Revisitng the essentials

Ian Alfredo Magno

WHAT could be a better form of education regarding the harsh effects of climate change than greeting its muddy envoy stealthily soaking that cozy couch in your very own living room?

Such was the lesson Kagay-anon folks learned (again), whose houses were vandalized by flashfloods laden with dirt, when a month’s worth of rainfall plummeted in merely several hours of non-stop torrential rains just several days ago.  Bit by bit, parked cars were being consumed by the escalating floodwater, which seemed to have a mind of its own.  In no time, they were seen floating along Claro M. Recto Avenue.  It was a sight to behold that possibly, at least, entertained stranded mall goers and passersby who were then crowding at the Limketkai mall gateway exit.  While traffic was virtually submerged at the main highway, it caused a domino effect of bumper-to-bumper traffic jams extending to the farthest inroads of major barangays, which similarly incurred slight to moderate flooding.  Worse, juveniles at schools hung on at their campuses enduring the lack of dinner amid the cold, waiting for their ride home awfully late in the evening.

No doubt, climate change is as real as it gets.

One fellow, whose house was inundated with murky overflow, said it happened quite so unexpectedly.  He had so little time to transfer all their household belongings to the second storey of their house.  So he had to choose.  He chose to spare the more important ones, and left the non-important stuff to that muddy ordeal.  To him, it served as an eye opener – that he had been buying stuff he did not really need anyway.  Then came the realization that he wasted so much.

Apparently, one’s love for the miscellaneous has overtaken one’s regard for the essentials.

Such is, perhaps, one of the most important lessons that climate change has conveyed to the modern man today.  It is probably nature’s way of saying that before attempting to save the world, first change your frame of mind.  And this “miscellaneous-bound” mindset has to take a detour to reconsider the fundamentals or those that really matter – health, quality time, loved ones, and remembering that less is more.  And discarding the trivialities and vanities that unnecessarily add burden – the latest-gadget-model race; fixation over ridiculously expensive brands; that signature bag which could feed an entire community of hungry kids; etc.

As we introspect, we also recognize that it is the government that determines the framework in the larger scale.  Hence, we ask.  Is it sufficient that a “state of calamity” is declared?  Is it the solution, or rather a reaction to the circumstance?  Indeed it is a mere emergency response devoted to repair & safety, the grant of emergency loans, hoarding prevention and price control over basic commodities.

Section 17 of Republic Act 10121, otherwise known as the “Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010” provides, thus: “Section 17. Remedial Measures. – The declaration of a state of calamity shall make mandatory the immediate undertaking of the following remedial measures by the member-agencies concerned as defined in this Act:

(a) Imposition of price ceiling on basic necessities and prime commodities by the President upon the recommendation of the implementing agency as provided for under Republic Act No. 7581, otherwise known as the “Price Act”, or the National Price Coordinating Council;

(b) Monitoring, prevention and control by the Local Price Coordination Council of overpricing/profiteering and hoarding of prime commodities, medicines and petroleum products;

(c) Programming/reprogramming of funds for the repair and safety upgrading of public infrastructures and facilities; and

(d) Granting of no-interest loans by government financing or lending institutions to the most affected section of the population through their cooperatives or people’s organizations.”

Then again, in a nutshell, the declaration of a state of calamity is a mere emergency response, not a long-term solution to climate change.

Would you believe that we have such a legislation exclusively dedicated to combating climate change?  As early as 2009, Congress enacted Republic Act No. 9729 otherwise known as the “Climate Change Act of 2009.”

The core body of this law is the establishment of the Climate Change Commission.  Section 5 of RA 9729 holds, to wit:

“SECTION 5. Composition of the Commission.—The Commission shall be composed of the President of the Republic of the Philippines who shall serve as the Chairperson, and three (3) Commissioners to be appointed by the President, one of whom shall serve as the Vice Chairperson of the Commission. x x x x”

Moreover, Section 21 thereof provides, thus: “SECTION 21. Appropriations.—The sum of Fifty million pesos (P50,000,000.00) is hereby appropriated as initial operating fund in addition to the unutilized fund of the Presidential Task Force on Climate Change and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Global Warming and Climate Change. The sum shall be sourced from the President’s contingent fund.”

Therefore, we ask. Has this law been really implemented since?  With its well-oiled appropriation, we certainly hope so.

As we individually introspect in revisiting the essentials to imbibe the tough lessons of nature, we likewise urge the government to revisit this crucial piece of legislation – RA 9729, Climate Change Act of 2009 – in the wake of uncanny calamities wrecking havoc in the name of climate change.

(Ian Alfredo T. Magno is a lawyer based in Cagayan de Oro. E-mail: ianalfredom@gmail.com)