BY: RIZALIE A. CALIBO
Climate change has become the major environmental issue today and everyone is talking about it – from its cause and effect to the various adaptation programs and measures that different countries are taking to minimize its impact.
How a tropical country like the Philippines is dealing with climate change is the topic presented by the lone district representative of Siquijor Cong. Marie Anne Pernse or more popularly known as 'Doc Anne' during the Climate Change Conference with the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) in Kaohshiung, Taiwan on September 6 to 9, 2013.
Doc Anne presented how the Philippines has joined the world community in addressing the problems brought about by climate change and in reversing global warming, according to a report from Pernes' staff, Marco Alex Misa.
The congresswoman in her presentation explained that Philippines lies along the so-called typhoon belt which makes it a country of rains, typhoons, and floods, thus vulnerable to the ill-effects of climate change.
An average of 20 typhoons visit the Philippines every year, bringing with them deaths and disaster, she said.
“With a long history of disasters related to climate change, we had to get our act together and adopt measures to mitigate the impact of global warming,” said Pernes as she presented the necessary policies and legislation the Philippine government has crafted to address climate-change problems effectively, save lives and property, and join the rest of the world in reversing the tide of global warming.
She cited the Philippine Clean Air Act in 1999 that puts emphasis on prevention, not just control, of air pollution.
It strictly regulates emission of harmful gases and chemicals from industries and motor vehicles and requires annual mandatory emission testing for all vehicles.
It also bans the use of incinerators and open burning of garbage.
Another is the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act that was passed in 2000, which mandates recycling and a reduction in the volume of solid wastes, garbage segregation, composting, and treatment of wastes.
The law also bans the use of open dump sites and strictly regulates the operation of solid waste disposal facilities.
The Clean Water Act, which was passed in 2004, designates watersheds, river basins, and water resource regions as water quality management areas and puts them under the management of a multi-sectoral board to ensure their preservation and protection from pollution and environmental damage.
The law imposes strict water-pollution measures and heavy fines for violations. It requires those that cause pollution to “clean up their mess.”
Under the law, proponents of projects and industries that discharge wastes are required to put up an “environment guarantee fund.”
The fund is used to maintain the health of the ecosystem and finance any clean up or rehabilitation that may arise from such projects.
Another is the Renewable Energy Act that accelerates the exploration and development of renewable energy resources reduce dependence on fossil fuels and mitigate climate change and increases the use of renewable energy by providing incentives
For decades, she explained, the Philippines had been dependent on imported crude oil for its energy requirements.
Since the oil crisis of the 1970s, we have made significant strides in reducing this dependence by harnessing local alternative sources of energy, she said.
In 2008, we passed a law to institutionalize a program to further reduce our use of fossil fuels.
By 2020, we aim to double our use of renewable energy — from 5,500 to 11,000 megawatts.
"These are primarily hydro and geothermal energy. But we have also made significant strides in exploring wind and solar energy," she said.
In keeping with its commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Philippines also enacted the Climate Change Act in 2009, the first law of its kind among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The law created the Philippine Climate Change Commission an independent and autonomous agency of government responsible for all efforts at addressing climate change.
It mandates the formulation of a National Climate Change Action Plan and requires all local government units to have their own local action plans.
The National Climate Change Action Plan approved in 2011 has seven strategic priorities: Food Security, Water Sufficiency, Ecosystems and Environmental Stability, Human Security, Climate-smart Industries and Services, Sustainable Energy, and Knowledge and Capacity Development.
Learning from the devastation caused by Typhoon Ondoy and Typhoon Pepeng in 2009, which claimed the lives of 929 Filipinos and destroyed infrastructure, properties, and crops worth almost one USD$1 billion, the government enacted the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act in 2010.
The law established the National Disaster-Risk Reduction and Management Council to replace the old reactive disaster relief and response system.
It required the creation of similar councils at the provincial and municipal levels.
It puts emphasis on addressing the root causes of disasters and strengthening the capacity of vulnerable sectors. It establishes mechanisms to enhance the preparedness of government and communities to respond to emergencies and prevent them from turning into disasters.
President Aquino’s National Development Agenda established five key result areas of his administration. This is contained in Executive Order 43, issued in May 2011.
Recognizing the importance of climate change, the President made Integrity of the Environment and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation as one of these five key result areas.
Executive Order 43 also established the Cabinet Cluster on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation as a high-level integration body for all government programs and projects that address climate change.
It ensures consistency of policy and programs and commitment to the attainment of the key result areas.
To put in place a responsive program for emergency preparedness and disaster prevention and mitigation, the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST) launched its Project NOAH, which stands for Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards.
NOAH Project Team collaborates with all government agencies and local government units, civil society organizations, and the academe to promote and integrate advanced science and technology to improve their readiness and enhance their capacity to prevent and manage disasters.
Among others, the project involved the construction of high-resolution hazard maps and the delivery of hazard information—such as forecasting the amount of rainfall and risks of floods and landslides in vulnerable areas—through various media, including through cell phones and the Internet.
“With these programs and measures adopted, we have seen drastic reduction in casualties from typhoons and floods. The readiness of our communities and their response to emergencies have been vastly improved,” reported Pernes.
In the case of Marikina City, for instance, which was among those badly affected by Typhoon Ondoy in 2009, people have become more aware of the dangers and cooperative with government efforts, she said
Many local government units and business establishments have also taken efforts to reduce nonbiodegradable wastes by banning the use of plastic bags and containers.
She also reported the National Greening Program that has planted more than 200 million tree seedlings on more than 300,000 hectares of land.
“And lastly, our aggressive protection and conservation of our natural resources have earned for the Philippines a spot in the “strong performer” category in the 2012 World Environmental Protection Index,” she said.
'Doc Anne' is Vice-Chair of the Committee on Health and member of the Committees on Appropriations, Natural Resources, Tourism, Science and Technology, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development. She is also the Vice President of the Visayan Block, Association of Women Legislators. (rmn/RACalibo/PIA-Siquijor with reports from the Office of the Congresswoman)