MANILA, 6 June 2019 — Aksyon Klima Pilipinas, a network of civil society groups working for a robust climate policy for the country, is taking up the challenge of President Rodrigo Duterte and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. to the international community to take “radical action” on climate change while urging Malacañang to walk the talk.

Following President Duterte’s statements last Friday in Tokyo lambasting the lack of progress in the United Nations climate negotiations, Foreign Affairs secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. yesterday announced he was “rejecting all official participation in climate change conferences requiring air travel.”

Francis dela Cruz, convener of Aksyon Klima Pilipinas, said:

“We echo the frustration expressed by President Duterte and Secretary Locsin on the lack of progress in the UN climate talks given that the Philippines is in the frontlines of the climate crisis. Report after report has illustrated the wide gap between current pledges and the actual scale of action required to give our country a fighting chance to survive and thrive.

“We take it that Secretary Locsin is also referring to our own climate resilient and low carbon development when he called for radical action. We take it as a sign that government is ready to realize more initiatives on adaptation, renewable energy, sustainable transport, and solid waste management.

“Our own government must walk the talk and in the process achieve economic growth by aligning our development plans to not only adapt to the creeping impacts of climate change but also to build and sustain cleaner and healthier communities. We stand ready to assist our government officials in ensuring that strong positions are not only conveyed in the UN climate talks but are also implemented at home.”

CONTACT: Denise Fontanilla, denise@icsc.ngo, media@icsc.ngo