THE Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Bohol under the baton of Vice Governor Dionisio Victor Balite as its presiding officer has approved the creation of a Committee on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Committee.
Provincial Ordinance No. 10-2023, authored and sponsored by First District Board Member Aldner Damalerio was approved on the third and final reading on June 20, 2023. The measure provides for creating the Committee on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction as a regular standing committee of the SP.
Section 3 of the ordinance defines the scope as all matters directly and principally relating to policies, programs, strategies, practices, technologies, and innovation addressing climate change causes and impacts, including, but not limited to, avoidance and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, climate risk management to enhance adaptive capacity and reduce vulnerability to climate risks, all matters relating to adaptation and mitigation to enhance resilience, promotion of sustainable development including disciplines like disaster management, disaster mitigation, disaster risk reduction and disaster preparedness in Bohol.
This is aligned with the vision and policy of the province to promote and protect the environment.
By adopting the principle of protecting the climate system, it is in itself manifesting the ultimate duty to protect humankind, especially the most vulnerable particularly the poor, women and children, from the potential dangers and consequences of climate change, such as rising sea levels, increasing frequency and severity of droughts, fires, floods, storms and also climate-related illnesses, diseases, damage to ecosystems and biodiversity loss that affects not only the environment, culture but most of all the economy, Section 2 states.
Damalerio said the SP recognizes the urgency of the climate crisis and its effects, especially in Bohol island barangays experiencing sea level rise, as well as the extensive damage to life, property, and the economy brought about by extreme weather conditions.
“Let us work hand in hand to address this challenge for the benefit of the next generation,” Damalerio said. (PiMO/LMS)
