Analyzing the Socio-economic Impacts of Mining with Propensity Score Matching (PSM): Insights for Responsible Mining in Caraga Region, Philippines

Propensity-score matching (PSM) is an estimation procedure used in this study to address selection bias and endogeneity to obtain robust results in determining the impacts of mining on the socio-economic condition of the people in the mining areas of Caraga Region, Philippines. This study has used it with three matching methods (nearest neighbor, kernel and radius matching) to come up with implications on the socio-economic underpinnings of responsible mining for the region. The impacts of mining in this study are signified by the significance of average treatment effects on the treated (ATT) for each of the socio-economic parameters of the households under study. Consistently, the results demonstrate increased borrowing in the mining areas of the region.  Results of radius matching have indicated increase in investment for human capital buildup, as implied by the increase in food and education expenditures. There are also manifestations of in-migration and efforts on the part of mining to participate in the improvement of accessibility condition through the provision of paved roads. Yet, the results signify that there is yet a need to work for the improvement of the quality of life as perceived by the households in the mining areas.  This study has recommended intensified efforts towards human development, entrepreneurship and pollution control, especially that responsible mining is to build the resilience of people to natural hazards for sustainable development in Caraga Region, Philippines. Keywords: propensity-score matching, nearest neighbor, kernel and radius matching, AT

Teaching education for sustainable development at university level: a case study from the Philippines

In response to UNESCO’s Agenda 21, the Philippine initiative to assimilate Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in tertiary education is enunciated in the Commission on Higher Education‘s Strategic Plan for 2011–2016, which contains the roadmap to reform higher education institutions (HEIs) to respond well to the academic pursuits of sustainable development. Over the years, ESD has been instituted with practical strategies hinged on previously-built efforts promoting environmental conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation as cornerstones of sustainable development among the HEIs in the country. The process of doing so has progressed from social marketing through alliance-building in pushing for eco-friendly and disaster risk reduction programs and community extension activities to enhance social awareness and preparedness to a more academic level through curricular review and development activities. The National Service Training Program (NSTP) is a platform whereby ESD is instituted formally in tertiary education. However, sophistication for ESD to tackle the development of theories of practice is underway but slow. Some universities have been moving forward in this aspect in cooperation with two environmental education associations, but knowledge to fast-track the development and study of theories for sustainable development for practical applications is still evidently wanting

The framework of waste management in gold mining towards building sustainable communities in Caraga Region, Philippines

This paper highlights the ecological approaches in the development of a sustainable waste management (SWM) for gold mining by picking up insights from previous works. Key concepts from industrial ecology have been adopted as basis for the approaches in configuring the waste management framework for gold mining. The relevance of industrial symbiosis and systems thinking in the framework for gold mining are emphasized, specifically on the objective of addressing the three pillars of sustainable development - people, planet and prosperity. The application of the key concepts of industrial symbiosis and systems thinking in forming the science for SWM in gold mining and developing the SWM framework are envisioned to provide sustainability in reducing wastes and mitigating environmental impacts