may-june 2013
By Leonard T. Pineda I
ILOILO CITY(PIA) , May 15 - The Climate Change Commission (CCC) has forged a partnership with the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) in management of disaster risks and adaptation of the impact of climate change vis-a-vis sustainable development. In a statement, the CCC recognized the UPV as a leading academic institution that would collaborate with the agency to raise the capacity of key local players in the cities and municipalities within the Jalaur River Basin in Iloilo in disaster risks reduction and climate change adaptation. The UPV said that as part of this collaboration, five representatives from the university participated in the training of trainers on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation held recently in Tagaytay City for the benefit of local stakeholders in the Cagayan and Jalaur River Basins. The capacity-building exercise aimed to ensure that people, institutions, structures and government are better prepared to and cope with disasters, while at the same time working towards reducing risks and building the people’s capability to overcome such challenges. The UPV team was led by Prof. Nestor Yunque, UPV’s vice chancellor for administration, along with two faculty members, a university research associate, and the chief of the campus and maintenance development office. Implementation of the partnership is part of a project dubbed as “Resilience Capacity Building for Cities and Municipalities to Reduce Disaster Risks from Climate Change and Natural Hazards,” supported by the United Nations Development Program. T he three-year project is also being funded by the New Zealand Aid Program. The CCC, which operates under the Office of the President, is the lead policymaking body tasked to coordinate, monitor and evaluate the programs and action plans of the government concerning climate change issues. (JCM/LTP/PIA-Iloilo) http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index. php?article=2421368589591
Phl gets first disaster damagesetting computer Employing the infinite power of computers, Philippine authorities may yet be able to predict with some degree of accuracy the cost of potential damage to property brought about by natural calamities such as typhoons, floods, and earthquakes. T his developed following the signing of a four-party memorandum of Understanding (MOU) providing for the adoption of a precedent-setting computer-assisted “catastrophe (CAT) model” capable of estimating the cost of potential damages to buildings and other structures arising from such phenomena as earthquakes, hurricanes, and typhoons which may in turn be used as benchmarks for setting non-life insurance premiums. Signatories to the MOU forged last May 29 were the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) , the Insurance Commission (IC), the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
UP, Climate Change Commission to work closely for a climate change resilient Philippines by KIM Quilinguing
William D. Dar, Director-General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat), has received the M.S. Swaminathan Award for Leadership in Agriculture for 2013. The award was presented to Dar by K. Kasturirangan, Member (Science), Planning Commission, in New Delhi today. An excerpt from the award citation states, “His work has created great impact on the lives of resource poor farmers. Dar has also actively promoted Public-Private-Farmer partnership linking strongly the end users
with the National Agricultural Research System as well as International Agricultural Research Centers.” William Dollente Dar is a citizen of the Philippines and received his doctoral degree from the University of the Philippines Los Baños. Prior to joining ICRISAT, he had served as Advisor to the President of the Philippines. (This article was published on June 24, 2013) http://www.thehindubusinessline. com/industry-and-economy/agri-biz/ award-for-icrisat-chief/article4846944.ece
with providing a unique and distinguished leadership role in higher education and development, UP is ready to assist CCC (Climate Change Commission) in its efforts to combat the effects of climate change by harnessing UP’s expertise from all across the System”, Pascual added. Prior to this MOA signing, UP had undertaken several activities geared towards the study of climate change and its consequences on the country’s biodiversity and population. Among the projects launched under the administration of President Alfredo Pascual are: the 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Expedition, which mapped out terrestrial and marine biodiversity and the effects of climate change on these organisms; the Indigenous Communities’ Conserved Areas (ICCA) National Conference in 2012, where academicians and representatives of the indigenous called for the recognition of indigenous communities conserved areas and ancestral domains and its protection from the effects of climate change and corporate encroachment. Ke y i n i t i a t ive s o f t h e A q u i n o administration, such as Project NOAH, also involve UP experts in the mapping and monitoring of weather patterns as well as hazardous areas in the country; and the Disaster Risk and Exposure Assessment for Mitigation (DREAM) program, which uses Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to prepare much more detailed topographical maps of the country are used for disaster risk reduction management programs. The university has also taken the lead in the adoption and promotion of environment-conscious policies and practices. Green UP, which is among the university’s flagship projects provides for the use as well as design, of energy-efficient and environment-friendly measures and structures in UP’s units. The new UP Integrated School (UPIS) building in UP Diliman, which maximizes natural light and ventilation, uses environment-conscious building techniques reducing energy and water consumption. With the signing of this agreement with the commission, the university’s experts, working with the commission in capacitybuilding trainings in the communities, will be able to share their knowledge and expertise in fields such as geology, engineering, urban planning, environmental management, disaster risk reduction and management, as well as hygiene, child and maternal care and food security. Their involvement with the CCC, as well as with the communities they will be training, is a testament to the continuing fulfillment of the university’s mandate to provide its unique and distinctive role in higher education and development.
(PHIVOLCS), and the Philippine Insurers & Reinsurers Association (PIRA);. The accord provided for collaboration in the conduct of “research work and parallel studies on earthquake, fire, flood, severe wind and other hazards intended as inputs to the build-up of data for the government’s Risk Mitigation/Assessment and Risk
Reduction Management Programs.” At present, all buildings in UPD are insured under the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), a standard procedure for all government owned structures. Chancellor Caesar Saloma represented UPD at the MOU signing, while Emmanuel
Dooc, Dr. Renato Solidum and Emmanuel Que represented IC, PHILVOCS and PIRA, respectively. Witnessing the event were Dr. Benito M. Pacheco, UPD Vice Chancellor for Research and Development; Dr. Aura Matias, dean of UPD CoE; and officials from IC and PIRA. — ACG
Photo by El Bacani (UPSIO)
CCC-UPV tieup in disaster risk management
U.P. News 3
Among the key personalities during the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between UP and the Climate Change Commission (CCC) on June 19, at the Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City are (top photo) CCC Climate Change Office Deputy Executive Director Joyceline Goco, CCC Vice Chair and Commissioner Mary Ann Lucille Sering, GIZ’s Dr. Bernd Markus Liss, UP President Alfredo Pascual and UP Vice President for Public Affairs J. Prospero De Vera III. Also present were UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Gisela Concepcion and UP Los Baños Chancellor Rex Victor Cruz.
As tropical cyclone Emong brings rains and floods to the country, the University of the Philippines and the Climate Change Commission signed a Memorandum of Agreement on June 19, at the Board Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City to jointly work together for a climate resilient Philippines. The memorandum brings together the expertise, resources, and networks of the two institutions to strengthen the capacity of communities all over the country to the address the effects of climate change. This is the first time that the UP mobilizes it seven constituent units, 1 constituent college and 17 campuses to work hand-in-hand with an agency of government dedicated to the study and recommendation of solutions to the changing patterns of weather and the environment. UP has been aggressively partnering with key agencies and media networks to implement its public service mandate. The university earlier forged memoranda
with government institutions such as the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and the Commission on Elections (COMELEC); as well as private institutions like ABS-CBN Corporation, in the interest of pursuing its mandate of providing public service through the extension of its expertise in fields such as economics, agriculture, health, sociology, and public administration. UP President Alfredo Pascual succinctly captured the essence of the university’s involvement when he said “Many of our faculty members are very visible in sharing their expertise in both natural and mamade disasters that hit our country. From the devastation of typhoon Sendong in Mindanao to the oil and gas leaks in Makati and the Bonifacio Global City. From making available flood maps online so communities can go to safer grounds, to providing health care in evacuation centers.” As the National University tasked
Award for Icrisat chief