Following the devastation wrought by typhoon Agaton, Quezon City 5th district Rep. Alfred Vargas has joined the call made by numerous other officials to counter the effects of climate change.
His appeal calls specifically for a “whole-of-nation and whole-of-society” approach.
“Once again, I call for a national response to climate change that involves not only the national government and the local governments, but also the private sector and the public. Each of us shares not only in the burden, but the responsibility to face this challenge head on,” Vargas said in a press statement on Sunday, April 17.
In the statement, Vargas proposed the “accelerating financing for disaster risk reduction, ensuring that public investments are risk-informed and addressing resilience needs of infrastructures in our communities.”
He also says that he filed a resolution urging government bodies to do more to mitigate Agaton’s effects on affected families, though his statement did not expound as to what his specific suggestions were.
Vargas added that the government agencies such as the Climate Change Commission (CCC) should be further developed to better respond to future natural disasters.
“We need to be more proactive and united in addressing the existential threat of climate change, not only presently, but also for the next generation of Filipinos. Fragmented and piecemeal responses will mean more casualties, deaths, and suffering for our countrymen and we cannot, in good conscience, let this happen,” Vargas added.
As of this writing, about 172 have been reported dead, and 110 reported missing as a result of Typhoon Agaton.