Educators to tackle water issues in Baguio meet

Over a hundred university administrators and educators will gather to address issues on water resources management during the 11th National Senior Educators’ Assembly in Environmental Protection and Management in Baguio City on Sept. 28-29.

This year’s assembly, themed "Water resources management: Problems, trends and issues," aims to address water issues and concerns and discuss how the academic sector can help solve these problems.

Speakers include assistant director Eugenia Lagmay of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB); regional director Paquito Moreno of EMB-CAR; Dr. Ruth Guzman, chairperson of PATLEPAM and vice president for research, extension and information services of the Rizal Technological University; Dr. Magdalena Jasmin of the Commission on Higher Education-CAR; and Fr. Jessie Hechanove, president of St. Louis University-Baguio City; Amelia Dulce Supetran, environment portfolio manager of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Mayor Braulio Yaranon of Baguio City.

Lined up for discussion for the assembly will be water resources concerns such as the following: The Philippine Clean Water Act and the Challenges for the Academe (by Engr. Nicanor Mendoza of the EMB-DENR); Watershed Management in the Country: Problems and Prospects (by Dr. Feliciano Calora, vice-president for Academic Affairs of Benguet State University); Combating the Health Effects of Water Pollutants in our Drinking Water (by Dr. Nicolas Gordo of the Department of Health-CAR); Operationalization of a Market-based Instrument for Water Resources Management: The Environmental User Fees for Laguna Lake (by Dr. Nicomedes Briones, faculty of the School of Environmental Science and Management [SESAM] of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños [UPLB] and PATLEPAM Adviser); and Livelihood Opportunities in Selected Coastal and Marine areas in Region I (Dr. Dominica Sajonas, Deputy-Director of Student Services of the Pangasinan State University).

Papers will be presented by the following: Dr. Janet Estacion, associate director of the Institute of Environ-mental and Marine Science of the Silliman University; Dr. Ma. Victoria Espaldon, dean of UPLB SESAM; and Dr. Annie Melinda Alberto, director of the Environmental Management Institute of Central Luzon State University.

An ecological visit to the Longlong Watershed Park is set for the second day.

The assembly will be conducted by the Philippine Association of Tertiary Level Educational Institutions in Environmental Protection and Management (PATLEPAM) in cooperation with the EMB-DENR and the BOI-DTI, with some assistance from the UNDP. For inquires, contact the PATLEPAM secretariat c/o EMB-DENR telefax numbers 928-4674, 920-2251 or email [email protected].