sundayINQUIRERmagazine8 sundayINQUIRERmagazine 9

A YEAR after typhoon “Ondoy” struck thecountry, our floodways remain clogged and silted,with informal settlers still thriving on riverbanksand encroaching on critical waterways. Given theenormity of our flood problem, families andcommunities at risk must be prepared for theworst scenarios brought about by heavy rainsdue to climate change.

Cited as one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, the Philippines has experiencedrecurring losses from perennial typhoons, floodsand droughts.

“But we can no longer deal with calamities bymerely reacting to tragedies. We must addressthe disaster problem at its roots and arrest theconditions that created it. After ‘Ondoy,’reconstruction and rehabilitation are necessary,but reducing disaster risks is a must to enable usto build our resilience to future disaster threats.”

These are the words of Sen. Loren Legarda,the United Nations Regional Champion forDisaster Risk Reduction and Climate ChangeAdaptation, during her privilege speech onrevisiting the impact of “Ondoy” and other killertyphoons. In a survey conducted by the NielsenCompany and the Oxford University Institute ofClimate Change in 2009, the Philippinesregistered the highest level of concern among 54countries, where 78 percent of Filipinorespondents admitted they are very concernedabout climate change.

For Legarda, Filipinos have a good reason tofeel that way. They have seen for themselves thehuge problems brought about by climate change.As the country’s foremost advocate of goodenvironmental governance, the senator knowsthe gravity of the situation and calls for immediateaction.

Global environmental leadership

For her global environmental leadership,Legarda was recognized at the World EconomicForum in 2000 as one of the Global Leaders forTomorrow. She was also named a Laureate bythe United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) in 2001, and was included in the Global500 Roll of Honor.

In 2008, she was named by the United NationsInternational Strategy for Disaster Reduction(UNISDR) as its regional champion for Asia-Pacific.

Today, she is as passionate as ever inadvocating green and sustainable developmentworldwide. As she meets with heads of state,ministers and parliamentarians, she shares herbelief in the need to “rethink conventionalframeworks and strategies for socio-economicdevelopment,” and to “adopt an innovative, out-of-the box approach to tackle effectively the mostcomplex human development problem of the 21stcentury.”

She explains: “Our complacency and disregardfor nature shapes the disaster risks in ourmidst—by the way we change our environmentand the way we choose to live in it.”

“My UNISDR mission is all about investingtoday for a safer tomorrow,” she reveals. “Thefirst line of defense in adapting to climate changeis disaster risk reduction, which not only

accelerates the achievement of the MillenniumDevelopment Goals, but also enhances theresilience of human societies.”

Laws for nature

Being an environmentalist has been a long-time journey for Loren Legarda, starting from herchildhood fondness for butterflies through herkeen grasp of environmental issues as abroadcast journalist. In her years at the Senate,she has pushed for the enactment ofenvironmental laws such as the Clean Air Act,the Solid Waste Management Act and theClimate Change Law, which established aNational Commission tasked to pull together andput into action climate change adaptationprograms and projects by the government and itspartner stakeholders. As chairwoman of theClimate Change Oversight Committee today, shemakes it both her personal and legislativemission to bring the issues of climate change anddisaster risk reduction to the forefront ofpolicymaking.

“I don’t understand why something so basicwhich affects our very own survival can beignored. It is a cross-cutting issue as it affectshealth, food, the water we drink, and the air webreathe,” Legarda says of the issue. “And sadly,those who are most affected by climate changeare those who have the least in life.”

In her visits to the country’s disaster-strickenareas, Legarda has met people who are still leftdumbfounded by and have yet to recover fromtheir tragedy.

Reducing disaster and climate risks

More extreme weather conditions would setback agricultural production and food security,Legarda warns, citing an April 2009 AsianDevelopment Bank report. The report warns thatrice production in the Philippines could drop by

50-70 percent as early as 2020, and that thecountry could lose as much as 6 percent of itsGDP annually by 2100 because of climatechange effects. The same study calculates that ifthe Philippines were to invest 0.1 to 1 percent ofits GDP over the next 10 years, it can avert up to4 percent annual loss in its GDP up to 2100.”

After “Ondoy,” the agricultural sector alone lostP29.38 billion covering 30 provinces in sevenregions. Total damage and losses amounted to$4.4B or 2.7 percent of GDP. Two million familieswere affected and nearly a thousand perished(including typhoon “Pepeng’s” casualties). Totallyor partially damaged homes numbered up to256,335, which resulted in the massdisplacement of families. These tragedies,according to Legarda, could have beenprevented or minimized through properlyimplemented disaster reduction measures. Theseinclude an effective early warning system beingmade an integral part of national and localdevelopment plans as a means for protectinglivelihoods, infrastructure investments, and socio-economic gains.

“We can avoid natural hazards from turninginto tragedies. Disaster risk reduction cannot bedelayed, for with each disaster that we allow tohappen, our people are pushed deeper intopoverty,” Legarda reasons.

The Legarda challenge

“Governments must therefore address the‘deadly trio’ that drives risk and poverty in achanging climate: poor urban governance,vulnerable rural livelihood, and degradedecosystems,” says the senator.

She adds that one way to strengthengovernance is by putting a stop to corruption.This means strictly enforcing building codes andzoning policies, and deciding on land use basedon geo-hazard maps that identify high-risk areas

for people, property and industries.

She strongly suggests the enhancement ofrural livelihoods, which 75 percent of the poordepend on, by improving agricultural productivityand providing better support for farmers, and byaddressing issues akin to rural poverty andgender inequality.

Moreover, there should be a healthy marriagebetween economic progress and environmentalresponsibility. “We are in a vicious cycle ofeconomic boom and bust, with the peoples andenvironment at the receiving end of a failingmodel of economic development. This hasentrapped the poor and the vulnerable, and hascorrupted societies. We cannot continue usingMother Earth as collateral in our economicgames of chance,” she contends.

Inspired by the Bhutan philosophy of GrossNational Happiness, where developmentpursuit transcends economic gains andpromotes social equity, respect for nature andresilience of culture, Legarda explains thatdisaster risk reduction is part of a redefineddevelopment approach that she seeks tomainstream in development planning andpolicymaking.

Changing the game in Asia

Now, Legarda is challenging the leaders of theworld. As responsible leaders, she believes thatthey need to depart from business-as-usual andinstead pursue the green, sustainable developmentpath for the growth and progress of nations.

As a developing nation, the Philippines is byfar one of the weakest polluters in the world. Yetit is one of the countries most vulnerable toclimate change.

“As one of the most vulnerable and disaster-prone countries, we lead the way in carrying thetorch for climate justice for the peoples ofdeveloping nations. This is hardly a blame game.(But) we must ask our friends in the community ofnations—the rich, developed nations—to rethinkdevelopment in a way that helps fledglingeconomies endure and prosper.”

Finally, Legardaunderscores theresponsibility of thePhilippine government toproperly utilize itsresources, mandate andauthority, to implementlaws addressing climatechange. However, thepeople must also share theresponsibility by complyingwith the law.

“Climate change hasbeen creeping for decades,and it is killing us slowly,”

she maintains. “We must learnthe lessons of the past and take

them as an important cue to savethe world, one disaster-resilient policy

at a time.”

In this era of climate change, Sen. LorenLegarda challenges everyone: “The time to makethat difference is now, for humanity’s futuredepends upon us. Let us be the change weseek.” •

Cover StoryBy Michelle Velete

Sen. Loren Legarda:GameIn the global pursuitfor green andsustainabledevelopment, thesenator challengesthe world’s leaders totake action

Senator Legardaconsults a farmeron the effects of ElNiño on theirlivelihood during avisit to BarotacNuevo, Iloilo

Changer of Asia

In a meeting in Male on July 12, 2009, Maldives’ President Mohamed Nasheed agrees with Sen. LorenLegarda on the need for immediate bold actions to reduce disaster risks and climate change impacts invulnerable island nations

Sen. Loren Legarda talks to Sta. Cruz, Lagunafarmers who were forced to turn to fishing when aswollen Laguna Lake flooded their ricefields

ADVT