The School of Environmental Science and Management-University of the Philippines Los Baños (SESAM-UPLB), in partnership with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), conducted a resiliency seminar for AFP executives at Hotel Kimberly, Tagaytay City, December 4 to 6, 2018.
The seminar aims to enhance the basic understanding and appreciation on climate change– its physical science basis, impacts, adaptation and vulnerability, and mitigation of Climate Change; Hazards, Risks, Exposure and Sensitivity; People, Ecosystems and the Environment; Assessment methodologies and advocacy strategies; Further, this seminar also aims to provide a lecture-discussion forum and insights on current policies and advances in technology and practices on climate change adaptation and mitigation (CCAM) and disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM).
The AFP counterpart from the Planning, Policies and Program Development (PPPD), Office of J3 (OJ3) gathered commissioned officers from the different branches of the AFP– the Philippine Army (PA), Philippine Navy (PN) and Philippine Airforce (PAF). As part of the their mandate, the AFP is also in the forefront of civil defense. The AFP has been a primary responder during disasters and calamities and is frequently deployed in disaster- and/or calamity-stricken areas to conduct disaster relief and rescue operations and provide missions for medical and healthcare services.
Col. Efren Morados, Chief of the PPPD, said it is also important that AFP officers, non-commissioned officers and civilian employees must be able to understand the effects of climate change. A master’s degree holder on National Security Administration, Col. Morados stressed the importance of this resiliency seminar for the future plans of the AFP. “Lets take advantage of this seminar, as this will give us an institutional memory in preparation for the next activities on climate resiliency of the AFP”, Col. Morados said.
Various lectures from experts of different fields will be delivered on this three-day seminar. Among those who will share their expertise are Drs. Leo Armada and Karlo Queaño, from the National Institute of Geological Sciences, UP Diliman; Drs. Jenelyn Padrones, Nathaniel Bantayan and Rex Victor Cruz of the College of Forestry and Natural Resources-UPLB; Drs. Decibel Eslava, Hildie Marie Nacorda, Ma. Victoria O. Espaldon and Yusof Sucol of SESAM-UPLB; and Dr. Rogel Marie Sese, Program Director, National Space Development Program-Department of Science and Technology.
The seminar invited more than 30 AFP personnel. At the end of this 3-day resilience seminar, they are expected to have held and embraced a deeper understanding and appreciation on the concepts/views on climate change and hazards in the global and local contexts; and have pursued a participatory and dynamic lecture-discussion forum in getting potential knowledge to action programs for resilience building, and in exploring information, advocacy capacity campaigns within its organization and the communities that it serve.
