Philippine Strategy on Climate Change Adaptation: Policy Health Handbook SectorIn relation to this are the sectors and the potential causes that may come from them; forestry: forestfires and damage to life and limb; energy: air and noise pollution; agriculture: drought causingdecrease harvest and malnutrition to name a few.2.4 Devolution and the PIPHHealth devolution plays a central role in the coping and adaptive mechanism in local governmentunits. Local chief executives and health managers now have the say in how health programs will berunning. It will then depend on the openness to look at health from a climate change perspective tomobilize resources and commitment from them. The recently developed province-wide investmentplan for health (PIPH) has become a venue for objective focusing on health activities that have beenidentified for funding. From this also will stem the local projections and scenarios. While climatechange has a global and regional impact, its local effects will be unique to the population and theprevailing environment in the locality. That is to say that climate change has specific local effects thatvary across provinces and will then need differing health responses.60 2
Philippine Strategy on Climate Change Adaptation: Policy Health Handbook Sector2.5 Population increaseThe Philippines is also among the world's fastest urbanizing countries, and overcrowded citiespresent their own challenges. 47 percent of the population lives in urban areas, compared with 31percent in Thailand and 16 percent in Cambodia; the country has more than 200 urban areas thathave populations of more than 50,000, notes the country's Commission on Population (POPCOM). ByWorld Bank estimates, these urban centers could expand to some 600 by 2020, largely because highlevels of rural poverty are pushing people into the cities. 12The latest national census 2009 projects the country at 96 million, growing at a natural increase 2.2%;we are expected to be 115,500,000 m and 145,700,000m respectively for 2025 and 2050 (projected).This will then make us spread thinner our resources which will increase our vulnerabilities to climatechange. As more people seek health services, the lesser we will be able to cope if population is notmanaged prudently.3. Current Sector InitiativesIn May 1991, the Philippines created the Inter-Agency Committee on Climate Change (IACCC) underthe Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources(DENR). It was a concrete manifestation of the Philippines’ attempt to promptly address the issue ofclimate change. In 1992, the Philippines became a signatory to the 1992 United Nations FrameworkConvention on Climate Change. Here it expressed together with other countries its belief in theprinciples of sustainable development and environmental preservation based, upholding equity and inconsideration of the distinctive capabilities of the participating countries.Climate change and health saw its first appearance about a decade ago when the First nationalCommunications had a section dedicated to the health impacts of climate change. That portionshowed initial diseases and climate parameters correlation. 13 The 2005-2010 national objectives forhealth do not have climate change in its pages. It rather has a programmatic approach to health anddivides this into communicable and non-communicable segments of disease. It looks atenvironmental degradation with air carrying pollutants and particulates and its effects on the health ofpopulations; 14 and disasters from a perspective of affectation of health due to loss of limb and life. 15We know that natural calamities like typhoons, floods, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are othermajor environmental hazards that are common in the Philippines.These hazards are more difficult to control and mitigate. Although environmental disasters happennaturally, man-made environmental degradation cannot be discounted as a major culprit in someinstances. Because diseases, disabilities and deaths are dire consequences of these hazards, thehealth sector is usually left to handle the management and rehabilitation of victims. 16 Climate changeresponses then become secondary, as the primary public health response is disease syndromespecific. Diagnosis and treatment protocols are focused and usually may not consider the triadicparadigm of environment-host-agent. The current sector initiatives will then center on these.In a more recent move towards rationalization of climate change response, the government hasapproved the Republic Act 9729, also called the climate change act of 2009 which seeks to prioritizeresponses to this phenomenon which will help stem the tide against sustainable development. TheAct will install a commission with the President at the helm as chair, to oversee coordinativemechanisms as well as solutions to adapt to the foreseen climate change impacts on the differentsectors. It will craft the national framework strategy and program for climate change.<strong>DOH</strong> responses to climate change were more focused on those that were more immediate andneeded priority: disaster response secondary to extreme events – floods, landslides and earthquakes,12 Yvette Collymore. Rapid population growth, crowded cities present challenges in the Philippines. PopulationReferences Bureau, 2003. Avaialble fromhttp://www.prb.org/Articles/2003/RapidPopulationGrowthCrowdedCitiesPresentChallengesinthePhilippines.aspx13 Philippines First national communications for climate change. Health, Chapter 3, p.15. Available fromhttp://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/phinc1.pdf14 National Objectives for Health 2005-2010, Reducing Burden of Disease, Chapter 4, p.254. Available fromhttp://www2.doh.gov.ph/noh2007/NOHWeb32/NOHperSubj/Chap4/EnvironmentalHR.pdf15 National Objectives for Health 2005-2010, Reducing Burden of Disease, Chapter 4, p. 249. Available fromhttp://www2.doh.gov.ph/noh2007/NOHWeb32/NOHperSubj/Chap4/EnvironmentalHR.pdf16 Ibid.61 1
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