Miriam to rivals: Be environment champions

MANILA, Philippines – Presidential candidate Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, recently named the “greenest” candidate among the presidential bets by an environment advocacy group, 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 a statement issued on Earth Day.

The senator’s statement comes amid accolades from at least three coalitions of environment groups for including resource conservation, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in her program of government.

Santiago was named the “greenest candidate” by the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment for her track record. The same group named Liberal Party bet Manuel Roxas II the “meanest” to 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 strengthen 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.

More solar, wind power plants

Santiago’s runningmate, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., said the next administration should build more solar, wind and hydrogen power plants to address the looming power crisis in the country.

Marcos said the next leaders should prioritize a renewable energy program to ensure economic development while protecting the environment.

“This can be done by giving companies additional perks on their investments and cutting bureaucratic red tape,” Marcos said.

He cited that when he was governor of Ilocos Norte, he led the construction of the first commercial wind farm in Southeast Asia in his province.

Ilocos Norte now has 264 megawatts of renewable energy production, boosting power in the Luzon grid.

“At present, more than 70 percent of the nation’s electricity is generated from fossil fuels (petroleum, coal and natural gas). Experts have predicted that if the country remains coal- and oil-dependent, Filipinos should expect higher power costs because of the steady increase in the prices of these fossil fuels in the world market,” he said.

The only solution, according to Marcos, is for the country to increase its renewable energy portfolio from the current 28 percent installed capacity. – With Perseus Echeminada