists, and our communities — are these:

1. Can we map our historical wetlands and prioritize sites for denaturalization?
   
   

2. Are we ready to balance property rights with the public interest of flood safety and climate resilience?
   
   

3. Can we mobilize public funding (or private) to compensate landowners and support restoration?
   
   

4. What legal mechanisms — like the Writ of Kalikasan — can be employed or strengthened for these efforts?
   
   

5. Finally, can we shift our mindset, treating restoration not as a cost but as a profound long-term investment?
   
   

In short: are we ready? Because the science, the law, and the case are increasingly clear. The real question is whether we, as a society, can act before opportunity slips away.

RAMON IKE V. SENERES

www.facebook.com/ike.seneres iseneres@yahoo.com senseneres.blogspot.com 09088877282/06-30-2026

THE REAL ROOTS OF OUR JOB MISMATCH PROBLEM

THE REAL ROOTS OF OUR JOB MISMATCH PROBLEM

All ideas in this column come from Dr. Clarita Carlos. I am merely echoing them because I fully agree with her.

After I wrote about the job mismatch problem, my former professor at UP—Dr. Clarita R. Carlos—sent me what I can only describe as a clinical, no-nonsense diagnosis of our education crisis. As always, she went straight to the point: skills mismatch is only a symptom. The disease lies much deeper.

And because I believe her analysis deserves wider public attention, I am putting her commentary front and center here. This column is merely my humble attempt to amplify her voice.

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A SYSTEM GONE AWRY

Prof. Carlos begins with a stinging indictment:

1. The mismatch problem is the result of an entire educational system gone awry — from preschool to postgraduate and onward.
   In her words, we have allowed an entire lifetime of learning to rest on a shaky foundation.
   
   

2. Our reforms have been piecemeal — “a patchwork of this and that” — with no real philosophy of learning behind them.
   We revise curricula, add years, shorten years, change assessment tools, introduce new buzzwords — but with no guiding compass.
   
   

3. By the time K–12 graduates enter college, most have already gone through an “egregiously flawed first 12 years,” precisely when the brain is most primed to learn.
   What should have been their peak learning years were instead years of fragmented, incoherent, and poorly supported schooling.
   
   

This is why, she says, what we see today — job mismatch, low productivity, rising NEET rates, unemployable graduates — are only the surface cracks. The real structural rot lies beneath.

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THE ONE VARIABLE THAT MATTERS MOST

Prof. Carlos points out what educational research has consistently found but our policymakers seem to ignore:

4. School leaders rarely pay attention to empirical evidence on what truly predicts learning.
   
   

5. The best predictor of learning is simple: mastery of the subject matter by the teacher.
   A knowledgeable teacher sparks motivation. A motivated student learns — even under a mango tree.
   
   

6. Thus, even with minimal facilities, if the teacher knows the subject deeply, learning will happen.
   This is a powerful reminder that buildings don’t teach. Teachers do.
   
   

And yet, we continue to focus on infrastructure ribbon-cuttings, not teacher competence. We obsess over digital devices but ignore the human beings holding the chalk — or the tablet.

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THE TRAGEDY OF TRIFOCALIZATION

Perhaps the most structural issue Prof. Carlos raises is this:

7. “The trifocalization of the education system should stop NOW.”
   DepEd, CHED, and TESDA operate as if they are in separate universes.
   
   

This fragmentation has created three bureaucracies with overlapping functions, disconnected curricula, and no unified vision. What was meant to create specialization instead produced silos.

The result?

• Misaligned pathways
  
  

• Poor K–12 preparation
  
  

• Confusing transitions
  
  

• A labor force that does not meet industry needs
  
  

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AND THE BIGGER “WHY” OF IT ALL

Prof. Carlos ends with a line that cuts deep:

“You put politicians at the helm of our education department who have scant knowledge of the philosophy of learning — and this is one of the WHYS of where we are. At the bottom. Where else?”

We cannot keep treating education as a political reward. The system demands academic leadership, not celebrity appointments or political loyalties.

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WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

If we are serious about solving job mismatch, Prof. Carlos is clear:
Fix the education system first.
Everything else is secondary.

• Strengthen teacher mastery.
  
  

• Ground reforms in a real philosophy of learning.
  
  

• Unify the fragmented education bureaucracy.
  
  

• Appoint leaders who understand education, not just politics.
  
  

I agree with her completely, and I thank her for allowing me to share these insights. If only more policymakers would listen.

RAMON IKE V. SENERES

www.facebook.com/ike.seneres iseneres@yahoo.com senseneres.blogspot.com 09088877282/06-29-2026

FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND FOOD SUFFICIENCY

 FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND FOOD SUFFICIENCY

I often wonder: can we make real progress on food independence not only for our nation, but starting small — right down at the barangay? It sounds ambitious, but perhaps not impossible. Inspired by Guyana, the first country in the world to break free from food imports, I think there’s something there we can learn from.

Guyana: A Beacon of Hope

A 2025 study published in Nature Food revealed that Guyana is the only country (among 186) with enough domestic production to meet its population’s nutritional needs — across all seven major food groups — without relying on imports.

This isn’t just a fluke of favorable climate: Guyana has deliberately invested in agriculture. Since 2020, its public budget for agriculture has jumped by 468 %, with GY$430.9 million allocated to rice alone in 2025. 

 Guyana is also playing a regional leadership role: under CARICOM’s “Vision 25 by 2025,” it aims to help reduce the Caribbean’s collective food import bill by 25 %. Still, some caution that true food sovereignty remains fragile: despite its production power, Guyana depends on imported fuel and fertilizers.

Why the Philippines Should Look Closer — at the Barangay Level

Here in the Philippines, we call ourselves an agricultural country — yet today, we import huge swaths of staple items: rice, flour, milk. It seems almost oxymoronic: to claim to be “agricultural” and yet rely so heavily on external supply. Can we shift that narrative — starting in our own backyards, in our own barangays?

• Food sufficiency means producing enough to meet demand. It’s about volume.
  
  

• Food sovereignty, though, is deeper: who controls the system? Sovereignty means truly not needing imports anymore.
  
  

We might not be ready to reach national sovereignty tomorrow — but why not try first at the barangay level?

Is Measuring Food Sufficiency at the Barangay Level Feasible?

I believe yes, and here are some practical ideas — grounded in existing systems:

1. Barangay Nutrition Action Plans (BNAP)
   
   

• Every barangay has a Barangay Nutrition Scholar (BNS).
  
  

• BNSs already collect data: they weigh children, interview mothers, and assess food availability.
  
  

• We could expand what they track: not just malnutrition, but local food production (crops, livestock), diversity of diets, and how many households depend on market vs locally grown food.
  
  

2. Barangay-Level Farming Data
   
   

• Leverage the Department of Agriculture’s “Plant, Plant, Plant – Adopt a Barangay” program to record how much produce is grown within each barangay.
  
  

• Track yield, the number of households involved, and surplus vs consumption.
  
  

3. Nutrition + Infrastructure Surveys
   
   

• Use community-based nutrition programs (like LAKASS) to map dietary diversity, food security, and resilience at the local level.
  
  

• Involve BAFE (Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering), DILG, DOLE to map infrastructure: are there cold storages? Good farm-to-market roads? Storage hubs?
  
  

4. Resilience Metrics
   
   

• Document dependency on external inputs (seeds, fertilizers), vulnerability to pest outbreaks or climate shocks, and whether there are local seed banks or agroecological practices in place.
  
  

From these data points, we could build a barangay-level food sufficiency dashboard, measuring production, access, nutrition, infrastructure, and resilience.

From Barangay to Bigger Picture

If even a handful of barangays can document food sufficiency — and eventually sovereignty — imagine the ripple effect:

• Surplus from “food sovereign” barangays could be shared or traded with other barangays.
  
  

• Local models of agroecology, traditional seeds, and community control could scale up.
  
  

• Demonstrable success could build political will at higher levels — pushing toward regional or national food sovereignty.

But Let Me Ask — Is It Really That Easy?

• Do all barangays have functioning BNSs? Some may lack capacity, training, or resources.
  
  

• Even if we document production, can small communities always avoid imported inputs? Fertilizers and energy may remain bottlenecks.
  
  

• How do we mobilize support (government, NGOs, private sector) to help barangays invest in infrastructure and capacity?

Final Thoughts

Guyana’s achievement is not merely about geography or luck — it’s about political will, investment, and a people-centered vision of food. If they can do it, perhaps we can begin somewhere much smaller, but no less meaningful: the barangay.

Why not pilot a few barangays — in different regions, with different climates — to test a local food sufficiency-sovereignty model? With data, community commitment, and smart governance, we could reimagine the Philippines not just as an agricultural nation, but as one that truly feeds itself, from the ground up.

Food sovereignty may be a long journey. But at the barangay level — that walk could begin today.

RAMON IKE V. SENERES

www.facebook.com/ike.seneres iseneres@yahoo.com senseneres.blogspot.com 09088877282/06-28-2026