Velasco backs climate emergency declaration

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco on Sunday expressed his full support for the declaration of "climate emergency" in the country to encourage immediate action against its impact.

Velasco articulated his backing after the lower chamber adopted House Resolution 1377 declaring a climate and environmental emergency, which calls on the national and local governments to implement environmental management laws. 

In a statement, Velasco said the declaration would push the government, Congress, and other stakeholders to also prioritize climate change in their policy and planning decisions.

“Declaring a climate emergency means recognizing that climate crisis is the fight of our lives and there is an urgent need for a massive-scale mobilization to protect Filipinos and the environment from climate change and its devastating impacts,” he said.

He added that the devastation caused by the recent severe weather conditions typhoons -- including super Typhoons Rolly and Ulysses -- highlights the need for the country to pursue stronger climate-adaptive- and resilient measures.

“There will be more typhoons to come our way, and we have to become better at preparations and in handling situations that call for sound judgment to prevent devastation, deaths, and economic costs of calamities,” Velasco said.

Apart from House Resolution 1377, the chamber's Committee on Disaster Resilience has also recently adopted House Resolution 535, which calls for a whole-of-government, whole-of-society, and whole-of-nation policy response to address and adapt to the impacts of natural disasters.

Under the measure, the House resolves to:

• Declare 2020 as a Disaster and Climate Emergency awareness year;
• Conduct continuous inquiries in aid of legislation and in relation to its oversight functions, on measures being implemented by all concerned national agencies to address the impacts of disasters and climate change on the fundamental rights of Filipinos;
• Ensure the full integration and convergence of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts through the passage of the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR) bill; and
• Enjoin a whole-of-government, whole-of-nation, and whole-of-society mobilization on disaster and climate emergency.

—LBG, GMA News