ENVIRONMENT Secretary Roy A. Cimatu on Sunday led simultaneous river and estero cleanups in 42 barangays in Metro Manila as part of the effort to rehabilitate Manila Bay.

Cimatu believes that to rehabilitate Manila Bay, it is imperative to stop pollution at source.

Some of the most polluted rivers and esteros that drain out to Manila Bay have been identified and targeted for the simultaneous river cleanup by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), which is taking the lead in the “Battle for Manila Bay,” a P4.7-billion, seven-year program to save Manila Bay from environmental degradation.

The chairmen of these 42 barangay in the cities of Quezon, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Malabon and Navotas are also set to sign an agreement with the DENR.

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Rhodina Villanueva || The Philippine Star

February 21, 2019 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu has urged governors from vulnerable provinces to fully implement a government program that would help protect communities from climate-induced disasters and spare future generations from the worst impacts of climate change.

“Climate change is already here, and it will be here for the next generations. It is now, therefore, our obligation to take this program for implementation, so that the next generations will have a guide,” Cimatu said last Thursday, warning of a great fallout from climate change.

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Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu urged governors from climate vulnerable provinces to fully implement a program that would help protect communities from climate-induced disasters in the future.

“Climate change is already here, and it will be here for the next generations. It is now, therefore, our obligation to take this program for implementation, so that the next generations will have a guide,” Cimatu said. 

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Pilipino Mirror

February 4th, 2019, 10:33 pm

PAGTUTUUNAN  ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) ang 8 probinsiya bunsod ng panganib na nakaamba sa kanilang lugar na madalas daanan ng kalamidad.

Tinukoy ni DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu ang walong prayoridad na probinsiya gaya ng Masbate, Sorsogon, Negros Oriental, Samar, Saranggani, Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte at Dinagat Islands bunsod ng panganib dulot ng pabago-bago ng panahon.

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By  Kuhlin Ceslie Gacula | Daily Tribune

February 8, 2019 03:19 AM

Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu expressed belief yesterday that a change in mindset is needed if the pollution-bedeviled Manila Bay is to be restored and preserved.

“If they ask me what’s the most difficult part in rehabilitating Manila Bay, I would say it is changing our people’s behavior and attitude,” Cimatu said.

He, however, said the seeming enthusiasm and willingness shown by 5,000 people at the start of the clean-up last 27 January showed there’s hope that change will come.

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By Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz | Manila Bulletin

February 5, 2019, 5:17 PM

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu will lead the resiliency planning and convergence budgeting for the eight priority climate vulnerable provinces in a high-level meeting at the DENR Central Office in Quezon City on Thursday.

Cimatu, who is the chair of the Cabinet cluster on Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction will lead the meeting, which is expected to be attended by governors of the eight climate vulnerable provinces and key officials of the national government agencies, namely Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Interior and Local Government.

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By BusinessMirror  |  Business Mirror

SWELTERING hot days. Increased number of typhoons. Unprecedented instances of storm surges. These have become the norm nowadays, and people are quick to blame these on one thing: climate change.

The global public’s awareness on the urgency of addressing climate change has increased over the years.

In the Southeast Asian region alone, overall temperature has been increasing at a rate of 0.14 degrees Celsius to 0.20°C per decade since the 1960s, as reported in the Second Edition of the Asean Biodiversity Outlook (ABO 2) of the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB).

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‘With clear benefits to people and natural ecosystems, limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to 2^ºC, could go hand in hand with ensuring a more sustainable and equitable society,” the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said last week when it released the summary of its Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5^ºC in Incheon, Korea.

The scientific report, alarming as it is, drew various reactions with some environmental groups demanding for, bold climate action, a step backward from coal addiction and a step toward clean, renewable energy solutions.

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By New York Times News Service  |  Business Mirror

December 9, 2018

A flame emits from a chimney at the BASF chemical company in Ludwigshafen, Germany.

Greenhouse-gas emissions worldwide are growing at an accelerating pace this year, researchers said a few days ago, putting the world on track to face some of the most severe consequences of global warming sooner than expected.

Scientists described the quickening rate of carbon-dioxide emissions in stark terms, comparing it to a “speeding freight train” and laying part of the blame on an unexpected surge in the appetite for oil as people around the world not only buy more cars but also drive them farther than in the past—more than offsetting any gains from the spread of electric vehicles.

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By Jonathan L. Mayuga  |  Business Mirror

December 11, 2018

The Philippines continues to lead climate-vulnerable nations in seeking climate justice as it urged countries to push harder in the global fight against climate change.

Climate Change Commission Secretary Emmanuel de Guzman, in a news statement, said the gathering of the world leaders at the 24th session of the Conference of the Parties under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), commonly known as COP24, is an opportunity for countries to demonstrate their commitment and to set stronger climate action in Poland.

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By Catherine Teves  |  Philippine News Agency

December 14, 2018, 8:15 pm

MANILA -- The Philippines sees the need for more international climate action that will better protect the 6 million-square kilometer Coral Triangle, the marine area experts cited as center of marine biodiversity on Earth.

Philippine Environment chief Roy Cimatu raised the urgency for elevating such need before the international community, noting climate change is already adversely affecting the Coral Triangle.

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