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Presents a speech by sociologist Irene R. Cortes during a lecture series at Makati, Philippines on November 5, 1970. Views on the system of government; Comments on the Constitution; Suggestion for the amendment of the Constitution.

The fishing industry is considered vital for livelihood resources in the Philippines, especially in Surigao del Sur. By investigating how fishers' well-being can be affected by various anthropogenic stressors, adaptation strategies can be crafted to address related problems. Focus groups were used to assess fishers' well-being through the five dimensions such as social, economic, ecological, spiritual values, and cultural. A total of N = 174 participants attended the six FGDs conducted in Cortes, Lanuza, and Lianga. Separate focus groups were used to validate the results of the study. Results showed variation in social connectivity, Lanuza and Lianga scored moderately (3), but in terms of cooperatives, Cortes and Lanuza scored highly (4). In the cultural dimension (governance and advocacy for marine conservation), Cortes scored high (4), and all sites scored very high (5) for spiritual values. For the economic dimension, e.g. catch and cost of fishing trips, Cortes and Lanuza also scored high (4). Finally, for the ecological dimension (protection of fish stocks), Cortes and Lanuza scored very high (5). Four major anthropogenic stressors were mentioned: coral reef siltation (85%), climate change impacts (82%), improper garbage disposal (69%), and impacts of mining activities (67%). The respondents agreed that establishing more marine protected areas (MPAs) is essential for their marine ecosystem to provide services that include nutrition, livelihood, and tourism. In addition, most of the fishers have agreed about the necessity for the municipal and provincial governments to focus their attention on assisting fishers to address anthropogenic disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the factors associated with the movement of Filipino professionals to the United States. The study was designed mainly to attain the following objectives: To identify and specify the major factors associated with the emigration of high-level person from the Philippines to the U.S.A.; To gain insights into the problem of prediction of migration among the highly trained; To throw light on the ways in which education or training at home and abroad may help minimize the outflow of trained talent and skills from the Philippines. The results of the study indicate that: Persons weakly anchored, or loosely committed or attached psychologically and socially, to the home country tend to emigrate; Persons who received government support, whether from the home or host-country government, during study abroad are less likely to emigrate; Younger persons, 30 years old or younger, are more prone to emigrate, compared to older persons, Persons who are single at the time they leave the home country are more prone to emigrate than married persons; however, married persons whose families joined them while studying abroad are more likely to emigrate than those whose families were left in the home country.

Biochar and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are found to improve crop productivity affecting the nutrient availability in the soil and favoring build-up of beneficial microbes. The effects of AMF and bamboo biochar (BB) on the growth of cacao, estimated number of mycorrhizal spores, and soil chemical properties were investigated. Cacao seedlings were grown in unsterilized and oven-sterilized acidic soil. After 15 months, AMF generally increased most growth traits of cacao plant over the control. Bamboo biochar at 15%, gave the best plant growth regardless of soil sterilization. When biochar was added to AMF, 15% consistently provided the heaviest total plant dry weight, especially in unsterilized soil. Likewise, all treatments improved the height and stem diameter increments of those grown in unsterilized soil. Percentage of mycorrhizal root colonization was higher in mycorrhizal (+AMF) plant and addition of biochar proliferated AMF spores in the rhizosphere. Biochar showed positive effect in enhancing the soil chemical properties. The results imply that biochar and AMF can improve the overall growth and can positively increase the yield of cacao plants, which will provide impact in improving cacao production in acidic soils in the Philippines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the topics that were discussed at the meetings of the members of the Philippine Sociological Society from August 1970 to January 1971. At a meeting held August 8, 1970, at the home of the appointed Program Chairman, Aurora SilayanGo, the general theme and most topics of the series were decided on by the Society's Board of Directors. Action followed swiftly on these basic decisions--the setting of a tentative schedule, sending invitations to speakers, discussants, and panelists, and making the myriad practical arrangements that necessarily accompany any such public venture. The Brain Drain was the subject of two papers at the third meeting on October 22, 1970. Josefina Cortes and Florence McCarthy each considered the subject from a distinctive viewpoint, the former emphasizing psychological factors and the latter, the social environment of the Philippine scientific community. The paper of F. Landa Jocano was on another aspect of Filipino outmigration, the fate of Laborers and others who have moved to Hawaii, especially in recent years.

Small scale gold mining may result in significant health exposures and environmental contamination. Since 1980, artisanal gold mining has been in existence in Pantukan, Compostela Valley Province with miners engaged in the amalgamation method for gold extraction. A descriptive study was conducted in barangay Kingking, Pantukan, Compostela Valley from August to October 1999 to assess the health effects of mercury exposure among miners as well as the environmental effects of amalgamation method. All miners working in the site for at least one year, voluntarily submitting themselves for interview, physical and biologic monitoring were included in the study. Environmental sampling of water and soil were done. A total of 30 miners fulfilled the inclusion criteria with age ranging from 25-58 years with male to female ratio = to 4:1. Majority (87%) were engaged in 2 or more gold mining processes which may be of the following: ballmilling, panning, pressing, and blowtorching. Duration of exposure showed mean working years of 13.8 (range = 1-20 years), mean working days/week of 5.6 (range = 1-7 days), and mean working hours/day of 6.2 (range = 1-14 hours). Twenty-two (22) out of 30 workers had blood levels ranging from 10-120 ppb with a mean of 40 ppb. The rest had values which were non-detectable based on the threshold limit value of the laboratory used which was 10 ppb. The most significant health effects included poor memory, anosmia, abnormal gait and balance. Mercury levels from the environmental sampling were as follows: drinking water from sitio Gumayan = 1 ppb; water and soil sediments from Kingking River were 160 ppb and 7ug/g respectively.In conclusion, the mercury exposure from artisanal small-scale gold mining resulted in blood mercury levels, soil and water samples from the river exceeding the existing World Health Organization standards. The study recommended both health and environmental remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]