Syndicate content


Lucille L. Sering's picture






  • Globally, since 1950, ocean temperature increased by about 0.09oC




  • strengthening planning, execution, and financing framework for climate change
  • building capacity and managing change




Image courtesy of audiovisualjunkie through a Creative Commons license


Submitted by jose dennis mancia on


Submitted by MAAN MARUZO on

I think that pollution greatly affects climate change and it was brought about by highly evolving technologies which were supported by the government for effective transportation and mass production of goods. Say for example, machines in the factory produce oil leaks and other harmful chemicals which pollute not just the body of water surrounding it but the whole global ocean system.
Trees were cut down to widen roads for smoother land transportation and also to give way to increasing number of vehicles produce every year. What am I pointing out? We are the main contributor of pollutants and there’s no way to stop pollution since the great inventions of humans had become a way of life.
The only solution I can see is to lessen the damage by promoting balance. Say for example, if we can’t get rid of the machines that produces plastics and other garbage, then practice and promote recycling plastics and other recyclable supplies that would lessen the need for production of these non biodegradable materials. The lesser demand, the lesser need for supply which will also avoid these harmful machines from multiplying.
If there is a need for the government to cut down trees for enhancing our roads, then the government should also invest on planting trees that would absorb carbon dioxide produced by the vehicles also to avoid floods within the area. Therefore, I conclude that promoting balance is the key to a healthier environment.

Submitted by Julius Jayvin Ilagan on

Rising Threat of Climate Change
"The Philippines is one of the wealthiest countries around the world when it comes to ecological resources and diversity. However, it is also facing rapid destruction, degradation, and decline."

We are now facing a big challenge of climate change due to our own doing. This may affect the entire world and may vary from one country another. Third world countries are more vulnerable to the consequences of climate change (one of this is Philippines). Though Philippines contributes a miniscule 0.24% to the total global emissions, it ranks among the top countries which is vulnerable to climate change. Our Country faces difficulties and problems in the following socio - economic areas such as food security, fisheries production, water supplies and availability and climate sensitive diseases. I've been seeing the that women and children will have the most difficulty in coping to the effects of climate change due to their social and economic vulnerability. Though we have laws and policies that has been created concerning to climate change and disaster risk reduction, these still proves inadequate in addressing the larger issues of development and climate change. Laws such as Republic Act 9729 (Climate Change Act of 2009) and RA 10121 (Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010) pave way for unsustainable extraction of natural resources, deregulation and liberalization of resource-based industries, and privatization of common goods and resource policies. Bad governance adds to the problem as the budget allotted for climate change proves insufficient and is often misallocated. As grave as the situation is, many Filipinos have stood up to confront the crisis, protect the environment,  and  defend  the  people’s   welfare. However, in the pursuit of what is right, our advocates face the threats of being harassed, sued, and even killed. As grave as the situation is, many Filipinos have stood up to confront the crisis, protect the environment,  and  defend  the  people’s   welfare. However, in the pursuit of what is right, our advocates face the threats of being harassed, sued, and even killed. The presence of military and paramilitary forces to secure large-scale mining operations has indicated the rise of human rights violations. Militarization to suppress oppositions from communities especially among Indigenous People has worsened.

Reference: Center for Environmental Concerns Philippines. (2012). Confronting the ecological crisis: A situationer on Philippine environmental issues and struggles. A CEC-Philippines Publication. Quezon City, Philippines.

Submitted by Jakob Quilao on

Philippines, as a Third World country has been experiencing a lot of devastating events such as the sea levels rising due to climate change resulting to the Filipino people to depend more on the Government. Clearly our government isn’t really doing a great job in supporting the people they’re claiming to take care of. A lot of provinces that was hit by typhoons lack the support of housings, food supplies when in fact the government actually promises to provide what these flood victims need that results to people feeling disappointed for a fact that these people are the only people they can rely on to continue on with their lives and start a new.

Climate change is without a doubt inevitable. There are certain needs that the people get from nature. However, due to these needs, the people sometimes abuse nature which leads to illegal logging and deforestation. Those are only two of the major problems that cause climate change and it is very hard to prevent due to the fact that these are lines of work where a lot of people get money from to provide for their families. Humans are the main cause why climate change and global warming is happening. All the pollution is caused by human activities. It is truly up to the people and the government to make a move and change something because we have been dealing with this problem for years and it seems to me that we still have a chance to correct our mistakes regarding what we do that causes climate change.

“Most climate scientists agree the main cause of the current global warming trend is human expansion of the "greenhouse effect"1 — warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space.” - http://climate.nasa.gov/causes/

Proper education on how we all should take care of our environment should start from an early age. “Old habits die hard.” If it becomes a habit from the beginning, then we, the people would most likely keep doing it until adulthood, rather than if you start them late. The children are the key to the future after all. That is one possible process in order to prevent climate change, through children. Another way, and I believe that this should be practiced in most households by now; energy saving. Be it with your plugs, electronics, and anything that requires electricity really. My question is: There are engineers who have already developed the technology in which allows you to save energy. This option saves you money and prevents wasted energy. Why do people choose to not invest in these when they know of all the benefits and how it helps the world?” I really just do not understand. My family invested in these items and although it is quite pricey, the amount you save and all is very much worth it. In the end, you still spend less. I hope that made sense. Someone please enlighten me on how energy saving products aren’t the norm yet?

Submitted by Jemalyn Labaco on

The Philippines is one of the most disaster prone country in the world, experiencing an average of 20 typhoons per year. Philippines is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In fact, The Philippines is Rank No. 3 in the World Index Report 2013. With these, the government has been active throughout the year, educating personnel of various government agencies like Office of Civil Defense, DILG, PAG-ASA, and PHIVOLCS to name a few. Maybe these is the answer to the World Bank review with regard to "Insufficient institutional capacity, including limited access to knowledge, and the complexity of planning tools have hindered efficient execution of the climate reforms and Climate Action".
Various seminars and trainings were given by the national government with the participation of LGU's, being the objective is the formulation of LCCAP. Along to that seminars and trainings, they were ask to incorporate their Comprehensive Development Plans and Comprehensive Land Use Plan. All participants were given a certain period of time to discuss the hazards and vulnerability of each municipalities and cities and the implementation of their own LCCAP. They also came up with a Mitigation Plan. Which includes,
 Hazard Mapping
 Land use planning and legislation (flood-prone areas can be designated as parks and non-residential)
 Early warning system
 Flood Management
 Evacuation planning
 Reducing Vulnerability of Structures and Infrastructure (e.g. building resilient infrastructure)
 Public awareness

I will have to agree on the report that sourcing of funds is one hindrance on the implementation of NCCAP or even more the formulation of LCCAP. Which I believe will greatly contribute to minimize the effects of these hazards brought by Climate Change and aside from developing NCCAP, based on the past events, like Super typhoon Yolonda, I think it is a “must” to review/update the building codes and retrofit structures not conforming with the design standards. Strict implementation of land-use zoning to restrict development in identified high risk areas will also a big help and let us not limit educating ourselves and other individuals about climate change."Right information at the right time – so people can take the right action"

Submitted by Patrick Valdez on

As kids, we learned as facts that trees sap out floods whenever heavy rain falls down. We considered this true. And as a kid growing up in the province we I noticed that floods were almost not a thing in our area. But going to the metro area, floods are almost non-stop and are at high levels. Maybe the development that the government had prepared for us may not be the most suitable ones for our country. Not because they're bad, but because they don't have proper back up. Most of the structures, roads, and buildings, that are signs of development, commonly have great appearance only. If you look at metro Manila, we couldn't help but notice that there are all sorts of towers, gorgeous malls, buildings of all sizes, but almost no trees or nature present. This is what I think that's lacking in progress, the nature that trully can help our situation. Sure we can take scientific actions, or conduct experiments, or even predict the weather, but without the actual answers to the problem, we can all just lean back on what had saved us from before.

Submitted by Katherine Joy Sardia Cruz on

The Philippines can be considered as one of the countries that experices high pollution. Not only in terms of air pollution, light pollution and etc. Our country is polluted with too much population as well as with its needs for daily living. We know for ourselves that we cannot avoid such circumstances. But, as an individual, we must be the ones who make way in making our environment fresh and clean. Funds and a lot of materials are really needed in making such action. However, through our simple ways, this can be possibe. To give an example of this, an individual that make use of the 3 Rs; namely: Reuse, reduce, recycle and it can help our environment in our own simple ways. We can do this in our households and even in our daily routines. However, some people are really stubborn in doing so. Most people have the tendency to ignore these small things that can affect you big time in the future. Our government have done actions concerning climate change. It has been funded and started way back. However, limited changes have happened over the period of time given by the government. So, where did all the funds went? But these question will be discussed in a different matter. Even though limited changes have happened over time, I am still hoping for a much bigger change when a new elected president will handle the government for his/her term starting this 2016.

It is true that we cannot avoid climate change. In time to time, we can experience massive floods, intense heat during the summer and rise in temperature during cold seasons. From my experience during the typhoon Ondoy, flood came running to our garage and it was unusual because our house is inclined high enough not to be reached by water if ever there will be flood. According to my father, our street never experienced flood until the typhoon Ondoy. He grew up in that place and witnessed what it has been since then. He even told me that when he was younger, ber-months (September to December) will have cold winds even in day time. But in our time today, ber-months usually experiences hot winds even at night. A lot of changes happened over time. Soon, the Philippines may experience snow just like what other tropical countries have experience recently. Climate change is inevitable.

Submitted by Ivy Chanelle Dadios on

Let's face it, problems won't arise in the middle of a well-disciplined society. Yes, some are, but not as crucial as we what encounter nowadays. Problems, I believe, are supposed to strengthen the bonds between people and their intellectual abilities to live a peaceful, easier and beneficial life. Not as one which destroys lives. If people could have just considered in the first place all the natural entities provided by our world very essential to all beings, proper care and preservation to nature could have been done. We people are the main responsible for this world, for we are the ones gifted with enough intellectual capacity to rule over it. We hold the keys about various aspects in lives. It’s in our hands where all things may develop, such that once in the past, we once hold the possibilities that may happen in the future. But, the “future” we have considered in the past, is now what we call the “present.” This explains why we have the kind of “present” we encounter today. As we see it, many disasters visit us every year. These are caused mostly by our ignorance about the significance each thing in the world possesses. We are provided by the blue print of the future we are constructing by the way we have lived before and live today. As simple as it is, we are makers of our future. Although there are still problems that come our way, which we are totally out of control, we can still do preventions. We can be wary and careful by the way we live and by the way we decide on things so that possible problems which may confront us in the future will be lessened. By this, we are helping the generations to come, thus, giving them still the chance to experience and to benefit from the naturality and freshness of our world. The solution is to have discipline, be discipline and responsible about the beauty of everything we have in the world. I believe that the government should be disciplined enough to mold its citizens into becoming disciplined, appreciative and responsible individuals about every action each do -for these actions contribute to the future. Discipline leads to having conscientious acts. It is also where organized things come from. Therefore, the government officials, who have the authority, should continue the efforts they have made for the climate change issues. They should also make laws teaching and molding the citizens to be responsible and to practice being preventive -as the saying goes, “Prevention is better than a cure.” But must ensure also that the citizens are aware of it and will abide by the laws leading to proper treatment to the natural entities of the world.

Submitted by clarita tubongbanua on

As Filipinos we can do our share! Let’s do it!!!!

Our government - to ensure that it stays on the right path as far as solving the climate change problem, the Climate Change Commission and the Department of Budget and Management, has requested the World Bank to undertake a study to review government expenditures related to climate change and institutions with mandates to address climate change. Individual awareness as to the effect of this climate change we Filipinos are encouraged to take active part in order for us to contribute something in the realization of the proposed recommendation of the WB to address and avert the ill effects of Climate Change .While this recommendation will greatly affect the populace in general, individually we can also set our own goal to contribute in our own little way some measures to take active part in the realization of those projects at hand. In our own small way we can address issues like population control and greening our environment. We can make it a habit to plant trees to replace those being cut due to urbanization project. One area which our government should look into is how our agricultural land are being converted into subdivision without taking into consideration that those agricultural lands are equipped with irrigation canal to properly water agricultural products, but because those in the government sector are also those businessmen who have access to power and control these lands were converted to residential land. Businessmen in their pursuit to gain so much wealth became twisted being (according to Steve Jobs).The land that feed millions of our populace are now replaced with residential buildings which at times left unoccupied because owners are not around due to migration and only caretakers are left behind to take care of it. If only our government has the capacity to look into and has the teeth to properly imposed proper use of our resources then probably the issue about shortage in our food will be minimized and importation be reduced. On the other hand, since our Nation is considered the only Christian Nation in Asia, we should dig deeper the study and influence of the famous sociologist in his time- Thomas Aquinas whose writing states that the author of 2 books-Book of Nature and Book of Scripture should not contradict each other-The Philippines being the only Christian Nation in Asia should adapt to this belief –That man should have dominion over all his environment and all living and non- living creatures. So this give him no option but to be good stewards over all those things in his dominion and that includes his environment . If only we are true to the saying- Cleanliness is next to Godliness and Respect others as to ourselves then even our very own environment is respected. If only we are conscious and aware that whatever we sow, we reap, then we have to think many times before we do evil in the sight of God and our fellow men. Character or value is defined as being who we are with or without somebody looking at us. Doing what is proper in the use of any disposable items will lead to cleanliness and without avarice and pride, one should think that one cannot drive as many vehicles in one setting as there are rich small member-families with vast array of vehicles and as many shoes and dresses which cannot be used simultaneously. According to World bank report, While the Philippines has been a minor contributor to global warming, GHG emissions are projected to quadruple in the energy sector and double in the transport sector by 2030 due to its growing economy, urbanization, and motorization. Another thing that contributes a lot in the degradation of our environment is we are being dump with so many trashes from industrialized countries-like second hand and worst one case that was brought in the media is the thrash from Canada ( sorry I can’t recall how many containers )which were purely trash and not recyclable, motor vehicles, second hand dresses and appliances that is being modified and sold in our local markets. Although One question that came into my mind are the relief goods like dresses being sold in the market which to me are given for free in the height of calamities but are not given to the supposed recipient but ultimately sold in the market (the government should look into these things) In the end..If only we take our role being the stewards of our environment by taking good of our temporary homes in this planet earth then we will not be into this kind of trouble..The trouble of and panicky results of Climate Change.

Submitted by Mark Jester Cuyno on

Climate change in the Philippines is a social, national and internal issue. I remember back in 1999 when I was the elementary pupil here in Antipolo Rizal in a central part of Luzon when the Cherry Hills Subdivision Landslide happened. Ten years later we experienced Ondoy and saw how devastated Cainta and Marikina had been. I want to narrate my observations regarding Climate change because even if the hazardous effects of Earth’s degradation has already been evident up to extent that reporters flashed dead bodies on trees swept after Marikina River flooding, some of our countrymen still refuse to believe in the concept of climate change and that they can participate in earth’s preservation.

From what I can recall Cherry Hills Subdivision is a mile drive from our Village. NOAH (1999), a program by the Department of Science and Technology, said that Cherry Hill tragedy happened because of sedimentary rock breakage due to 3 days of raining because of Typhoon Ising, causing hill Erosion congruent to Binangonan Fault.

We went there with my aunt and cousins only to find cracked asphalt roads and ruined houses. I still remember few villagers shouting because their TV was being stolen. And there I saw former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who was a senator by that time.

By 2009, we saw the strength of Typhoon Katrina or Ondoy. Noah described that the Typhoon delivered severe rainfall for a whole day so Marikina River flooded and killed up to 465 people from the Metro and a 10.9 billion damage loss (Noah, 2009).

My younger sister was a College student that time and our former church at Cainta, Rizal submerged by at least 4 feet. Some of our friends also used the Social Media hubs to update that they got stranded at LRT Santolan Station by 8:00 a.m.

Climate change is one of the primary factors that intensify Typhoon Katrina and slides that Rocky hill of Binangonan. I used personal experience to analyze the consequences of Earth’s degradation because of pollutions as a byproduct of both industrialization and urbanization of the Philippines.

On the other hand, the Philippine Society is not absolutely convinced that our daily lifestyle contributes to climate change. I remember going to Baguio last 2015. We were listening to a radio station that reports how big companies around Metro Manila turned off their lights to join the Earth hour. However, they also reported that not all cities in NCR join the campaign. And I also observe that diesel gas still dominates Transport Vehicles that results to Smoke belching. With these observations, I can say that the Philippine Society has not yet realized the weight of Climate change.

Submitted by Franklin John on

Philippine is an archipelago which consists of an estimated 7,107 islands. As a small country geographically located along the pacific region near the Equator, it is highly susceptible to rising sea levels and tropical cyclones and storms.
As climate change slowly takes place, the country experience such extreme weathers and disasters. With these, the country launched “2009 Climate Change Act” which led to the development of NCCAP, CCC, CCCC, PSFB and etc. which strengthens the planning, execution, and budgeting for climate change wherein they also analyze and prepare their country for the worst climate condition. Many rely on these various government agency group but it would not be efficient if they do not cooperate. Most of them do not care about these climate changes even when they know it will do great harm in the future. Their ignorance will be soon be the cause of everyone’s misery. So why don’t they start with the 4r’s: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle, Replace and how about segregating biodegradable and non-biodegradable? These simple steps can help save our environment. They too must make it a habit forecasting weather in their own. They may help nature in a small scale but every little bit helps. Doing these things makes every person build skills and knowledge-base on climate change, habitable and clean environment. But with the lack of public awareness, there is a chance that they could have never survive such harsh weathers like La Niña and El Niño.
A lot of time has passed since the Climate Change Act has been made and so far little changes has been done. People often blames the agencies for this kind of failure to do their job. These climate agencies still lacks the leadership and accountability through monitoring, evaluation and review of their climate change and policies. Unfortunately, that was not the only problem because the budget funded to these agencies was being manipulated by corrupted leaders of the country. In other words, the money that was meant for climate change ended up in the wrong hands. Filipinos can really fight climate change if they work together, but they cannot do it when the one who's ruining the plan are their leaders.

Submitted by Kenneth Varilla on

Well, the survey conducted by the Social Weather Station is indeed true. Why? Every Filipino that is aware of his/her surroundings can see the effects of Climate change. From more devastating typhoons, longer droughts to rising sea levels, we can see the consequences of our own actions. Our ignorance on our wrongdoings led to this worldwide problem that is slowly destroying the world that we reside in.

Luckily, some people in the world are interested in solving this problem. They knew that there is still hope in changing our ways, that there is still a chance to achieve a brighter and greener future. Let us take the Climate change commission for example. The said government committee is responsible in providing concrete plans which addresses the problem of climate change. In line of this, they are also tasked to create and maintain the National Climate Change Action Plan which consists of effective strategies to lessen if not completely eradicate the problem. In addition to this, the said commission also requested the help of the World Bank to conduct a study which aims to review government spending related to climate change and survey the country’s environmental welfare to promote awareness of its status.

One of the products of this is the WB exclusive report which gives a brief overview on the effects of climate change in the Philippines, possible solutions to the problem and intervening factors that hinder us from doing such solutions, as well as updates on government and non-government units that are concerned on climate change. The report mentioned several threats on the country’s economic, social and environmental development because of the radical effects of climate change. It also presented the flaws of certain organizations such as the Climate change commission on its ineffectiveness in fulfilling its climate agenda caused by the lack of lucidity in its tasked roles and responsibilities. To resolve the problem, the review cited solutions such as to “Formulate, enact, and support complementary sector and local-level policy and institutional reforms”. It also presented a concise and concrete framework towards a greener future.

In the end, what does this tell us? This only shows that as inhabitants of this planet, we are also responsible for the destruction of our planet. Thus, we share the same responsibility to uphold, protect and sustain the environmental welfare of our planet. As such, as ordinary citizens, we should have the initiative to do our part in promoting this. We don’t have to be in an environmental organization to save mother earth. We should act on the problem now before it’s too late.

Submitted by Sabrina Michelle Arroyo on

As filipinos, we know for a fact that typhoons enter our area every year and there is always news about floods and local areas left in ruin left by the calamities. During the dry seasons, we experience the overwhelming heat of El Niño. So to put it simply, climate change is not an unusual phenomenon in our country. We are hit with many strong calamities therefore we are expected to be capable of handling such situations when they come to us. We are able to adapt to its changes with the help of programs and projects provided by the government. For us to be able to ensure survival in an environment with ever changing climate, we prepare survival procedures for calamities in advance.

Submitted by Paulyn Louise San Pedro on

If the usage of crude oil is one of the primary reasons why we have global warming, then will there be any alternatives that can provide the same function of crude oil but more environmentally friendly? If there is, how come our country haven't phase-out the use of crude oil and stick to the alternatives since we are one of the countries who doesn't have our own crude oil anyway? If there isn’t, then why not conduct a project of creating alternatives? I’m sure there are a lot of talented Filipinos out there who have a solution only that, they lack support. And crude oil resources is limited so why not use alternatives at the present so that when the time comes that it is no longer available, we can still continue on our life without being too affected because we were able to make our country adapt in a coming generation without crude oil in advance, right? And we will be able to lessen pollution!
Honestly, I'm not actually sure of what are/will be the specific climate change adaptation programs and projects but prioritizing in providing an alternative for crude oil is definitely a good project not only for our environment but also to our health and wallets because the prices of goods and services also depend to the price of the crude oil.

Submitted by Jeremy on

The question is, how concerned are we about Climate Change? We are alarmed, yes, by all the shocking happenings that are taking place such as stronger typhoons, more violent earthquakes, tougher droughts, and the worsening climate. But how do we respond to these?

The Earth and its people experience these noticeable changes. Many for sure are concerned about the future of our planet and of course, the future of their kids too. Will they still see a green future? Or will they only see dead seas and dying forests?

They say that change is inevitable. It's part of nature. But if we can't stop it, maybe we can slow it down. And I still believe that for us to make a bold step towards a greener tomorrow, one should initiate change. Change should start with you. By doing so, we are inspiring others to do the same. By simply bringing reusable bags with you when you go shopping is a great way of saving Mother Earth. At the same time, you are minimizing somehow the need for production of paper bags and plastic bags as well as inspiring others to do the same until it inspires more people to follow. And eventually, the need for production of paper and plastic bags will lessen greatly. In addition, we are actually saving energy! Because is takes a lot of energy to create paper. That is why the use of reusable bags is a smarter way of saving the environment than using paper bags.

Our concern for the environment should be put in action. What we need here is real change. And real change requires action and will. The government has been making steps towards saving the environment as well as adaptive measures to the worsening climate. We should also, as part of the community, do our part and work side by side to preserve our delicate planet. We should stop complaining about typhoons and all these natural phenomenons happening in our country. And realize that for us to somehow lessen and slow down climate change is to act on it positively.

There are a number of ways to do that. Here are some examples:
- Start planting trees and plants in your backyard.
- Keep your surroundings clean.
- Conserve electricity and water.
- Reduce carbon footprint by walking or by riding a bike to get to places.
- Avoid the use of CFC emitting products that destroys the ozone layer.
- Do the 3 R's (reuse, reduce, recycle).
- Burn fats not fuel.
- Practice eating vegetables to minimize the demand for meat

With the ever increasing number of people on earth, food supply can be scarce and might not be enough to sustain everyone. The source of potable water will dry up in the next number of years. And there will be a mad search for new energy resources. The increasing population and human activities that speed up Earth's destruction greatly affects and disrupts ecological balance. With more and more species pushed in the edge of extinction, if such abuse to natural resources and wrong way of living continues, man's future will slowly be like a desert land as year passes by and all these global phenomenon will get even stronger and worse in the next few years. All that will be left is nothing but wasteland.

Submitted by Catherine T Tuaño on

The climate is rapidly changing globally with disruptive impacts; hence, the responsibility of managing it is upon every one of us. However, one must be educated what is going on. Notably, the interaction of human beings with their physical environment is a constantly changing one. The physical environment places limitations on human beings, but it also presents us with challenges to overcome those limitations. (Valerio)

What is climate change? Climate change, also known as global warming, refers to the rise in average surface temperatures on Earth which is primarily due to the high emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the air. The gases trap heat within the atmosphere, which can have a range of effects on ecosystems, including rising sea levels, severe weather events, and droughts that render landscapes more susceptible to wildfires. (TakePart:What is Climate Change?)

The Philippines is an archipelagic state with a topical and maritime climate which is characterized by relatively high temperature, high humidity and abundant rainfall. Manila has very-low to low-lying areas. As such, the country will be severely affected as the sea-level continue to rise because of the climate change.

But we can do something about it by promoting eco-balance and preservation. While the government educate and continuously creating bills and laws on the matter, the schools and in our homes should start implementing ways to help by organizing garbage and planting of trees. This may not be as easy as it seems but if no one will start today, nothing can be expected in the future.

Submitted by Rhyan Cacanindin on

Philippines needs a massive overhaul in our Government system first, by electing the right leaders so that when we are ready to setup an agency (Single agency that focuses on educating people and observing our nature and make laws for it and have the ultimate power to implement its rules and no one will be exempted), then we can appoint people into these functions to create sensitive laws for our nature and handle Climate change more effectively, I believe that Nature and changes of its climate must be taken more seriously as there were major impacts in our society and environment and we are just sitting and often times whining about, "what ifs, or we should have done this" when its already affected many people and even killed thousands of us, and destroyed millions of millions of infrastructures and livelihood.
We need a real solid plan to not just reduce climate change and not just create a perfect law to follow, more importantly we need to really care about our mother nature and genuinely participate, like everyone must understand first what's going on with our surroundings and what going to happens next in years to come, if don't act with urgency and with care.

Submitted by Katherine Claudette Saga on

It is quite disappointing if we would weigh how Filipinos are adapting to climate change. As a youth, I have seen and continue seeing that Filipinos are being complacent about this issue. We all know very well how climate change is destructing our environment and even the people's health but we all tend to just find and do such short-term solutions to patch the holes of our bigger responsibilty-to be accountable enought to take real good care of the environment.

Based on my observations, the government and other non-government organizations are doing their very best to encourage each and everyone to lessen the damage of the climate change through environment-friendly campaigns and activities. I say lessen because I believe that it isn’t going to be any better though I am not being a pessimist here, just stating a fact. Going back, since we are all aware of the do’s and don’ts, I think the least and the very best thing we can do is to fully do and commit on our part to participate on any suggested solution made by the authorities/officials and profesionals. Yes, we can suggest bunch of aid but unless we fully give our heart on these, there ain’t going to be any change.

Submitted by Ryan Paul Magdangal on

Climate change untreated

It is visible that our climate is changing rapidly, and it’s not getting recovered because the forecasts were getting complex every year. The Philippines are not excluded with the effects of the climate change, as we are always the apple of an eye of the Typhoons and most of the tropical storm that hit us not just offers a lot of destruction, but giving a great loss not only with the assets, but on agriculture, and precious life (The World Bank).

Another focus we can discuss caused by the climate change is our very own trade and industry, since the Philippines was considered in the world as “eight-largest rice producer” due to our tropical climate (Ricepedia.org).Most of our farmers are mainly affected as the cost of farming are increasing rapidly compared with the previous years—this includes the daily cost that they have to shoulder daily just to make sure the fruitful harvest once their crops are ready. I myself have been seeing these changes and hearing these sentiments from the farmers since I grew up in a province where implantation of rice is the prime occupation of the people-where most of their profit on the harvest will go directly to the person who lent them money to be able to plant their crops.

It has been indicated on the World Bank editorial that the past administration initiated the execution and adaptation measures to alleviate the effects of climate change, by commissioning the CCC (Climate Change Commission to make it functional and to properly implement objectives of the climate change (Sering, 2013). But how come that the adaptation to mitigate the climate change still not fully executed entirely, whereas, our government allocated a lot of budget to make sure it will fulfilled.

The World Bank also acknowledged on the source, while our government is funding the labor, some governmental association doesn’t fully cooperating with the agenda, as they are hindering the people assigned to it to properly conduct and performed an exploration and analysis how they are using machinery and other resources.

While basing on the three major focuses, my question posed is how we are going to hardening the preparation, application and put money into the framework to alleviate the climate change? Is the idea already vanished? since the appointed official of the past administration has been out of the office—if that’s not the case, where is the replacement with the present administration? I believed this has to be our focus for now since most of allocated funds were allocated to the framework—we are not just losing funds, efforts and time here but most importantly, is the change with our climate that kept untreated.


Philippines. (n.d.). Retrieved January 31, 2017, from http://ricepedia.org/philippines
Getting a Grip on Climate Change in the Philippines. (n.d.). Retrieved January 31, 2017.

Submitted by Sahadeva Das Ladyong on

What can an individual do to help fight against climate change? How can the individual do minor things to make a big impact?

Back in my high school, we had this piggy bank. Each student can donate at least 1 peso a day. We had 30 students in our class, so a day we can save 30 pesos. In a week, at least 150 pesos. And in a month, we had 600 pesos, and that's if students only donated 1 peso a day. Some donated 5-10 pesos a day, and we would usually get about 1000 pesos per month. We were able to use that money to improve our classroom, or for class projects and other things if we needed the money.

Is there a way we can use that system to help in climate change? Have the individual do small things, like throwing trash in the right places and other minor things. Small things that can make a big impact if everyone is doing it.

The next problem is how to inform and ensure that each and every person is doing their part to help. How do we have people do these things as part of their daily lives? How do we make sure that each and every person is responsible enough to help?

Submitted by Marilou Inciong on

What is climate change? Global warming? Ask an ordinary citizen and you will discover the sad truth – ignorance. Now ask them what should we do to at least not add more to the damage. How will they react if they don’t even know what it is? What should we do?

Educate. Wipe away the ignorance. From school children to out of school youth, mother, father, grandparents – let them have a deeper understanding on the simple things that they contribute to this phenomenon. Let's not make it too vague for them. We can use simple terms in their vernacular to make the learning meaningful.

Involve. Let them be the part of the change. Make programs that everyone can participate in. Organize tree planting, gardening, garbage segregation campaign, recycling, etc. Give them tasks and motivate them to become active participants and new leaders.

Spread the word. Don’t stop the information campaign. Let climate change be the talk of the town, the revolving, exaggerated "gossip" in the community. Let us talk about it in every opportunity that we have.

Appreciate. Give them what they deserve – recognition for their efforts. A simple token and certificate of appreciation will make them feel important. It is necessary to ignite the fire in their heart to do more. Be generous in appreciation. A whole community with all its members being individually appreciated for every small effort they contributed to the realization of a goal is highly recommended. Don’t just select a few. Note everyone's contribution and never forget to mention them.

Follow-up. This is not just a seasonal project. It is for life. Remind them again and again until good habits are formed - until it becomes their way of life.

This is a long journey, but in order to get a tangible result, we must persist and be patient. This is not just the responsibility of the government, this is everyone's responsibility. But yes, we need strong and sound leadership, along with our collective efforts to reap our goal – not only for our own benefit but most of all, for the welfare of the next generation.


Ted.com, Climate change is happening. Here's how to adapt, Oct. 5, 2015, Alice Bows-Larkin, Climate Scholar

Greenlivingideas.com, TEDx Honolulu, Ian Monroe, Connect with the world to make change, best ted talk on climate change

TEDx Talks, A simple and smart way to fix climate change, Dan Miller

The reality of Climate Change, David Puttnam, TEDx Dublin

Getting a Grip on Climate Change in the Philippines, www.worldbank.org

Submitted by Simon Domingo on

Continuous Climate Efforts:

The good thing is that we are aware that climate change is happening. We feel it and we believe that it is starting to take a toll on people, especially the Philippines. Now, if there is anything that can be observed in the battle against Climate Change, it is the need for consistency. As the years go by, we continue to industrialize and as we do, we continue to accumulate waste and emit harmful substances that could potentially harm our earth. We have started our endeavors ranging from big feats such as the formation of the Climate Change Commission (CCC) to small things such as Uber Pool. But as is, administrations change, dynamic pricing ceases to please the public and it is our responsibility to continue what has been done successfully for our planet.

Aside from a continuous effort towards greener disciplines, we could also tap into the field of Green Business and look at ways in which we could mobilize private sector finance in order to contribute to these green businesses. There are countless ways in which we could make the earth a greener place, and these are only some of the examples.

Submitted by Andrew Williams on


Submitted by MC on


Submitted by Dianne Venegas on

I agree. Our leaders can make laws again and again but if implementation is weak, we can't expect our situation to change. I also believe that as Filipinos, our culture is to blame for why we are not as proactively participating in the global campaign against climate change. Filipinos rank 5th as the happiest people on earth - while it seems like something to celebrate about, it unfortunately reflects our misguided positivity and bahala-na, okay-lang-yan attitude towards disasters and tragedies.

Being 5th happiest would have been an honor, if it meant that all the happiness and energy are geared toward rebuilding a nation after billions of losses due to natural calamity. Unfortunately, all that happiness is focused on self-delusions and belief in good luck that things are going to get better 'someday'. No single effort is exerted to prevent another calamity nor minimize losses when the next one unavoidably happens. And this all goes back to lack of political will in our government in implementing laws, and the lack of the average Filipino's discipline and sense of responsibility.

As a Filipino, I know I can only do so much in contributing my share in minimizing and recycling wastes, and making purchase decisions that when done by enough number of people can compel manufacturers to change their product design, manufacturing practices, etc. that result to climate change. It can be depressing sometimes when my own (Filipino) husband throws a piece of candy wrapper from his car window and he could not be convinced of how an act so small can affect climate change so much. His depressing argument being, "So what? Everyone does it. Parang di ka Pilipino." My point exactly, if everyone STOPS doing it, and STOPS thinking that it's okay because ALL Filipinos do it, then maybe the future won't look so bad for our children. I think we, as a nation, are going to get the future we deserve, and I feel sorry for the next generations of Filipinos.

Submitted by Ramon Garcia on




You think they'd learn by now, but no.

Submitted by L.E. Fernandez on





Submitted by Pamela Roco on





Education and information is a primary concern.




Apathy. My question is: How do you solve apathy?

Submitted by Gabrielle Angeline Arejola on

Let’s face it, us Filipinos can be helpful with our environment. Honestly, we can help the environment with just the simplest thing such as planting trees or just slightly changing something with our lifestyle, like throwing trash whenever and wherever we like to throw it. Being able to do this simple thing can help the environment in the slightest way. It can start small but once you start and let it grow in time. You will be able to have a habit doing it.
Filipinos are used to adapt to climate change because we tend to be in the middle of the happenings in the world. Such as having floods, or having droughts. But honestly this is cause because of us human beings. Examples are; floods that are caused because of the trash that we through whenever we want to and we tend to cut down trees and not replace them. This causes the water not being absorb by the roots of the tree; drought is specially cause here in the Philippines because we are a tropical country, especially when summer passes by, the temperature increases and makes heat. If we had more trees, there would be more air passing by.
Filipinos farmers, especially now, are experiencing climate change. Because of the crops are having extreme drought. This causes their crops to dry up. There are some instances that there is too much water when the heavy rain pours out. This causes they crops to drown. These are some instances that happen in the Philippines and the climate change.
Here in Laguna, they started to stop using plastic bags. Base on my research, burning plastics can cause cancer or increase the rate of getting cancer. Before, floods don’t tend to happen here, but when they started to cut down trees and floods occurrence increases every time a very strong storm or heavy rain happens

Submitted by Nikki Coleen Garcia on





Submitted by ma. angelica blancaver on


Submitted by Anthonette Cimacio on






(2) Employment Situation in January 2013 (Final Results). Retrieved September 30, 2013 from http://census.gov.ph/content/employment-situation-january-2013-final-results

Submitted by Fritzie B. Enfectana on


WB Report on Climate Change in the Philippines

Submitted by Oneil Ferrer on




Is this what makes life worth living?

Submitted by Marionne Faye Adique on

Upstreaming rather than solving issues at the tail-end.





Submitted by Franz Nikos on





Submitted by Hannah Kim on








Submitted by Zygie M on

In a few months, this topic will have been up for almost three years. Leading up to this point, it is interesting to note that I have not noticed any major public programs dealing with climate change, whether they be to educate more people about it, to fortify and modify vulnerable structures, or even to lessen the environmental impact our country contributes. Which is a shame, since the national elections are coming up.

Regarding adaptation to climate change itself, I've been seeing families (mine included) having to deal with damages that the increasingly strong typhoons are inflicting (part of climate change). The awareness is commendable, people having emergency supplies and plans to get them out of a spot, but what can a few people do if the government does not enact these steps widely and publicly?

As far as observations go, it has been a very slow and disappointing (almost) three years. There was(is?) an initiative to improve public transportation as to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, but hearing conflicting statements about it from authorities (Manila experiences heavy traffic because Filipinos are getting wealthier and buying more private vehicles) make these initiatives feel like a joke. The government has been improving communication towards areas that are typhoon-prone, but it's essentially just evacuating people and leaving all the properties to get destroyed. This is akin to just abandoning the lives and livelihoods of our countrymen. Here's to hoping that the national government apply themselves to the smaller, local units and in turn, these LGUs will help those even at the bottom.




Submitted by Myra O. Papica on


Filipinos preparedness against Climate Change.



Implement citizen’s awareness and action plan program.



Vertical Farming and Food storage. I also suggest the concept of how ants store their food for the wet season. I have seen an idea from youtube of maximizing a small space through vertical vegetable farming which they call “ Risers in container gardening” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7o_5UKIKTo). It is also good to teach people how to do Food canning. This is to avoid panic buying during typhoon season and also massive budget for relief goods from the government which also came from its taxpayers.




Submitted by Jaime Emil Thomas Luga on





The responsibility always lies with us.

Submitted by Daryl Abina on


Submitted by joj agpangan on

There is no single answer to climate change...




Submitted by Ser Isidro San Pedro on



Submitted by Mellanie Santos on




Submitted by Greg Yoingco on


But what should or what can we do as individuals?

Submitted by Fatima Ren on


Submitted by Allison Mair Ignacio on




Submitted by Daisy G. Pindang on




Add new comment