TOURISM: Camiguin ticks up climate change advocacy effort

MAMBAJAO, Camiguin, November 24 (PIA) – Responding to the call to act and adopt, the local government here is pushing to bring the climate change advocacy campaign down to the barangays.

The commitment was pitched following the Environmental Symposium on Climate Change on November 20, at the convention center hosted by the provincial government in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Philippine Information Agency (PIA), pooling all municipal disaster risk reduction and management officers (MDRRMOs) and government information officers (GIOs) in the province.

Involving Communities

For the campaign to be effective, it has to boil down to the communities, reaching as many sectors as possible, said Camiguin provincial planning and development officer Felicisimo M. Gomez. MDRRMOs will take the lead in cascading the campaign forward, from the barangays down to the sitios, he said.

Further, Gomez challenged the municipal government units to prioritize and take action now in educating the communities on the alarming effects of climate, and harness their action and support to the campaign.

The campaign is hoped to change people’s apathy to climate change, plastering the “Nagbabago na ang Panahon, Panahon na Para Magbago” slogan.

Pay it forward

All the GIOs, meanwhile, are also encouraged to collaborate, to be part of this effort in bringing the climate change program to every sector in the society.

“It is important that we go out of the bureaucratic setting and reach down to the communities; they must be informed of what is happening, for them to be prepared and equipped of the correct knowledge. The time is changing, the climate is changing and we need to adapt to these changes,” Camiguin vice-governor James Ederango hinted.

Tapping the Youth

Involvement continues with the youth sector, the campaign was staged to student leaders and senior education students at the Camiguin Polytechnic State College by pool of experts from the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO).

They were likewise urged to think of outside of the box ideas in running their own share of environmental campaigns, something noisy and crazy that will capture people’s attention and interest to act and become one with nature.

More champions are expected to join this green bandwagon and it could start with you! (JCV/PIA)