Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda was recognized as Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) biodiversity hero in Bogor, Indonesia on November 2, 2022. Courtesy of Sen. Legarda’s office.
MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda has been acknowledged as an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) biodiversity hero, her office said on Monday.
Legarda was recognized last November 2 in Bogor, Indonesia for her contributions to biodiversity efforts in the Philippines.
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“It is an honor to be recognized by the Asean as one of this year’s Asean Biodiversity Heroes. It is heartening that what I advocated to do by being a planetary inhabitant has impacted not only my fellow Filipinos but also the peoples of Asean and hopefully the world,” the senator said in her acceptance speech.
Legarda committed to “further improve the policy environment that will see full implementation, transition the country towards a blue economy, sustainability and climate resilience for future generations.”
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As a legislator, Legarda has authored a number of environmental laws such as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, Philippine Clean Air Act, Renewable Energy Act, and Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, among other measures.
She likewise sponsored the Philippines’ concurrence in ratifying the Paris Agreement, an international climate change treaty, in 2017.
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Other awardees were from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand.
The Asean Biodiversity Heroes Awards, initiated in 2017, is among the commemorative activities for the 55th Asean anniversary and the 17th Asean Center for Biodiversity anniversary.
The award was designed to acknowledge people from Asean member states who provide significant contributions to biodiversity conservation in their nations and region, raise biodiversity awareness, and support Asean’s vision of “One Community.”
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