To prepare communities for calamities, pro-environmental and advocacy group Philippine Business for Environmental Stewardship (PBEST) urged the next leaders to strengthen existing resilience and sustainability-related policies, which it said, may help the country face natural and man-made disasters.
In a statement, PBEST Co-Convenor Engr. Felix Vitangcol encouraged the next administration “to focus on the upgrade and modernization of infrastructure and services in the context of sustainable development.”
“They have their work cut out for them. They face the daunting job of dealing with the effects of climate change and pursuing measures to address it,” he said on Thursday, April 7.
Vitangcol explained that reforms in competition policy should make energy transition faster, adding that PBEST supports proposals “to make fixed-price bids, carve-out clauses, and uniform force-majeure provisions mandatory in power purchase contracts.”
Aside from this, the group is also pushing for more efficient transport systems.
Vitangcol said some private entities have already incorporated technology-driven processes to make their operations more sustainable. Among the companies he mentioned are Globe, Mondelez Philippines, and Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc.
He also mentioned a notable private-sector-built center in Clark, Pampanga, the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), which can track tropical weather patterns in the region, and storms, volcanic and earthquake eruptions around the world.
Other programs from other organizations include energy initiatives, low-carbon investments, modern fuel cell and cooling systems, direct current hybrid generators, and storage batteries, to name a few.
“The new administration should take advantage of this momentum and collaborate with the private sector to institutionalize these initiatives across the archipelago and various industries,” Vitangcol said.
“Climate change and its consequences pose a big risk to our nation’s development and sustainability. It is time we addressed this risk head-on, with the leadership of an able government and committed support from the private sector,” he added.