THE TEN COMMANDMENTS ON HOW TO CHOOSE GREEN CANDIDATES

By
Rina Jimenez-David

1. Thou shall not vote for candidates using the 4Cs to win: Guns, Goons, Gold, and Garbage. Vote for candidates who stand for the essential Ms in the genuine exercise of the right of suffrage: Malinis, Maayos, Matipid, Mapanindigan, Marangal, Mapayapa, Makatao, Maka-kalikasan, and Maka-Diyos. Support candidates known for their simple, pro-people and ecological lifestyle.

2. Thou shall not support candidates who nail, staple, strap or plaster campaign materials on defenseless trees and other restricted sites. Vote for candidates who plant and love trees, use the least amount of campaign materials and abide by the campaign rules.

3. Thou shall not pick candidates who use smoke-belching vehicles that contribute to worsening air quality. Go for candidates on bicycles rather than those who come in convoy of cars. Vote for those who use fewer vehicles in motorcades to reduce fuel consumption and car emissions.

4. Thou shall not fall for candidates who make beautiful speeches about their love for the people and the environment but fail to match their words with deeds. Does the candidate walk his talk? Check if he/she is engaged in any environmental advocacy or project, or has financial interest in any polluting or environmentally-destructive business. Vote for those who live by what they say.

5. Thou shall not select candidates who profess to protect the environment, but are mute on what they intend to do. Ask the candidates, point-blank, how they intend to serve the interest of the environment. Vote for those who will work earnestly to heal and protect the environment.

6. Thou shall not choose candidates who are hooked to the outmoded “hakot-tambak-sunog” and fail to shut down illegal dumps. Vote for those who segregate their discards at home and in the work place and support ecological, low-cost and community-driven alternatives to dumps, landfills and incinerators.

7. Thou shall not vote for candidates who ignore the health, environmental, socio-economic and human rights concerns against “sanitary” landfills, “waste-to-energy,” dams and similar infrastructure plans. Vote for candidates who assert the people’s sovereign rights to a clean, safe and healthy environment. Go for candidates who will work for sustainable economy that will respond to people’s basic needs and not to the dictates of the World Bank and other international funding institutions.

8. Thou shall not elect candidates who want to build big dams and allow mining, logging and other extractive industries to rape our land and abuse human rights, especially the rights of our indigenous peoples. Vote for those who will take up the cudgels for the human as well as non-human victims, such as trees, plants and wildlife, of environmentally-damaging human activities.

9. Thou shall not back candidates who will not take action against the health and safety threats of genetically modified crops and food products. Vote for candidates who will advance the people’s right to safe and healthy food as well as food production systems that nurture the earth.

10. Thou shall not vote for candidates who refuse to acknowledge global warming. Vote for candidates who see the need for preventive and precautionary actions to stop climate change. For instance, go for candidates who oppose new coal power projects and support community-owned utilities using renewable energy sources.

Source: Magis Deo (2007), "Vote for Green Candidates," available at http://www.magisdeo.org/wcm/content/view/68/1/ (Viewed on 10 January 2010).

MAR ROXAS: CLIMATE CHANGE IS NOT MY PRIORITY

We now know the position of Vice-Presidential Candidate Mar Roxas on environment and climate change. In the recently-held Vice-Presidential Debate, Roxas belittled Senator Loren Legarda’s prioritization of climate change and the environment (see press release below from Roxas’ Senate office) in her agenda. He does not believe or maybe he does not know “Green Growth” – that economic development can be achieved while protecting the environment. He probably does not know that “Green Growth” has been adopted as a paradigm for development in the Asia-Pacific region since 2005 by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) (http://www.greengrowth.org/). Moreover, he probably does not know that South Korea, one of the economic tigers in Asia, has been pursuing “Low Carbon, Green Growth” under the leadership of its environmentalist President, Lee Myung-Bak, since 2008 (http://www.unep.org/pdf/OP_Feb/EN/OP-2010-02-EN-ARTICLE1.pdf). Finally, and the most important, Roxas probably does not know that the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has adopted “green growth” as a strategy for the 2010-2016 Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/235678/neda-pushes-green-growth-dev-t-plan). Will Roxas ignore the MTPDP if it goes against his “priority”?

The GVGG Movement believes that there should be a top-ranking environmental officer (President or Vice-President) at the executive branch (aside from the Environment Secretary) to help balance the politics of environment-development debate in the national government. Roxas has made his position known and we heard it loud and clear. Hence, the GVGG Movement now declares its unequivocal support for the candidacy of LOREN LEGARDA for Vice-President of the Philippines. VOTE FOR LOREN LEGARDA FOR VICE-PRESIDENT ON MAY 10, 2010.

Press Release
March 27, 2010
ROXAS ADVOCACY CENTERED ON JOB CREATION, ECONOMIC STABILITY

Liberal vice presidential candidate Senator Mar Roxas did not have any intention to set aside the Climate Change issue during Sunday's "Harapan: The Vice Presidential Debate."

Roxas said perennial VP survey second-placer Loren Legarda deliberately twisted his motive when he asked about her keen interest on the subject to give the public the false impression that he did not care about the environment.

"The point I was making in the debate is that Senadora and I have an honest difference of opinion of what should be the priority for the next Vice President, the next government and for every Filipino family," Roxas explained.

Unlike Legarda whose campaign is centered on her environment advocacy, Roxas firmly believes the administration should focus on job creation, higher wages, and lower prices of critical goods and services like medicines, food and education. "That is what I will be working on," he promised.

He added: "This is an honest difference of opinion. There is really no need for Senadora to engage in political name-calling. I'm disappointed. The voters deserve better than that."

Legarda, the day after the vice presidential debate, publicly rebuked Roxas for allegedly belittling the impact of Climate Change in the country and said this showed his ignorance and insensitivity to the people threatened by the effects of food and water shortage - two of the adverse consequences of the El Niño phenomenon. She offered to give Roxas a tutorial on Climate Change issues.

"Let me thank Senadora for her offer. But actually, I know quite a bit about both climate change and environmental issues," he said, adding: "I am confident in the wisdom and intelligence of the Filipino to choose what is most important to them and for the nation. I choose job creation, and making prices affordable."

Source: http://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2010/0327_roxas1.asp

This press release is a damage-control measure because what was really evident during the debate was Roxas' condescending attitude on Legarda's environmental and climate change advocacies. Roxas' remarks really show his ignorance about global cooperation against climate change - that no matter how small the contribution the Philippine makes to GHG emission - its cumulative and transboundary effects can be felt worldwide. And it matters even more because the Philippines, a Third World country, is at the receiving end of the global warming's devastating effects. Read his remarks below:

“Senadora, matagal na po kayong nasa public eye, 20 taon bilang brodkaster, tumakbo bilang senador, tumakbo bilang bise presidente, tumakbo bilang senador muli, at kilala na po kayo sa ating buong bansa. Sa halalang ito, yung inyong pagtangkilik sa environment ang siyang pinaka sentro ng inyong programa. Bakit po ito ang sentro samantalang ang Pilipino — ang Pilipinas — ay less than one percent ng problema sa kabuuan ng climate change?”

10 MILLION MOVEMENT: EARTH DAY-PHILIPPINES CELEBRATION ON APRIL 22, 2010

Green Vote, Green Growth joined the 10 Million Movement (10MM) of the Earth Day Network Philippines in celebration of Earth Day on APRIL 22, 2010. Sign up and leave your print at http://www.10mm.ph/