Leni pushes for safety of Philippine communities

MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Leni Robredo has expressed support for the development of climate change-resilient and sustainable housing to boost the safety of Philippine communities in the face of disasters.

Speaking at a forum in Taguig City on Wednesday, Robredo – who has been appointed housing czar of the Duterte administration – stressed the need for the country to prepare for disasters caused by climate change.

She also said the houses and communities must be sustainable in terms of their use of energy, fuel, light and water.

“There will be spaces where people can feel safe, children can run and play, and be at peace with themselves and the world,” Robredo said.

“That’s because in all of these, the key component to success is creating a culture of resilience where inner strength and flexibility are stronger than despair and desperation. Concrete buildings can be rebuilt,” she added.

The Vice President said both the national and local governments must work together to find solutions that would best mitigate the consequences of climate change.

“For instance, we need adaptation strategies that are easy for our communities to understand, learn and adopt. We need to beat the drums to create awareness at the household level. But most of all, we need to include the communities themselves in creating these plans,” Robredo said.

“This is where empowerment and participation is most crucial, because leaving a home and farm that has fed your family for years is a highly emotional event that most Filipinos do not want to do until it’s too late. Without their buy in and ownership, disaster plans will not work,” the she said.

Robredo also called on different sectors to help train communities to access the People’s Survival Fund (PSF).

Created under the previous administration, the P1-billion PSF provides funding to climate change mitigation and adaptation projects of different local government units.

“The PSF is a major step in the right direction,” she said. “The fund may be used in adaptation activities in the areas of water resources management, land management, agriculture and fisheries, health, infrastructure development, natural ecosystems including mountainous and coastal ecosystems.”

Meetings with urban poor

The camp of the Vice President also said Robredo would continue to hold dialogues with the urban poor to listen to their issues and concerns.

In a radio interview, vice presidential spokesperson Georgina Hernandez said they were studying proposals on how to address the 1.4 million housing gap in the country.