Dingdong Dantes delivers speech at 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference

By AL KENDRICK NOGUERA

National Youth Commission's Commissioner-at-Large Dingdong Dantes flew from Manila to France to attend the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference together with President Benigno Aquino III and other National Youth Commission (NYC) officials.

READ: Dingdong Dantes turns over more than 3.6 million #NowPH pledges in 2015 Paris Climate Conference 

Below is the speech delivered by Dingdong during the Climate Vulnerable Forum yesterday, November 30.

Your excellencies, Government Officials, Fellow Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen.

My standing here before you today during this Climate Vulnerable Forum is really an unfortunate thing if you think about it...because it means my country from where I flew halfway from across the globe...is hideously vulnerable to the elements.
 

My name is Jose Sixto Dantes III - and I come from an archipelago that knows an average of 22 typhoons a year. On paper, I am a Commissioner representing the Youth of the Philippines - but in my heart I feel like I am really just representing my daughter Maria Letizia who is 7 days (and 20 hours) old today. If any of you here are first time parents- you know that I really shouldn't have left her nor her Mother's side at this time, even for a single minute. Yet here I am.
 

I am here because when I represent Maria Letizia- I represent the world. You are all also here for yours, your sons and daughters, and for those still w/o.... the children you are about to bear, should fate bestow you with them. You are here for the world - as I am.

I am also here because .... for the last year ... many young Filipinos devoted their time launching and speaking of a campaign called #NOWPH. NOW - an acronym for "Not on Our Watch" is a movement that says the young Filipino is in charge of the task to be vigilant for the care of our planet.

The #NowPH campaign aims to raise the voices of the Filipino youth on a global level, in lieu of the COP21. The movement used online and offline platforms to engage young people across the Philippines. Different initiatives were implemented such as group discussion, training, media promotions, workshops, and roadshows to encourage youth participation. Social media interactions were also put in place to gather and collate expressions of support and commitment from the different sectors.

This also resulted to the institutionalization of climate action in the country through the Presidential Proclamation No. 1160 declaring November 25 of every year as “National Day for Youth in Climate Action”.

There is big science talk behind this ... a lot of theories, hypotheses, computations.... Numbers! Units of measurement like 2 degrees or 1.5 .... but in the heart of it all .... it really is just caring for our planet --- our common home- regardless of race, creed, color, stature, or capacity. And no one in the world can or must argue with that.

NOWPH advocates for robust awareness, participation, new habit forming, and behavioral changes that will help ---- no matter how seemingly insignificant---care for the Earth.

NOWPH is our country's INFORMED voice that goes above the din of all these highly urgent, terribly important, globally relevant conversations swirling around Paris these past few days and especially in the coming week.

I say "informed" because every Filipino that has survived a typhoon like Haiyan - is a climate change expert in one way or the other. So please take our word for it- we know. To choose to be involved and get people involved is certainly the greatest contribution we can make in addressing the common problems we face in our common home.

With the reach of 221 million social media impressions and 3.6 million total pledges. We insist that you listen to all of these voices saying- NOW.

Today, on behalf of the Filipino youth, we would like to formally turn over the output of the campaign, proof that the we are committed to working together towards climate action with one voice and one call.

So.... your Excellenciess ....Honorable officials of the different governments in the world ---- we thank you for listening to us. On behalf of my country and all the countries who agree that the planet is our common home…I thank you for listening to us, I thank you for listening to us … NOW.

You have the Filipino people at your side; we hope to have you fight with us.

At the end of the day, this is not about us anymore, but the future of the generations to come. A future that is secured and ensured. No other time, no other way.

Thank you very much.

Maraming salamat po at Mabuhay mula sa Pilipinas.