If it were only a matter of laws, we have more than enough of them to ensure the protection of our environment. What makes environmental protection so difficult, however, is that despite the plethora of international, national and even local laws, these are rarely, if ever, heeded or implemented. Government officials themselves are among the first to violate these laws, or else choose to look the other way when the private sector brazenly ignores, if not breaks the law outright. Gloria Estenzo Ramos, a lawyer and environmental activist, who is now vice president of Oceana Philippines, certainly is aware of the link (or lack of it) between the state of the environment and the laws that govern it.

Jimenez-David, R. (2018, August 3). Fish have rights, too. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A15.