22/04/2022
╰┈➤ EDITORIAL
In Dire Need: Proactive Leaders
Words by: VV Editorial Board
Proofread by: Raiden
Photo Credit: Rappler
A leader that has good intentions is a good leader, but a leader who has clear visions and concrete plans for the future of the country and its constituents is a better one.
As the 2022 national elections draw nearer, an individual must take into consideration many aspects in choosing the next leaders of our country. Apart from their credentials, political track records, and character, one must look at the plans and platforms that the candidates present. This election is probably one of the most crucial elections in the history of the Philippines given that we are facing economic crisis, problems with the growing rates of unemployment and domestic violence, our education system is nearly in shambles, and of course the impending climate catastrophe that climate scientists and environmental activists have been warning us about.
It is a common knowledge that Philippines is a red mark target for natural disasters and as we near the 2030 deadline given by scientists, it is observable how the effects of climate change continue to worsen by the day – a case in point in the Philippine context is the recent Tropical Storm Agaton that devastated the regions of Visayan and Mindanao. That being said, let us look at the plans of 2022 Philippine Presidential Candidates for the worsening environmental crisis.
On the Jessica Soho Presidential Interviews that was conducted on January 22, top five (5) presidential survey frontrunners were invited. Unfortunately, only VP Leni Robredo, Senator Manny Pacquaio, Senator Ping Lacson, and Mayor Isko Domagoso were present since the son of the late dictator, Bongbong Marcos, rejected the invitation thinking that Soho was an “anti-Marcos.”
Sen. Pacquiao’s answers revolved around taking better care of the environment by planting trees and protecting forested mountains to prevent massive landslides and flooding.
“Kailangan po natin pangalagaan ang ating kapaligiran. Magtanim po tayo nang magtanim ng puno, huwag tayo magputol ng puno sa ating kabundukan para wala pong buhay na masayang pagdating ng mga calamity na ‘yan,” he stated.
On the other hand, Mayor Domagoso plans to invest in a more modern solution as he proposes to invest on technology for disaster preparedness. In addition to his plan of putting up facilities intended for when disasters are happening to have a reassurance that people can evacuate to safety when necessary.
“We will acquire more equipment that are [sic] available in this world [...] Second, magtatatag tayo ng mga pasilidad na nakatitiyak na mayroon silang [Filipinos] kapanatagan kapag may aberya, katulad ng ginagawa natin sa Maynila,” the Manila mayor responded to Soho.
This proposition is somehow similar to the Vice President’s plan on investing in resilient infrastructures. In the interview, Robredo aims to allocate funds to build and reinforce houses, schools, and evacuation areas especially in regions that are commonly hit by typhoons and other disasters.
“Para sa akin, bakit hindi na tayo mag-invest na itong mga kababayan natin na nasa danger zones, una mailikas na sila doon. Pangalawa, ‘pag na-relocate na sila, ‘yung eastern portion ng Pilipinas ito ‘yung laging tinatamaan, siguraduhin natin na ‘yung pagkagawa ng mga bahay ay resilient na sa bagyo, ‘yung paggawa ng mga paaralan ay sinisiguro na natin, na at the same time nagagamit siya bilang evacuation centers.”
Among the four present candidates, only Senator Lacson discussed the problem with carbon emission. Though he failed to present his plans for the Philippines, he acknowledges the problem of the worsening climate crisis.
“We are still part of an international community of nations and we can do our share. Dapat mag-isip tayo ng, alam mo ‘yung renewable energy. Mayroon tayong batas diyan eh…. ‘Yung carbon emissions napakalaking problema…. We can do our share in this regard. ‘Yung kalamidad, dapat naka-ready tayo. Ang problema, pati ‘yung kalamidad pinagkakakitaan pa.”
On a separate avenue, VP Robredo seemed to have expounded on her environmental plans and stated that “Climate change is not only responding to disasters, but climate change must be deeply embedded in the plans of not only the national government, but also the local governments. Climate change is not just setting aside funds for relief operations because that is too short term. We need proper waste disposal. We need to take care of the water. Our policies must not be static.”
Analyzing these answers, it can be said that these are decent, but are they really enough to contribute to hinder the impending doom that climate scientists and environmental activists are fearing? We may not exactly know the answer to this question at the moment, but what we do know is we need to have plans and laws that are proactive rather than reactive. We need leaders that are willing to go against capitalist monopolies and nations.
We need more than just band-aid solutions in order to let the earth breathe.