For a safer and greener world
Senator Legarda and SM’S Kultura Filipino promote environmental awareness
AS A FORMER broadcast journalist, Sen. Loren Legarda knows the power of communications in creating awareness for one’s causes. Her staunch advocacy of environmental issues, particularly those pertaining to forest and marine resources, has led her to spearhead an information and education campaign on climate change. She has produced a series of films that reveal the impact of climate change on our daily lives, and how we can adapt to this phenomenon and help avert its consequences. These films include “Ulan sa Tag-Araw: Isang Dokyu-Drama ukol sa Pagbabago sa Klima (Rains in the Summer: A Documentary Drama on Climate Change)”; “Ligtas Likas,” a children’s animation movie; “Buhos (Downpour)”; and, most recently, “Ligtas,” the instructional video on disaster preparedness. More recently, Senator Legarda and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) collaborated on the documentary, “Now is the Time,” which calls on leaders and decision-makers to strive for disaster-resilient development. She has been holding regional workshops on disaster-risk reduction for local government units, as well as climate-change lectures in state universities and colleges. The results have been very encouraging. “There was a time when Filipinos saw the environment as separate from economic growth, food security, and even survival,” she said. “But today, this has drastically improved with more Filipinos advocating for a more sustainable and green development. Environmental issues are no longer at the periphery or the sidelines… The discourse has now reached the national government, local government units, and the homes of millions of Filipinos.” She traces the roots of her environmental consciousness to her childhood years growing up in a compound in flood-prone Malabon. “Our compound has many fruit-bearing trees,” she said, “and these were not only fun to climb, but also made it possible for us to play in clean floodwaters.” Through the years, she saw how “pollution has worsened the flooding, dirtying our floodwaters to the point of disrupting the lives of people and business operations in our place. My personal experiences started my passion for saving the environment and promoting the need for sustainable development.” Now on her third and last term, reelected Senator Legarda will focus on legislation and programs that will make the lives of Filipinos better. The only female senator to top the Senate race twice, with more than 15 million votes in 1998 and 18.4 million votes in 2007, Legarda has been at the forefront of many landmark environmental legislation. In the senatorial elections last May, she was the top choice among reelectionist senators, garnering 18.66 million votes. Her legislative record reflects her environmental advocacy. She worked for the enactment of laws on environmental governance like the Clean Air Act (RA 8749); the Environmental Awareness Education Act (RA 9512), the Renewable Energy Act (RA 9513); the Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003); the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 (RA 10121); the Climate Change Act (RA 9729) and its amendatory law (RA 10174), which provides for the creation of the People’s Survival Fund.
As chair of the Senate Committee on
Climate Change during the 15th Congress, Senator Legarda noted that her priority will be the assessment of the state of implementation of the laws on environment, disaster-risk reduction (DRR) and climate-change adaptation (CCA) that she authored. Part of her action plan for climatechange adaptation for her last term is to promote green infrastructure by investing in the rehabilitation of the country’s wetlands and forests and the restoration of our coral reefs. She shares her vision of a safer and greener world for all, challenging world leaders to save our home planet and preserve humankind. Her leadership in the global campaign for good environmental governance has brought her both local and international recognition. Even before she became a senator, she was a Likas Yaman (Natural Treasure) Awardee of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for her outstanding work as founding chair of the Save Our Seas (SOS) and Trees for Life Foundation. The World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland, in 2000 named her as one of the Global Leaders for Tomorrow.
In 2001, the United Nations Environment Programme conferred on her the title of UNEP Laureate and included her in the Global 500 Roll of Honor. In 2008, she was appointed by UNISDR as its Regional Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaption for Asia and the Pacific. She was also awarded by the Priyadarshni Academy in India for her exemplary contributions to the environment. Last month, she was hailed by the University of the Philippines as its 2013 Distinguished Alumna for Environmental Protec- tion and Climate Change Adaptation.
“SM’s Trash for Cash program is a laudable initiative as it brings the idea of recycling to the minds of the Filipino people,” she said. “It is important that we all contribute in communicating that environmental initiatives geared towards preservation, like recycling, is necessary in ensuring a disaster-resilient and sustainable development.” During a visit to Kultura Filipino’s Makati store, Senator Legarda noted how retailers can help encourage environmental awareness with their selection of products. She was delighted that the humble seagrass and shells could be transformed into creatively and uniquely designed products that showcase Filipino artistry geared towards a green environment.
“Kultura’s seashells and sea-grass products make for simple yet elegant decorative pieces. I love how the fusion of our ocean’s resources and Filipino ingenuity has resulted in useful and ornamental products,” she said.
These skillfully crafted products can be found at the Kultura Filipino stores at SM Makati, SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia, SM City Cebu, SM Lanang Premier, SM Aura Premier and at selected SM Stores.