Legarda offers Roxas crash course on climate change

By Michael Lim Ubac
Philippine Daily Inquirer

TUGUEGARAO CITY—How about a basic classroom lesson on climate change after an acrimonious debate Sunday night?

Vice presidential candidate Loren Legarda told reporters here that she was willing to “educate” her rival, Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, on climate change issues, after the latter apparently belittled her environmental advocacy during the ABS-CBN “Harapan” vice presidential debate.

Legarda quipped that Roxas might have been taking a snack or could have left the Senate session hall early, during the countless times she delivered privilege speeches on the warming planet.

“Climate change is not just an election issue. My advocacy for climate change started in 1998. It is a timeless, universal issue,” she said Tuesday during a press conference.

Two million trees

“I am willing to teach him about the needs of the farmers and fisherfolk. I am willing to give him copies of my speeches on climate change in the United Nations and the Senate. I am willing to sit down and teach him, so that he could understand that El Niño is connected to hunger,” said Legarda, chair of the Senate committees on agriculture, and on health.

She claims to have planted over two million trees under her Green Philippines’ campaign for which she was recognized by the UN in 2001. She is also the UN Asia Pacific regional champion for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

At Sunday’s debate held at La Consolacion College in Manila, Roxas had questioned Legarda’s priorities in making the environment her campaign advocacy, noting that the Philippines accounted for less than 1 percent of the Carbon dioxide (CO2) emission that is chiefly blamed for global warming.

Legarda had said that climate change was a gut issue, as the Philippines was one of 10 countries considered most vulnerable to disasters related to climate change.

Directly affects people

The El Niño-caused drought that damaged crops and the floods that killed many people during Storms “Ondoy” and “Pepeng,” showed that climate change was an issue that directly affected the people, she had said.

“This shows the ignorance and elitist nature of other people who don’t understand climate change, protecting the environment, banning cutting down of forests, rehabilitation of irrigation facilities, and preparedness for coming disasters to lessen tragedies caused by the changing climate,” Legarda said.

She called on her closest VP rival to go down to the grassroots and ask farmers, fishermen and ordinary folk about the effects of last year’s cyclones Ondoy and Pepeng and this year’s El Niño.

“To ignore climate change is to neglect the poor,” said Legarda.

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Anyone could offer help even if you are not elected on your desired position in the government.  After the 2010 election (Philippines), we could tell among them who really are public servants...or those who have a lot of personal agenda...

Cause for alarm

By JULLIE Y. DAZA of www.mb.com.ph

Killer earthquakes. Catastrophic tsunamis. Volcanic eruptions. Deadly deluges. Eerie erosions. Snow storms. Melting ice caps. Drought – El Nino, now.

Which candidate up for election has prepared a contingency plan for climate change? Loren Legarda, vice presidential candidate, seems the most ready to answer questions. Gibo Teodoro, presidential candidate, foresees a R208-billion plan to drain Metro Manila of flood waters when the next Ondoy or its Jr. hits. (Remember, he was the only government official who was at his desk, in the field, flying a chopper, riding in a truck and not sleeping for three days to oversee government relief and rescue operations as Ondoy and Pepeng turned the big city and Luzon into a stinky lake. In short, his vision of a flood-free metropolis is based on eyewitness accounts and experience – his own.)

Pity that Jun Palafox, architect and urban planner, does not have the ear of a candidate, because he’s in a state of near-panic as he sounds the alarm: Take immediate action, now! The world is turning and there is no time to lose as climate change sweeps the planet. Making do with what is do-able is the order of the day – carpe diem! – so he suggests with a note of urgency:

“1. Create awareness. [Ignorance is not bliss, it is dangerous.] 2. Publish hazard maps [instead of survey results and more survey results]. 3. Conduct geologic, hydraulogic, structural audit of buildings and infrastructures [even if the ugly truth be known], particularly if those projects were tainted with corruption in the award, construction, and obtaining of permits.”

Weathermen have forecast 19 typhoons hitting the Philippines this year. Weathermen have already told us to expect another blue moon on Jan. 30. But weathermen cannot predict when an earthquake will occur. However, we can predict that someone will deliver a nice little speech after the next disaster shakes, rattles, and ruins us to say that everything is being done to assuage the situation,
minimize the damage, and help the victims while condoling with their families. And then we’ll be able to predict that no one will believe him or her.

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I hope the candidates would prioritized plans for climate change.  Of course, our awareness (and avoidance) regarding the activities that may contribute in Global Warming is a great factor in taking care of Mother Earth.

I am not sure where exactly in Metro Manila but I think there are now bicycle lanes in some parts of the Metro.  This is not only a campaign for environmental care, but also [of course] for our health.  I hope there would be more bicycle lanes in Metro Manila [most especially] as well as in provinces where cars and motorbikes dominate the road.

Gosh!  A forecast of 19 typhoons hitting the Philippines this year?! =(