PHILIPPINES’ ARROYO PUTS CLIMATE CHANGE ON AGENDA
08.10.07 Enviar esta notaPhilippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo urged the two chambers of Congress on Tuesday to swiftly enact legislative measures addressing climate change while taking steps to prevent flooding and landslides
MANILA, Philippines; August 10, 2007.- In a meeting between her cabinet and lawmakers, Arroyo also said she wanted Congress to focus on her administration’s proposed 2008 budget, new laws to address political killings and ratify an economic partnership agreement with Japan.
The president gave Congress leaders a priority list of 28 legislative measures her government wanted enacted during the next 12 months, classified into three areas — economy, social equity and rule of law.
“The present water and power shortages due to the dry spell deliver a wake up call for our generation to urgently embark upon a determined, well-planned and -funded wide-ranging strategic initiative to conserve resources,” Arroyo said.
Authorities have said they may have to cut water supply to Manila due to an unusual dry spell drying up dams and ricefields in the north of the country.
“We must also build up the environment through forest conservation and expansion to absorb greenhouse gases warming the world and to enhance our water resources while preventing floods, erosion and siltation,” Arroyo said.
Nearly 2,000 people were killed or declared missing and tens of thousands were homeless after a slew of typhoons crashed into the centre of the country last year, triggering floods and landslides.
The president said she had instructed cabinet members handling energy, environment and and economic plannng to draw up policies and programmes designed to “reduce the usage of water and energy per unit of farm, factory and other economic output”.
Among the legislative measures focusing on the environment her government submitted to Congress were laws on renewable energy, land use and a national strategy to conserve resources and help arrest climate change.
Arroyo also wanted Congress to speed up the enactment of her government’s proposed 1.23 trillion pesos ($27.1 billion) budget for next year, allowing her to spend on infrastructure including schools, hospitals and transport networks.
There were also four new measures to deal with political killings, which had been giving her government a bad reputation in the international community.
These measures include strengthening the witness protection programme, creating special courts for speedy justice, imposing stiffer penalties for political killings and harsher punishment for rogue soldiers and police officers.
Arroyo was expected to get wide support from the lower house of Congress, dominated by her allies, but could face challenges in the Senate, controlled by the opposition.
(Reuters)
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