Water security and the development of climate change resilient infrastructure will be among the priority concerns of presidential aspirant and Vice President Leni Robredo if she is elected as the head of state in the May 2022 elections.
During last Saturday’s presidential debate sponsored by the Philippines’ Commission on Elections, Robredo, the lone female presidential candidate, emphasized that water is an essential commodity so much so that infrastructure projects associated with the continuing supply of much needed water resources should be in place and sustain.
Robredo, who has adopted pink as the color of her campaign, said that our infrastructure development should take into consideration climate change, from housing, farm-to-market roads, schools and others related to basic social services, noting as well the observance of no “no build zones” in areas classified dangerous from natural hazards and risks, like typhoons, storm surges, and earthquakes.
For quite a time already, a number of places in the country have experienced scarcity of water supply, especially during dry season and when El Niño occurs. Such a scenario is not only primarily attributed to the diminishing natural water storage capacity of our watersheds due to deforestation but the inefficient support infrastructure in providing adequate water supply to the people.
I observed this is particularly true in Bacolod and Kabankalan cities where I have been spending most of my time for a year now. The water supply in these two urban centers is erratic because the water delivery service lines to households and other systems require upgrading.
The announcement of Robredo about climate change is timely with the recently released report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is composed of climate scientists and experts, that warns, “Human-induced climate change is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world, despite efforts to reduce the risks.”
The IPCC underscored that people and ecosystems least able to cope are being hardest hit. It only affirms that both people and natural ecosystems could hardly withstand the climatic changes occurring on Earth with the prevalence of extreme and dangerous weather conditions.
The report of the IPCC Working Group II entitled “Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability” was approved in February this year through a virtual session of the 195 member states of this intergovernmental panel.
The report added, “The world faces unavoidable multiple climate hazards over the next two decades with global warming of 1.5 Degrees Centigrade or 2.7 Degrees Fahrenheit. Even temporarily exceeding this warming level will result in additional severe impacts, some of which will be irreversible. Risks for society will increase, including to infrastructure and low-lying coastal settlements.”
Robredo’s statement for climate resilient infrastructure in the country echoed this international call, especially when she previously announced the need for reduction of carbon emission by investing in a public transportation system with electric powered motor vehicles, creating more bicycle lanes, and pursuing the development of renewable energy power plants, which all involve infrastructure components.
The IPCC report further warned that the “Increased heatwaves, droughts and floods are already exceeding plants’ and animals’ tolerance thresholds, driving mass mortalities in species such as trees and corals. These weather extremes are occurring simultaneously, causing cascading impacts that are increasingly difficult to manage. They have exposed millions of people to acute food and water insecurity, especially in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, on Small Islands and in the Arctic.” Some indicators of these scenarios are already happening in the Philippines and, therefore, we need a leader who truly understands the situation and is capable of advancing the climate change adaptation mechanisms of the country.
Among the presidential candidates, I noticed that Robredo has clear understanding with these demands as she also enumerated in her platform of governance the need for food security and agricultural efficiency and sufficiency by providing necessary and vital support systems to farmers, including marketing of farm products.
One specific strategy she outlines is for the government to buy products directly from the farmers for food distribution programs. Robredo emphasized the need to protect our coastal and marine ecosystems to ensure the continuing supply of resources derived from these ecosystems.
These blueprints of Robredo’s candidacy are aligned with what the IPCC calls for, especially in adapting to a changing climate. The IPCC report “provides new insights into nature’s potential not only to reduce climate risks but also to improve people’s lives.”
It states, “Healthy ecosystems are more resilient to climate change and provide life-critical services such as food and clean water. By restoring degraded ecosystems and effectively and equitably conserving 30 to 50 percent of Earth’s land, freshwater and ocean habitats, society can benefit from nature’s capacity to absorb and store carbon, and we can accelerate progress towards sustainable development, but adequate finance and political support are essentials.”
Indeed, political support and will is essential in addressing concerns related to climate change, especially so that the Philippines is a signatory to numerous international conventions, agreements, protocols and decisions. In particular, Robredo insisted on using and leveraging the decision of the International Tribunal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in asserting our sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea from China.
In 2016, this international tribunal affirmed that the WPS, an area with vast marine and other resources, is within the territorial rights of the country, which China is continuously disputing. Robredo’s carbon emission targets are also in consonance with the Paris Climate Change Accord, of which the Philippines is a party, too.
Robredo’s agenda for good governance is important when it comes to the environment and natural resources management of the country. Good governance requires transparency and I hope it will be instituted in all government agencies, particularly those institutions that are vital in addressing climate change related concerns.
Transparency is essential in ventures and contracts involving utilization of natural resources and projects identified as environmentally critical and situated in environmentally critical areas.*