Losing sight of science, a peril to development?

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Ignorance of science is absolutely a peril to development. This was a buzzword from Dr. Kelvin S. Rodolfo, an Earth and Environmental Scientist who spoke in a forum organized by the Urban Poor Associates this morning regarding the impacts of the proposed 27.3 kilometers embankment project to be built from Tacloban City to Palo and Tanauan, Leyte. Having extensively worked on the field of geological sciences, disaster risks reduction and climate change studies, his technical inputs uncovered many unforeseen impacts of the tide embankment as the  engineering works take-off. In his lectures, he presented several cases of ground movements and observable environmental hazards associated with poorly planned protective infrastructure projects.  He emphasized  that any planned development that entails alteration of the existing ecosystem and massive displacement of communities should be science-informed, otherwise these will only create more disasters.

Dr.Kelvin Rodolfo sharing his technical expertise in
assessing long-term impacts of tide embankment project to local communities.

“The problem here is that we don’t listen to the people, we lose sight of science. Things will work only if we involve our grassroots communities”, asserted Rodolfo. 

The tide embankment project will severely affect families who are entirely dependent on fishing. Majority fear that their relocation to far but safer zones will have a direct repercussion to their main livelihood source, hence, compelling them to find other alternative income generating activities.
Participants came from different project-affected
barangays, mostly are women and marginal fishers.
“We are not totally reproving the tide embankment. The government could have made us understand more about the pros and cons of this huge infrastructure development. We are fishermen and we too have our own sectoral needs that should be heeded by the decision and policy-makers.", says Dario Magaso, one of the community representatives of Barangay 89, San Jose.
Mr. Dario Magaso directing his question to the resource speaker
during the open forum.


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