Climate change is ‘game changer,’ wipes away investments, efforts
(By Emily B. Bordado and Noel O. Reyes)
Legazpi City – Every year, the Philippines loses billions of pesos worth of public investments in infrastructure, and more importantly human lives due to extreme events brought about by climate change.
“From the development perspective, climate change is the game changer, as all our efforts and investments will be obliterated, if we don’t give attention to doing our jobs and living a life with resiliency to climate change,” stressed agriculture undersecretary Segfredo Serrano, at a workshop for journalists called “Climate Change: Gets mo na ba?” conducted here by the Philippine Agricultural Journalists, Inc. (PAJ).
“Developing countries, including the Philippines, which have contributed least to greenhouse gas emission are most vulnerable to climate change,” said Serrano, who represented agriculture secretary Proceso Alcala, during the two-day workshop attended by over 70 tri-media journalists sponsored by the PAJ in partnership with the DA Bicol regional field office, Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), Philex Mining Corp., and Smart Communications.
He said the DA is for meaningful adaptation not mitigation, citing the need to review scientific and technical work program to provide the basis for new agriculture and fishery infrastructure designs, standards and specifications, and climate change resilient technologies, while pursuing agricultural and fishery developmental programs.
“We cannot have climate change adaptation program, without integrating and harmonizing it with disaster risk reduction program,” added Serrano during the Legazpi workshop, the first of the four PAJ regional workshops aimed at ‘laymanizing’ terminologies and processes to enable journalists understand climate change and thus write and broadcast more interesting stories for the appreciation of the general public.
The succeeding workshops will be conducted in Tacloban (August 27-29), Siargao (September 17-19), and Tuguegarao (October 27-29). They are also co-sponsored by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Regional Program for Southeast Asia (CCAFS-SEA), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF). Serving as workshop partners are the Philippine Network of Environmental Journalists, Inc. (PNEJ), Philippine Science Journalists, Inc. (PSciJourn) and Philippine Federation of Rural Broadcasters (PFRB).
For his part, former press secretary Mike Toledo commended the PAJ workshop, saying “there is this proper need to share the responsibility of writing and publishing, and broadcasting better and more stories on climate change to inform, educate, and change the mindset of a given populace.”
Toledo represented Manuel V. Pangilinan, chairman of MVP group of companies, of which MPIC, Philex and Smart have co-sponsored the PAJ climate change workshop for journalists.
He said the MVP appreciates the threat of climate change, and thus their group has been implementing respective programs and initiatives to mitigate and adapt to the changing climate.
Toledo said a flagship program of Metro Pacific is “Shore it up!” which is a nationwide effort to protect mangroves that serve as habitat for rich marine life. Maynilad is conducting interactive educational drives on water safety and conservation in public elementary schools Manila and Muntinlupa. Philex Mining Corp. continues to undertake massive reforestation program not just in compliance with government requirements but as part of its corporate social responsibility to its host communities.
PLDT-SMART, he added, has its ‘Kabalikat ng Kalikasan’ programs like ‘Smartrees, green cell sites, green merchandising and Marikina watershed initiative. Meralco has launched a ‘Energy Leadership Award’ to honor energy-efficient and sustainable eco-friendly schools, in partnership with the DENR.
He said the MVP group has partnered with the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation and an active member of the Corporate Network for Disaster Response, conducting response and relief work through its ‘Tulong Kapatid’ collective program. He noted that when natural calamities strike such as earthquakes and typhoons, the Philex rescue team is one of the first on ‘ground zero’ to conduct search-and-rescue and retrieval operations.
During the PAJ two-day workshop several speakers and resource persons also shared their insight and experiences on climate change, among them were: DA Bicol regional director Abelardo Bragas; Dr. Leo Sebastian, CCAFS-SEA program leader; Dr. Rosa Perez, weather expert research fellow at Manila Observatory; Dr. Eliseo Ponce, DA consultant on climate change; Rep. Rodel Batocabe, chair of HOR committee on climate change; Amy Cruz, of ICRAFF; Louie Tabing, PFRB president; Angelo Palmones, PSciJourn president; Imelda Abaño, PNEJ president; and Tony Lambino, IRRI head of communication.
The local experts included: Dr. Cedric Daep, head of Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office; Eng. Ariel Zamudio of PAGASA Legazpi City; Lorenzo Alvina, DA regional focal person on CCA & DRRM; and Prof. Florito Dapeña, Bicol Region office of civil defense.
A
two-day workshop called “Climate Change: Gets mo na ba?” was conducted
by the PAJ in Legazpi City on July 31-Aug 1. The workshop is
co-sponsored by the Department of Agriculture Bicol regional field
office, Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), Philex Mining
Corp., and Smart Communications. Three similar workshops will be
conducted in Tacloban (Aug 27-29), Siargao (Sept 17-19), and Tuguegarao
(Oct 27-29).
Legazpi City – Every year, the Philippines loses billions of pesos worth of public investments in infrastructure, and more importantly human lives due to extreme events brought about by climate change.
“From the development perspective, climate change is the game changer, as all our efforts and investments will be obliterated, if we don’t give attention to doing our jobs and living a life with resiliency to climate change,” stressed agriculture undersecretary Segfredo Serrano, at a workshop for journalists called “Climate Change: Gets mo na ba?” conducted here by the Philippine Agricultural Journalists, Inc. (PAJ).
“Developing countries, including the Philippines, which have contributed least to greenhouse gas emission are most vulnerable to climate change,” said Serrano, who represented agriculture secretary Proceso Alcala, during the two-day workshop attended by over 70 tri-media journalists sponsored by the PAJ in partnership with the DA Bicol regional field office, Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), Philex Mining Corp., and Smart Communications.
He said the DA is for meaningful adaptation not mitigation, citing the need to review scientific and technical work program to provide the basis for new agriculture and fishery infrastructure designs, standards and specifications, and climate change resilient technologies, while pursuing agricultural and fishery developmental programs.
“We cannot have climate change adaptation program, without integrating and harmonizing it with disaster risk reduction program,” added Serrano during the Legazpi workshop, the first of the four PAJ regional workshops aimed at ‘laymanizing’ terminologies and processes to enable journalists understand climate change and thus write and broadcast more interesting stories for the appreciation of the general public.
The succeeding workshops will be conducted in Tacloban (August 27-29), Siargao (September 17-19), and Tuguegarao (October 27-29). They are also co-sponsored by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Regional Program for Southeast Asia (CCAFS-SEA), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF). Serving as workshop partners are the Philippine Network of Environmental Journalists, Inc. (PNEJ), Philippine Science Journalists, Inc. (PSciJourn) and Philippine Federation of Rural Broadcasters (PFRB).
For his part, former press secretary Mike Toledo commended the PAJ workshop, saying “there is this proper need to share the responsibility of writing and publishing, and broadcasting better and more stories on climate change to inform, educate, and change the mindset of a given populace.”
Toledo represented Manuel V. Pangilinan, chairman of MVP group of companies, of which MPIC, Philex and Smart have co-sponsored the PAJ climate change workshop for journalists.
He said the MVP appreciates the threat of climate change, and thus their group has been implementing respective programs and initiatives to mitigate and adapt to the changing climate.
Toledo said a flagship program of Metro Pacific is “Shore it up!” which is a nationwide effort to protect mangroves that serve as habitat for rich marine life. Maynilad is conducting interactive educational drives on water safety and conservation in public elementary schools Manila and Muntinlupa. Philex Mining Corp. continues to undertake massive reforestation program not just in compliance with government requirements but as part of its corporate social responsibility to its host communities.
PLDT-SMART, he added, has its ‘Kabalikat ng Kalikasan’ programs like ‘Smartrees, green cell sites, green merchandising and Marikina watershed initiative. Meralco has launched a ‘Energy Leadership Award’ to honor energy-efficient and sustainable eco-friendly schools, in partnership with the DENR.
He said the MVP group has partnered with the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation and an active member of the Corporate Network for Disaster Response, conducting response and relief work through its ‘Tulong Kapatid’ collective program. He noted that when natural calamities strike such as earthquakes and typhoons, the Philex rescue team is one of the first on ‘ground zero’ to conduct search-and-rescue and retrieval operations.
During the PAJ two-day workshop several speakers and resource persons also shared their insight and experiences on climate change, among them were: DA Bicol regional director Abelardo Bragas; Dr. Leo Sebastian, CCAFS-SEA program leader; Dr. Rosa Perez, weather expert research fellow at Manila Observatory; Dr. Eliseo Ponce, DA consultant on climate change; Rep. Rodel Batocabe, chair of HOR committee on climate change; Amy Cruz, of ICRAFF; Louie Tabing, PFRB president; Angelo Palmones, PSciJourn president; Imelda Abaño, PNEJ president; and Tony Lambino, IRRI head of communication.
The local experts included: Dr. Cedric Daep, head of Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office; Eng. Ariel Zamudio of PAGASA Legazpi City; Lorenzo Alvina, DA regional focal person on CCA & DRRM; and Prof. Florito Dapeña, Bicol Region office of civil defense.
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