The 3rd Philippine Environment Summit kicks off today at the Grand Caprice Restaurant and Convention Center with the theme “Paradigm (re)Shift: Heeding Nature”.
This year’s Summit will run on February 26-28, 2020 and will showcase programs and projects that contribute to the country’s social and economic advancement while sustaining the environment.
“Global warming and its flip side, climate change, has starkly revealed that our current paradigm for thinking and doing is unsustainable, and it is now undeniable that we must respect and return to nature’s principles if we are to continue the gains of cultural evolution and to save the environment on which our lives depend,” said Dr. Angelina P. Galang, President of Green Convergence.
The biennial Summit is unique to most forums on the environment that present the dire state of our planet in that it recognizes the valiant efforts of many Filipinos who are taking positive steps to counter the destruction.
“Our Summit proclaims the good news,” Galang stressed. “We celebrate the Philippine environmental movement, and call for the Filipino people to unite in accelerating the drive towards sustainable development.”
Confirmed plenary speakers include Federico Lopez, CEO of the Energy Development Corporation and Mitos Urgel, President & CEO of the World Fair Trade Alliance Asia. DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu will deliver the keynote address.
The biennial Summit was first held in 2016 in Luzon at the SM Mall of Asia, Metro Manila, while the 2018 event was held in Visayas at the Waterfront Hotel, Cebu City. The 2020 Summit will be the first time that Mindanao hosts the event.
The 3-day Summit will carry the themes of Safe Food, Healthy Environment, and Sustainable Economy. Each day will have plenary sessions in the morning and breakout sessions in the afternoon. Around 1,000 participants from all over the country are expected to attend.
Breakouts on the following topics will be held every afternoon from 2-5PM: Feb. 26 (Wed): Indigenous Peoples Eco-Governance, Organic Agriculture, Disaster Risk Reduction Management, and Eco-Friendly & Sustainable Barangays; Feb. 27 (Thursday) : Community Co-Governance, Non-Timber Forest Products, Ecotourism, and Youth and the Environment; and Feb.27 (Friday): Ecosystems Protection, Bamboo: Sunrise Industry for the Philippines, Education and the Environment, and Spirituality and Sustainability.
The 3rd Philippine Environment Summit is brought to you by Green Convergence Philippines and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), together with the Forest Foundation Philippines, the Energy Development Corporation, and the Foundation for the Philippine Environment. It is supported by Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, the Local Government of Cagayan de Oro City Philippines, Liceo de Cagayan University- Official FB, and SEARCA, with media partners Eco-Business, Mindanao Daily News, BusinessWeek Mindanao, and The Cagayan de Oro Times.
