Senator Loren Legarda called for this separate Senate inquiry in Manila in her capacity as chairperson of both the Senate committees on finance and climate change. Legarda looked into the Kidapawan protest staged by El Niño-affected farmers and fisher folks that was reportedly infiltrated by left-leaning militants who instigated trouble. Reports reaching Manila have it that farmers and fisher folks were promised sacks of rice for their starving families following the long drought that damaged their rice and corn crops.
GOVERNMENT agencies have around P50 billion in funds that could be used to mitigate hunger in Kidapawan and other places hit by the El Niño dry spell, noted Sen. Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate committees on Finance and Climate Change on Friday.
“You are awash in cash. Why don’t you give it to the people who need it the most? Why is it not being spent? Why do farmers have to go hungry and get killed while demanding help?” Legarda asked a panel of agriculture and economic planning officials.
Senator Loren Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committees on Finance and Climate Change, today said that the government must utilize available funds to mitigate and adapt to the El Niño phenomenon, stressing that this should have already been done since the government has been sufficiently warned by the state weather bureau since 2014.
Legarda made the statement in a Senate briefing on Friday, April 8, about how the government has disbursed and used public funds allocated for mitigation and adaptation to the impacts of El Niño phenomenon.
I have known her activities for quite a long time. Senator Loren Legarda is truly a leader and her work here in the Philippines has attracted attention from her peers in other nations around the world. In fact, just two days ago during my meetings in Tacloban, there were representatives from the United Nations Environment Program, the United Nations Development Program, OXFAM, one of the international NGOs that has been active in Tacloban and they were pointing out to me that some of the legislation Senator Legarda has been able to pass here in the Philippines should be regarded as a model for legislation to be considered and hopefully passed by other nations.
Senator Loren Legarda today said that one way to start a low-carbon lifestyle is to cut down on meat consumption.
“Part of climate change mitigation is the promotion of a low carbon lifestyle. Since meat produces more greenhouse gases, eating lower on the food pyramid is advised, which means less meat and more of whole grains, fruits and vegetables,” said Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change.
