‘New normal’

Today is the third and last day of the World Bank Climate Investment Fund-Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (CIF-PPCR) Conference being held here at the Asian Development Bank headquarters in Mandaluyong City. We had the opportunity to attend the opening ceremonies of this conference being co-hosted this year by the ADB and the Philippine government through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Being one of the countries classified as the world’s most vulnerable to climate change impact, the DENR has been designated as the focal agency of Philippine government’s efforts in adaptation and resiliency measures to mitigate disasters spawned by Mother Nature.

This I learned from the brief speech read by the female official of the DENR in behalf of Undersecretary Jonas Leones who was supposed to deliver the welcome remarks. Unfortunately for Leones, his bumbling stand-in should have been told beforehand not to ad-lib but to just stick to the prepared speech. In her obvious earnest to explain the absence of Leones at the conference, she told the audience that undersecretary was “in his usual busy” schedule at the office.

Apparently trying to amuse her audience of international delegates of climate change experts, the same DENR official cited they got a “first-hand experience in adapting to traffic in the Philippines.” She then invited them “to visit the malls around the ADB” if they have time after the conference. She meant well but it came out crude.

This is an unsolicited advice for DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu who President Rodrigo Duterte recently acknowledged anew as one of his most dependable Cabinet officials. Last month, Secretary Cimatu ordered the suspension of operations of all quarry companies in Zambales due to a single and blatant violator.  Contractors and even foreign buyers are asking their suppliers when their operations would resume.

Like compliant business establishments which were affected by the closure of Boracay island, legitimate quarry operators in Zambales were most affected by the shotgun suspension of operations. If the DENR does not lift soon this blanket suspension, these legitimate quarry operators may not be able to deliver and comply with their contractual obligations and commitments to foreign market.

The backlash goes back to the government in its own timetable to meet scheduled completion of administration projects under the “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program. The “Build, Build, Build” happens to be the centerpiece of the Duterte administration. This will come to a halt should there be limited supply of sand and aggregates.

The onset of the rainy season, which at times is characterized by intense rainfall, would definitely bring havoc and destruction to certain towns in Zambales where rivers are heavily silted.  Zambales happens to be main source of volcanic sand and aggregates from the Mt. Pinatubo’s 1991 eruption, which road and other infra builders could better use instead. Commonsense dictates to allow these volcanic sand and aggregates for productive use as more cost-effective than desilting.

Anyways, the DENR undersecretary though was not the only Philippine government official invited but failed to show up to address the foreign delegates attending this CIF-PPCR Knowledge Sharing on Adaptation and Resilience conference at the ADB. Former Governor and now Congressman from Albay Joey Salceda was supposed to speak about  “Championing Climate Resilience” but failed to catch a flight back to Manila.

Salceda was supposed to talk about his best practices experience in Albay, one of the most vulnerable provinces in the Philippines where he was credited for various adaptation and disaster mitigation measures he helped implement during his three consecutive terms as Congressman and subsequent nine year tenure as Governor. During which disaster incidents in Albay, Salceda’s leadership ensured zero casualty in the more than a dozen of typhoons each year that visit the province and in-between – if not happening at the same time – the intermittent pyroclastic eruptions of Mt. Mayon, one of the world’s most active volcanoes.

From his Albay disaster risk reduction efforts, Salceda is regarded as a “climate change resilience champion.” It would have been a walk-in-the-park for Salceda’s keynote address to set the tone of the first day plenary session at the CIF-PPCR. But he disappointed his audience at the CIF-PPCR coming from fellow vulnerable countries looking forward to listen and exchange discussions from his best practices experience he can share with them.

Founded in 2008, the CIF is a $8.3 billion fund dedicated to climate-smart investments and implemented by the multilateral development banks (MDBs), including the World Bank and the ADB. This is why their attendance to this conference mattered most.

With the first two speakers of the conference not around for the plenary session that day, Preety Bhandari, the director of ADB’s climate change and disaster risk management division, was profoundly thankful that CIF practice manager Mafalda Duarte arrived on time to deliver her speech at the opening day of the conference “despite traffic in this country.”

In her speech, Duarte cited with concern the Philippines remains ranked as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate-related weather events.

Duarte recalled specifically our tragic experience when super typhoon “Yolanda” (with international name “Haiyan”) crossed the Philippines in November 2013, with Samar and Leyte as the hardest hit provinces. Recorded as “one of the largest hurricanes to make landfall,” Duarte noted more than 6,000 people were killed and dislocated 650,000 more.

“Almost four years later, Haiyan’s legacy remains ever-present in the lives of thousands of Filipinos who continue to pick up the pieces,” Duarte said. “The Philippines is projected to experience stronger and more frequent typhoons in the years to come,” she warned.

Duarte declared this is the “new normal” we are living with climate change phenomena.