LOREN CONFRONTS ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
WITH DETERMINATION

Senator Loren Legarda ssaid we should look forward and plan ahead for a livable Philippines that would be our secure home. This she said as she keynoted a forum yesterday at the University of the Philippines with a theme that conveys a tone both of necessity and of anxiety: Mga Kandidato ng Kalikasan at Kapaligiran: May Boboto ba?

"Indeed, environmental degradation and the disaster risks that accompany it have shown that the government has time and again failed to anticipate and act decisively to reduce disaster risks. Maybe the reason is that the environment was never a foremost priority among the problems our government seeks to solve," said Loren who chairs the Senate committee on Climate Change.

She added, "The environment takes center stage. I welcome this as it is about time to reframe the issues at stake in the coming elections. These issues are most important because our experiences last year, flashfloods, landslides and all, have unmasked the anxieties of our people, particularly the most vulnerable poor."

Loren who has always advocated pro-environment agenda seeks to prepare and protect our communities against disasters, turbocharged by climate change, by building their resilience to substantially reduce disaster losses, whether in lives or properties.

She said that we need to mainstream climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in local government units through capacity building and development of best practices. Climate change must likewise be integrated in school curricula.

Further, strong implementation of environmental laws supplemented by envi projects will help us fight this crisis.

"UP professors and students, there is so much more in advocating for the environment. We face other major threats of our time - poverty, threats to peace and order, and a widening gap between rich and poor. Formidable challenges, indeed. Advocating green politics is not as simple as a walk in the park, what with other issues and advocacies that appeal more to the masses of voters. What I am certain, however, is that the time has come for environmental advocacy to be in the forefront of governance and platform of an administration now that we have another chance to choose our leaders," said Loren.

Loren concluded and left with a challenge to engage Filipinos towards positive changes that would bring about a livable and secure home for us, our children, and future generations of Filipinos.