LIBONA, Bukidnon (MindaNews / 28 December) — We frequently refer to ecological “crises” — using the plural form — to acknowledge the multiple, interconnected challenges we face. A key contributor to these crises is our “throw away culture,” which has brought us to a distinct waste crisis.
Although the first synthetic plastic (Bakelite) was invented in 1907, scientific observations of marine plastic debris only began to appear in the 1960s and 1970s. By 2023, the introduction of plastics and other “novel entities” into the environment had become so excessive that their planetary boundary was globally transgressed.[1]
In 2024, the Climate Impacts Tracker Asia reported that the Philippines is “the world’s top ocean plastic polluter,”[2] a widely publicized finding, particularly on social media. This situation prompted Filipino Cardinal Pablo David to characterize the issue as “the shame we must finally face.”
But not all wastes are visible. Along this line, we single out a far more dangerous type of waste: agrochemical pollution, which heavily pollutes and poisons our lands and waters. Unlike visible trash, these pollutants are largely undetectable and, critically, become uncontainable once they have contaminated river and soil ecosystems.
It has been reported by the DENR that 180 out of the 421 principal rivers in the Philippines are heavily polluted, and 50 of those are already biologically dead.[3] This alarming situation is due to numerous contributing factors.
In northern Bukidnon, for instance, the two chief contributing factors that pollute creeks and rivers are the mismanagement of livestock agricultural waste, and unsustainable agricultural practices, such as extensive monocropping by agribusinesses that use high levels of chemicals and deplete soil nutrients.[4]
Of the two major sources of water pollution, the use of toxic synthetic agrochemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides appears to be more alarming. The outflow, for instance, of the nitrogen and phosphorus in synthesized fertilizers has critically modified the global biogeochemical flows to the effect of transgressing its planetary boundary in 2009.[5] The pollution of toxic synthetic agrochemicals is so pervasive that it has already contaminated both surface water and groundwater.
According to a recent National Water Resources Board (NWRB) survey, 35% of rivers and surface water areas suitable for drinking water must be fully chemically treated to become potable.[6] This contamination issue largely explains why many lowland communities in Bukidnon rely heavily on deep wells which leads to over-extraction of groundwater resources.
In the Philippines, there are significant concerns regarding groundwater safety. It has been reported that “up to 58 percent of groundwater sampled is contaminated with coliform and needs treatment,”[7] posing substantial health risks to communities.
In northern Bukidnon, where large pineapple and banana plantations exist, households source their domestic water from the headwaters of local rivers and creeks. It is generally presumed that rivers and creeks are no longer safe for domestic use after they pass through large-scale agribusiness fields.
The 2024 laboratory findings of Environment Management Bureau (EMB) on the Dila River in Impasug-ong Municipality revealed water quality that failed safety standards due to nonconforming levels of fecal coliform and phosphates. These contaminants, largely attributed to untreated wastewater from piggeries along the river, pose health hazards for consumption and livestock, promote eutrophication, and indicate a high risk of waterborne diseases.
The latest laboratory findings of the water quality of the tributaries of Dila River —the Komotal Creek and Ipoon River — also show “low oxygen content” and reveal the presence of “significant volumes of pollutants” that are organic in nature such as coliform bacteria. Dila River converges to Tagoloan River that drains to Macajalar Bay in Misamis Oriental.
The Tagoloan River Basin Management Council (TRBMC), a multi-stakeholder governing body, has intervened by pushing local government units (LGUs) to strengthen the enforcement of environmental regulations against polluters and address ecological issues stemming from both agrochemical and organic wastes. The council further commits to coordinating with the Department of Agriculture (DA) to expand its water quality parameters to include the monitoring of pollutants related to herbicide-pesticide chemicals.
As the designated “watershed province” of Mindanao, Bukidnon holds a critical ecological responsibility that extends beyond simple advocacy for freshwater sources; it demands proactive measures to address the severe contamination from both organic and agrochemical wastes. The recent water quality findings in the Dila River and its tributaries, which indicate alarming levels of fecal coliform, phosphates, and low oxygen content, underscore the urgent need for stringent regulation of environmentally harmful practices in agriculture and wastewater management.
Ultimately, for this vital watershed to sustain both the local communities and the downstream Macajalar Bay ecosystem, all stakeholders — from local government units to the Tagoloan River Basin Management Council (TRBMC) — must continue to commit to effective enforcement of environmental laws and championing sustainable land use to safeguard this essential natural resource for future generations.
(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. Fr. Reynaldo D. Raluto is the parish priest of Jesus Nazareno Parish in Libona, Bukidnon. He is the author of the book ‘Integral Ecology Ministry: Doing Ecological Theology and Advocacy in Light of Laudato Si,’ published in September 2025 by the Mindanao Institute of Journalism.)
[1] See Katherine Richardson, Will Steffen, Wolfgang Lucht, et al., “Earth beyond six of nine planetary boundaries,” Science Advances 9 (September 13, 2023): 1-16, on pp. 2-9.
[2] Eric Koons, “Plastic Pollution in the Philippines: A Call For Urgent Action,” Climate Impacts Tracker Asia (October 10, 2024); available online: https://www.climateimpactstracker.com/plastic-pollution-in-the-philippines/ (date accessed: December 2, 2025).
[3] Cited in Greenpeace Philippines, “Greenpeace to DENR: Implement pollution disclosure to save our rivers – Greenpeace Philippines,” Greenpeace (January 16, 2013);
https://www.greenpeace.org/philippines/press/1097/greenpeace-to-denr-implement-pollution-disclosure-to-save-our-rivers/ (date accessed: December 2, 2025).
[4] See James Macalinao Violon, Sherrymae O. Velos-Decang, and Lesley Lubos, “Sawaga River’s Curse: The Violation of Residents’ Right to Health Through Waterborne Diseases” (May 2024); available online: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/380403739_Sawaga_River’s_Curse_The_Violation_Of_Residents’_Right_To_Health_Through_Waterborne_Diseases (date accessed: December 2, 2025).
[5] See Richardson et all, “Earth Beyond Six of Nine Planetary Boundaries,” 8-9.
[6] See Michael A. Bengwayan, “Many Philippine Rivers Are Dying,” Eurasia Review (April 29, 2019); available online: https://www.eurasiareview.com/29042019-many-philippine-rivers-are-dying-oped/ (accessed: 29 March 2021); Cf. Greenpeace, The State of Water Resources in the Philippines (Quezon City: Greenpeace Southeast Asia, 2007).
[7] Water Environment Partnership in Asia (WEPA), “Philippine Water Supply and Sanitation Policy Overview” (WEPA, no date), available online: https://wepa-db.net/archive/policies/state/philippines/overview.htm (date accessed: December 2, 2025).
