In the 1990s, long before anyone in the Philippines advocated for disaster risk reduction, I knew it was crucial to our survival. So, I am happy to attend the launch of the Women’s International Network on Disaster Risk Reduction Philippines (WIN DRR PH) Chapter as its founding member, and as global champion of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) in Geneva.
As the principal author and sponsor of several environmental laws, such as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, the Climate Change Act, and the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, I stress that the issues on reducing disaster risk, climate change mitigation and adaptation, protection of the environment, and biodiversity conservation are all interconnected.
Together with the UNDRR, the Climate Change Commission, Asia Pacific College President Teresita Medado, and SM Prime VP Liza Silerio, I invite my fellow women leaders to join this network, so together we can strive towards a vision of a more resilient and sustainable future.
