‘Make environment the first priority of gov't,’ President Duterte urged
The Philippine government should make the environment its first priority by taking action that would prevent the global temperature in reaching 1.5 degrees Celsius, Catholic priest appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Under your leadership, Mr. President, let us make the environment our first priority. We should start with a 360-degree paradigm shift from our present world view that treated the environment simply as a resource to be exploited,” said Fr. Pete Montallana, chairman of Save Sierra Madre Network Alliance Inc. (SSMNAI), in his column last Nov. 13.
Montallana said Filipinos should commit to “[reversing] global warming” because the Philippines is susceptible to its effects.
Fr. Pete Montellana. Photo by Joselle Czarina S. Dela Cruz
“[W]e cannot simply wait for what would happen in the next nine years. The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries due to global warming. Yolanda has etched that in our consciousness,” he said.
“The action of 100 million Filipinos, individually and collectively, can contribute a lot to reverse global warming,” he added.
Filipinos should adopt the simple lifestyle exercised by the indigenous people who helped conserving the natural resources, he said.
“Influenced by that world view of indigenous people who kept the forests intact for centuries, we should automatically embrace a simple lifestyle, too. This would also mean controlling our appetite for unlimited consumption,” he said.
“Imagine how much electricity and water can be conserved when 100 million Filipinos become ecologically conscious,” he added.
Montallana also called for the initiative of media, schools, churches, and organizations to be “eco-warriors” protecting the environment and the country. Ma. Agatha Nicole T. Fabricante.