Among the Vice-Presidential aspirants or even the presidentiables, only Sen. Loren Legarda has a crystal clear political agenda. In her more than two decades in public service, Loren consistently espousing her programs on clean and green environment. Let’s us people why they must vote Loren for Clean and Green Vice President.
The top ten green reasons are the following:
1. She has a green thumb.
2. She is responsible for the passage of all relevant laws in the protection of planet earth. Among them are the Clean Air Act, Ecological Solid Waste Management Act and the Climate Change Act of 2009.
3. She founded Luntiang Pilipinas Foundation, which has planted over two million trees.
4. VP Loren supports the agriculture sector especially farmers and fishermen by constructing more farm to market roads.
5. She has conducted several lectures on the ill-effects of climate change and global warming.
6. She is the 1st Filipina environmentalist to ever receive the Global Award of the Priyadashni Academy for outstanding contributions to Environment and Afforestation and the Global Leaders for Tomorrow (GLTs) Awards for the year 2000.
7. She is bestowed by the United Nationals Environmental Program (UNEP) for her significant contributions for the protection of the environment in 2001.
8. She keeps on prodding the government to invest in green technologies.
9. She is the champion and protector of the environment.
10. She loves green leafy vegetables especially moringa olifeira (malunggay).
I should have incorporated more in the list including fruit drinks but fortified natural vitamin C Orange juice is better. It strengthens the immune system especially in politics.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The Voice of Unity
I grew up thinking the world revolves only around the affluent, the rich and the influential. I grew up thinking we in the rural, ethnic, marginalized societies will remain as we have always been—unheard of, unnoticed, neglected. My parents, even grandparents, all succumbed to the submission that we will remain invisible to the eyes of the country’s leaders. Worse, they had to fight countless inequities and injustice, only to end up ironically, they still remained disadvantaged.
It’s been more than three presidencies and we are still in the same shadow. Which makes me think: will we stay here for the rest of our lives?
But a few weeks ago I had my hopes see some spark. Someone as larger-than-life as Loren Legarda took the stage to announce, very well candidly, that her candidacy does not only mean a journey to victory.
She assured that in the midst of all the noise and secret whispers, the interests of a cooperative versus a mayor’s, that of a local party leader needing campaign fund for a political post versus that of a small farmers’ group, in the midst of threats from political interest groups of withdrawal of support if their leaders are not given funds—despite all these, she will listen and be the voice of truth, parity and kindness.
She believes those who manage the commons have reason to work together for the benefit of the majority. Her decision-making on issues like agriculture and environment reflects the needs for our cooperatives and farmers’ associations to prepare us for the future. She strongly advocates to teach farmers and fisherfolk in the most productive and sustainable way, and to channel resources to the farm management mechanism to integrate fragmented landholdings and attain economies of scale in production and marketing. She believes that we all can work through a collaborative action. This alone gives me a feeling of hope that she believes in the potential for greatness that every Filipino has.
Loren also believes that the root of all evil in the society lies within the smallest selfish motives of even the most ordinary citizen, which boils down to depriving others of the truth and justice. On the other hand, she pushes for an attitude than marks the tapping of everyone’s innate goodness as a milestone to attaining small achievements. Collectively, all these ‘small’ achievements will collate into one big success. Hence eventually, our society will slowly but continuously rise from the Black Hole of poverty and corruption. Loren believes that just as we have to be responsible for our own actions, we also have to be responsible to and with each other. After all, one’s failure is everyone’s downfall in the long run. Again, collectivity.
I am confident that one whisper to Loren from me will not be in vain because I know she will listen. Not just to my one voice, but to everyone else’s—irrespective of the perspective. And with this, I am equally confident that she as a leader and as person will make wise, fair and learned judgments that will benefit the majority not only because that is her obligation as a legislator and public official. She will do so because as a person, she knows very well that the dynamics of an entire country is easily likened to the minutest group wherein every voice counts.
There is hope, at least for me and my family, that she will listen to us and to all Filipinos. I am optimistic that she will be the voice of unity.
It’s been more than three presidencies and we are still in the same shadow. Which makes me think: will we stay here for the rest of our lives?
But a few weeks ago I had my hopes see some spark. Someone as larger-than-life as Loren Legarda took the stage to announce, very well candidly, that her candidacy does not only mean a journey to victory.
She assured that in the midst of all the noise and secret whispers, the interests of a cooperative versus a mayor’s, that of a local party leader needing campaign fund for a political post versus that of a small farmers’ group, in the midst of threats from political interest groups of withdrawal of support if their leaders are not given funds—despite all these, she will listen and be the voice of truth, parity and kindness.
She believes those who manage the commons have reason to work together for the benefit of the majority. Her decision-making on issues like agriculture and environment reflects the needs for our cooperatives and farmers’ associations to prepare us for the future. She strongly advocates to teach farmers and fisherfolk in the most productive and sustainable way, and to channel resources to the farm management mechanism to integrate fragmented landholdings and attain economies of scale in production and marketing. She believes that we all can work through a collaborative action. This alone gives me a feeling of hope that she believes in the potential for greatness that every Filipino has.
Loren also believes that the root of all evil in the society lies within the smallest selfish motives of even the most ordinary citizen, which boils down to depriving others of the truth and justice. On the other hand, she pushes for an attitude than marks the tapping of everyone’s innate goodness as a milestone to attaining small achievements. Collectively, all these ‘small’ achievements will collate into one big success. Hence eventually, our society will slowly but continuously rise from the Black Hole of poverty and corruption. Loren believes that just as we have to be responsible for our own actions, we also have to be responsible to and with each other. After all, one’s failure is everyone’s downfall in the long run. Again, collectivity.
I am confident that one whisper to Loren from me will not be in vain because I know she will listen. Not just to my one voice, but to everyone else’s—irrespective of the perspective. And with this, I am equally confident that she as a leader and as person will make wise, fair and learned judgments that will benefit the majority not only because that is her obligation as a legislator and public official. She will do so because as a person, she knows very well that the dynamics of an entire country is easily likened to the minutest group wherein every voice counts.
There is hope, at least for me and my family, that she will listen to us and to all Filipinos. I am optimistic that she will be the voice of unity.
The Changing Act of the Climate
I was in grade school when I first experienced great floods where the entire municipality was submerged in chest-deep flood water. For us kids, it was just an ordinary phenomenon.
Truth is, we welcome it for we have had a big, crystal clear swimming pool in the neighborhood. We had fun swimming everyday and every minute for we thought floods will soon be gone.
But I was wrong – dead wrong. The floodwater which I thought was just a mere flashfloods was already creating havoc and inconveniences to the community. At the onset of the floods, fish cages and rice fields had already been destroyed and damage to properties were enormous.
Prices of commodities and transport fares had gone up. People got sick. And that was only on the first few days of being underwater. We practically transformed into boatpeople in our own little water world beyond Christmas. Since then, floods got deeper whenever it hits us and remain there for months.
And each time we’ve been underwater, nobody seem to care. People got used to it already as if no lessons were learned from the floods or calamities of greater height. I never heard of news item or someone from the government asked why things happen and what actions to be taken. We didn’t even discuss it in school. All I know then, floods come and go.
Unfortunately, we still disregard that Mother Nature is catching us up. We pay no attention that climate change and global warming is taking its toll. We do nothing to save our planet, yet, we contribute a lot to its destruction.
I know, however that we can do our part to pacify mother earth and suspend the fast changing act of the climate and restore its original and natural course. I know it will require a great deal of self sacrifice but we have to lift our feet to start that one little step to go a thousand miles forward. We have to do our share and act as steward of the earth to arrest and address the global problems confronting us.
If we can be pre-occupied watching the union of a political figure and broadcast personality all day, surely we can do more and find time to update ourselves with global warming and climate change issues.
One good start is to become a pro-active environment advocate. We have heard waste segregation, planting trees and more. We have a number of pro environment individuals like Sen. Loren Legarda to listen to. If we only heed her call to love and care for Mother Nature, we would not have experienced the wrath of twins Ondoy and Pepeng. We have non-government organizations or NGOs like Luntiang Pilipinas that is committed to the promotion of environmental protection and awareness of Filipinos. All we have to do is act now where we can fill in.
Good thing that the Climate Change Act of 2009 or Republic Act No. 9729 authored by Sen. Loren Legarda that would boost the Philippines’ capacity to brave threats posed by climate change has finally been signed.
The law provides the creation of the Climate Change Commission, an independent and autonomous policy-making body which would coordinate, monitor and evaluate programs and action plans to address climate change.
Kudos to Sen. Legarda, her advocacy on environmental protection paid off. It’s not too late to do our share.
Truth is, we welcome it for we have had a big, crystal clear swimming pool in the neighborhood. We had fun swimming everyday and every minute for we thought floods will soon be gone.
But I was wrong – dead wrong. The floodwater which I thought was just a mere flashfloods was already creating havoc and inconveniences to the community. At the onset of the floods, fish cages and rice fields had already been destroyed and damage to properties were enormous.
Prices of commodities and transport fares had gone up. People got sick. And that was only on the first few days of being underwater. We practically transformed into boatpeople in our own little water world beyond Christmas. Since then, floods got deeper whenever it hits us and remain there for months.
And each time we’ve been underwater, nobody seem to care. People got used to it already as if no lessons were learned from the floods or calamities of greater height. I never heard of news item or someone from the government asked why things happen and what actions to be taken. We didn’t even discuss it in school. All I know then, floods come and go.
Unfortunately, we still disregard that Mother Nature is catching us up. We pay no attention that climate change and global warming is taking its toll. We do nothing to save our planet, yet, we contribute a lot to its destruction.
I know, however that we can do our part to pacify mother earth and suspend the fast changing act of the climate and restore its original and natural course. I know it will require a great deal of self sacrifice but we have to lift our feet to start that one little step to go a thousand miles forward. We have to do our share and act as steward of the earth to arrest and address the global problems confronting us.
If we can be pre-occupied watching the union of a political figure and broadcast personality all day, surely we can do more and find time to update ourselves with global warming and climate change issues.
One good start is to become a pro-active environment advocate. We have heard waste segregation, planting trees and more. We have a number of pro environment individuals like Sen. Loren Legarda to listen to. If we only heed her call to love and care for Mother Nature, we would not have experienced the wrath of twins Ondoy and Pepeng. We have non-government organizations or NGOs like Luntiang Pilipinas that is committed to the promotion of environmental protection and awareness of Filipinos. All we have to do is act now where we can fill in.
Good thing that the Climate Change Act of 2009 or Republic Act No. 9729 authored by Sen. Loren Legarda that would boost the Philippines’ capacity to brave threats posed by climate change has finally been signed.
The law provides the creation of the Climate Change Commission, an independent and autonomous policy-making body which would coordinate, monitor and evaluate programs and action plans to address climate change.
Kudos to Sen. Legarda, her advocacy on environmental protection paid off. It’s not too late to do our share.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Tackling Climate Change Now—Our Way
In 1991 my mom’s village in Oriental Negros was left flooded after a week's worth of rain fell in just one September Saturday morning.
Flood reached waist-high even in our elevated district. The nearby river spilled murky brown waters to the highway, creating a massive traffic jam. I was only 9 years old then.
Eighteen years after, I am seeing hundreds of thousands of people in Manila and nearby provinces suffer a similar ordeal—on an even greater scale. The stories of shock and loss are countless. Some of us who have experienced it before already know what it's like and how bad it can be.
We know for a fact that such extremities of calamity are explainable by the change in global climate levels. What we don’t notice is that the issue of climate change has been hounding the world as early as the 1980s. Yet sadly, we ignore it until a natural disaster of this intensity happens.
We'd seen steps at the legislative front: the clean air act, renewable energy law, disaster preparedness, the now defunct anti-smoke belching law, carbon tax and green technology research and development. But these laws have been hardly implemented especially in residential and business communities where the most number of garbage is generated.
When we hear of seminars or events regarding climate change and what we can do in our small ways to help save the environment, we easily dismiss it as “not worth our time”, maybe not interesting enough or unpopular. But truth is, only a few of us really know the impact our every activity on nature.
One person that I admire for not giving up on educating people about environmental issues for many decades now is Senator Loren Legarda.
From the time that she was a journalist and host of The Inside Story and an environmental show on ABS-CBN until she became a senator, the environment has always been at the center of her advocacies.
I feel for her climate change advocacy. Others may think that she is exaggerating the effects of climate change in her speeches, or find her title as United Nations Regional Champion for climate change adaptation and disaster preparedness as pretentious but in the face of Ondoy’s wrath, we now know that she was right after all.
Ms. Loren has been around the country and the world because of her job. She has seen the bounty and wrath of nature side by side. I feel frustrated to watch someone’s passion about a critical and timely issue being ignored. I hope we could all join her in making efforts to understand the issue and to come up with feasible solutions at a grassroots level.
The environmental rehabilitation cannot be left to the DENR alone. It needs to be a national priority of the person-at-the-helm—the president of a country! In the same way that a corporate social responsibility effort of a corporation can only be successful if the president of the company is the one driving it to success.
To those who feel barraged about Sen. Legarda’s climate change advocacy, it feels like that only because of our inability to positively respond to her calls.
To love Mother Earth requires a lot of sacrifice (that’s why it lacks popularity among humans beings). We all need to gather enough determination to stop talking and start doing.
It is not too late to wake up to the reality: our country, the Philippines is a tropical country that holds a front-row seat to typhoons and earthquakes, possibly tsunamis from the Pacific. We are as vulnerable as the word can get. It will be worse for our children if we don’t stop our selfishness and laziness.
We often blame our lawmakers for “not doing anything” but, how about our own efforts in curbing excessive carbon emissions, segregating trash or planting trees? To say the least, when we hear of a move to push for direct investment on renewable energy in our local communities, we misinterpret it as the government or corporations taking over our “territories.”
Climate change is not an issue that one man, woman or one group can address. Much as it has ravaged our country and our people’s lives already, it is a battle that can only be won by collective, cooperative and pro-active unison.
In grade school around the early 1990s, I learned about greenhouse gases trapped in the earth’s atmosphere because of a depleted ozone layer. Then, I learned from books that glacial layers in the Polar Regions are melting and can flood the whole planet.
These lessons are making sense to me only now, in 2009, which is why the time to act is today.
Flood reached waist-high even in our elevated district. The nearby river spilled murky brown waters to the highway, creating a massive traffic jam. I was only 9 years old then.
Eighteen years after, I am seeing hundreds of thousands of people in Manila and nearby provinces suffer a similar ordeal—on an even greater scale. The stories of shock and loss are countless. Some of us who have experienced it before already know what it's like and how bad it can be.
We know for a fact that such extremities of calamity are explainable by the change in global climate levels. What we don’t notice is that the issue of climate change has been hounding the world as early as the 1980s. Yet sadly, we ignore it until a natural disaster of this intensity happens.
We'd seen steps at the legislative front: the clean air act, renewable energy law, disaster preparedness, the now defunct anti-smoke belching law, carbon tax and green technology research and development. But these laws have been hardly implemented especially in residential and business communities where the most number of garbage is generated.
When we hear of seminars or events regarding climate change and what we can do in our small ways to help save the environment, we easily dismiss it as “not worth our time”, maybe not interesting enough or unpopular. But truth is, only a few of us really know the impact our every activity on nature.
One person that I admire for not giving up on educating people about environmental issues for many decades now is Senator Loren Legarda.
From the time that she was a journalist and host of The Inside Story and an environmental show on ABS-CBN until she became a senator, the environment has always been at the center of her advocacies.
I feel for her climate change advocacy. Others may think that she is exaggerating the effects of climate change in her speeches, or find her title as United Nations Regional Champion for climate change adaptation and disaster preparedness as pretentious but in the face of Ondoy’s wrath, we now know that she was right after all.
Ms. Loren has been around the country and the world because of her job. She has seen the bounty and wrath of nature side by side. I feel frustrated to watch someone’s passion about a critical and timely issue being ignored. I hope we could all join her in making efforts to understand the issue and to come up with feasible solutions at a grassroots level.
The environmental rehabilitation cannot be left to the DENR alone. It needs to be a national priority of the person-at-the-helm—the president of a country! In the same way that a corporate social responsibility effort of a corporation can only be successful if the president of the company is the one driving it to success.
To those who feel barraged about Sen. Legarda’s climate change advocacy, it feels like that only because of our inability to positively respond to her calls.
To love Mother Earth requires a lot of sacrifice (that’s why it lacks popularity among humans beings). We all need to gather enough determination to stop talking and start doing.
It is not too late to wake up to the reality: our country, the Philippines is a tropical country that holds a front-row seat to typhoons and earthquakes, possibly tsunamis from the Pacific. We are as vulnerable as the word can get. It will be worse for our children if we don’t stop our selfishness and laziness.
We often blame our lawmakers for “not doing anything” but, how about our own efforts in curbing excessive carbon emissions, segregating trash or planting trees? To say the least, when we hear of a move to push for direct investment on renewable energy in our local communities, we misinterpret it as the government or corporations taking over our “territories.”
Climate change is not an issue that one man, woman or one group can address. Much as it has ravaged our country and our people’s lives already, it is a battle that can only be won by collective, cooperative and pro-active unison.
In grade school around the early 1990s, I learned about greenhouse gases trapped in the earth’s atmosphere because of a depleted ozone layer. Then, I learned from books that glacial layers in the Polar Regions are melting and can flood the whole planet.
These lessons are making sense to me only now, in 2009, which is why the time to act is today.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Climate Change, welcome to Manila
Global warming is real, climate change is taking its full course. We are now reaping the fruits of our irresponsibility and carelessness towards nature. Nature is striking back, real hard.
It was easy to ignore the cries of Mother Nature when we are so preoccupied with work, money and family. "Why should I care about saving the earth, when I can't even stop worrying how to feed my family?", "Who cares about global warming, I am working my ass off just to get and enjoy all these luxuries...".
Then came Ondoy, he brought waters to wash away our homes, steal our livelihoods and claim lives. Then came Pepeng to second the motion, bringing more destruction than its cousin Ondoy.
How long should we Filipinos be ambivalent to this issue that we are looking face to face right at this very moment? Climate change is here, there's work to be done.
This blog was created to bring you the latest news about global warming and climate change and its effects on our beloved country, the Philippines.
Go Green or Die? The choice is yours...
It was easy to ignore the cries of Mother Nature when we are so preoccupied with work, money and family. "Why should I care about saving the earth, when I can't even stop worrying how to feed my family?", "Who cares about global warming, I am working my ass off just to get and enjoy all these luxuries...".
Then came Ondoy, he brought waters to wash away our homes, steal our livelihoods and claim lives. Then came Pepeng to second the motion, bringing more destruction than its cousin Ondoy.
How long should we Filipinos be ambivalent to this issue that we are looking face to face right at this very moment? Climate change is here, there's work to be done.
This blog was created to bring you the latest news about global warming and climate change and its effects on our beloved country, the Philippines.
Go Green or Die? The choice is yours...