Climate change issue neutral ground for gov’t, rebels

MANILA, Philippines - The issue of mitigating the impact of climate change can be used to forge cooperation between the government and rebels, an official said Tuesday. Professor Nieves R. Confesor, chairman of the government panel negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front (NDF)-New People’s Army (NPA), said with the effects of climate change starting to be felt, now is the time for the government and the rebels to set aside political differences and jointly focus on addressing the damages that may arise from weather aberrations. "What we need to realize is that we are both threatened by the physical effects of global warming, and these effects will have sociopolitical consequences which will harm both parties," she said on the sidelines of the Climate Change and Conflict: Peace-building and Development Strategies forum at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in Makati City Tuesday. According to environmental group Greenpeace, areas of armed conflict, such as Bicol, North Quezon, Mindoro, Jolo, Central Mindanao, Negros Occidental, Caraga and Cordillera have long been affected by adverse weather due to climate change, and are bound to experience unusual flooding, landslides, and storm surges. Ms. Confesor said exploratory talks with representatives from the NDF, business sectors and the Church have been ongoing in Bohol, Agusan del Sur, Bicol and Bondoc Peninsula since January. "The government is pushing for cooperation with the rebels in case disaster strikes," she said. Ms. Confesor said the rebels and the government had once talked about the possibility of a ceasefire due to a calamity. "During the time of the 2005 landslide in Real, Quezon wherein roads were blocked and a number of people needed to be rescued and rehabilitated, the rebels were willing to work with the government in providing assistance to the people affected by the disaster," she said. "The problem came when we are about to conduct the actual operations. The rebels were belligerent about their status, they wanted all of their members to be guaranteed immunity, they wanted to be in uniform. To make matters short, they gave many conditions to the government and so this plan did not work out. Ms. Confesor, a former Labor secretary, said a paradigm shift in communicating with the rebels is needed to discuss pressing issues such as mining and agrarian reform. She noted that the military measures the resolution of the insurgency problem by the number of bodies and barangays that are NPA-free. "An indicator that the problem of insurgency is getting solved is when there are less incidents of complaints from militant groups, meaning their government is able to satisfy their needs," she added. - Jhoanna Frances S. Valdez, BusinessWorld