LA UNION, Philippines – Recognizing the need for immediate action, the Bauang municipal government in La Union on Friday, August 16, joined the ranks of local governments declaring a state of climate emergency.
Bauang Mayor Eulogio Clarence Martin de Guzman III issued the declaration and the order creating the Municipal Climate Emergency Action Council.
“It cannot be denied that our municipality is already suffering the impacts of climate change…and these impacts will grow more severe if we will not act in unison,” the mayor said in his speech.
“Therefore, it is imperative that today, our municipality declares a Climate Emergency and commits to accelerate adaptation and resilience strategies to ably address current and future intensifying climate change impacts,” he added.
Bauang, a coastal municipality in La Union, is the first local government in Northern Luzon to declare a state of climate emergency, joining the ranks of Bacolod City, Cebu City, Makati City, Quezon City, and Tolosa, Leyte.
Bauang was among those hard hit by the southwest monsoon, which was enhanced by Typhoon Carina in July, along with Bacnotan, Bagulin, Burgos, Caba, and Naguilian. As floods damaged resorts and grape farms, local officials placed the municipality under a state of calamity on July 25.
Bishop Daniel Presto of the Diocese of San Fernando de La Union witnessed the issuance of the state of climate emergency declaration, along with the Koalisyon Isalbar ti Pintas ti La Union (KIPLU), Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), and other environmental groups.
In his message, Presto pointed out that Pope Francis’ message in his encyclical letter Laudato Si was “to love God, to love our neighbor, and to love creation.”
The bishop reminded the attendees that “the cry of the earth is the cry of the poor,” underscoring that they are the most vulnerable to the rising sea level, erosion, strong typhoons, and extreme heat.
Course of action
In his executive order, De Guzman directed the concerned officials and offices to craft a roadmap to reduce the risk and vulnerability of the town’s 39 barangays. This includes an education campaign on climate change and a municipal action plan focusing on biodiversity protection and habitat preservation.
“We must protect our coastal integrity and fragile ecosystems from reclamation, fossil fuel extraction, and other damaging activities,” read the order, signed on the same day of the declaration.
The mayor also committed to advocating for the phaseout of fossil fuels. He also called for securing compensation from “historically polluting nations and corporations.”
De Guzman said his administration will coordinate with all government offices and international entities “to accelerate the exploration, development and implementation of renewable energy.”
Responding to the declaration, KIPLU president Crisanto Palabay expressed solidarity with the local officials. He said the group supports the LGU’s push “to shift to cleaner, reliable, affordable and sustainable energy (source).”
“The Climate Emergency Declaration of LGU Bauang will further strengthen our Coalition’s advocacy against fossil fuel-fired power plants like coal or liquefied natural gas in La Union,” Palabay said.
Challenges
Erwin Puhawan, PMCJ Luzon coordinator, said that changing the public mindset is the greatest challenge in fighting climate change.
“The public has become accustomed to relying on the local government or groups like NGOs, but addressing a climate emergency is everyone’s responsibility. Raising awareness and changing this mindset is the most challenging part,” he said in Filipino.
There is also the issue of implementation, particularly the creation of a sound roadmap and allocation of budget.
“Based on our experience with local governments that have already made declarations, one of the challenges is implementation because there are still many things that need to be changed and advanced. For example, how to create a roadmap to ensure that the declaration is fulfilled,” Puhawan said.
“Secondly, there’s the issue of the budget, as it’s essential to allocate funds to ensure that the planned activities, projects, and programs related to the declaration can move forward,” Puhawan added.
For years, environmental groups have been asking the government to declare a state of climate emergency in the country, citing the urgency of a declaration as Filipinos feel the harsh impacts of climate change. – Rappler.com