The Philippines has purpotedly incurred an "ecological deficit" of P680 billion as a result of the lengthy lockdowns implemented against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Pro-environment group Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE) made this revelation Wednesday, April 21, a day ahead of the celebration of Earth Day.
But Kalikasan PNE held off from substantiating the ecological deficit claim, saying environmentalists would do so on Earth Day, April 22, during the annual State of the Philippine Environment (SPE) Forum.
Dubbed "SPE 2021: State of Planetary Emergency," the vritual event will have panelists who will give an assessment of the environmental situation under the economic recovery agenda of the Duterte government.
"A highlight revelation would be the P680-billion ‘ecological deficit’ incurred from the first day of COVID-19 lockdown up to today," Kalikasan PNE said.
It said that Center for Environmental Concerns Philippines Executive Director Lia Mai Torres would give the keynote presentation during the event.
For context, P680 billion is over 15 percent of the P4.5-trillion national budget for 2021.
Also expected to attend are Billie Dumailang, advocacy officer of Masungi Georeserve; Chuck Baclagon, finance campaigner of 350.org Asia; Rosario Guzman, executive editor of IBON Foundation; and lawyer Robert Chan, executive director of Palawan NGO Network Inc.
"There will also be a panel talk of environment and climate leaders who will share the successes and challenges they faced during this unprecedented times of planetary crisis," Kalikasan PNE said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), in partnership with the Earth Day Network Philippines (EDNP) will also commemorate Earth Day via a whole day virtual event on Thursday, April 22.
The 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. event, to be livestreamed on Facebook though https://www.facebook.com/earthdayphilippines, will feature the delivery of the "State of the Philippine Environment Address."
The DENR and EDNP have also scheduled webinars on "Eco Entrepreneurship: Opportunities and Challenges" on April 29.