SEN. Emmanuel Pacquiao yesterday called on the government to immediately take concrete steps to reduce pollution which he said results in climate change that triggers powerful typhoons.
Pacquiao, a presidential aspirant, said the United Nations Climate Change Commission has been warning since 2007 that the country will be one of those hardest hit by severe weather disturbances if the government does not heed its call to address pollution problems.
He made the call days after typhoon “Odette” battered parts of the Visayas and Mindanao over the weekend, leaving over 200 dead and millions worth of properties destroyed.
Pacquiao said the government should also be always prepared in times of calamities.
“Aside from being prepared with relief efforts, government should have ensured that basic and essential equipment such as satellite phones should have been distributed to all provinces. Hindi pwedeng lagi tayong umaasa sa tulong ng private sector. Dapat ang pamahalaan ang nangunguna sa pagiging handa at sa pagtulong sa ating mga kababayan na lubos na naaapektuhan ng mga ganitong kalamidad (We cannot rely on the private sector’s help all the time. The government should be always prepared to assist its citizens who are adversely affected by calamities like this),” he said.
He said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources must also bear the responsibility of addressing severe environmental degradation and moving the country towards sustainable development.
