The Pangasinan leg of the campus tour last September 10 was part of the climate change advocacy campaign of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) with the theme “Nagbabago na ang Panahon, Panahon na Para Magbago.”
The DENR and PIA also partnered with Pilipinas Natin, the volunteer arm of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCCO), to help in gathering the youth to embrace the campaign.
The campaign will be brought next to Ilocos Norte, La Union and Ilocos Sur in the coming days. Part of the campaign is a series of townhall forum where village folks will take part in the discussions on climate change adaptive practices.
Some 4,000 Pangasinense in separate schools promised to help curb the ill effects of the weather phenomenon, now described as the new normal that affects the whole world.
The from Pangasinan State University (PSU)-Lingayen Campus and the Panpacific University North Philippines (PUNP) in Urdaneta City made a commitment to protect the environment.
Presidential Communications Undersecretary Jose Mari Oquiñena, also PIA Director-General, said the effects of climate change are repercussions of the collective wrongs that humans do.
Oquiñena urged the youth to display the same spirit that Gilas Pilipinas showed the world when they romped away with the country's first win after 40 years in the recent FIBA Cup world series beating Senegal.
“When you plant trees, make sure it grows with you,” he said.
He called on the youth to put into actions what they have learned from the forum to minimize the adverse effects of climate change.
“Let us work together in facing climate change, not later but now, so the generations to come could still enjoy the beauty of the environment” he added.
Jennilyne Role, PIA director for the Ilocos, said that the youth can make a big difference in addressing climate change in their own little way.
“From the thousands of youth participants in the campus tours, core students will be selected to join the Kalikasan Camp where they will undergo a training on protecting the environment," she said.
A coastal clean-up and barangay forum were also conducted in Barangay Bonuan Gueset here on September 11 as part of the climate change advocacy campaign. (MCA/AMM/PIA-1, Pangasinan)
