Good afternoon.

Allow me first of all to greet, and thank, and congratulate our hosts and organizers in this very important partnership. Mr. Hans Sy, SM Sustainability and Resilience Champion, Mr. Hans Chico Sy, and Mr. Harvey Sy, and the entire SM family. Ms. Trin Custodio and WWF Philippines. This is a wonderful start of a great partnership. I hope that it will continue as we have lots of work to do.

I also wish to greet a very good friend and partner of the DENR who was on video, my former boss, as Mr. Hans was saying, Fr. Jett Villarin, Manila Observatory’s Executive Director, and of course, we wish to acknowledge the message of our Vice President and Secretary of Education Sara Duterte.

I only have three points really to share with you as we close this wonderful event that marks you as sustainability champion. Although you’ve come from different schools and background, and we are all together in this quest for sustainability, our journey is really about the raise to resilience.

As our climate changes, society is changing, too. Sustainability is our pathway to survival as a planet, and that is what resilience is really about – the ability to withstand the impacts of hazards that we know, and those that we may face in the future, as well as thrive in this uncertain time. As a generation, you will be more mobile, more connected, and need to process more information. You have access to more technology, including the multiverse made possible by AI than any of us who have spoken to you today.

You will also be exposed to the disruptive environmental changes some of us may not witness in our lifetimes as we breach 1.5 degree. So I have three points in this closing message:

The first, you must stay curious. Do not stop questioning. Listen to your mentors, be bold, and speak up, but it’s important to ask the right questions. The answers will follow later.

Secondly, you must be agile and adaptable. The world does not owe us any favors. At this point, we have damaged it enough. So you must hold fast to your principles as you are challenged to take action.

Third, most importantly, we must continue to be kind to each other. Sustainability is a matter of the soul, and we are all interconnected. This is about respect, equity, gratitude, and the need to care for the present and future of others as we live through changes in our ecosystems and our world, and we cannot fully anticipate or imagine.

In the coming days, you will learn from the experts. You have already been privileged to see how corporations like SM are able to bring this message forward. Sustainability methods and practices, and climate action that will allow us to preserve our environments and protect our ecosystems not just for this generation, but for the next.

Make the most of this opportunity as you watch and listen about challenges and local actions that are transforming our country.

Before I close, I hope though that you will also think beyond our shores. Sustainability is not just about our local action, we are all interconnected as I’ve said previously.

May I just give one stark example about how fast the future will be here, and how linking sustainability, climate, and a just transition away from fossil fuel are both interconnected and necessary.

Filipino seafarers from the deck hands to captains move our world to their service to global trade. Shipping contributes 3% of global GHGs, and the industry is committed now to net zero by 2050. To do this, between 30-40% of ships have to be fueled by wind, by green methanol, by green hydrogen, and green ammonia by 2030. Fuels and technology shift, this means some of our countrymen will be displaced, and we will need you, with scientific and engineering knowledge, and different skills now in order to apply new tools in work environments transformed by climate change.

While none of you may never set out to sea as your profession, all of us are sitting on or using some material whose supply is both dependent on the harvesting or creation of goods from another country’s resources, and that has been transported by shipping and trade.

Let’s not forget then that behind and beyond these materials that we use are decisions, and perhaps, sacrifices and commitment of other Filipinos who serve on these ships just to enable us to achieve sustainability.

So as we embark on this journey with SM and WWF Philippines, I guess I really have four, and not three things to remember: While we think and act locally on sustainability, we must remember the global challenge.

Stay curious and bold, become agile and adaptable, and most importantly, do not forget to be kind to each other.

Thank you, and good afternoon.