Bohol Lawmaker Lauds Red Cross Greening Program at Stakeholders Meeting

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines, Dec 7, 2023 – Bohol First District Representative Edgar Chatto on Thursday thanked the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) for its Greening DRR Program during a stakeholders meeting, praising its role as a steadfast partner in disaster response.

Chatto, who chairs the PRC-Bohol chapter, credited partnerships like this for the province’s progress, citing the Red Cross’s support during crises such as earthquakes and typhoons.

At the event, he acknowledged program donors Shir Shah Ayobi and Carlo Simonetti, country representatives of the American Red Cross and Canadian Red Cross, respectively, for their contributions to the initiative.

The lawmaker, who also heads the House Committee on Climate Change, underscored the program’s importance in uniting grassroots efforts and shaping future disaster risk reduction strategies. “National and local levels must work together on adaptation and mitigation to tackle the climate crisis,” he said.

Chatto described the program’s theme, “Saving lives through working with nature,” as timely, noting its alignment with global climate change and disaster risk reduction talks at the ongoing COP28 in the UAE.

He lauded the PRC’s disaster response strategies and the Greening DRR Program for integrating adaptation and mitigation efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, which he said drive weather pattern shifts, floods, storm surges, and rising sea levels.

The meeting saw participation from PRC-Bohol officials, including Emmanuel Pilayre, board secretary, and Keith Cantoneros, acting administrator, alongside national PRC figures such as Karen Loreno, DRRM Unit Head, and Charmille Riamae Senica, GDRR National Project Coordinator. Local government officials and pilot community representatives were also present.

The Greening DRR Program targets disaster-prone barangays like Bonkokan Ubos in Lila, Manaba in Garcia-Hernandez, and Valladolid in Loboc, employing nature-based solutions for community-level disaster risk reduction in collaboration with the provincial government’s PDRRM office.