SOLONS TO PRESIDENTIABLES: DEBATE CLIMATE CHANGE

Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago said that the Comelec should include climate change as a topic of presidential debates.

She was joined by Sen. Edgardo Angara, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., and Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile.

In a privilege speech, Santiago said that the Philippines has been identified as one of the most disaster prone countries in the world, because of its geographical location. She said climate change will influence Philippine weather in terms of changes in temperature, rainfall, and tropical cyclone activity. In turn, this impacts such sectors as agriculture, forestry, and water resources.

Citing a climate change vulnerability map by the Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA), Santiago said that the Philippines is a "hotspot" in Southeast Asia.

"Practically all the regions in our country are vulnerable to climate-related hazards, namely, tropical cyclones, floods, landslides, droughts, and sea level rise," she said. "The triple typhoons and accompanying floods that wreaked havoc in the Philippines recently are clear manifestations of the high vulnerability of the country to climate change."

According to her, the EEPSEA vulnerability ranking of provinces for the Philippines shows that Metro Manila (badly hit by typhoon Ketsana) and Benguet (ravaged by typhoon Parma) rank first and second, respectively, in vulnerability to climate change.

Santiago also cited a recent study by the Asian Development Bank stating that the economic cost of climate change to Southeast Asia would be about $230 billion or about six percent of the region's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) every year by the end of this century. She said the losses translate to about 50 percent reduction in rice yield in major producing countries, including the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia, posing a major food security issue in the region.

"But the picture is a lot grimmer than what these numbers may project. From the recent experience in the Philippines for instance, the world has witnessed how more than 8.4 million people were affected by typhoons. The death toll is still rising with increasing cases of leptospirosis and other water-borne diseases reported from the widespread flooding that was brought about by the typhoons," she said.

She said that external funding for climate change is already beginning to become available. Very recently, the government has received funding from GEF, WB, AUSAID, GTZ and UNEP, and from other agencies, to support adaptation planning and projects in the country.

"The main challenge to the next President is transparency, efficiency, and equity in the use of these funds," she said.

"The threat from climate change is real. Therefore, we need a President determined to make a serious and concerted effort to prepare for climate-related disasters ahead of us," she added.