The Duterte administration is partnering next week with young Filipinos in the latest edition of Sulong Pilipinas, this time to craft strategies on how different sectors of society can work together to counter the disastrous effects of climate change.
Titled “Sulong Pilipinas 2021: Climate Change and the New Normal with the Youth Sector,” this event will be held virtually on June 15 in support of health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of Covid-19, according to Department of Finance (DOF) Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Paola Alvarez.
Hosted by the DOF—whose head, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, is concurrent Chairman-designate of the Climate Change Commission (CCC)—the forum will be streamed live on the Facebook pages of the DOF, Sulong Pilipinas, CCC, Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM) and other government agencies.
“This forum is the second Sulong Pilipinas workshop for this year. We want to hear the thoughts and issues of the youth sector in terms of moving the agenda of climate change forward, and how we as an economy will thrive, given the effects of the pandemic and the changing weather scenarios, among others,” said Alvarez, the Assistant Secretary for Climate Change Finance and Disaster Risks.
Alvarez, who is also the representative of the DOF Secretary in the Advisory Council of the Principles of Sustainable Finance, said Dominguez will present the Philippines’ Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the global reduction of carbon missions during the Sulong forum.
The NDC embodies the commitments of the Philippines to the Paris Agreement to reduce national carbon emissions and adapt to the impact of climate change. The Philippines’ NDC was submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) last April 14.
House Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda will attend the event to talk about the Congress’ push for a nationwide ban on single-use plastics, through House Bill (HB) No. 9147 or the Single-Use Plastics Products Regulation Act, Alvarez said.
“The audience can expect to learn about the economic impact of climate change, the scientific forecast in terms of our changing weather, and understand what problems each sector faces in relation to climate,” Alvarez said.
Representatives from the government, private sector and civil society will also be present to discuss their own initiatives to counter the harmful effects of climate change.
Resource speakers include National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Undersecretary Mercedita Sombilla; Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary Renato Solidum, Jr. (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology Officer-in-Charge); Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)’s Climate Change Service chief Albert Magalang; CCC Commissioner Rachel Anne Herrera; DOST Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara; Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella and Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary Rodolfo Vicerra.
The other resource speakers are Department of Transportation (DOTr) Assistant Secretary Maria Sheilah Napalang, Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) President-CEO Emmanuel Herbosa, Department of Tourism (DOT) Assistant Secretary Maria Rica Bueno; National Youth Commission (NYC) Commissioner-at-Large Paul Anthony Pangilinan; National Resilience Council (NRC) President Ma. Antonia Yulo Loyzaga; The Coca Cola Company-Philippines Director for Franchise Operations Jonah De Lumen Pernia; Nestle Philippines Inc. Head of Corporate Affairs, Communications and Sustainability Arlene Tan Bantoto; XChange Director Love Gregorie Moral Perez and Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) Executive Director Dennis Salvador.
At the end of the virtual forum, a youth representative will present the top actionable recommendations, on behalf of the participants, to President Duterte’s official representative at the event.
The Duterte administration previously held two youth-focused Sulong Pilipinas workshops.
The first workshop “Sulong Pilipinas: The 2019 Students’ Tax Convention (TaxCon)” was held at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) two years ago and gathered around 500 students from 42 universities and colleges.
Last year, over 400 youth leaders from more than 100 schools and 35 organizations across the country participated in the “Sulong Pilipinas: Youth Partners for Progress” e-conference to draw up a list of actionable reforms to help the country recover from the negative economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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