A power outage that affected Dumaguete City and some of its neighboring municipalities on Nov. 29 provided a stark contrast to the Global Climate Mobilization, where many local community representatives took part in.
The sweltering heat did not stop students, religious associations, social movements, and other civil society groups from marching along the City streets.
From afar, throngs of people walked towards the Provincial Capitol. Their groups were punctuated by brightly-colored placards that summarized their sentiments on environmental destruction, and its direct effects on their hometown.
“Our survival, our future is non-negotiable. We can’t afford to keep quiet while these big corporations continue scraping the earth of its resources beyond what it can sustain,” said Chary Bacong of 350.org, the organizing body of the event.
“We’ve spent billions to discover life on other planets and spent trillions damaging ours. We want real solutions, not the cover-ups to divert the people’s attention from the main issue,” she added.
In the spirit of coming together, Tranquilina Jumalon, a resident of Barangay Junob and a Typhoon Sendong survivor, spoke to the crowd about her hardships during the aftermath. Her message was both of gratitude and of longing–gratitude for the many charitable individuals who extended their hands to people who were directly affected by the calamity, and longing for the much-needed assistance that remains to be nowhere in sight, she said.
“I believe that climate change is not just an environmental issue…it is a human rights issue. It encompasses every human right: the right to a secure place to live in, clean water to drink, and clean air to breathe,” said Nico Calledo, a student-leader from Silliman University.
As one of many countries directly affected by climate change, this global climate movement focused on several demands for the Philippines in the Conference of Parties 21 in Paris.
Among them include delivering concrete solutions to current environmental problems, and protecting every person’s right to adequate food, water, and other basic necessities.
“We demand for a more ambitious target from countries historically-responsible for climate change. COP21 must ensure we limit warming to 1.5 degrees celsius. We are calling governments from the United States, Europe, Australia, Japan, United Kingdom, including China to cut their emissions now because we are the ones who are suffering the most from their pollution.” Repollo said.
Fr. Burton Villarmente, Social Action director of the Diocese of Dumaguete, said the march signifies the “people’s readiness to be part of the solutions, making sure our 2016 electoral candidates understand the scale needed to respond to the climate crisis. We need the leadership and political will to put climate solutions on top of their agenda.”
Amid the speeches and presentations given by environmental advocates, many of the participants staked a claim in saving the environment.
Fifty-four-year-old Filcon Rivera of Bayawan City has been making art from what others would consider as garbage. From pieces of wood, old toys, and broken household items, he has made numerous masterpieces.
“I want my own children and the youth to see that the trash they throw out are still useful in another way, and can even be made better than brand-new items,” he said. He is convinced that through this, Filipinos can best showcase their creativity.
Rivera’s other achievements involve commuting through clean modes of transportation, and promoting his advocacy called “Share the Road”.
Rivera has walked from as far as Aparri in the north to Butuan City in Mindanao, and is currently attempting to travel all over the country through the use of a longboard and a paddle.
Shiegella Gealon, a Rover Scout, said she believes that its is everyone’s job to protect the environment. “I’d like to encourage people to do simple acts to keep their communities clean and conducive. It would be great to see all the organizations who participated in this event to act decisively,” she said. (Michiko Je Bitoon)
