# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.facebook.com/YACAPhilippines/posts/672795790756181

TITLE: Youth climate Agenda 2022

AUTHOR: YACAP Mindanao Center

DATE PUBLISHED: January 24, 2022

KEY INFORMATION: As the climate crisis continues to worsen, we need leaders who will take on the task of pushing for a sustainable, people-and planet-centered Philippines for current and future generations of Filipinos. That said, we, Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines, present our Youth Climate Agenda 2022 as a challenge to our candidates this election season.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
The Art of Fighting Climate Change (RESEARCHED BY: JANNA MARIE VILLARTA)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://impakter.com/art-fighting-climate-change/

TITLE: The Art of Fighting Climate Change

AUTHOR: A.G Saño

DATE PUBLISHED:  August 1, 2017

KEY INFORMATION: A.G Saño, a famous Zamboanga-based visual artist, is known for his famous mural masterpieces that reflect the baneful outcomes of climate change. Art and climate change may be in two different worlds. However, for him, art is an instrument to spread awareness about the effects of climate change and attain climate justice.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Art. Climate change. Two different things that appear on two different spectra. But for , art has become a tool in educating about and fighting climate change, which he hopes will eventually lead to climate justice. He shares with us how he is using art to promulgate his advocacies.
You're called the Whale Boy. Please share with us how you got that moniker.
A.S: Back in 1999, I applied for a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) expedition that would conduct a survey of humpback whales in the Babuyan Islands. I was accepted as team photographer and deployed in the summer of 2000. I went on to join the expeditions in the succeeding years and have collected a good amount of photography materials on whales and dolphins. In 2010, I started the dolphin mural campaign. My murals and photographs of whales were featured in a CNN International interview. That kicked off the name, "Whale Boy."

...we are the vulnerable ones because we don't have the resources that can help us lessen the impact and prepare our heavily hit communities for the worst. That is where fairness is lost. That is where justice is denied.

You're an advocate of climate justice, the environment, and peace. How did one advocacy lead to another?
A.S: My advocacy for the environment came in first when I volunteered for WWF in the late 90s. The humpback whale and marine mammal expeditions around the country solidified that cause and as a street artist spreading images of dolphins in the extreme northern and southern regions of the Philippines, I found myself painting and mentoring communities in conflict areas in Mindanao, including the islands of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Basilan. I also got invited to join peace mission trips around the Lanao Lake, where I conducted mural sessions. These engagements opened up my heart and mind about the need for peace that led me to my peace advocacy.

After Typhoon Ondoy (international name: Typhoon Ketsana), the Philippines (especially Metro Manila) was awakened to the realities of climate change. Year after year since Typhoon Ondoy, we've been hit badly by extreme weather disturbances that left trails of devastation across the land. I was in Compostela Valley when I saw the destruction that was brought about by super typhoon Pablo. While I was there for a relief mission, I decided to tag a big wall along the perimeters of the municipal hall. Together with a missionary priest who is also an artist, I wrote the line: "BABANGON TAYO! New Bataan" (translation: "WE WILL RISE! New Bataan") which came out on broadsheets the following day as banner photos. The graffiti also became a favorite background of television news coverages. That jumpstarted my climate advocacy.

A year after that, I found myself trapped in Tacloban during Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Typhoon Haiyan) . And there, I lost my friend Agit. He perished along with his parents, wife, and son. When I first visited Agit's grave, I vowed to tell the world about him so that people would know how real climate change is.
What is climate justice? How can we achieve this?
A.S: Justice, in simple terms, refers to fairness. In the context of climate change, developing countries like ours did not contribute significantly to the carbon dioxide emissions that gave way to global warming. But the rich countries did! In the process of becoming rich, they burned fossil fuels and produced an enormous amount of carbon dioxide. And now, it is us who suffer. And we are the vulnerable ones because we don't have the resources that can help us lessen the impact and prepare our heavily hit communities for the worst. That is where fairness is lost. That is where justice is denied. We can achieve climate justice only if the rich countries take responsibility for their actions and assume the task of creating fairness.

The biggest challenge that we Filipinos face in the context of fighting climate change is our own lack of discipline and our apathy.

What statement do you wish to make with your art or Artivism so to speak?
A.S: As far as the dolphin murals are concerned, the statement that I wish to convey is that they live happily and freely in the seas and that they thrive without our presence and they can swim far, fast, and deep and play amongst the waves with their families and friends. My artivism wishes to tell everyone that we need to care. We need to take part in the solution for the crisis that prevents the world from becoming a more pleasant place to live in. That fighting for nature is fighting for humanity as well. And that art can be shared and taught to the masses.

Video Credit: Oxfam Deutschland
In a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the highest), how would you rate the Philippines in its involvement in solving the pressing issue of climate change? Why?
I would say that the Philippines' effort in solving the issue of climate change is a 5. I say this because I have been in touch with NGOs and communities and even with the gallant people from the Climate Change Commission who work tirelessly for this cause. Information and education regarding this crisis may be far from perfect but we are getting there. We are also considered as frontrunners when it comes to legislation relating to climate change. My big doubt, however, is how we can convince the big polluters in acting justly.
What do you think are the three (3) biggest challenges that the Philippine government and us Filipinos must overcome to be more involved in fighting climate change?
A.S: The biggest challenge that we Filipinos face in the context of fighting climate change is our own lack of discipline and our apathy. Many people have the attitude of relying on other people to clean up their mess. That is a big hindrance in preparing for extreme weather disturbances. To solve this crisis, we need to understand that the collective efforts of countries and cooperation among communities will get us through. Individualistic approaches will not help at all. Second, our dependence on fossil fuels, especially on coal, presents a big challenge. Sooner or later, we would have to wean away from dirty energy. Third, we need to protect our ecosystems. That, in a way, is a challenge because the degradation that we have been seeing in the past 2 decades seem to have no immediate end. WE need nature to nourish us and get us through such events.

Developed countries caused climate change. They have the moral obligation to fix the problem...They must assist us in putting the technology in place that can help us ease the burden. Technology in agriculture, disaster risk reduction, and preparedness are key areas where they can assist us.

What is the most memorable artwork you've done? Why?
A.S: There are too many memorable works but I'd say the portrait of my good friend Agit Sustento in Paris stands out among them. I dedicated that mural not just to him and his family but also to the thousands of people who lost their lives when super typhoon Yolanda battered Tacloban and to the millions who suffer from the effects of climate change worldwide. It was the final act of our group, The People's Pilgrimage, after walking from Rome to Paris in 59 days during the end of autumn and the start of winter in Europe. We reached Paris in time for the COP21 where the now famous "Paris Agreement" was forged by almost all the nations of the world to embark on a near impossible mission to save the world from climate change. Artists from different countries and organizations joined us in filling the colors of the 15 feet x 30 feet mural, most of which represented the colors of the Philippine flag. Agit, the last person to text me before Typhoon Yolanda hit Tacloban, was a good friend and ally in the art and music scene. He was also an environmentalist by heart. He made climate change so real to me and others who met him in his lifetime. In European countries, climate change did not seem that urgent of an issue because they don't suffer the way tropical countries do. They don't lose loved ones in extreme weather events like we do.

...fighting for nature is fighting for humanity as well.

Aside from street walls, where else do you make your art?
I also paint on bodies and shirts. I draw on sand too! When I teach kids in far-flung regions about art, I encourage them to draw on the sand and document them. Whenever paper is not available, they can always go to the beach and use the ground as the medium. Last June 12, I drew a 100-meter Philippine flag on a beach in Casiguran, Aurora . It was part of a mission that hoisted an underwater flag on the surface of Benham Rise to signify ownership of the territory.

I also create metal installations made of scrap metals that I gather from the roads whenever I do long distance walks here and abroad. In 2014, a group of climate advocates representing different environmental and human rights organizations led by my brother, Climate Change Commissioner Yeb Saño, held a 1,000-kilometer walk from Luneta to Tacloban City. The walk started on October 2 (Mahatma Gandhi's birthday) and ended on November 8 (a year after super typhoon Yolanda devastated Tacloban). The metal pieces that I gathered from the streets became parts of my metal installations that included images endangered species and a portrait of Gandhi.
Based on the conferences you've attended in other countries, how do you think can developed countries help developing countries like the Philippines fight climate change? What viable solutions can we implement?
A.S: Developed countries caused climate change. They have the moral obligation to fix the problem. Therefore, they must commit to helping us in coping with the extreme events brought about by the crisis. They can help us by funding the adaptation measures that we have to undertake. They must assist us in putting the technology in place that can help us ease the burden. Technology in agriculture, disaster risk reduction, and preparedness are key areas where they can assist us. Ultimately, funding the advancement of renewable energy must take lead in the many solutions that we can work on while massive information campaigns and education projects are in progress.

A.G Saño's artwork does not only tell the story of what is presently happening. It is a plea. A call to action. With millions of lives at stake, not just humans' but the lives of all living creatures, how do we fight climate change? To repeat what the artist said, "fighting for nature is fighting for humanity as well." So, how do YOU want to fight climate change?

EDITOR'S NOTE: THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE BY IMPAKTER.COM COLUMNISTS ARE THEIR OWN, NOT THOSE OF IMPAKTER.COM - FEATURED PHOTO CREDIT: Tubbataha Management

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Art of Fighting Climate Change - Impakter

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Art. Climate change. Two different things that appear on two different spectra. But for A.G Saño, art has become a tool in educating about and fighting

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Episode | Disrupt Davao Podcast - DD5: What can we do with the waste that we create? (RESEARCHED BY: ZYRA TOMENIO)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9kaXNydXB0ZGF2YW8uY29tL2NhdGVnb3J5L2VwaXNvZGUvZmVlZC8/episode/aHR0cDovL2Rpc3J1cHRkYXZhb3BvZGNhc3QucG9kYmVhbi5jb20vNmE3YmVlZmItNDI5OC0zOGZjLThjYWYtODU4ZGQ4ZGFkODU1?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwiQt9Ps7s71AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQNw

TITLE: What can we do with the waste that we create?

AUTHOR: Disrupt Davao Podcast

DATE PUBLISHED: November 4, 2020

KEY INFORMATION:
In this episode, we have the creator and lead of BGS Davao (Biggest Garage Sale Davao), Marj Alawi-Bulahan. Her work in the last two years focused on connecting, engaging people, and building communities. She works closely with local creatives who supported the initiative that created the Biggest #GarageSale Davao events.

Biggest #GarageSale Davao is run by an all-volunteer community of creatives committed to inspiring and educating individuals and communities on reuse, recycle, repurpose, and upcycle lifestyle gearing towards #ZeroWasteDavao.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In this episode, we have the creator and lead of BGS Davao (Biggest Garage Sale Davao), Marj Alawi-Bulahan. Her work in the last two years focused on connecting, engaging people, and building communities. She works closely with local creatives who supported the initiative that created the Biggest #GarageSale Davao events.

Biggest #GarageSale Davao is run by an all-volunteer community of creatives committed to inspiring and educating individuals and communities on reuse, recycle, repurpose, and upcycle lifestyle gearing towards #ZeroWasteDavao.

BGS events were designed to create a culture that embraces sustainable practices at the community level. And local creatives committed to inspiring a more sustainable lifestyle with creative solutions.

Marj and I talk about:

Her life before becoming a community builder

Our city's waste management

What is Biggest Garage Sale Davao - events and its processes

What does it mean to have a Zero Waste Lifestyle in the Philippines?

Creatives getting involved in teaching creative solutions in upcycling, recycling our things or wastes

Some of the challenges they encountered because of the pandemic

Developing tech that creates a space for people to connect and engage in a marketplace of events. Events that anyone can host and helps anyone to find the nearest neighbor who sells things that can be reused, repurposed, recycled, or upcycled.

Advice for community leaders and entrepreneurs

Links:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Episode | Disrupt Davao Podcast - DD5: What can we do with the waste that we create?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In this episode, we have the creator and lead of BGS Davao (Biggest Garage Sale Davao), Marj Alawi-Bulahan. Her work in the last two years focused on connecting, engaging people, and building communities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Facebook (RESEARCHED BY: JANNA MARIE VILLARTA)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2768954120043848&set=a.1600557043550234

TITLE: Find a Way Before Throwing Away

AUTHOR: Yenzy Kyle Morgadez Lumanarias

DATE PUBLISHED: October 24, 2020

KEY INFORMATION: Yenzy Kyle Morgadez Lumanarias, a student from Ateneo de Davao University Senior High School, raises awareness about putting an end to the baneful concept of climate change as part of her AdDUvocacy. She conclude that proper waste management can help solve the global long-term worry through practicing the 4Ds (Don’t use single use plastics, Do minimize your waste, Do recycling, and Don’t litter)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=354299512881092&id=100188858292160

TITLE:  Migawas karon ang pipila ka mga memes bahin sa nasinating grabeng kainit sa Davao City og pipila ka mga lugar sa Mindanao.

AUTHOR: Davao Updates

DATE PUBLISHED: July 25, 2021

KEY INFORMATION: Davao Updates, a local or community facebook page, posted on July 25, 2021 a collection of memes that elucidates the current climate condition of the place. Davao, alongside numerous Mindanao areas, underwent an excessive rising of temperature due to climate change.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Local Climate Change Expenditure Tagging Webinar - Mindanao Cluster (May 6, 2021) (RESEARCHED BY: JANNA MARIE VILLARTA)

# data[].attributes.body
URL:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmnyG52lH8w

TITLE: Local Climate Expenditure Tagging Webinar-Mindanao Cluster

AUTHOR: Climate Change Commission

DATE PUBLISHED: May 6, 2021

KEY INFORMATION: The Climate Change Commission launched a highly-informative webinar to address the long-term issue about climate change specifically targeting the peoples of Mindanao through formulating strategic plans that can alleviate the deleterious consequences of climate change.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Local Climate Change Expenditure Tagging Webinar - Mindanao Cluster (May 6, 2021)

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
WATCH: Should Children Care about Climate Change? (RESEARCHED BY: JANNA MARIE VILLARTA)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osi2YGaDN7A&t=41s

TITLE: Should children care about climate change?

AUTHOR: Save the Children Philippines

DATE PUBLISHED: April 17, 2018

KEY INFORMATION: Christene, an 11-year-old girl from Compostela Valley located in Mindanao it is a huge yes. She justifies that the world is experiencing droughts due to climate change because of the humanities’ iniquity to nature such as committing improper waste management, deforestation, overconsumption, and burning of fossil fuels. She concluded that segregating, reforestation, recycling, and disposing one’s garbage into its respected bin can alleviate or end the effects of climate change.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
WATCH: Should Children Care about Climate Change?

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Voices of Integrity: A Call to Climate Action RESEARCHER (ZYRA TOMENIO)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-mi4cdiJ8U&t=42s

TITLE: Voices of Integrity: A call to Climate Action

AUTHOR: Ecojesuit

DATE PUBLISHED: September 18, 2019

KEY INFORMATION: In solidarity with the youth all over the world taking part in the Global Climate Strike, these young people are leading a youth summit for indigenous youth in Upper Pulangi, Mindanao, to discuss the role of culture in climate change mitigation, and to deepen their commitment to climate action.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Voices of Integrity: A Call to Climate Action

# data[].attributes.body
URL:https://youtu.be/yHYBqADxL7U

TITLE: Local climate change action planning in the Philippines

AUTHOR: Adelphi, Berlin

DATE PUBLISHED: September 5, 2017

KEY INFORMATION: As frontline institutions, Local Government Units (LGUs) can transition to action plans that support vertical integration and learning on low emission development. This dimension in planning is necessary to stimulate urban climate actions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Local Climate Change Action Planning in the Philippines

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
2019: The deadliest year yet for environmental activists RESEARCHER (JOHNICEA U. CONGSON) 

# data[].attributes.headline
8. NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION OR ACADEMIC INSTITUTION ARTICLE

# data[].attributes.subject
8. NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION OR ACADEMIC INSTITUTION ARTICLE

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://grist.org/justice/2019-the-deadliest-year-yet-for-environmental-activists/

TITLE: 2019: The deadliest year yet for environmental activists.

AUTHOR: Grist.org

DATE PUBLISHED: Jul 30, 2020

KEY INFORMATION: “On top of extreme weather events, the country’s rainforests are being razed for mineral extraction and private profit, destroying biodiversity and fueling climate change. The Philippine island of Mindanao has always been a military hotspot. According to the report, almost half of all Filipino environmental defenders killed last year lived in Mindanao, a trend that escalated under Duterte’s presidency.”

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
2019: The deadliest year yet for environmental activists

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A new report found that about 212 land and environmental defenders were killed in 2019 worldwide — a nearly 30 percent rise over 2018 data.

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://climatechange.denr.gov.ph/

TITLE: Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Climate Change Service

AUTHOR: Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Climate Change Service

DATE PUBLISHED: 2006

KEY INFORMATION: “As an archipelago in the Pacific, the Philippines experiences the effects of climate change through extreme weather events such as typhoons reaching the (highest) Category 5 intensity on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale or “super typhoons.  The typhoon seasons in recent decades (1980s to 2010s) have been tallying more deaths and damages. Even the Philippines’ southern islands or Mindanao, once considered ‘typhoon-free’, are now more frequently visited by typhoons: two of the deadliest typhoons that visited the country in the 2010s – Sendong and Pablo – had devastated the region."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Climate Change in the Philippine Context

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Stand with Indigenous People in the Philippines RESEARCHER (JOHNICEA U. CONGSON)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://350.org/stand-with-indigenous-people-in-the-philippines/

TITLE: Stand with Indigenous People in the Philippines

AUTHOR: 350.org

DATE PUBLISHED: October 25, 2015

KEY INFORMATION: "Climate change is deeply personal to me. I live in the Philippines and am of the indigenous people, the Lumad. We have a proud culture and self-reliant communities in the lush forests, clear waters, and rugged mountain ranges of the island of Mindanao. "

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Climate Reality Leader: A Dream Come True RESEARCHER (JOHNICEA U. CONGSON)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: http://tubadmindanao.blogspot.com/2019/03/climate-reality-leader-dream-come-true.html

TITLE: Climate Reality Leader: A Dream Come True

AUTHOR: Tubad Mindanao

DATE PUBLISHED: March 25, 2019

KEY INFORMATION:
I am looking forward to learn on how to be a more effective environmental advocate. It would be awesome as well to meet participants from different countries and especially those who are actively doing collaborative works for people in marginalized communities. I am excited to meet mentors too and am very much willing to be mentored and empowered to join this global movement.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
40th Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training

Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC)

Climate Reality Leader: A Dream Come True

By: Josephine "Arjho" Latimban Cariño Turner

I believe in big dreams and wishes. I believe in achieving my dreams and wishes to come into reality too. These dreams are driven by my passion to learn, to engage with other people who are also passionate about what they care about in their community and in their personal life, to give back and share awareness to benefit other people. I have only seen and heard the former Vice President Al Gore sharing about Climate Change on TV interviews, on documentaries, in the mainstream print media, and on social media postings. Back then, I was only dreaming and wishing to be in an event where I can just listen in and learn more about this Climate Change and the Climate Crisis impacting the world, impacting the communities.

It was late in January 2019 that my Facebook Friend Manobo Princess Bae Limpayen Sibug-Las shared to me the great news that she was accepted for the Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training that will be held here in Atlanta, USA. She is coming to join this global training and I willingly shared to her that my family can host her stay while here in Atlanta. I thought then that I will only serve as a host and will be willing to drive her around downtown to the Georgia World Congress Center (GWW) from March 14 - 16, 2019. However, when I checked the website www.climaterealityproject.org, I found out that they are still open for application. The greatest part is that the application registration is free and the application will be screened if approved or not. However, associated travel costs will be shouldered by participants approved for the training. I did my online application and answered all questions asked. Here is what I shared as part of my application and I am sharing this with the hope that whoever reads this story will be encouraged to apply as well for future training of The Climate Reality Project:

My name is Josephine Latimban Cariño Turner but I prefer to be called by my nickname Arjho. I am half Blaan from the Blaan Indigenous Peoples Group of the Philippines and now living in Atlanta since 2006. I got my BS in Agriculture major in Plant Pathology and MS in Environment and Natural Resource Management major in Upland Resource Management from the University of the Philippines. I am also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) by the Project Management Institute (PMI). I am a wife and a Mom of two beautiful kids. I am a cultural and environmental advocate serving non-profit organizations here in Atlanta and in the Philippines. More about me at my website: https://arjhoturner.weebly.com/

What inspired me to apply to the training?

Before immigrating to the USA, I was a Program Manager for the Indigenous Peoples Development Program of Sarangani Province and one of our resource management projects was focused on preserving the traditional upland rice varieties. This traditional agriculture is very vulnerable for the impact of Climate Change especially as the upland areas become drier and drier and food security in the household level is adversely affected and help is very hard to get. I believe that resilience and adaptability is ingrained into the traditions and cultures of many of the societies. However in many cases, if voices aren't effectively communicated and stories left untold, focus of politicians and resources are directed towards where cameras focused that provide the most compelling narrative. Thus, am very much inspired to share how the Indigenous Peoples Group where I came from in the Philippines are really suffering from climate change that impacts the livelihood as well as the vanishing of cultural practices that have sustained them through time and hope to give a voice to that thru the KafyeBlaan Empowerment, Inc., a non-profit organization based in the Philippines that I serve a Consultant and Honorary Board of Trustee. This is my first time to attend this Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training. I am excited to host a fellow participant friend from the Philippines with whom I get the information about the training.

What are you most looking forward to?

I am looking forward to learn on how to be a more effective environmental advocate. It would be awesome as well to meet participants from different countries and especially those who are actively doing collaborative works for people in marginalized communities. I am excited to meet mentors too and am very much willing to be mentored and empowered to join this global movement.

On January 30, 2019, I got an email confirmation for the acceptance of my application. Just like that and my dream and wish is getting real! I could not wait for March 14-16! I shared this great news to Manobo Princess Bae Limpayen Sibug-Las and thanked her for sharing the information to me. I could have missed out this training happening 30 minutes away from where I live just because I did not have any information about it...but, God knows how to use people in our lives and make them vessels in fulfilling our dreams.

Coming from the Manobo and the Blaan Indigenous Peoples Group of Region 12, we had great plans for the three-day event. We were ready. We intentionally wore our respective traditional clothing and accessories to represent the Indigenous Peoples Groups we belong and also share the cultural diversity of the Philippines after getting permission from The Climate Reality Project Team. We did wore our traditional clothing during the first and last day of the training. Of the over 2,000 participants, the two of us were very distinctive among the crowd because of what we wore and people can hear us wherever we go from the sounds produced by the brass bells in our belts. What we wore became a starting point for conversations and introductions with other training participants as well as sharing our advocacy too.

I am proud to share the advocacy of the KafyeBlaan Empowerment, Inc. to the 40th Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training in Atlanta. I had a great opportunity to open up discussion and sharing on the challenges that Indigenous Cultural Communities living on the fringes in developing countries like the Philippines face with the challenges of climate change and its impact to our cultural preservation ... rituals, practices and traditions like weaving that rely heavily on natural resources for raw materials like the wild abaca fiber for Tabih weaving and plants that are sources of natural dyes are in great danger of dis-appearing with the drastic change in the local climate from naturally cool, moist, and diversified farms as sources of crops/foods, fibers, herbal medicines, endemic species to now largely mono-cropping farms, highly intensive synthetic fertilizer dependent farms...as an example among so many we can share. In this training, I did not only share the story but proudly wear that story of the close ties to nature and natural resources as reflected in cultural materials done by two Blaan communities with whom I got my blouse and my Blaan Tabih ... Lamlifew in Datal Tampal, Malungon, Sarangani Province and Amguo, Landan, Polomolok, South Cotabato. I was also able to share about the Blaan Tabih Cultural Master Bai Yabing Masalon Dulo and gave a copy of the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) portfolio in which she is one of the 2016 awardees from the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts (NCCA). I made a thank you note addressed to former Vice President Al Gore, Founder and Chairman of The Climate Reality Project in relation as well to the impact of Climate Change especially local climate change to the Blaan Tabih weaving culture. I am thankful to NCCA for sending the extra GAMABA portfolio copy thru Manobo Princess Limpayen Sibug-Las. Thank you as well to the KafyeBlaan Board of Trustees for allowing me to represent our organization in this global movement.

My dream and wish has come true. After 3 days of intensive, empowering, and inspiring training ... I earned the Climate Reality Leader pin and Certificate of Completion attesting that I am now a Climate Reality Leader. This title comes with responsibility, accountability, commitment and dedication. As a Climate Reality Leader, I have agreed and committed to do the following acts of leadership:

1) to share the Climate Reality slideshow presentation to schools, organizations, community groups, government leaders, and other audiences about the climate crisis and what we must do to solve it;

2) to spread the message about climate crisis through the media; and

3) getting involved in Climate Reality events, attending a climate change event or hosting a climate change event, meeting up with local influencer to talk about climate change, writing a blog post, sending a letter to an elected official, and other meaningful efforts to raise awareness of and strengthen the movement to solve climate crisis.

If you are reading this story and you fall in one of those stakeholders that I can potentially partner with, please feel free to send me an email at arjhoturner@yahoo.com. All these acts of leadership are voluntary in nature and it is global in scope.

As stated in the Climate Reality Project website, participants to the training come from all walks of life:

·Community activists working for a fair economy for all

·Business leaders looking to inspire change in their industry

·People of faith embracing stewardship and compassion

·Parents concerned about fossil fuels harming their family's health

·Young people ready to build a fair and inclusive clean energy future

Join this training and learn new ways to educate others and inspire action. The Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training will help you build skills in communications, leadership, and community outreach. Be part of the global community of activists committed to fight climate change crisis and you can start it in your own community.

"It's time to fight fossil fuels together. Climate activists and social justice leaders, united in one powerful movement. Because fossil fuels aren't just changing our climate. They're poisoning our communities - and low-income families and communities of color most of all. So for any solution to work, it's got to work for everyone.

It's time to talk about equity. It's time to stand with the frontline communities so often the worst hit and the fist forgotten when climate-fueled hurricanes and floods strike. It's time to confront rising temperatures and rising injustice as two sides of the same terrible coin." - The Climate Reality Project

#LeadOnClimate

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Climate Reality Leader: A Dream Come True

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
40th Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) Climate Reality Leader: A Dream Come True By: Josephine "Arjho" Latimban Cariño Turner I believe in big dreams and wishes. I believe in achieving my dreams and wishes to come into reality too.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Endangered Beauty: Mt. Malindang and its Environs in Mindanao, Philippines (RESEARCHED BY: ZYRA TOMENIO)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.searca.org/pubs/books?pid=393

TITLE: Endangered Beauty: Mt. Malindang and its Environs in Mindanao, Philippines

AUTHOR:  Catherine Barretto-Lagunzad Perry S. Ong

DATE PUBLISHED: 2006

KEY INFORMATION: This book, 'Endangered Beauty, Mt. Malindang and its Environs in Mindanao, Philippines', is rather unique. Its uniqueness stems from two advantages held by the editors. As a result, the editors have been able to give a remarkable overview of the endangered wealth and beauty of this hotspot in the Mindanao, Philippines.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This book, 'Endangered Beauty, Mt. Malindang and its Environs in Mindanao, Philippines', is rather unique. Its uniqueness stems from two advantages held by the editors. First, they had complete access to all outcomes of research done in the area for the last five years and second, they had sufficient distance from the research results to enable them to produce that easy-to-read coffee table book. As a result, the editors have been able to give a remarkable overview of the endangered wealth and beauty of this hotspot in
the Philippines.

The book builds on the numerous results of a demand-oriented research programme involving actors both in the Philippines and in the Netherlands. The programme started early 2000 and took place around the area of Mt. Malindang in the provinces of Misamis Occidental, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur in the Mindanao island of the Philippines. It gives a broad picture of the quickly vanishing beauty of this mountain range and its environs and the relationship between what happens in the upland, lowland, and coastal areas.

It provides inside information about a wide range of aspects and the relationship between them, including the often neglected human and societal issues in biodiversity conservation. The pages tell the story of the indigenous people who were forced to go upland and overuse the soils leading to habitat loss and soil deterioration. They also tell the story of massive timber exploitation and logging leading to deforestation and rapid biodiversity loss. They tell about fishermen who use dynamite fishing, destroying a large part of the fish, plant, and coral populations. In short, the pages show that the biodiversity crisis is clearly intertwined with the well-being of people. It also shows that often laws and regulations from different governing bodies overlap in practice and that an integrated effort is badly missing. The urgency of the biodiversity loss cannot be overemphasized. The photographs and aerial maps in this book sufficiently demonstrate that in the Mt. Malindang Range and its environs, time is simply running out.

Nevertheless, the book also gives hope. Because of interdisciplinary research, priority areas have been defined for conservation priorities. The responsibility of making these priorities a reality lies greatly with
the Mindanao people. Two cultures have met: the Dutch from the North and the Filipinos from the South, leading to a remarkable unity of the human spirit to try to bring hope to a marginalized indigenous people without jeopardizing other life forms which are equally worth saving.

Something can be done to avoid further loss of biodiversity. We can conserve what remains, replace what was lost, repair what was damaged, and finally make people aware that they can change the situation. After all, biodiversity conservation and environmental protection are a collective responsibility, which are not intended to deprive but rather to ensure that biodiversity continues to provide a life of dignity for generations to come.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Endangered Beauty: Mt. Malindang and its Environs in Mindanao, Philippines

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This book, 'Endangered Beauty, Mt. Malindang and its Environs in Mindanao, Philippines', is rather unique. Its uniqueness stems from two advantages held by the editors. First, they had complete access to all outcomes of research done in the area for the last five years and second, they had sufficient distance from the research results to enable them to produce that easy-to-read coffee table book.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
This Multinational company will plant 3.5 million trees in Mindanao RESEARCHER (LOUISSE FRANCINE GAMOLO)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.esquiremag.ph/politics/news/nestle-reforestation-philippines-a00293-20211013?ref=site_search

TITLE: This Multinational company will plant 3.5 million trees in Mindanao

AUTHOR: Mario Alvaro Limos

DATE PUBLISHED: October 13, 2021

KEY INFORMATION: Nestle being one of the largest corporation to ever hold reforestation projects in the Philippines, is planning to plant 3.5 million trees with hopes to minimize the increasing rate of greenhouse gases spreading throughout the air, since Mindanao is considered to be the food basket of the Philippines but is somewhat a critical agricultural area, and the source of some of their products like coffee beans.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Perceived Vulnerability and Climate Change Impacts on Small-Scale Fisheries in Davao Gulf, Philippines RESEARCHER (JOHNICEA U. CONGSON)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.597385/full

TITLE: Perceived Vulnerability and Climate Change Impacts on Small-Scale Fisheries in Davao Gulf, Philippines

AUTHOR: Edison Macusi , Kezia L. Camaso, Anna Barboza, and Erna S. Macusi

DATE PUBLISHED: July 05, 2021

KEY INFORMATION: "Our study will first describe the current status of the fisheries, followed by perceptions of small-scale fishers in the Davao Gulf on the different sources of vulnerability and perceived fisheries impacts of climate change. From this collected data, we will explore the relationship between CPUE and vulnerability and impacts of climate change."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Perceived Vulnerability and Climate Change Impacts on Small-Scale Fisheries in Davao Gulf, Philippines

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The small-scale fisheries play a critical role in food security and income of coastal fishing communities. However, climate variability and its impacts are affecting fishers, their communities, and fishing grounds. This study aimed to determine the perceived impacts of climate change and vulnerabili…

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Youth Strike for Climate Philippines RESEARCHER (LOUISSE FRANCINE GAMOLO)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sjopMi92js

TITLE: Youth Strike for Climate Philippines

AUTHOR: 350 East Asia

DATE PUBLISHED: November 6, 2019

KEY INFORMATION: Yet another group of youth advocates, specifically students from places all over the Philippines, including Mindanao, join forces in the global youth climate strike to march on the streets alerting the public that the Earth’s climate should not be taken for granted, demanding urgent and ambitious action

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Filipino youth climate strikers unite for climate justice; call on PH gov't to hold major carbon emitters accountable RESEARCHER (LOUISSE FRANCINE GAMOLO)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.greenpeace.org/philippines/press/3809/filipino-youth-climate-strikers-unite-for-climate-justice-call-on-ph-govt-to-hold-major-carbon-emitters-accountable/

TITLE: Filipino youth climate strikers unite for climate justice; call on PH gov’t to hold major carbon emitters accountable

AUTHOR: Greenpeace (Philippines)

DATE PUBLISHED: November 29, 2019

KEY INFORMATION: The Filipino youth unite and march together especially in Davao, as they are so tired of the government and large companies being one of the causes of climate change and the degradation of lands, they too do not want an unhealthy planet to pass onto the next generations so climate justice is the goal they really want.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Want to do more?

#Climate #Justice Demand climate justice

Filipinos are enduring the worst impacts of climate change, caused by greedy corporations. It's time to hold them to account!

TAKE ACTION ×

Manila, Philippines - Today, youth climate strikers and civil society organizations are calling on the Philippine government to hold major carbon emitters responsible as they march in Manila for climate justice. The march is part of the Global Climate Strikes Movement, which takes place ahead of the UN climate conference in Spain next week. Youth groups are taking to the streets in several other Philippine cities, including Davao, carrying a common message of justice for climate-impacted Filipino communities.

"Filipino youth refuse to inherit a dying planet and a sunken country. We are demanding climate justice," said Mitzi Jonelle Tan, lead convenor at the Youth Advocates for Climate Action in the Philippines.

"We are fed up with the willful ignorance of multinational companies and world leaders of countries that are contributing the most to environmental degradation and the climate crisis. We will not stay in our classrooms when the threats to our country and to Filipinos are so clear and apparent."

Ahead of the climate strikes, young Filipinos are also hopeful that the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) of the Philippines will release a favorable resolution on its investigation[1] into the responsibility of 47 of the world's biggest investor-owned fossil fuel companies for human rights impacts resulting from climate change. The inquiry is the first of its kind in the world and its resolution is expected to become a precedent for future climate litigation in the Philippines and in other countries.

"For the future of our children and the coming generations, we remain steadfast that the CHR will announce a resolution holding fossil fuel companies responsible for human rights violations," said Katherine Culaba, Education Officer at Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO)[2]. "The climate crisis can be addressed, but only if we hold the culprits responsible for the damage they're inflicting."

Greenpeace is supporting the call for climate justice and is demanding that companies most responsible for the climate crisis be held accountable for climate harms.

"The Philippines is in a climate emergency-corporations most responsible for this crisis should not be allowed to continue operating business-as-usual with impunity," said Marian Ledesma, Greenpeace Philippines coordinator for the Climate Justice Campaign. "Today's young people are relentless in their efforts to demand solutions to the climate crisis. Greenpeace honors these young Filipinos who are at the forefront of the call to bring justice to people whose rights to shelter, food, livelihood and a dignified life are being violated by fossil fuel companies who put profit over people. They are not just fighting for themselves, but for everyone."

Notes to Editors:

[1] The Resolution to the NICC1, triggered by a Petition filed in 2015 by 14 civil society organizations and 18 individuals, is expected to be released in time for the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid on December 2 to 13, 2019. The Petition sought an investigation on "carbon majors," the world's biggest investor-owned fossil fuel and cement companies, for violating or threatening the human rights of Filipinos by significantly contributing to climate change and failing to reduce emissions. The NICC is the first initiative of its kind, investigating the responsibility of fossil fuel companies for human rights violations stemming from climate change. The findings that will be outlined in the Resolution is expected to become a precedent for future climate litigation in the Philippines and in other countries, as well as a resource for ongoing cases filed by cities and individuals against carbon majors. Read more: The Climate Change and Human Rights Petition in the Philippines: https://www.greenpeace.org/philippines/press/1237/the-climate-change-and-human-rights-petition/

[2] SENTRO and Greenpeace are among the 14 civil society organizations that signed in the Petition. Other Petitioners include human rights and environmental groups, namely Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement, Dakila, Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates, Philippine Human Rights Information Center, Mother Earth Foundation, Ecowaste Coalition, 350.Org East Asia, Nagkakaisang Ugnayan ng mga Magsasaka at Manggagawa sa Niyugan, Asian Peoples' Movement on Debt and Development, Alliance of Youth Organizations and Students-Bicol, Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, and Nuclear Free Bataan Movement.

Media Contacts:

Marian Ledesma, Climate Justice Coordinator
Greenpeace Southeast Asia - Philippines
[email protected] | +63 998 562 3578

Angeli Cantillana, Communications Campaigner
Greenpeace Southeast Asia - Philippines
[email protected] | +63 998 595 9733

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Filipino youth climate strikers unite for climate justice; call on PH gov't to hold major carbon emitters accountable - Greenpeace Philippines

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Want to do more? #Climate #Justice Demand climate justice Filipinos are enduring the worst impacts of climate change, caused by greedy corporations. It's time to hold them to account! TAKE ACTION × Manila, Philippines - Today, youth climate strikers and civil society organizations are calling on the Philippine government to hold major carbon emitters responsible as they march in Manila for climate justice.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
More youth in Davao, Soccsksargen show care for environment, study says RESEARCHER (LOUISSE FRANCINE GAMOLO)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: http://davaotoday.com/main/environment/more-youth-in-davao-soccsksargen-show-care-for-environment-study-says/

TITLE: More youth in Davao, Soccsksargen show care for environment, study says

AUTHOR: Ken E. Cagula

DATE PUBLISHED: December 1, 2020

KEY INFORMATION: Mindanao youths joined together as they have the will to join initiatives to save the climate of earth, the majority think that waste management is the top option to cause these climate change problems.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
DAVAO CITY, Philippines - A recent study by a local environment group showed that youth in two Mindanao regions have high awareness on environmental issues and are interested to join initiatives for its protection.

In the survey made by Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) on 508 youth respondents from Davao Region and Soccsksargen held from September to October, only 9.6% said they are "uncertain" about climate change.

Of the survey, nearly half or 47% of the respondents considered waste management as a top option to address climate change problems, followed by "call to action" and reforestation.

"Waste management is probably the most obvious environmental issue [among the youth] because we can see and feel it, and this is commonly taught at schools," noted Ram Manlatican, IDIS data manager and analyst.

Watershed conservation and land-use concerns, however, were issues the respondents are least knowledgeable about but are the current advocacies of groups such as IDIS for Davao City.

Nonetheless, 83% of the respondents indicate they are ready to participate in activities to address environmental problems.

Manlatican said with this study, there is a need "to strengthen educational drive about other environmental issues that also need attention from the youth."

The study also showed that the common environmental activities the youth know of are clean-up drives and tree planting/growing.

But the respondents showed that conducting rallies on environmental issues is the least popular option, which is in contrast to how environmentalists raise their issues elsewhere in the world.

"Rallies [are] common especially in the global stage, such as [those led by] Greta Thunberg and other notable teenagers who are essentially activists. How is it low here in the Philippines, particularly in Region 11 and 12 is probably due to the political stigma surrounding rallies and activism in general," Manlatican said.

But apart from joining activities, the respondents expressed high commitment to sustainable living practices such as backyard gardening and conserving water.

Among other recommendations that the respondents presented are stricter implementation of environmental law, building networks between schools and community organizations, no to red-tagging and protection of environmental activists, and educational drives.

Amelou Catague-Ferrer, IDIS Policy Advocacy Officer, also proposed mainstreaming youth involvement in the local government decision-making process, urging all LGUs to create a Local Youth Development Council and the Sangguniang Kabataan to have more projects related to environment and sustainable initiatives. (davaotoday.com)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
More youth in Davao, Soccsksargen show care for environment, study says

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
DAVAO CITY, Philippines - A recent study by a local environment group showed that youth in two Mindanao regions have high awareness on environmental issues and are interested to join initiatives for its protection.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
BARMM has 1M tree seedling reserves RESEARCHER (LOUISSE FRANCINE GAMOLO)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1072344

TITLE: BARMM has 1M tree reserves

AUTHOR: Edwin Fernandez & Noel Punzalan

DATE PUBLISHED: June 14, 2019

KEY INFORMATION: Environment Officials and employees in Maguindanao conducted soil-bagging activities in green nurseries for the sustainable growth and protection of nature against the continuous spreading of climate change.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
SOIL BAGGING. Abdulraof Macacua (center), Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy - Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MENRE-BARMM) chief, leads his staff in holding a soil-bagging activity to prepare young trees for future tree-planting activities. The activity, held on Thursday (June 13) at the regional tree seedlings nursery in Barangay Dimapatoy, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao, coincides with the celebration of the Environment Month this June. (Photo courtesy of MENRE-BARMM)

COTABATO CITY - The Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy - Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MENRE-BARMM) said on Thursday its tree seedling reserves in its regional nursery facility has already reached close to one million.

Environment officials and employees conducted a soil- bagging activity at the nursery in Barangay Dimapatoy, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao, as part of the celebration of the Environment Month.

"It (soil bagging) is a continuing effort is to prepare the young trees for future tree-planting events in the region," MENRE-BARMM Minister Abdulraof Macacua said.

To ensure the sustainable growth of the regional seedling nursery, Macacua and other environment workers have committed to continue developing it along with various seedling nurseries across the Bangsamoro region.

"Soil-bagging activities would be considered a part of the ministry's greening program amid the effects of climate change," Macacua said.

Macacua said he would regularly visit seedling nurseries across the region to assess and evaluate the needs of nursery sites and take action on its sustainability.

BARMM comprises the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and the cities of Cotabato, Marawi and Lamitan.

In 2014, the defunct Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao succeeded in the care and eventual distribution of one million tree seedlings in the region through the regional tree seedling nursery.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
COTABATO CITY - The Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy - Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MENRE-BARMM) said on Thursday its tree seedling reserves in its regional nursery facility has already reached close to one million.Environment officials and...