MANILA, Philippines – For former Commission on Human Rights (CHR) commissioner Roberto Cadiz, Filipino voters must consider the issue of climate change when they vote on Monday, May 9.

The CHR on Friday, May 6, released a landmark report that said climate change has negatively impacted Filipinos’ right to life and should be treated as a human rights issue. 

The report’s release comes a day after Cadiz, who led CHR’s four-year climate change inquiry, ended his term, and three days before the 2022 Philippine presidential elections. 

While non-binding, the report gave strong recommendations to the government, advising that it should stop fossil fuel and coal dependence in favor of renewable energy. 

Such huge steps would require a “green” candidate determined to integrate climate mitigation into his or her development plans for the country. 

‘Unpopular’ voting issue

However, Cadiz admitted in a press briefing on Friday that climate change remains an unpopular issue even though the country is constantly under threat of destruction from strong typhoons.

CHR hopes the release of the report would normalize the conversation around climate change like any basic sectoral issues talked about during elections. 

“It’s about time for them to consider climate change in determining [their candidates],” Cadiz said. 

The climate crisis is hardly even mentioned in highly-publicized presidential and vice presidential debates for the 2022 elections.

The topic only took the spotlight during the Commission on Elections’ second presidential debate last April, but because of the debate format, not all candidates were able to share their stances on key issues such as access to clean water and transition to clean energy. 

Why it matters

The election of heads of government affects how much a country would prioritize climate mitigation. 

As an example, Cadiz referred to the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement under Donald Trump and its subsequent return when Joe Biden was elected. 

Even the implementation of the CHR’s recommendations in its climate change report would rely on the next president’s resolve to see the ongoing crisis as a violation of human rights.

Because climate change is a global concern, much relies on world leaders to deliver climate promises, especially on the international level. Addressing climate problems also require tremendous political will from all leaders. – Rappler.com