Climate Change Commission launches eco-town project

GUIUAN, EASTERN SAMAR, Philippines — The Climate Change Commission (CCC) and the local government unit of this town formally launched the first “eco-town framework” in the Visayas area with the signing of a memorandum of agreement to build an economically stable and ecologically sustainable town. 

Commissioner Naderev Saño said the setting up of eco-towns is a local implementation mechanism in the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP) that provides direction for sustainable economic growth for 2011 to 2028.

“At the local level, implementation of the NCCAP will be packaged using the concept of ecologically stable and economically resilient towns or eco-towns,” Saño told The Freeman.

An eco-town is a planning unit composed of municipalities or a group of municipalities located within and in the boundaries of critical key biodiversity areas, highly vulnerable to climate change risks due to its geography, geographic location, and poverty situation.

Saño said the province of Eastern Samar is one of the 10 poorest provinces and is susceptible to strong typhoons and rising sea level, the intensity and frequency of which might increase due to climate change. “We need to ensure that this threat will not result to loss of lives and economic slowdown,” he said.

Other local government units that were chosen eco-towns are Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte, the entire province of Batanes, San Vicente town in Palawan and Marikina City. The provinces of Bohol and Romblon will follow within the year.

“We are providing technical assistance to local government units for them to craft their local climate change adaptation plans. We will also incorporate all the best practices that need scaling up. Our goal is to build climate change-resilient communities and local economy via poverty reduction and ecosystem protection,” Saño said.

Under the MOA, the CCC will prepare a work plan with technical and financial aids to help the LGU enhance existing plans to make it climate change-resilient. The Guiuan LGU, for its part, will provide assistance together with necessary data, services and facilities to the CCC in the implementation of the framework.

Mayor Annaliza G. Kwan said the project will “greatly benefit the town by increasing the LGU’s resiliency and adaptive capacity against the adverse effects of climate change. She said that, being on the eastern seaboard, Guiuan is very prone to natural calamities but is a protected landscape and seascape because of its rich fisheries and aquatic resources.

“Through this project, we will be able to manage, conserve and utilize these resources and help our residents cushion the effects of climate change,” Kwan said.

Guiuan is a second class town, consisting of 60 barangays. Clustered around the town are numerous islands and islets such as Homonhon, Manicani, Calicoan, Tubabao, Sulangan, Suluan and Victory.

After Guiuan, the CCC will also declare more environmentally friendly LGUs in Eastern Samar such as Borongan City, and Can-avid and Dolores towns. Saño said each eco-town will receive P2.5 million.

“After we establish our five pilot areas, more eco-towns will be established in the countryside in the coming years,” Saño said. “Within two years of time frame indicated in the agreement, the project will review the bio-physical attributes of the municipality in preparation for an ecosystem assessment on any of its watershed, agriculture, coasal resources, and land uses,” he added.  - THE FREEMAN