ILOILO CITY – The local government units (LGUs) of the five towns in the-island province of Guimaras have been urged to craft and legislate the Expanded Local Climate Change Action Plan (EL-CCAP).
PARTICIPANTS listen intently to a speaker at the 1st Guimaras Climate Change Summit on Tuesday, July 11, 2023.  (Courtesy of Dr. Michael Raymond Aragon)
“By doing so, we hope that Guimaras can become ready to adapt, mitigate, and become resilient to the terrible effects of climate change,” said Dr. Michael Raymond Aragon, a senior consultant to the Climate Change Commission. Speaking at the 1st Guimaras Climate Change Summit on Tuesday, Aragon said that legislation will ensure that LGUs of Buenavista, Jordan, Nueva Valencia, San Lorenzo, and Sibunag can continually implement the EL-CCAP regardless who is elected as mayor. Aragon, who hails from Guimaras, underscored that climate change is a human rights issue. “Climate change is not only an environmental issue as many of us think. Climate change also impacts food security, livelihood, natural resources, health, and disasters,” Aragon told Manila Bulletin in a phone interview. Citing a 2021 report of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Aragon noted that Guimaras ranked 16 among the 24 poorest provinces in the country. Aragon also noted that while Guimaras is known for having one of the world’s sweetest mangoes, production of mango only ranks third in the province’s agricultural products. “The biggest industry in Guimaras is coconut production. But the problem is that many of the coconut trees are very old, more than 60-years-old. Replanting of trees is the solution, but the weather phenomenon of El Niño and La Niña can have an impact,” Aragon said.