GREEN SPACES. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-National Capital Region Executive Director Jacqueline Caancan (seated, 2nd from right), Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto (seated, 2nd from left), and other key officials sign a memorandum of agreement on the "Climate Resilient and Localized Urban Greening Plan." The parties agreed to boost ideal green spaces in the city and plan efficient mitigation of the effects of climate change. (Photo courtesy: Pasig City Public Information Office)
MANILA – To further mitigate the effects of climate change, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has signed an agreement with the Pasig government under the Climate Resilient and Localized Urban Greening Plan (CRLUGP).
In a Facebook live stream on Monday, DENR-National Capital Region-Executive Director Jacqueline Caancan, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, and other key officials in the city underscored the need to actualize climate actions, in line with their week-long celebration of Earth Day 2022.
Caancan mentioned the extreme weather conditions being experienced in the country through the years, including devastating typhoons and drought, contributing to the seasonal decline of water supply particularly in Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces.
“Maliban kasi sa bagyo at tagtuyot, nahaharap tayo sa panganib ng ecosystem destruction, pagkamatay ng buhay-ilang at iba kabilang ang coral reefs, pagbaba ng ani ng palay, pag-akyat ng sea level, at patuloy na pagtaas ng pandaigdigang temperature (Besides typhoons and drought, we also face ecosystem destruction, the destruction of wildlife, even coral reefs, dropping rice production, rising sea levels, and the continuous warming of global temperature.),” she said.
She noted that the memorandum of agreement would help the city identify ideal locations to be turned into green spaces.
“Sa ilalim ng ating Climate Resilient and Localized Urban Greening Plan, handa pong magbigay ng seedlings, planting materials, at technical assistance ang aming tanggapan upang maitaas natin ang bilang ng green spaces sa lungsod ng Pasig (Under the Climate Resilient and Localized Urban Greening Plan, our office is ready to distribute seedlings, planting materials, and technical assistance to increase the number of green spaces in Pasig City.),” she added.
Moreover, Sotto recognized climate change as an actual problem and gave the department his full commitment to addressing its harmful effects.
“Minsan ito ‘yung isa sa mga bagay na minsan ayaw natin pag-usapan, o tingin natin ‘nako matagal pa ‘yan, may mga urgent pa tayong concern, may kailangan tayong gawin ngayon, pero ang totoo po niyan kung hindi po natin pagtutuunan ng pansin ito ay sooner rather than later, mabibigla na lang po tayo na ito na pala ang effect,” he said.
(Sometimes, this is one of the things we want to avoid discussing, or we think this may still be in the far future, and we still have other urgent concerns, or we need to do other things now, but the truth is, if we don’t address it now, maybe sooner rather than later, we will be caught by surprise, of its effects.) (PNA)
