Climate resilience program urged

Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu on Thursday called on local governors whose areas of jurisdiction are considered vulnerable to climate changes to implement programs that would help protect communities from climate-induced disasters.

In a statement, Cimatu said governors of vulnerable provinces should create programs that can at least minimize the effects of climate change and spare future generations from its worst impacts.

“Climate change is already here, and it will be here for the next generations,” Cimatu said. “It is now, therefore, our obligation to take this program for implementation, so that the next generations will have a guide.”

The Environment secretary said the next generation will suffer a greater and bigger effect of climate change and appealed to governors during the planning and convergence budgeting on the Risk Resiliency Program for the eight priority climate-vulnerable provinces.

Cimatu noted that the eight provinces — Masbate, Sorsogon, Negros Oriental, Samar, Saranggani, Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Islands — are vulnerable on their high susceptibility to climate hazards such as flooding, rainfall-induced landslide, storm surge and drought.

He also stressed that the decisions they will make today will have lasting impact on future generations.

“You leave behind in the provincial capital this program. This will be the template of the younger generations to achieve what we intend to do, what the national government intends to do with this program,” Cimatu said.