BY: AMOR Y. SALUDAR
CORDOVA, August 13 (PIA) --- "Climate Change is a real issue now that calls of us to work together from the barangay to the municipalities to the province and the national level. To survive climate change, we have to build a betternation by taking care of our environment and natural wealth."
This was the urgent call of Climate Change Commissioner Undersecretary Naderev “Yeb” Saño in his keynote message during the 1st Barangay Summit on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation held in Cordova town, Cebu on August 8 that was initiated by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA-7) in the region in cooperation with the local government unit of Cordova.
Saño told the 100 summit attendees mostly barangay officicials, students, heads of departments of the town that climate change effects on people and communities include more typhoons, more rains or no rains at all, increase in temperature and sea level rise.
He added that "we are at war with the vicious eneny called climate change and disasters. We should not buckle down, we will win this war!"
He also said that climate change requires everybody to strongly believe in action, to act what is needed against the harmful impact of climate change.
Saño then lauded PIA-7 for the initiative done in organizing such activity on barangay summit on disaster risk reduction as he said that “disaster risk reduction management is an important discussion.”
He said that President Benigno Aquino III is also exerting effort to implement programs and projects geared towards disaster risk reduction and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
He also reminded the public that poverty also takes part in the vulnerability of a certain area to disaster. “Disaster risk reduction management also means reducing the root causes of vulnerability including poverty.”
Saño then urged the public including the youth to combined efforts against climate change and put into action themselves the disaster risk reduction management practice.
“We all have to build a better nation for the youth, this demands all of us to build a better nation that requires truth and development among others,” Saño said.
Climate Change Commission Undersecretary Naderev “Yeb” Saño was joined by Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer (PDRRMO) Balatazar Tribunalo Jr., Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR 7) regional technical director for forestry Eduardo Inting, Office of the Civil Defense (OCD 7) civil defense officer Allen Froilan Cabaron II and Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Mactan, chief meteorologist Engr. Al Quiblat as panelist presentors during the 1st Barangay Summit.
Part of the summit was the commitment signing to climate change mitigation and disaster risk reduction and tree planting activity in Datag, Cordova Cebu where the participants planted about 50 fruit trees along the barangay roads. (mbcn/ays/PIA7)