MORE R.E. RESEARCH, TECH DEV'T FOR RP--ANGARA

With RP bracing for Pepeng while still recovering from Ondoy, Sen. Edgardo Angara has reiterated his call on energy investors and experts to pursue renewable energy projects in the country, stressing that improved energy and environmental management will minimize the adverse effects of climate change and natural calamities.

"It is imperative that we now focus our efforts in improving our approach to energy. Rather than being excessively dependent on fossil fuels, we should seriously consider renewable energy sources to address climate change. Both government and the private sector should allocate more funds for infrastructure and contingency. Better infrastructure will help us cope with and prepare for natural disasters in the future. A more proactive response to the climate issue will lessen the tendencies for calamities to recur, at least in the country," shared Angara, chair of the Congressional Commission on Science and Technology and Engineering (COMSTE).

"Since the last half century, environmental drive has not been given much emphasis despite numerous calls for action. Despite the urgency of the climate change issue, environmental thrust has been weak in the country, making us highly vulnerable to calamities," said Angara, referring to the drastic damage caused by Typhoon Ondoy.

Bjorn Lomborg, head of the Copenhagen Consensus Center in Denmark, recently cited a report by economists from McGill University in Canada showing that successfully confronting global warming requires nothing short of a technological revolution. In response, Angara hosted last month the first International Renewable Energy and Agriculture Conference (REACCT) in Manila gathering energy experts, investors and developers, researchers and academics, diplomats, agriculturists and environmental advocates from Asia, North America and Europe.

Angara authored the Renewable Energy Act (RA9513), which explores and develops renewable energy sources like biomass, solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and ocean energy sources. His primary aim is to reduce the country's dependence on fossil fuels and minimize the country's exposure to price fluctuations in the international markets.

He said, "This pursuit will not be a rapid development. It will take time. So more than the negotiations for carbon reduction, policymakers should also focus on agreements for investment in research and development to achieve a more sustainable renewable energy program in the country. This achievement will keep the country from the effects of global warming."