Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Environment and
the Filipino Identity
Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje
Department of Environment and Natural Resources
24th National Convention
Philippine Institute of Environmental
Planners
November 6, 2015
AIM Convention Center, Makati City
Anthropologic Perspective in
Environmental Planning -- in view of the
Filipino Identity
Pre-colonization, affinity of
indigenous communities to
the environment
Spanish colonization, religious
considerations in planning
town centers
American colonial period, new
concepts to town planning
Current situation
DENR measures to
reimagine the Filipino city
The task at hand
Pre-colonization Era
Raw materials and the start of politico-cultural
evolutions
Pre-colonization Era
People erect their villages along sheltered bays,
coastal areas, and mouths of big river systems,
which were strategic trade and commercial points.
Another factor in choosing the location of a
settlement was the need for protection or defense
Pre-colonial society in this archipelago was
anchored on the ecological setting.
Pre-colonization Era
Bahay Kubo.
Ifugao Fale
Spanish Colonization
To facilitate administration and
control, as well as religious
conversion, the colonizers
compelled natives to relocate to the
town center or poblacion, which was
typically laid out in a grid pattern,
with the church, the town hall (casa
real), the court house and the main
square (plaza mayor) at the core.
In town planning, the parish church
on one side of the plaza became
the towns religious, administrative,
social and cultural center
Spanish Colonization
From 1768-1885 each settlement
could apply for a legua comunal,
consisting of uncultivated land
(20,000 sqm) for cattle and
timber cultivation
The Spaniards were apparently
less interested in our native flora
and fauna than in one particular
natural resource: gold.
American Colonization
Residential as well as institutional
structures in the humid tropics relied
on natural ventilation, as well as
natural illumination during daytime.
But communities also relied on
natural drainage for sewerage, by
letting sewers empty untreated water
into creeks and rivers, and ultimately
into the seas. This remains a
problem to this day.
During the reconstruction period
post the 2nd World War, countless
citizens flocked to Manila and its
suburbs for jobs and services, and
established informal settlements,
many of which remain to this day.
Current Situation
Our streets are full of motor
vehicles, our esteros those
that have not been built over
are becoming garbage chutes.
Riverbanks are overflowing
with informal settlers, and
settlements are being built
even in areas with known
geohazards.
It is in this milieu that we are
now challenged to reimagine
the Filipino city.
AFTER