CSOs make space for the electorate to assess candidates for Senate seats!
Various civil society networks have banded together to organize a series of forums for senatorial candidates to elaborate their “green” agenda.
At least six among May 2022 elections candidates for upper house posts will be sharing their position and legislative plans on the environment, climate emergency, and disaster risk reduction, across three different forum schedules: March 30, April 6, and April 16. Each forum will start at 10:00 and will run for two hours.
To register, visit bit.ly/senforum-envi
The forums are organized by the Philippine Misereor Partnership, Inc. (PMPI), Ecowaste Coalition, Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO), Disaster Risk Reduction Network Philippines (DRRNetPhils), the Caritas Philippines, and the De La Salle University. These will be live-streamed online.
The series of forums aim to give voters an alternative means to scrutinize candidates and their platforms and policies to address environmental degradation, pollution, waste, disasters, climate change, and a just and green development paradigm.
“Our world is changing, and not for the better. Our climate and environment are in decline, causing loss and damage to our economy and society that no short-term, band-aid solutions can fix. We need radical transformations of our systems and structures,” a unity statement “Panawagan para sa Maka-Pilipinong Agenda ukol sa Klima at Kalikasan” signed by various civil society organizations and networks stated.
The networks of CSOs are calling on all Filipino votes to join the “clamor for systems change, especially the promotion of a just and green development paradigm: where economic development and growth can no longer be at the expense of the environment but directed towards sustained progress that prioritizes planetary and peoples’ health.”
Three more candidates have yet to finalize their appearance, on top of the confirmed six bets. Senatorial candidates scheduled to participate include: March 30- Lawyers Alex Lacson and Chel Diokno, with former Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat who has yet to finalize his schedule; April 6 – Atty. Sonny Matula is scheduled. Atty. Neri Colmenares and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV have yet to finalize this schedule; and for the April 13 slot, the last schedule of the series of forums, lawyers Luke Espiritu and Jopet Sison with environmentalist David D’Angelo will be present.
Follow the Facebook Pages of organizing CSOs for more updates.
Philippine Misereor Partnership, Inc. (PMPI)
Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO)