Climate Refugees Seek Climate Justice

Evacuees from Sitio Peterson, Barangay Pinugay, Antipolo who are still living in tents and those temporarily housed in the Administration Building of the Arayat National Park, Pampanga will be attending the Senate Committee on Climate Change, Foreign Relations and Environment and Natural Resources hearing today Monday, October 4, 2010, 1pm at the Padilla Room of the Senate.

Senators have expressed their support to Senator Loren Legarda, Chair of the Climate Change Committee to inquire from the Department of Budget and Management, Department of Finance, National Disaster Coordinating Council, Department of Social Welfare and Development and other government agencies, including the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation about the utilization of funds that have poured in for Post-Ondoy and Pepeng rehabilitation and recovery.

"An estimated P14.8 Billion had already been released, yet as of September 25, 2010 27 evacuation centers continue to exist in many barangays along the shores of the Laguna de Bay and several areas in Region IV-A, Region 1, Region III, and Region I14."

"These serve as "temporary homes" to 1,783 families or 9,271 people. Forty-two percent of them are children," Legarda cites information gathered from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Also invited to the hearing are officials from the DBM, DOF, DSWD, DPWH, DENR, National Disaster Coordinating Council, MMDA, DepEd, DOH and the Climate Change Commission.