Arroyo signs landmark climate change measure

In the aftermath of devastating back-to-back storms, President Arroyo on Friday signed into law the “Climate Change Act of 2009" that calls for a national strategy for dealing with what many scientists regard as the gravest threat to the planet. The signing came amid the country's preparations for Typhoon Ramil, which is expected to hit northern Luzon over the weekend. President Arroyo signed Republic Act 9729, the consolidated version of Senate Bill No. 2583 and House Bill No. 5982, in simple ceremonies at the Rizal Hall of Malacañang with several legislators and local officials in attendance. Under the new law, an autonomous policy-making body attached to the Office of the President to be called the Climate Change Commission will be created to coordinate the programs of the government and represent the country in international climate change conferences. It will be chaired by the President, who shall appoint three commissioners. The signing of the law comes two months before a landmark conference in Copenhagen in December, when global leaders are expected to approve a new climate change treaty that will chart the world’s carbon emissions future after the first commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. The new treaty will be voted upon by world leaders at the 15th Conference of Parties (COP-15) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Denmark. Among the officials who witnessed the signing were principal author Sen. Loren Legarda, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, and Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri. From the House of Representatives came Deputy speakers Amelita Villarosa and Eric Singson, Senior Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II and Senior Minority Leader Roilo Golez. In an interview, Legarda said the Climate Change Act is a long-awaited measure that will consolidate government efforts in dealing with the impact of extreme weather, including the unusual rainfall and flooding from Tropical Storm Ondoy that ravaged parts of metropolitan Manila and Typhoon Pepeng that devastated Northern Luzon. She said the recent cyclones show that the climate change issue is no longer limited to environmentalist advocates, as it affects everyone. Unless the country acts immediately, Filipinos would find their livelihood and even their own lives at risk from the changing climate, Legarda said. National action plan The law aims to mainstream mitigation and adaptation measures in government policies from the national to the barangay level through a “National Framework Strategy and Program on Climate Change" that is expected to be crafted within six months. This includes the development of measures to protect vulnerable communities from the impact of climate change. The Commission shall have an Advisory Board composed of selected Cabinet members and representatives from the academe, business, non-government organizations (NGOs), and the presidents of the League of Provinces, League of Cities, League of Municipalities, and the Liga ng mga Barangay. A panel of technical experts comprised of experts on climate change and disaster risk reduction will also provide advice and risk assessments to the commission. Also present in the signing were Cabinet officials led by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Environment Secretary Lito Atienza and Presidential Adviser on Global Warming and Climate Change Heherson Alvarez; and local government units led by Antique Governor Sally Perez. Under the law, a National Climate Change Action Plan will be crafted to provide the government with a roadmap for mitigation, with emphasis on the voluntary reduction of local carbon emissions and adaptation measures, Alvarez said. Antonio La Viña, dean of the Ateneo School of Government and adviser to the Philippine delegation in the UNFCCC, welcomed the new law but said it would be dependent on the interest of the country's chief executive in the climate change issue. "It's a step in the right direction," he said, noting that the government set-up in dealing with the climate debate so far has not worked well. However, La Viña is still pushing for the creation of a department level agency instead of a commission to spearhead the country's climate change adaptation efforts. He said there are too many commissions under the Office of the President competing for the chief executive's attention. "In the medium term a department would be better," he said. Reducing risks from disasters Along with the action plan, the government will also come up with a Disaster Risk Reduction policy which the UN had prescribed as a holistic approach in the areas of humanitarian relief, development aid, risk management, climate change, and emergency preparedness. Zubiri said that aside from the Climate Change Act, legislators are expecting another important and related bill - the Disaster Risk Management bill - to be passed soon. He said the bill, which is still pending in the House, aims to help prepare the country for typhoons similar to Ondoy and Pepeng as well as other calamities. - with a report from Pia Faustino, GMANews.TV