HONORABLE JOSE ENRIQUE GARCIA III, GOVERNOR OF BATAAN

HONORABLE ALBERT GARCIA, REPRESENTATIVE, 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF BATAAN

HONORABLE NELSON DAVID, MAYOR OF LIMAY

HONORABLE ACE JELLO CONCEPCION, MAYOR OF MARIVELES

HONORABLE ANTONIO RAYMUNDO, MAYOR OF ORION

DR. RUBY MATIBAG, PRESIDENT OF BPSU

COLLEAGUES FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND CIVIL SOCIETY

GOOD MORNING.

THE PROVINCE OF BATAAN HAS ALWAYS BEEN A MODEL TO FOLLOW BY OTHER LGUS FOR THE COMBINED EFFORTS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT – FROM PROVINCIAL, TO MUNICIPAL – BUT NOW, IT IS NOW ALSO A MODEL FOR NATIONAL AND LOCAL COHERENCE IN TERMS OF POLICIES AND ALIGNMENTS FROM THE NATIONAL LEVEL ALL THE WAY TO THE BARANGAY LEVEL. IT ALSO COMBINES THE WORK VARIOUS SECTORS OF SOCIETY AND ACROSS SEVERAL SCALES. THIS INCLUDE ACADEMIA AS A PARTNER, THE PRIVATE SECTOR, CIVIL SOCIETY IN WORKING TOGETHER IN REALIZING THE PROVINCE’S VISION OF 1 BATAAN A MORE RESILIENT BATAAN.

IN SHORT, BATAAN IS THE PIONEER PROVINCE AS FAR AS WE ARE CONCERNED, IN ACHIEVING ALL THE GOALS AND PILLARS OR RESILIENCE, BOTH CLIMATE AND DISASTER. IT ACTUALLY FEATURES A COMMITTED AND KNOWLEDGE-DRIVEN LEADERSHIP THAT WORKS ON HUMAN DEVELOPMENT TO SUSTAINABLE LOCAL ECONOMY, INFRASTRUCTURE BUILDINGS AND HOUSEHOLDS, A VERY SOUND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, AND MOST OF ALL, HUMAN SECURITY IN ITS NEW SENSE THAT INCLUDES FOOD, WATER, AND ENERGY SECURITY.

ON THIS NOTE BEFORE I PROCEED, I WANT TO CITE OF COURSE OUR NRC PARTNERS WHO ARE ALSO HERE, I JUST USED THEIR FRAMEWORK IN TERMS OF ACHIEVING RESILIENCE IN TERMS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

WHEN I WAS PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL RESILIENCE COUNCIL, WE WERE ABLE TO DEVELOP THE BATAAN RISK PROFILE. THIS CLIMATE DISASTER RISK ASSESSMENT, TOGETHER WITH THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND THE MANILA OBSERVATORY, THROUGH NRC’S RESILIENT LGU PROGRAM, WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY RISK PRIORITY AREAS TO UNDERSTAND THE PROVINCE’S ROOT CAUSES OF EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY, AND IDENTIFY THE APPROPRIATE CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION STRATEGIES.

WE ALSO LAUNCHED THE BATAAN ADVANCED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ECOSYSTEM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND THIS WAS THE PROJECT THAT WE LAUNCHED WITH THE DOST, THE PHILIPPINE MERCHANT(?) MARINE ACADEMY OF SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS, THE PROVINCE ITSELF AND DPSU.
IT’S MY HOPE THAT THE SUPPORT FOR THIS PROJECT, IN TERMS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN RESILIENCE WILL CONTINUE, AND WE HOPE TO ENGAGE DPSU AND THE DOST MORE SUBSTANTIVELY IN THE WORK MOVING FORWARD.

BECAUSE EACH LGU HAS A DIFFERENT RISK PROFILE, DIFFERENT RISK VULNERABILITIES, EACH ONE NEEDS TO CONSTANTLY BALANCE THE INTERDEPENDENCIES OF ALL THE DIFFERENT SECTORS IN THE INTERSECTION OF ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF VULNERABILITIES THEY FACE, THAT THESE VULNERABILITIES ALSO REPRESENT GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARTNERSHIPS STRATEGICALLY WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR. SO WE ARE VERY ENCOURAGED BY THE PRESENCE OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR HERE TODAY.

PROJECT TRANSFORM, WHICH WILL BE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED TODAY, IS ONE CONCRETE APPLICATION OF HOW LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAY MOVE TOGETHER AND CONTINUOUS CONSULTATION WITH THE DENR AND ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS IN GOVERNMENT AND IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AS WELL AS ACADEMIA. THE DENR ADVOCATES FOR A WHOLE-OF-SOCIETY APPROACH FOR ALL INVESTMENTS AND DECISION MAKING, AND THE PRIVATE AND CSO SECTOR WILL BE ABLE TO COMPLETE A MULTI-SECTORAL PARTNERSHIP THAT IS BASED ON EVIDENCE. WE ARE GRATEFUL TO OUR IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS FOR THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT THROUGH PROJECT TRANSFORM, TO THE EPR, AND MORE.

AS YOU WILL SEE AROUND THE VENUE, AND I SEE THAT CONGRESSMAN ABET HAS ALREADY MENTIONED, THERE ARE MANY PROJECTS THAT ARE LINED UP, SOME ARE IN THE PIPELINES AND READY TO GO. THESE ARE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE LOOK FORWARD TO IN TERMS OF PARTNERING WITH THE PROVINCE TO SEE HOW WE CAN LINK TO WHAT’S ALREADY BEEN DONE AND WHAT COULD BE THE PLACE FOR THE FUTURE OF BATAAN.

THESE PROJECTS COVER THE DENR’S DOMAIN, LAND, AIR AND SEA. THE PROJECT OF LAND IN PARTICULAR, THE INVENTORY OF PUBLIC LANDS IS GROUNDBREAKING AND WILL SERVE AS A MODEL OF OTHER PROVINCES IN TERMS OF NATURAL CAPITAL ASSET ACCOUNTING SYSTEM. WE DO HOPE TO WORK TOGETHER WITH THE NRA AND DAR AND OUR OTHER PARTNERS IN ORDER TO COME TO AN ACCOUNT OF WHAT IS AVAILABLE BY WAY TO MANAGE OUR RESOURCES FOR THE COUNTRY AND FOR THE PROVINCE.

THIS IS TRULY TRANSFORMATIVE FOR BOTH THE PUBLIC AND THE PRIVATE SECTORS. WE WILL ALSO BE WORKING WITH YOU AS I MENTIONED TO GOV. ABET EARLIER AND ** WE WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH YOU FURTHER ON A WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PLAN IN ORDER FOR US TO HELP THE BARANGAYS ALL THE WAY UP TO THE PROVINCE.

AS YOU KNOW, THE PROVINCE HAS ALREADY ORGANIZED THE EO FOR THE WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT OFFICE UNDER THE DENR. WE HOPE THAT YOU CAN WALK WITH ME TOWARDS THE JOURNEY TO ACHIEVE A BLUE AND GREEN ECONOMY USING THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT.

WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT A GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY IS NOW ABOUT TO TAKE OFF FOR BATAAN, PRINCIPALLY BECAUSE IT EMBARKED ALREADY ON MANGROVE REHABILITATION AND ITS 1 MILLION TREES PROGRAM.

AS I MENTIONED TO VICE GOV EARLIER, IT MAY BE POSSIBLE THAT ONCE WE DO THE GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY THAT BATAAN WILL BE THE PROVINCE THAT WILL BE CLOSEST TO OUR TARGET OF NET-ZERO FOR 2050. SO THAT IS ONLY TOGETHER WITH YOU, THE GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY FOR THE MUNICIPALITY UP TO THE PROVINCE.

OUR THIRD AREA OF COLLABORATION, WOULE BE ON THE EPR AND THE EXTENDED PRODUCERS RESPONSIBILITY LAW. WE HOPE THROUGH YOUR GREEN SUPPORT HERE IN TERMS OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR, BUT WE HOPE ALSO THAT WE WILL EMBARK ON A WAY FOR US TO RESEARCH HOW WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO UPCYCLE PLASTICS. WE KNOW THERE IS A LAW ON SINGLE-USE PLASTICS, HOWEVER WE ALSO KNOW REALISTICALLY THAT THIS PRODUCT WILL NOT GO AWAY VERY SOON. AND SO OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU IS TO WORK TOGETHER WITH YOU ON THE UPCYCLE AND NOT JUST THE RECYCLING OF PLASTICS HERE IN THE PROVINCE. THIS WAS A PROJECT THAT WAS BROUGHT UP DURING OUR BATAAN ADVANCED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ECOSYSTEM, AND WE PLAN TO CONTINUE THIS WITH THE PROVINCE AS WELL.

THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING AND BY WORKING TOGETHER, WE CAN TRULY MAKE A LASTING IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITIES. THE DENR STANDS COMMITTED TO SUPPORT BATAAN IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ITS INFORMED AND INCLUSIVE PLANS, POLICIES, AND PROGRAMS, AND IN FACILITATING INVESTMENTS IN THE PROVINCE THROUGH FURTHERING MULTISTAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS. THESE PARTNERSHIPS HAVE A VITAL ROLE TO PLAY IN ACCELERATING A TRANSFORMATIVE AND SUSTAINABLE RESILIENCE AGENDA FOR WHICH THE BATAAN BRAND WILL BE KNOWN FOR.

LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF RESILIENCE AND IMPACT THAT LEADERSHIP IN THIS PROVINCE. IT IS CRITICAL THAT THIS LEADERSHIP UNDERSTANDS HOW VULNERABILITIES CAN BECOME OPPORTUNTIES. WE ARE GRATEFUL THEREFORE TO OUR LOCAL CHIEF EXECUTIVES PRESENT HERE TODAY, ESPECIALLY TO CONG ABET, CONG JIDA(?) AND CONG JOEL. I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS THE DENR’S COMMITMENT TO DEEPENING OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH ALL OF YOU TOWARDS A MORE RESILIENT, PROGRESSIVE, AND SUSTAINABLE BATAAN.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

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