by Deano Christian Echague with reports from Jeano Marcayda and Shan Gabriel Apuli, The Bicol Universitarian. As part of the three-day climate action summit, delegates of Power Shift Philippines toured around parts of Albay last March 12 despite rainy weather conditions.
Participants from schools in the Philippines such as Bicol University (BU) and Aquinas University, as well as foreign delegates from Cambodia and Indonesia visited famous landmarks across Albay including Daraga Church in Daraga, Sumlang Lake, Camalig Church, The Colonial Houses, Quituinan Hills, and Pasalubong Center in Camalig. With their visit in the municipality of Camalig, foreign students got a glimpse of Bicolano products made from abaca and other traditional materials found in Albay. Anggi Oktaviani, a delegate from Indonesia, said that she would love to come back to the Philippines after the convention. “The Philippine people are very nice. I met so many people. Today is my first time to come in a church, I never go there. Here, we are united in diversity. They don’t care if Muslims come in church. They respect me,” she added. Thomas Nathaniel Ang from Baguio and Kier Gasga, a BU Chemical Engineering Student, noted that they want to travel to the home countries of their foreign co-delegates. Ang stated that he wants to visit Cambodia because it is a place of cultural history. Meanwhile, Gasga expressed his desire to travel to another country. “Indonesia is said to be the biggest archipelago in the world and I want to travel there,” Gasga stated. MOVING FORWARD When asked about what is next after Power Shift Philippines, Cyril Vinz Banza, a Filipino delegate, said that he will start change within. “It’s time for us to echo what we learn here in Power Shift Philippines. As a Psychology major, I’m not a scientist, I don’t do big stuff, but I can use my learnings in Psychology on connecting with others and encourage them through the use of creative things like poetry,” Banza added. Oktaviani of Indonesia said that after this, they shall create a project in their compound. “We plan to teach about climate change to primary students,” he added. After the tour, the delegates went back to Patio de Cagsawa for the closing program. BU-University Student Council (USC) Internal Vice-Chairperson Jerome Benipayo stated: “We are all members of the youth sector, let us use that as a weapon. Let us turn the three-day summit into decades and generate change to other people.” The climate action summit was spearheaded by BU USC in partnership with The Climate Reality Project Philippines.
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By Ivy C. Cuebillas with reports from Alyssa Marie Bonaobra and Maria Vanessa Bernardo, The Bicol Universitarian ALBAY, Philippines – The second day of the climate action summit, Power Shift Philippines, revolved on the discussion of environmental issues and online campaigns spearheaded by The Climate Reality Project Philippines and Rappler held Saturday, March 11, 2017 at Patio de Cagsawa.
Speaking at the said event were Rodne Galicha, the branch manager of The Climate Reality Project Philippines, Mayan Quebral of Oscar Lopez Center, Jasmin See of Alliance for Earth, and Dann Diez of Seed4Com who tackled environmental advocaciesand threats people may encounter. A community immersion at Taysan Resettlement Site, Legazpi City was conducted in the afternoon. SHARING INSIGHTS Galicha stated that industrialization is the most significant change he has seen in the past ten years. He reminded that there is a need for people to act together before profit. “Small things done are better than big things planned,” he added. Quebral of Oscar Lopez Center stated that with regards to climate change, people don’t talk about prevention anymore. She stated that people need adaptation. Meanwhile, Diez discussed about Project Enkindle while See invited the participants to join in their organization’s Break Free Campaign. Also included in the discussion was the household carbon footprint calculator whichenables the computation of carbon emission through energy consumption, transportation, and waste. Liz Nicole, a mining engineering student from Bicol University, said that she was enlightened by the meaning of carbon footprint and at the same time, interested in computing her monthly contribution on carbon emission. ADVOCATE ONLINE The panel discussion did not only tackle environmental advocacies but also discussed the importance of online campaigns. Rupert Ambil, the executive director of MovePH, Rappler’s citizen engagement arm, discussed the good practices of using social media for social action. “Rappler's first major advocacy is to teach the value of information and use of social media for disaster risk reduction,” Ambil stated. Rappler’s Voltaire Tupaz further discussed the significance of online presence in advocacy campaigns. Tupaz specifically talked about platforms for online environmental campaign amplification and community building. He also reiterated the power of social media and its impact to people’s relationships in the community and that the power to change the lives of the people is in the youth’s hands. “We don't just write stories. We harness the power of the crowd,” Tupaz added. ADDRESSING ISSUES Ben Muni, an advocate from Greepeace, joined the discussion as he pressed on the issue of mining, coal and renewable energy. Muni said that for people to get interested in this undertaking, explanations must be simplified to gather an audience who will join and listen. When asked about responsible mining, Galicia stated: “This is a multi-faceted issue. We need to study this from all aspects. But we need to go back to the policies that we have.” Pam Dela Cruz, a geology student from University of the Philippines-Diliman raised her sentiment on the issue. “It’s unfair to us, science and engineering students, who plan for the procedures and the steps to be done yet because of the advocacy, all the technicalities will be disregarded,” she stated. However, the delegate added that they’ve become more aware and realized that they can be responsible enough in adapting to the inconsistencies in the environment.
Here's what happened in the 3 - day Power Shift Philippines Climate Action Summit! Thank you to all the delegates who have participated on all the events and activities of #PowerShiftPH.
By Joshua Mirabuna and Gladys Ebrada with a report from Renzle Mae Miranda from The Bicol Universitarian ALBAY, PHILIPPINES – In order to discuss pressing issues on climate action efforts, youth delegates from Southeast Asian Countries gathered in the first-ever climate action summit dubbed as Power Shift Philippines, March 10-12, 2017 at Patio de Cagsawa, Daraga.
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