Burdeos

Burdeos is an island municipality within the Polillo Group of Islands circumvented by mighty Pacific Ocean in the North Eastern side of the Polillo Group of Islands (POGI). It is a fourth-class municipality within the Philippine Classification of Municipalities, having a population of 24,644 giving the town a population density of 120 per square kilometer within the total land area of 199.82 square kilometers configuring a landform with an elevation ranging from 0 to 273 m above sea level.

Despite of this vast land area, the town has a poverty incident of 44.88 %. The town’s orientation within the land mass has a great influence into its economic stagnation. 44.88% or approximately 11,060 individuals are living below the threshold of poverty line compared to the Philippine National Average of 16.6 % (psa.gov.ph).

According to the “The Borgen Project”, poverty in the Philippines has seven major facts such as rural stagnation, natural disasters, malnutrition, food insecurities, politics, cultural inequities and poor planning. High poverty rate within the town and the nearby areas are inevitable despite of having abundance of natural resources. Special laws like the total log ban, the laws on protected areas without any efficient implementation and utilization, have a huge impact to the socio- economic situation of the town itself. Poor stewardship and interactive type of planning as to use, function and utilization are the barometers of economic stagnation.

In accord with the studies of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), despite having a massive, productive and rich forest; the existence of various logging concessionaires; land denudation and massive forest exploitations did not give any betterment to the rural communities nearby. The local residents remained within the poverty line. This incidence is true in the Burdeos and neighboring areas. The situation in these areas needs immediate and urgent attention. Years of neglect, and misprioritization from the mainland are no longer permissible

Decades ago, logging and mining within the Polillo Group of Islands had been permitted while forest stakeholders did not have any direct benefits from what was derived and utilized from the rich natural forest. Only a few elites had been compensated. These massive logging and mining operations have resulted to the destruction of forest covers and leaving the land futile for a period of time. It is so saddening to know that no economic benefits redounded to the local stakeholders. But what is more unconscionable to these same innocent local stakeholders is the danger now they face every single day. They are very much concerned with the impact of climate change. Burdeos and the neighboring areas are very susceptible to typhoon devastation and destruction of life, like what had happened with Typhoons Yolanda and Odette in the southern part of the country. It is a major disaster waiting to occur. The watershed, the major supply of potable water in the island is denuded and slowly dying. The economic effects of these denudation are seen in the lives of the people living in the areas. Low production, lack of market opportunities for products, unemployment and other social costs are very rampant in the areas concerned.