Pit of Expulsion: Delayed Progression

By: Lian Maye Tan

Of deep abysmal behemoth and isolated hollow lies a layered base to conceal unaesthetic disposal.

Contrary to the accustomed throwing and burning cycle, an engineered method will be hosted by Compostela to accommodate the cast out dump.

After 9 site inspections, the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) finally found the perfect location to host the first ever Sanitary Landfill in the municipality. Though it has not yet been in operation, MENRO sees this feat as a starting point of eco consciousness.

Isolated from the masses, the landfill is set to be built in P-10 San Miguel, Compostela. After the 10 qualifications are met --- its construction will start in 2024. Pursuant to Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, it is an anticipated refurbishment in which Compostela is bound to follow.

Contrary to a careless open dump --- Sanitary Landfill is a modern disposal technique that aims to mitigate the probable risks associated with health and environmental conditions.

This allows the garbage to biologically and chemically decompose in a standard procedure administered by individuals, skillful in this field.

Sanitary landfills work by piling trash into a sizable pit. In a nutshell, different waste layers are used to catch hazardous gasses emitted during the decomposition of the materials. To prevent the ground from collapsing, the layers are constructed so that the top portion has a larger volume and the bottom portion has the smallest volume.

In addition, landfills are placed where existing terrain features can act as natural barriers between the ecosystem and the landfills. Before burying E-waste, trenches are dug in the disturbed ground, and impervious liners are created to stop the dangerous elements from escaping.

This is to reduce the risk leachate from landfills that exhibit harm to the environment. It is characterized by high concentrations of organic and inorganic pollutants.

The important effects of landfill leachate could include harmful effects on fauna and eutrophication of aquatic systems, which are brought on by a number of contaminants.

The complexity of designing the safest and most economical solid waste collection in rural and urban areas due to external and internal factors such as; population growth, increased industrial activities, inadequate proper disposal areas --contribute to the Local Government Unit’s delayed call for action.

While it is not yet in operation, LGU Compostela built a temporary disposal area to cater the municipality’s need for a proper space. MENRO also encouraged the constituents to be an eco-warrior to save our planet.

This is only attainable if we make the necessary measures to contribute to our home’s rehabilitation.

“If we won’t, who will?” Ma’am Josephine Libradilla, MENRO Administrative Aid stated.

SIMultaneous Protection: Revolutionized security over cyber threat

By: Venice Heart Cabiling

Sudden messages that pop up become alarming more than a danger that appears with no technology. Every unseen face behind random chat creates silent harms.

Protection and security - augmented by the law that fights against cyber threats. In the small card part of the phone, people rely on their privacy and personal safety. A single click transmit danger in the invisible influence of technology.

In the years that people used SIM cards, it gave them a lot of benefits. The most important feature of these modules is the network authentication. The sim card housed the data and memory that is important for the people who owned it. For this, keys and algorithms are restored on the card,which encrypt both voice and signaling data making it unreadable by unauthorized individuals. Moreover, a SIM card serves people an asset most especially for work and studies. It allows the people to have a connection for them to make calls or texts, and connects to internet services for their resources and entertainment.

These cards are simple plastic pieces with silicone chips on them which contain processor and memory circuits that allow them to store up to 265 KB of digital information. Each SIM card holds a user's IMSI (International Mobile Subscribers Identity) and ICCID ( Integrated Circuit Card Identifier) information. Mobile network operators use a SIM Card IMSI and ICCID to verify the holding user and decide whether to grant network access to the associated device.

It is data that contains information including users identity, location, and phone number, network authentication data, personal security keys, contact lists and stored messages. SIM cards allow a mobile user to use this data and the feature that comes with them.

However, its benefits do not cover how harm exists in this thing. Technology is a dangerous place that no one could ever imagine most especially for the kids and youth in which they are more prone to experience cyber threat. According to a DQ institute 2020 survey that covers 63% of the global population, 6 out of 10 children ages 8-12 are exposed to various cyber risks. The Philippines have high cases of cyber threats making it the top 2 of the countries with the highest online risks exposure levels. Also, online scams have increased from 2, 457 cases reported in 2019 to 14, 869 to October last 2022 including seven months under community quarantine amid the pandemic.

While SIM cards do provide a certain level of security for mobile devices, they are not foolproof and scammers can still find ways to access your personal information and send you scam messages. SIM cards can provide some level of security for mobile devices, they are not a foolproof method for preventing scam messages.

It's important to be aware of the various tactics scammers use and to be cautious when receiving messages from unknown or suspicious sources.

Children and youth are fragile enough to be trapped in the game of scammers taking advantage of technology. Therefore, the SIM Card Registration law or the Republic Act No. 11934 was implemented by the government to lessen the scams that happen increasingly. The law seeks to end crimes using the platform including text and online scams by regulating the sale and the use of SIMS by mandating registration to end-users. Various networks are mandatory to also implement SIM card registration law such as Smart, Globe, Dito and many more. Yet nearing the deadline, only 41.3%of SIM cards are registered. In the harm that the virtual world brings to the public, this law will become a shield to protect people from the threat online. Technology today is essential for everyday lives, even for children. Despite being just a small chip, it restores seclusion of individuals that should never be invaded. Even with the rapid spread of technology, privacy should always be protected. It will be the revolutionized security that will go against cyber threats to have simultaneous protection.

This is an excerpt learned by heart by the Filipino people from the national anthem, "Lupang Hinirang." It boasts the country’s treasures—land, air, and sea— all of which lie at the cradle of civilization and economic growth. If we are to aim for true national development, sustainability should take place across all three spheres. As Filipinos, there is one way to push for this: suffrage.

The recent 2022 Philippine elections, perhaps, were the most critical point to determine the direction and fate of our biodiversity, one of the most climatevulnerable areas in the world. Why is that? In 2015, the Philippines promised a 75% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 during the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, along with the other 197 member countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

When followed faithfully, the Paris Agreement will help the world lessen the impact of climate change and make the effects manageable for vulnerable countries, such as the Philippines, so that we may protect our collective future.

Elected leaders are now faced with the challenge of reaching this goal. We are witnessing the climax of political and environmental progress or regress—the answer is up to them.

Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., son of the late ousted dictator, is now the president of the Republic of the Philippines. During his campaign, he vowed reforestation on a "massive scale" and management of the remaining forests "according to strict standards."

He also promised to focus on the "air pollution problem" in the country. Furthermore, BBM and his UniTeam are also committed to promoting responsible mining by enforcing the key provisions of the Mining Act of 1995 (Republic Act 7942).

"Nature has its own rights that should be protected. It should be allowed to flourish, reproduce, and attain its abundance side by side with human civilization in perfect balance and harmony with our growing communities," he stressed. Their platforms may seem promising, but will this be enough? In the 1900s, the country’s forest cover amounted to 70% of the total land area; currently, it is down to 20.5 %. Studies have shown that to regenerate enough forest cover at the same level as that in the 1900s, it would require 177 years at the present rate and efficiency of reforestation. Something the father of the newly-elected president is responsible for, as almost half of the Philippines' forest cover was reduced during martial law, leaving only around 7.8 million hectares.

After exercising suffrage, the Filipino people should not stop being mere ‘bystanders’ to the new administration. At the end of the day, democracy grants us the right to demand accountability from the authorities who pledged to protect and preserve our collective treasures. Our Philippine biodiversity cries for sustainability, and the election is just the beginning of the real fight ahead. Therefore, in this new administration, the land, air, and sea are watching.