Marcos’ climate change speech must reflect in gov’t policies — envi group
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22) — Environmental group Greenpeace Philippines called on President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos to direct his administration in reflecting his climate change demands to actual policies.
This, following the chief executive's speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
“At present, we hear all this talk about climate justice, climate action, protecting biodiversity, ensuring food security, and upholding justice and human rights, but, in reality, most developments on the ground and the administration’s policy direction are leading us away from these purported aspirations,” the group said.
“We are calling on Mr. Marcos Jr. to actualize the claims in his speech, and heed the calls of Filipino communities for concrete action on climate and rights,” Greenpeace added.
Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines, on the other hand, said the fight for climate justice goes with defending democracy and freedom.
“He claims to care about those who suffer the most and talks about historical injustices, yet erases the historical abuse his family has done to the environment and environmental defenders,” the group said in a Twitter thread.
In his speech during the UNGA on Sept. 20 (Sept. 21, Manila time), Marcos underscored that developing nations have suffered the most to climate change effects. He noted that “this injustice must be corrected and those who need to do more must act now.”
“We call on industrialized countries to immediately fulfill their obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement to cut their greenhouse gas emissions, provide climate financing and technology transfer for adaptation for the most vulnerable and developing countries to lead by example,” the President said.
Government reaction
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) welcomed Marcos’ speech, saying that climate change is so important that it needs to be included in the planning process of the government.
“Actually, ito’y naumpisahan na in the last 10 years at dapat pag-ibayuhin natin na malagay at fully integrated in the planning process as a budgeting system para mapondohan at magawan ng programa na makakatulong sa ating mga mamamayan,” PAGASA Climate Change Data Chief Rosalinda de Guzman said in a Laging Handa government briefing on Thursday.
[Translation: Actually, this has been started in the last 10 years and we must strive to put and fully integrate it into the planning process as a budgeting system so we can fund and create programs that would help Filipinos.]
Also, De Guzman said the state weather bureau participates in creating programs to build the country’s resilience as a member of the Cabinet Cluster on Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction, mostly focusing on enhancing early warning system and radars.
In 2019, the country secured $10 million from the UN Green Climate Fund intended for multi-hazard, impact-based forecasting projects in vulnerable locations to climate change, specifically Legazpi, New Bataan, Tuguegarao, and Palo, Leyte.
