Following the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm "Paeng" that took the province of Maguindanao by surprise, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. acknowledged the threats of climate change.
During a situational briefing he presided in the province on Tuesday, Nov. 1, Marcos realized how unexpected the wrath of nature could be, including those brought by typhoons.
He said areas that were not prone to flooding in the past are now being inundated, while typhoons no longer follow their forecasted path.
"That's the problem today. Talagang may (There is really a) climate change talaga. It's undeniable," the President said.
As of Tuesday, 61 people were reported as casualties of "Paeng" in Maguindanao.
After conducting an aerial ocular inspection in the province, Marcos said he noticed that those areas badly-hit by "Paeng" were the ones that were deforested.
So, on top of building flood-control facilities, he also recommended tree-planting activities as part of a long-term solution against flooding.
"We have been hearing this over and over again, pero patuloy pa rin tayo nagpuputol ng kahoy, 'yan ang nangyayari nagkakalandslide ng ganyan (But we keep on cutting down trees, so landslides happen)," he said.
"Mag-isip tayo ng mabuti doon sa tree planting. Hindi maliit na bagay yan (Let's think about that tree planting. It's not just a small thing). I know people think that it is just for to save the environment. No, it's to save lives," he added.