“I spent my campaign time and resources for my climate change advocacies and I hope I was heard. We would know if I was heard when La Niña visits us this year,” Loren said.

The lady senator who also chairs the Senate Oversight Committee on Climate Change (SOCCC) and the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization (COCAFM) said that last April 22, her committees held an Earth Day celebration in  Bulacan, Zambales, Albay, South Cotabato and Negros Occidental which highlighted the theme on collecting rainwater during rainy season for use during the hot season especially when there is El Niño.  Attended by the Department of Agriculture Bureau of Soils and Water Management staff, the Provincial and Municipal Agriculturists and farmers in the mentioned areas, the celebration became a venue for the forging of agreement among the participants that rainwater harvesting systems would be introduced in critical places to be identified by the farmers and considered by the DA for appropriate technologies and design.

Loren said that the Philippines has abundant water resources with average annual rainfall of 2,440 mm for a total dependable surface water supply of 125.8B cubic meters and groundwater potential of 20.2B cubic meters.

However, due to inadequate infrastructure, these water resources are not maximized (only around 28% of annual rainfall is utilized) while water shortages are experienced in several parts of the country.

The agricultural sector (accounting for 81% of total water consumption in 2007) suffers the brunt of any shortage as water supply priority is given to municipal and industrial use.

Loren is asking the DA on how it coordinated with concerned agencies on the allocation of water resources to various uses such as households, industry and agriculture. At present, our farms have 1.3 million hectares of rain fed areas and 1 million hectares of marginal lands. The lady senator said that the DA should have a solution by now on how to serve the marginal lands in order to solve the problems resulting from climate change—particularly destruction in the country’s resources and vulnerability of our food security zones.

Loren also said that in July when legislative session opens, she will ask for a comprehensive water security program from concerned water agencies. She said that the DA—the lead department in the implementation of the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) should be ready with its proposed five-year plan which she asked the Department to craft last budget year.

“I asked my COCAFM staff to coordinate with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Department of Budget and Management and the Department of Agriculture in regard to the formulation of the strategic five-year plan and budget even while the election season was at its peak. They should be ready with concrete proposals when we ask for these. ,” Loren said.

“I also asked my COCAFM staff to be ready with the needed legislative proposals for filing at the opening of the 15thsession. This is to ensure that the legislative gaps in our agriculture and fisheries modernization will not deter the implementation of programs to achieve our goals of food security, agricultural sustainability, global competitiveness and poverty alleviation.” Loren said.

Through Senator Legarda’s initiative, Php12 million worth of funds have been earmarked in the 2010 national budget to create green jobs. She has also initiated Php50 million worth of scholarship funds to benefit 3,900 scholars who are children of farmers, fishers and rural folk through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

“Clean industries are among the new creators of wealth in the global economy. Countries around the world have even included developing clean technology and green industries as part of their stimulus package. We provided for another stimulus in our budget this year, and to promote our own green growth, we also funded the creation of green jobs,” said Legarda, chair of the Senate Oversight Committee on Climate Change.

According to Legarda, providing education to children of farmers and fishers is a very effective way to raise the standard of living in the provinces. They can choose a course in agriculture, and that will really help in boosting their farm’s productivity. Or they can take up other courses which can provide alternative sources of income for the family.

Aside from this, seven units of brine freezer have already been delivered in rural provinces around the country by the Department of Agriculture, also under Legarda’s initiative. Twenty-three has been set for delivery this month.

According to Legarda, “providing brine freezers to fishers will help them climb up the food-processing ladder and will open up more markets to them, especially for exports. We are providing them with the “Liquid Quick Freeze machine” which adopts a revolutionary method of freezing agri-fishery products  without causing cell wall rapture in the products.  This will retain the texture and flavor of the frozen fish.”

Legarda has also instructed the Department of Agriculture to provide 4×4 tractors in favor of state universities and colleges that offer agricultural courses. “This will assist them in their research and development activities,” said Legarda.

“Sixty percent of the poor in the Philippines hails from the provinces. As such, there is no better, more effective way to alleviate poverty than to advance rural livelihood. We’ve got to provide assistance to our farmers and fishers who grow and harvest our food,” Legarda said.

“As vice-president, I will ensure that the laws I’ve passed in the Senate gets implemented. I think we have good laws that provide adequate social safetynets, but the problem has always been in its implementation,” laments Legarda, who has expressed preference to head the Department of Agriculture.

“Of course I will leave that decision to our next president, I’ve headed various committees in the Senate and I’ve been more than competent in these positions. But should I be given a choice, I’d  like to focus my expertise on agriculture. Agricultural development is the most effective way out of poverty for our country, and I would like to contribute my part in that.”

According to Loren, who chairs the PYCM, Earth Day 2010 can be a turning point to advance climate policy, energy efficiency, renewable energy and green jobs. It is a pivotal opportunity to gather individuals, corporations and governments to join together and make personal commitments towards sustainable development and a global green economy.

Earth Day is a great opportunity to spread awareness of climate change issues to the youth, and engage them in different activities that protect the environment,” said Loren.

“The crop damages caused by El Niño has now reached Php8.4 billion, and with the heat wave expected to last until June or July of this year, we’ve got to step up our campaign to irrigate our farmlands, otherwise we will be seeing another round of food price hikes and an increase in hungry Filipinos,” warned Legarda.

“Already, four million filipino families, or 22 percent of the entire population have experienced involuntary hunger for the last three months. This is almost ten percent above the 13.8% average hunger rate for the past decade (1998-2010). It only shows that climate change is a gut issue, and that the extreme weather patterns we now experience not only wreaks disasters such as floods and earthquakes, but goes into the issue of providing healthy food in the table of every Filipino household,” Legarda said.

“First, we have to develop our capability to use alternative sources of water. We’ve been exhausting our surface water, and it’s no longer enough to meet our needs. For instance, we have an average annual rainfall of 2,440mm but we only use around 28% of this,” said Legarda.

“The Filipino youth hope that Earth Day 2010 can be a turning point to advance climate policy, energy efficiency, renewable energy and green jobs,” said Esperanza Garcia, who heads PYCM and was the youth delegate to the Copenhagen summit.

Legarda’s Luntiang Pilipinas and PYCM partner to join more than one billion people in 190 countries that are taking action for Earth Day.

“Right now, food prices continue to spiral upward because it’s linked to international market forces beyond our control. And there’s also the issue of climate change, of the drought constraining the productivity of our farmers and fisherfolk which also contribute to higher food prices. We know that the higher the food prices are, the more people will be unable to afford healthy food,” said Legarda.

According to Legarda, one practical solution to address hunger is by encouraging people to cultivate a pinakbet garden in their backyards.

“Encouraging people to cultivate vegetable gardens in their backyard will not only provide food in the table, but will also address the growing number of malnourished children in the Philippines. It will make fruits and vegetables more accessible for children,” Legarda said.

Legarda pointed out that “malnutrition is now a murderous, silent assassin in the country.” She said that for every 100 Filipino children age aged 6 to 10, 27 are underweight, and 37 are stunted or short for their age.

According to the Asian Vegetable Research Development Center (AVRDC),  regions with low-vegetable consumption, such as Visayas and Mindanao, have high prevalence of underweight and underheight children, compared to the national average. “The correlation can’t be missed,” said Legarda.

Legarda, who has chaired the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, also pushes for full support for the local vegetable industry to enhance the productivity of vegetable farmers and enable them to compete with their counterparts in developed countries.

“Kailangan nating suportahan ang vegetable industry tungo sa pagkakaroon ng seguridad sa pagkain – seguridad sa kasapatan at kalidad ng pagkain – at maging sa pagsabay sa pag-unlad ng industriya ng gulay sa mga higit na mayayamang bansa,” Legarda said.

“Government should provide cash transfers for farmers whose lands have been dried up by El Niňo. This would allow them to recuperate from heavy losses brought by the drought, and help them survive this critical period,” Legarda said.

Legarda pointed out the urgent need to give extension support to our farmers, and provide them with technical and financial assistance.

“For instance, we should start teaching farmers to plant drought-resistant crops. IRRI ( International Rice Research Institute) has recently launched drought-tolerant rice. This rice variety provides 0.5 to 0.8 tons extra yield per hectare during drought,” Legarda said.

Legarda calls for the immediate implementation of the amendment to the Agri-Agra Law, which she authored. The  amendment provides more loanable funds to farmers by  prohibiting banks from using the purchase of government bonds as compliance to the Agri-Agra Law. “This time, banks will really have to extend cash loans to farmers,” Legarda said.

Legarda also pushed for the protection of commercial and small fishers by assisting them with capital, opening up more markets, and providing them with alternative sources of living.

She said that in 2009 alone, over one million Filipinos became climate change refugees, and the number is still growing. A professor in Oxford University estimates that by 2050, the number of climate change refugees in the world could reach 150 million.

“We don’t want the Filipinos comprising a big bulk of this number,” Legarda said.

Legarda, a noted environmentalist, pointed out the “climate injustice” prevailing in the world today, arguing that “while developing countries are most vulnerable to climate change, the main culprits of global warming, the biggest carbon emitters, come from developed countries. The US and China account for more than half of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. The Philippines contributes a mere 0.27% and yet when climate change-related disasters like Ondoy and Pepeng strike, we sustain the biggest loss.”

“We are bearing the brunt of the developed world’s carbon emissions. The Philippines is the fourth most disaster-prone country in the world. And as last year’s typhoons have shown us, disasters cripple our quest for economic development and raising the standard of living in our country,” Legarda said.

“We want economic development that is sustainable, that we can build on and continue in the long run. This can never be achieved without putting environmental conservation and preservation at the center of the national agenda. Just look at how intensively our neighbors, such as South Korea, are investing in clean industries and green growth,” said Legarda.

Locally, Legarda is pushing for the effective implementation of environmental laws such as the Solid Waste Management Act, Climate Change Act of 2009 and Clean Air Act. She joins international organizations and other developing countries in the call for developed countries to be responsible and accountable for climate change, and to help developing nations adopt to and mitigate its impact.

Legarda calls for adaptation mechanisms like reforestation, providing housing, health and agriculture funding.

She has authored landmark laws that protect the environment, such as the Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003) and Climate Change Act of 2009 (RA 9729).

“Our farmers are our silent heroes. They feed the country, and yet they are the ones who go hungry. They deserve more support from the government and the private sector, especially at a time when the country faces drought and food scarcity,” she stressed.

With El Niño’s damage to the country’s farm crops having increased to P8 billion ($174.6 million), Legarda emphasized the urgency of implementing  Agri-Agra programs to farmers in the provinces.

The provinces considered highly vulnerable to El Niño are Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, La Union, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga, Zambales, Cavite, Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Capiz, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Zamboanga City, Sarangani and South Cotabato.

Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Romblon, Sorsogon, Aklan, Antique, Bohol, Samar, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, Bukidnon, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur and Davao City are considered moderately vulnerable to the phenomenon.

Reacting to the comments of farmers that the Department through the local government units is giving away hogs to those who do not really need them, Legarda, chair of Senate Agriculture and Food Committee, said that the Department should consult the farmers first because they might end up slaughtering the pigs when they are hungry or just selling them to buy what they really need. Worse, she said that these pigs are being distributed by some municipal agriculture offices (MAOs) to wrong beneficiaries or non-farmers.

Legarda said that many farmers she consulted were asking for irrigation systems they could manage like SWIPs or Small Water Impounding System (SWIPs) which are priority this El Nino.  SWIP is an earthfill structure that collects and stores rainfall and runoff during rainy season for productive use during dry season.

“During the immediate post-Ondoy and Pepeng consultations I had with stakeholders, the scientists were telling us we should harvest rain and avoid floods by making rain harvesting facilities ready during the rainy season. I challenge the DA to make use of the country’s agricultural engineers to help the local extension personnel in assisting the farmers on this. Incidentally, I am including a position of agricultural engineer in every MAO in the country in the National Agriculture and Fisheries Extension System Bill. The MAO is where they should be. They should not congregate in the central office because production should be in the field, not in the national government,” Legarda said.

“Last year, during my consultations after Ondoy and Pepeng, I told the DA to save animals which were sick and housing for animals which were rain-sensitive like goats and chickens. I learned that the Calamity Fund out of the Unprogrammed Fund we approved in Congress has not been released up to now. I suppose many of these animals have died already,” said Legarda, who is also the chairperson of the Senate Oversight Committee on Climate Change.

“I will be calling the DA and other departments for an accounting on how funds for climate change programs are being spent. There should be some sense of planning in how we disburse funds especially this elections season. We should not give away pigs like campaign calendars. We should not give the farmers stone when what they need is bread. Calamity fund for agriculture is supposed to be given away to farmers and fisherfolk for free. Let them decide what they want to buy, determine their own livelihood, fix their boats or animal housing. The government should not buy the goods for them. Just set up a good monitoring system on how they are using the money for a sustainable livelihood,” said Legarda.