MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / June 5, 2014) – Filipino leader Benigno Aquino on Thursday echoed calls by environmentalists to work together to address the global effects of climate change.
Speaking at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Manila Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, Aquino cited the devastation left behind by super typhoon Haiyan last year where thousands of people had died.
Citizens, local governments, and nations must work together to address this problem, he said, adding, countries must take advantage of every opportunity to share their experiences, ideas, and technologies, the value of which is not measured by any form of currency but by the number of lives saved.
“This is why I encourage all of you to please, let us continue working together through forums such as this one, and let us deepen our cooperation to give rise to a world that is safer and more resilient,” he said.
“This is our only planet, and it is our duty as its citizens to do everything in our power, not just to protect it, but to improve it and make it better than it ever has been,” he added.
He said the increasing number of typhoons and their devastating effects are becoming the norm today as a result of climate change.
Aquino also met with European Union (EU) Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva in Manila before the conference also being co-hosted by EU, Japan, and Switzerland.
Georgieva suggested possible ways on how the EU and other developed nations could further work together with the Philippines to help address the increasing challenges of climate change to prevent the destruction caused by super typhoons from happening again.
She also recounted her experiences in Haiti following the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in 2010 and shared with the President some anecdotes regarding her recent trip to Tacloban City, taking note of the improvements made six months after the tragedy.
The 60-year old Bulgarian has been serving the EU as its Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid, and Crisis Response since February 2010 after her stint as Vice President and Corporate Secretary for the World Bank Group.
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