By: Emmanuel D. Taghoy
TURTLE ISLANDS, Tawi-Tawi – During its recent visit here on Sept. 5-10, the Philippine Information Agency (PIA)-9 in coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has installed the LakasLikasan billboard, the first in Western Mindanao.
It bears the logo of “Karagatan,” as Turtle Islands municipality consists of seven small islands, which may be affected by seawater rise wrought by climate change. It also bears the thematic slogan “Nagbabago Na Ang Panahon, Panahon Na Para Magbago.”
LakasLikasan is the brand of PIA’s climate change advocacy campaign in partnership with the DENR.
“There is a big difference in us advocating climate change and the media announcing and reporting it,” DENR-9 Regional Director Arleigh J. Adorable said during the Zamboanga Peninsula regional launch of the Climate Change Advocacy Campaign last July 19 at the Sibugay Grand Plaza Hotel, Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay.
“This is the reason why,” he said, “the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) tapped the PIA as its partner to help promote the Climate Change Advocacy Campaign.”
Adorable disclosed that the DENR had been conducting various activities to advocate climate change years before its recent launch but he stressed tha “with the media, the information sticks more in the mind of the people than the information drive done by our experts who seem to be more scientific in their presentation.”
The campaign is also designed to weaken public’s apathy to climate change and strengthen adaptation and mitigation measures as a response to it.
It also hopes to inspire and motivate active cooperation and participation, and foster partnerships with public and private communities involving the youth, academe, local government units and civic organizations, among others.
On the same occasion, PIA-9 conducted a climate change advocacy forum to more than 100 students of Turtle Islands National High School with some teachers and policemen.