Negros Oriental to hold Island Climate Change Summit
By Rachelle M. Nessia
Dumaguete City (21 February) -- The province of Negros Oriental is set to initiate an island-wide summit on climate change.
Scheduled on May 9, the summit will bring together key provincial and municipal/city government officials from Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental including the respective chairmen on the Committee on Environment of the cities and towns in the two provinces.
According to Bayawan City Mayor German P. Saraņa, who first suggested the idea of an island-wide summit to the governor, both Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental share common natural resources such as mountains, flora, fauna and rivers.
The mayor cited the Ilog River, which traverses between Bayawan City, Negros Oriental and Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental; the Sicopong River which also passes Bayawan City, Sta. Catalina, Pamplona, Tanjay City, Bais City and Mabinay.
With this, Saraņa said the summit aims to come up with a common direction in order to achieve a holistic approach in protecting and preserving the environment.
The summit is the first major activity of the newly-created Negros Oriental Advisory Council on Climate Change (NOACCC) which was formed by Gov. Emilio C. Macias II.
According to Capitol Information Officer Adrian Sedillo, the meeting came about as a result of an initial discussion between the governor and Vice Governor Jose Baldado after the latter attended a forum initiated by Silliman University on the effects of climate change.
NOACCC is expected to come up with recommendations that will best address climate change.
The governor has stressed the need for a group that would primarily work to come up with doable and effective plans to make headway in mitigating the effects of global warming.
Meanwhile, Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the relief and rehabilitation operations in Eastern Samar after it was hit by destructive floods that left 11 people dead, displaced some 9,000 families and caused P50 million damage.
Landslide and floods caused by nine days of incessant rains have isolated most areas of Eastern Samar.
A total of 640 people were evacuated in Samar and several roads in the island are impassable due to the floods and landslides. (PIA/RMN) [top]
