Maasin
City (March 7) --- Southern Leyte
Cong. Roger G. Mercado who keynoted the
first Regional Youth Summit throughout
Eastern Visayas region recently challenged
the youths-participants to lead by example
in order to combat climate change by protecting
the environment which greatly affect our
lives.
In
a speech delivered during the opening
of the three-day activity held at Southern
Leyte State University Main Campus in
Sogod, this province, the lone district
solon revealed the effects of the phenomenon
which is now considred by the Association
of Southeast Nations, the European Economic
Community and the United States as a clear
threat to world security.
"The
Philippines is the only country in Asia
today that has no comprehensive plan to
combat climate change and its manifestations,"
Cong. Mercado quoted in his keynote address
read from the local newspaper here. Adding,
that “our country is now among the
top 20 climate change hotspots in the
world and the tenth most polluting nation
per capita."
Cong.
Mercado emphasized the important role
of the youth leaders in battling climate
change such as policy advocacy by evaluating
the plans, encourage to review the open-pit
commercial mining, strengthen the national
agencies responsible in protecting our
coastal defenses against climate change,
among others.
The
solon also convinced the participants
and their family and friends to plant
trees which he had voluntarily conducted
a tree propagation program and already
planted over 500,000 trees since 2006.
The initiative, he rsaid had earned a
commendation from the Untied Nations Environment
Program.
The
event which highlighted by the theme “Youth
and Climate Change: Time for Action"
was attended mostly by college students
and Sangguniang Kabataan youth leaders
throughout Eastern Visayas. It is aimed
to inform youths and different local leaders
about climate change and the effects of
the phenomenon here in the country which
70% of our people live and earn their
living along the sea.
It was learned that the participants ended
the three-day activity with a visit to
Guinsaugon, St. Bernard, the February
2006 landslide site.
