Binay,

CLIMATE CHANGE FORUM

Senatorial candidates Rafael M. Alunan III, Lorna Patajo-Kapunan, and Francis N. Tolentino weighed in on the subject of climate change at a recent forum.

Ms. Kapunan, who is running under Sen. Grace said Republic Act 9729, which constituted the creation of a commission of climate change, should be scrapped. She suggested elevating the status of a climate commission to that of a department.

The senatorial candidate also emphasized the importance of freedom of information in ensuring accountability and transparency in disaster relief efforts.

When asked how she will hold authorities accountable for fatalities in disasters like super-typhoon Yolanda in 2013, she said she wants the “death penalty to all of them,” drawing cheers from the audience.

Mr. Tolentino, a former chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority, urged the establishment of a department on disaster management and reconstruction that will prioritize disaster relief and recovery efforts at the national and local levels.

He suggested the national government refund the 5% calamity budget to local government units to replenish resources for disaster preparedness and rehabilitation.

For his part, Mr. Alunan, a former interior secretary, recommended forward-looking land use acts and urban planning.

He also said addressing issues on climate change, inadequate housing, and land use “will depend on electing the right people.”

“If Filipinos continue to elect the wrong people year after year and this problem is not corrected, the country will not prosper,” Mr. Alunan said. —