Raising Awareness on Climate Change and Environmental Policies, a Stakeholder Management activity of CENRO Catanauan

SAN FRANCISCO, QUEZON ─ The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Catanauan, in cooperation with the Local Government Unit of San Francisco, Quezon thru the Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator (MPDC) and Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO), conducted a one-day Stakeholder Management activity with the combination of tree planting activity and discussion of the ”Science of Climate Change” and Rolling-out of Environmental Laws to the beneficiaries and stakeholders of the National Greening Program (NGP) site located in Brgy. Inabuan, San Francisco, Quezon at the Covered Court of Brgy. Inabuan, San Francisco, Quezon.

 

San Francisco is a second-class coastal municipality in the Southern Province of Quezon and is the tail-end of Bondoc Peninsula. It is characterized by mountainous and rolling terrain in which water is drained along the coast and unto the sea of Tayabas Bay. In recent years, San Francisco has experienced the damaging impacts of flooding and adversely affected by the increase in frequency of natural hazards due to climate change. Climate change affects most every aspect of human life including the coastal and agricultural sector which the economic growth is depending on.

 

To give a better understanding of the climate change and its serious impacts to the environment and human life, a stakeholder management was conducted by the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Catanauan through a combination of tree planting activity and discussion of the “Science of Climate Change” by FT II Elliane Jade P. Gadela and rolling-out of existing Environmental Laws implemented to govern people in addressing the impacts of climate change by FT II John Dave D. Natividad. Some of the Laws discussed were the R.A No. 9275 or the Philippine Clean Water Act; RA No. 8749, otherwise known as the Philippine Clean Air Act; RA No. 9003, otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 and RA No. 9147 otherwise known as Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.

 

Attending participants were from the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Local Government Unit of San Francisco, Quezon, Brgy. Local Government of Inabuan, Academe represented by the faculty members of Madagoldol Integrated School (MIS), Sangguniang Kabataan of Inabuan and designated Brgy. Peace and Order personnel.

 

“A tree planting (now tree growing) activity has a big contribution to mitigate climate impact and to lessen the vulnerability of a community to climate related hazards. The DENR alone cannot uphold the issue of reducing the impacts of climate change and its subsequent effects like flooding and erosion without your help. May we transform our knowledge to a behavioural change and then to a form of action”, said FT II Elliane Jade Gadela.

 

A total of two hundred (200) seedlings of guyabano (Annona muricata) were planted and supported with stakes within the portion of 143 hectares of the Graduated National Greening Program site located in Sitio Pitiw, Brgy. Inabuan, San Francisco, Quezon.

 

Brgy. Captain Sofronio Rocafor of Inabuan encouraged his subordinate to value the acquired knowledge and imparted himself for the future activities of CENRO Catanauan within his barangay, especially the adoption of the graduated NGP site.###