LESSON 3

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS

IN THE PHILIPPINES

Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, the learners should be able to:

 describe the environmental problems in the Philippines
 analyze the impact of the environmental problems on people’s
health

Activity 1

Can you recall the typhoons that hit the different regions of
the
country in years or decades ago? Let’s go down memory lane…

Match the typhoons with the places they affected. Use arrows
to
connect them.

Compostela Manila
Tacloban
Valley
City

Ormoc City Cebu City Cagayan de

Oro City

Typhoons: Ruping Pablo Ondoy Sendo Yolanda Uring

-Can we prevent typhoons from happening?

Actually, we can’t prevent or control typhoons from happening because it is
a natural phenomenon or disaster. However, we can prepare ourselves for
its occurrence in the near future to lessen its adverse effects on us, humans
and to the community.

-How can we prepare against this natural phenomenon?

We can prepare in different ways in case natural phenomenon occur like
typhoons by reinforcing doors, windows, or other weak areas of our houses
that can be entered by running water. Another one is having a ready-to-go
bag filled with necessities like food, flashlight, water, and many more in case
worse things may happen. And always standby for further news or reports
regarding the natural disaster. These are some of many procedures of how
we can prepare against this natural phenomenon, and all of these can help
us get through with these disasters safe and free from accidents.

-How can you relate the effects of these phenomena from human
activities?
For example, the effects or aftermath brought by these phenomena to one
particular area is, of course, messy and cluttered. The same ways go to
human activities, whereas when a certain task or obligation of a human is
not executed properly, the outcome will also be cluttered or chaotic. Also,
the negative activities we, humans do will always come back to us no matter
what. Doing something that can harm the environment will always bring bad
karma towards us.
 What To Know

Natural Resources and Biodiversity explain why the

Philippines is a rich country. Putting our home into the rare list of
nations which have both a hotspot and mega diversity area for
over 6000 plant species and also numerous animal species
inhabited this area. However, despite—or perhaps because of—
their richness and massive importance to the environment and
humans as well, the forests face continuing destruction and
possible extinction.

This lesson will make you aware of the most pressing

problems of environment today and their effects on people’s
health.
Let’s narrow them down:

What are the most pressing environmental problems in the

Philippines today?
1
Deforestation Flash Floods Soil Erosion

Oil Spill
Coral Reefs Illegal Mining
Degradation

Pollution

 Deforestation
- is the destruction of big areas of the forest.
Losing Our Forests – FAST
Source: FAO-FRA (2010 )

 The Philippines is among the countries with the fastest loss of

forest cover around the world.

 It ranks 4th among the world’s top 10 most threatened forest

hotspots
  If the 157, 400 ha per year rate of deforestation continues, our
remaining forest cover will be wiped out in less than 40 years.

Deforestation can encourage malaria outbreaks. New

roads promote deforestation that not only reduces the world's
carbon balance but also boosts malaria rates, according to Dr.
Margaret Kosek, an infectious-disease expert at Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The loss of these trees reduces the air and water quality
in these communities which increases illness and medical costs.
It increases soil erosion which causes floods and landslides,
both deadly and drivers of poverty and homelessness.
https://www.bing.com/search?
q=Effect+of+deforestation+to+man%27s+health&q
s

2
 Flash Flood
- Is a sudden flood of great volume, usually caused by
heavy rains.

https://www.google.com/search?
q=flash+flood+in+the+philippines+2021&sxsrf=

Illegal logging is another factor believed to have contributed

to the staggering death toll in the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro
during Sendong 2011. Many victims were swept away by huge logs
that rolled down denuded mountains facing two cities.

The immediate health impacts of floods include drowning,

injuries, hypothermia, and animal bites. Health risks are also
associated with the evacuation of patients, loss of health workers,
and loss of health infrastructure including essential drugs and supplies.
https://www.bing.com/search?q=Effect+of+floods+to+man
%27s+health&qs

 Illegal Mining

- defined as the extraction of valuable minerals or other

geological materials from the earth from an ore body, lode, vein, seam,
or reef, which forms the mineralized package of economic interest to
the miner in the absence of land rights, mining license, exploration or
mineral transportation permit or of any document that could legitimate
the on-going operations.

Here’s for your memory bank:

 The Mining Act of 1995 aimed to help the domestic mining
industry regain its competitiveness by allowing companies (Contractors)
to obtain an exploration permit for a specific area for up to four years.

FYI :

‘Complete turnaround’: Philippines’ Duterte lifts ban on

new mining permits - by Leilani Chavez on 15 April 2021

 President Rodrigo Duterte has lifted a ban on issuing

licenses for new mining operations in the Philippines, marking an
about-face from a previous anti-mining stance that saw him ban open-
pit mining in 2017 and close or suspend 26 mining operations for
environmental violations.
 The government says the industry, which contributed 0.76% to the
country’s GDP in 2020, is important in resuscitating an economy
bogged down by the COVID-19 pandemic, by generating revenue and
jobs and contributing to Duterte’s flagship infrastructure program.
 Duterte’s pivot in favor of mining goes back to 2019, when the
government allowed the operation of suspended mining firms and
pushed for the rehabilitation of government-owned mines, particularly
nickel mines, to cater to Chinese demand for nickel.
 The mining sector was the deadliest in the world for environmental
and land defenders in 2019, according to Global Witness; the
Philippines has the most mining-related killings that year, and activists
warn the new order could further endanger defenders as well as open
key biodiversity areas to mining.
‘Complete turnaround’: Philippines’ Duterte lifts ban on new mining permits
(mongabay.com)

. Negative effects of illegal mining on the environment and

human health. Most mining activities are extremely high-risk for not
only the environment, but also those who do the actual physical labor.
The environmental risks of mining include: the formation of sinkholes,
the contamination of soil and groundwater.

According to the Ghana Health Service, mercury, which is
a heavy metal and one ofthe chemicals used by illegal miners in their
  activities, had a dire effect on the health of humans.
https://www.bing.com/search?q=According%20to%20the%20Ghana
%20Health%20Service%2C%20mercury%2C%20which%20is%20a
%20heavy%20m

SOIL EROSION as it could cause the breakdown of the central nervous system
- is a gradual process that occurs when the impact
of water or wind detaches and removes soil particles,
causing the soil to deteriorate. 
- happens when soil and rock are moved from one
place to another by wind, water, and gravity.
 le.com/search?q=soil+erosion&sxsrf=AOaemvI2oSEzs3i-
EQlz99c9SMExi_wk2w:1630992852754&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved

There are many ways that soil can adversely affect human

health. The soil may be contaminated either naturally or through
anthropogenic activities with chemical elements and substances in
toxic amounts when ingested or inhaled. A supply of any element
may result in human toxicity, even elements that are essential for life.
https://www.bing.com/search?q=Effect+of+isoil+erosion+to+man%27s+health&q
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Causes of Soil Erosion:

Deforestation Building of Roads

Agriculture Urbanization
Mining

 Oil spills

- An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon

into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to
human activity, and is a form of pollution.
- The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil
is released into the ocean or coastal waters, but spills may also
occur on land.

https://www.google.com/search?
q=oil+spills&hl=fil&sxsrf=AOaemvI6lZtSv4oC7Jh227io6BWSWUoluA:163099
3672960&source=

Where do oil spills come from?

  From oil tankers with equipment faults
 From nature and human activities
 From water sports
 From drilling works carried out in the sea

The effects of oil spills on wildlife can in turn adversely affect

humans. For instance, the contamination of local ecosystems can
impact communities who rely on said ecosystems to survive, with
crops and food sources becoming poisonous or disappearing
altogether as a result of food chains being destabilised.
Effects of oil spills: What impact does it have on wildlife and humans? (offshore-
technology.com)

 Coral Reef Degradation

Coral reef destruction is defined as the degradation (and

potential mass death) of the ocean's corals.

CORAL REEF DEGRADATION is a significant

problem throughout the world. It has been acknowledged that
27% of the world’s reefs have been affected. Gardener (2003)
pointed out that:
• 11% has been completely lost
• 16% has been damaged
5

https://www.google.com/search?
q=coral+reef+degradation+meaning&hl=fil&sxsrf=AOaemvJoSXgP8xYfewgC54y9iBiTjnS25g
:1630994486192&source=l
 Source: DENR Administrative Order
No. 2013

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e /e1/Tubbataha_Shark.jpg
Source: http://www.denr.gov.ph/

  What is the connection between coral reefs and human health,

particularly when it comes to nutrition, what we’re eating, our diets?
CHRIS GOLDEN: So in many parts of the world, local communities are
heavily reliant on coral reefs for the types of fish, seafood, and shellfish
that they’re eating.

 POLLUTION means any alteration of the physical, chemical

and biological properties of water, air and/or land resources
6

 AIR POLLUTION means any alteration of the physical,

chemical and biological properties of the atmospheric air.

Long and short term exposure to air suspended toxicants has

a different toxicological impact on human including
respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, neuropsychiatric
 complications, the eyes irritation, skin diseases, and long-
term chronic diseases such as cancer.
https://www.bing.com/search?
q=Effect+of+pollution+to+man%27s+health&qs=

 WATER POLLUTION means any alteration of the physical,

chemical, biological, or radiological properties of a body of
water resulting in the impairment of its purity or quality.

Health risk associated with polluted water includes different

diseases such as respiratory disease, cancer, diarrheal
disease, neurological disorder and cardiovascular disease .
Nitrogenous chemicals are responsible for cancer and blue
baby syndrome.

 NOISE POLLUTION is the excessive sound that causes

hearing loss, stress, fatigue, irritability, tension, headaches,
and high blood pressure.

The potential health effects of noise pollution include
increased stress levels, sleep disturbance, or hearing
damage. 
7
 SOIL POLLUTION is chiefly caused by chemicals in pesticides,
such as poisons that are used to kill agricultural pests like
insects and herbicides that are used to get rid of weeds.

https://www.google.com/search?q=pollution&tbm
 The short term effects of human exposure
to polluted soil include: Headaches, nausea, and vomiting.
Coughing, pain in the chest, and wheezing. Irritation of the skin
and the eyes.
https://www.bing.com/search?q=Effect+of+soil+
+pollution+to+man%27s+health&qs

Soil pollution results from:

 Unhealthy methods of soil management.

 Harmful irrigation methods.

EFFECTS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

Environmental
Problems EFFECTS
Soil erosion Landslides
Greenhouse effect Denuded upland
Deforestation Silting of rivers and dams
Degraded watershed
Flooding
Destruction of corals along the coast

Causes of diseases such as Cholera and

other water borne diseases
Flash Floods Loss of life
Contamination of drinking water
Destruction of Sewage System
Destruction of dams and destruction of levees

Unproductive use of farmland

Soil Erosion Difficulty in raising of livestock
Silting of artificial lakes
Loss of soil and vegetation which causes
climate changes

Oil spill Suffocation of marine mammals

Death of trees from oil in roots

Loss of edible reef fish

Coral Reef Degradation Reduction of species diversity and richness
Alteration in the size structure of target species
Water poisoning of all the living things in it
Illegal Mining Destruction of beautiful coral reefs
Barrenness of land

Here’s what you need to know!

“Environmental Law: Pollution Control” is all about combating

pollution in the Philippine setting.

The following are pertinent laws adhering to environmental

safety and health protection:

 P.D. 389 (P.D. 705) – The Forestry Reform Code

 - codifies, updates and raises forestry laws in the country. It
emphasizes the sustainable utilization of forest resources.
 P.D. 704 – Preservation of optimum productivity of fishery
resources through conservation and protection.
 P.D. 1219 – Providing for the protection of coral ecosystems.
 P.D. 1067 – Water Code of the Philippines
- adopts adequate measures to conserve and regulate the
use of water in commercial, industrial and residential areas.
8
It also provides other policy guidelines on water quality and
management of water resources. P.D. 463 – Amended the
Mining Act of 1936. Requires all mining leaseholders to
comply with Pollution Control Laws and regulations and
provide for penalties for noncompliance.
 P.D. 1251 – Imposes fines on tailings and mine wastes and
the fund generated is used to pay for the damages to land,
agricultural crops, forests products, aquatic resources and
infrastructures caused by pollution for mining operations.
 P.D. 984 – The Pollution Control Law
 P.D. 825 – Prohibits the improper disposal of garbage
 P.D. 856 – Sanitation Code
- places the responsibility on the local government units
for the solid waste management in their area of
production.
 R.A. 8749 – Philippine clean Air Act of 1999
- Provides for a comprehensive

What To Understand

You have already identified the different environmental issues

and their effects on people’s health. Now, you have to sum up
what you have learned.

Activity 2. Sum it Up!

Complete the table below.

Environmental Problems Effects on the Environment Effects on People’s Health

Deforestatio The effects of The loss of these
n deforestation on the trees reduces the
environment are soil air and water
erosion, quality in these
landslides, greenhouse communities
effect, denuded upland, which increases
silting of rivers, illness like malaria
degraded watershed, outbreaks.
flooding, and
the destruction of
corals along the coast.
Soil Erosion Negative effects of There are many
soil erosion on the ways that soil can
environment are adversely affect
 unproductive use of human health.
farmland, difficulty in The soil may be
raising of livestock, contaminated
loss of soil and either naturally
vegetation which or through
causes climate changes, anthropogenic
and many more. activities with
chemical elements
and substances in
toxic amount
when ingested or
inhaled may result
in human toxicity
and even death.
Air Pollution The effects of air Air pollution can
pollution to the bring negative
environment are effects on
bringing damage to the people’s health.
growth of plants and Long or short-
can affect the life of term exposure to
any organisms. It also these toxicants
promotes harmful can bring
gases like greenhouse respiratory and
gas. cardiovascular
diseases, eyes
irritation, skin
diseases, and
long-term chronic
diseases such as
cancer.
Water Pollution The effect of water Due to the
pollution to the impurity and
environment or mostly impairment of the
on aquatic life are the water it can cause
death of many cancer, diarrheal
organisms like dolphins, diseases if drunk,
fishes, and other respiratory
animals. They are killed diseases,
by pollutants in their neurological
habitat and are often disorders, and
wind-up dead on cardiovascular
beaches. diseases.
Flash Floods The effects brought by The main effect
flash floods towards of flash floods
the environment are towards the
loss of life, people’s health is
contamination of leptospirosis.
drinking water, Having open
destruction of dams, wounds are the
sewage systems, and main targets of
 destruction of levees. this kind of
disease. Also, it
can bring rashes
and other skin
conditions due to
dirty water from
flash floods.
Oil Spill The effects of oil spill The effects of oil
towards the spill can adversely
environment are affect humans.
suffocation and death For instance, the
of marine mammals, contamination of
death of trees from oil local ecosystems
in roots, dirty or can impact
contaminated water communities who
due to containing rely on said
harmful chemicals from ecosystems to
the oil, and many more. survive, but with
crops and food
sources becoming
poisonous or
disappearing
altogether can
result in food
destabilized.
Coral Reef Degradation The effects of coral The way the
reef degradation environment feels
towards the is also the same
environment are loss of as for humans.
edible reef fish, Particularly when
reduction of species it comes to
diversity and richness, nutrition, and in
and alteration in the many parts of the
size structure of world, local
target species. communities are
heavily reliant on
coral reefs for
their everyday
food, with the
coral reefs are
severely
degraded or
unstable, then we
cannot have the
full access
through food due
to the
destruction of
coral reefs.
Illegal Mining Negative effects Illegal mining can
 brought by illegal bring numerous
mining towards the effects to a
environment are person,
deforestation, poor soil particularly on
fertility, contamination humans working
and of soil and on mining areas.
groundwater, formation The chemicals
of sinkholes, and loss that are used in
of biodiversity. illegal mining
activities can
danger human
lives. Diseases
such as poisoning
and inhaled toxics
can cause lung
cancer and other
complications.

Reflect:

1. What did you feel after doing the activity?

I feel more informed and gained more knowledge

towards the different conflicts the environment and
humans encounter. I understood the negative effects
that it can bring to the environment and our health when
not addressed or cared for properly. Also, I feel gloomy
at the same time I thought that we failed as humans in
taking good care of our only home, the Earth.

2. Who could be the possible victims of these environmental

problems?

The possible victims of the different environmental problems are, of

course, all living things namely, plants, animals, and humans too. We
could be the possible victims of these problems because it brings
danger to our lives, specifically to our health. For example, pollutions
can bring numerous complications to oneself if not treated well. The
same goes for animals and plants. The loss of habitat and space for
them to grow and nurture.

3. Do people still have the chance to restore what was lost in the
environment?

It depends on the person. If the people don’t change and still have no
care and more people continuing to destroy the environment, then
definitely will have no more chance to restore what was lost. In case,
people have already realized what was wrong, then we will have a high
 chance to rebuild what was destroyed before. Even if it takes a long
time, the importance is that we know how to take care of our planet
Earth.

4. After knowing the effects of these environmental problems, does

our environment still have something to offer to humanity?

Yes, the environment still has something to give and offer to our
needs, but we should also do the act on how to preserve it. Leaving
our mistakes behind and focusing on fixing our problems so that we
can ensure to have a long and healthy life for our habitat and all the
living organisms. It is not too late to change. We can’t change the
past, but we can change it starting now.

5. How can you explain the destruction of the environment to the

young and innocent children?

Today's youth would benefit from visual forms of information in

order to better understand the need for environmental preservation.
Visual arts, such as drawing and painting, can be used. Unless it's
required in school or for other reasons, not all teenagers enjoy
reading long paragraphs about topics they don't care about. I can use
concepts that my target audience is already familiar with because
they are young. I can also relate to them our daily habits that have an
environmental impact, such as not properly disposing of rubbish or
littering, and so on.

Activity 3. Data Shows

Study the data below.

Interpret
the data given by writing a news report. Present the
information in detail and suggest intervention programs to improve the
statistics shown.

Rubric:
Comprehensive 5 4 3 2 1
Informative 5 4 3 2 1
Accuracy 5 4 3 2 1
 Mechanics 5 4 3 2 1

Please turn in your outputs to our google classroom on or before

Wednesday, September 15, 2021. Thank you.

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