Jobless Filipinos seen as climate change workers

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines—The country has a veritable “army of unemployed graduates,” which could be deployed to teach communities, especially those in remote villages, about climate change adaptation, according to two University of the Philippines Baguio professors.

The professors suggested tapping this army of jobless graduates during the First Philippine Councilors Summit on Climate Change here on Saturday.

The summit’s main agenda was to determine what local policies are best suited for poor constituents, who are vulnerable to climate change, said Baguio Councilor Elmer Datuin, vice chair of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL).

Wilfredo Alangui, College of Science dean at UP Baguio, said many countries have learned to develop local or community-based adaptation (CBA) systems, much like Albay and to some extent, Baguio.

Albay example

Albay has set up financing for disaster-risk management systems, built permanent relocation sites and trained residents to follow evacuation protocol, said Legazpi City Councilor Julio Tingzon IV, who outlined the province’s CBA programs.

A common problem encountered by CBA advocates is properly communicating and translating information on climate change, Alangui said.

Celia Austria, a UP Baguio biology professor, said tapping jobless college graduates for an information drive in exchange for subsidy or minimum salaries could help local governments reach remotest villages for their CBA programs.

Austria said UP used to send jobless graduates to communities as part-time teachers with much success.

Information key

Information is vital to the poor, who are “more sensitive to the [impact] of climate change,” said Leonardo Reynoso, Cordillera director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Austria said changes in weather pattern have revived diseases long considered dormant, such as malaria, or have created new strains of illnesses.

“But the poor are also the quickest to adapt. They are not tied to material wealth like their rich counterparts so if a calamity displaces them, they can move on quickly,” she said.

Reynoso said the poor are vulnerable because they do not have the same access to resources to cope with calamities or poor harvests like the rich.

He said the Philippines ranks sixth among countries considered as “extremely at risk” to disasters induced by climate change.

More than 23 million Filipinos considered poor live in areas at high risk due to climate change effects.

In these areas, people would be exposed to extremely warm temperatures—Sulu, Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Maguindanao, Davao del Sur, Zamboanga del Sur, Tawi-Tawi and Misamis Occidental.

People living in these areas are at risk due to heavy rains—Albay, Pampanga, Ifugao, Rizal, Cavite, Sorsogon, Laguna, Biliran, Batangas, Pangasinan, Masbate, Metro Manila, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Northern Samar, Aklan, Capiz, La Union, Western Samar and Romblon.

Supertyphoons are predicted in northern and southeastern Luzon, and Eastern Visayas while drought is seen in central and western Mindanao, said Reynoso.

Albay tops the list of 20 provinces which are vulnerable to disasters brought by climate change.