#TalkThursday with Lucille Sering

MANILA, Philippines – Rappler speaks with Secretary Lucille Sering of the Climate Change Commission.

A long time environmental advocate, Sering entered government in 2007 as a Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) undersecretary. Heading the legal department of DENR, she pioneered the introduction of a specialised curriculum for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education that focuses on environmental laws, required for all lawyers of the DENR.

In 2009, Sering’s expertise as a professor of environmental law also landed her a position in the technical working group which drafted the first Environmental Rules of Court in the Philippines.

Sering was then appointed vice-chairperson to the Climate Change Commission, one of the group’s first members. With the Climate Change Commission, Sering has helped push for the passage of Republic Act 10174, an amendment to the Climate Change Act. The law provides for a Peoples’ Survival Fund, which gives financial assistance to local government units for climate change adaptation and disaster risk management programs.

Sering is also pushing for Eco-Town, a project that engages communities to protect their environment and find ways to earn at the same time. Currently, Eco-town is being tested in Siargao Island.

Sering will discuss climate change resilience and how environmental awareness can be shared in small communities.

Watch the interview below.

– Rappler.com