Loren on signing of Paris Agreement/Leni Robredo choice of lawyers

The Philippines is one of 175 countries that formally signed the Paris Climate Agreement on Earth Day at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on April 22.

The Philippine delegation that signed the agreement was led by Environment Secretary Ramon Paje who was with Senator Loren Legarda, UNISDR Global Champion for Resilience, as co/head of delegation. Secretary Paje,  signed the agreement on behalf of the Philippine government.

Now Sen. Legarda is rallying the Philippine government to act on the ratification of the agreement and be true to its commitment in Paris (last year) to keep a global temperature rise below two degrees Celsius.  

 “We will muster all the energy and resources within our means, sustain advocacy at the grassroots level, and rally the executive and legislative branches of the Philippine government, as well as the local government units, so that the Philippines can be true to its commitment in Paris to keep a global temperature rise this century well below two degrees Celsius and to drive efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels,” said Legarda.

The senator also said she will rally her fellow senators to act on the Philippine ratification and will call on legislators from other nations to ensure the early entry into force of the agreement.

In her capacity as UNISDR Global Champion for Resilience, Legarda has written to parliamentarians of the 43 countries making up the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) urging them to ratify the Agreement.

“I also call on my fellow legislators in the Women in Parliaments Global Forum, my fellow policy-makers in GLOBE International, and everyone who values life and our future – to let us continue to rally our networks, organizations, and civil society in ensuring that our governments keep the promises they delivered in Paris,” she said.

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On my candidate for vice president.  More than 200 alternative lawyers, legal advocates, paralegals, and human rights defenders from different areas in the country have made public their support for vice presidential candidate and Naga Rep. Leni Robredo in the coming May 9 elections.

Robredo, a human rights lawyer and development worker prior to becoming a legislator, was praised that her platform, “Inaangat ang nasa laylayan ng lipunan’” focuses on poverty and inequality. 

According to the group, their endorsement extends their advocacy for programs and policies that “empower communities through equal access to education, employment, food, land and other resources and justice.”

“To champion her is to elevate our shared aspirations for gender equality, peace and sustainable development,” they added. 

Signatories include individuals from different civil society organizations from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, including Ateneo Human Rights Center, Balaod Mindanaw, Humanitarian Legal Assistance Foundation, Children’s Legal Bureau, Women’s Legal and Human Rights Bureau, Environmental Legal Assistance Center, Kaisahan, Rainbow Rights, and Tanggol Kalikasan. Also among them, Alternative Law Groups and Saligan, where Robredo served as coordinator of its branch in Bicol before running for Congress.

The group appealed to Filipino voters to reject candidates against democracy, referring to “personalities with tainted political histories and short-sighted promises.”

“We condemn beliefs and behavior that contribute to promoting extrajudicial killings, gender-based violence, as well as discrimination against the poor and marginalized,” they said.

They emphasized civil society’s role as government watchdogs, citing the fight against Martial Law that led to the People Power Revolution as an example. According to them, human rights violators and plunderers must be held accountable, “from the years of the dictatorship until recent times.”

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Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, the presidential candidate named the “greenest” by environment advocates, urged her rivals on Friday to adopt a people-centered approach in their environment, climate change, and disaster risk reduction platforms.

“We are resource-rich but income-poor, partly because we view environmental protection as a roadblock to development. That should not be the case. What we are doing is ensuring that whatever gains we get now will be enjoyed by generations to come,” Santiago said in time for Earth Day.

Santiago was named the “greenest candidate” by the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment. She was also lauded by a green group initiative called Luntiang Bayan: Boto Para sa Tao, Hayop at Kalikasan as the presidential candidate who has done the most for the environment, citing the numerous laws and bills she drafted.

The senator also topped the scorecards launched by the Green Thumb Coalition on Friday, bagging 79 percent in “people-centered sustainable development,” 78 percent in “human rights and integrity of creation,” and 50 percent in “climate justice.”

In her platform of government, Santiago highlighted the need for evidence-based planning. “To combat climate change, we must practice both mitigation and adaptation, and our decisions must be based on data and science,” she added.

Santiago also vowed to capacitate local government units to better implement environment protection, climate change and disaster risk reduction programs; take advantage of indigenous knowledge; and foster transparency in the sector.

The senator also wants to revisit the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, which she said allowed the market to dictate the country’s energy mix, and the Mining Act, citing research that the cost of mining activities outweighs the benefits.

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A feather in the cap for Gingoog’s brightest artist. A few months ago, Jed Balsamo (who calls himself Jed Skywalker of Star Wars fame) joined the Maurice Ravel International Composition Competition organized by the Ravel Association together with other institutions of the provinces of Bergamo and Novara in Northern Italy and dedicated to the great French early 20th-century composer Maurice Ravel.

Jed entered the A, C & D categories of the competition. He became a semi-finalist for categories C & D. Then he advanced to the final round of 20 composers for Category C with his composition “Andar 2.0, CB. 5a No. 4a (MMXV) for violin and piano, where he was the only remaining Filipino composer in the entire competition.  His work was awarded one of the “Special Mentions” in the final adjudication.

Jed is probably the first Filipino to have reached the final round and got a Special Mention. Actually, Jed told me, “To have reached the final round was already enough for me.”  He adds that he hopes his experience will be an inspiration to young  Filpino composers to continue creating meaningful music to enrich Philippine music literature.”

By the way, Jed’s upcoming projects are:

1. “Simoun” (a new ballet based on Rizal’s “El Filibusterismo” for Ballet

Philippines to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the novel’s publication and the 155th birth and 120th death anniversaries of Rizal).

This will be performed on 21-23 October at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (Main Theater) with the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Gerard Salonga.  Libretto, choreography, and direction will be  by Paul Morales (artistic director of Ballet Philippines).

On the matinee shows on those dates, Ballet Philippines will also present “Crisostomo Ibarra” which is based on Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere”; also done by Morales with Jed as composer and the live music will be performed by a piano quintet.  It will be the first time that these two seminal novels in dance form will be presented back to back.

2. The  3rd Angeles City Choral Festival where Jed is  the featuredcomposer/arranger with the Ateneo Chamber Singers as the guest choir with conductor Maestro Jonathan Velasco.  The performance will be on 22 October at Holy Angels University in Angeles City, Pampanga.

3. “At Isasayaw Ko”  (a dance-musical for Ballet Philippines based on thesongs of VST),  of which Jed is  the musical director.  This show will feature live music performances also by the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra.

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Email: [email protected]