In his visit to a flood-stricken village here, February 1, Duterte told residents that the US is the biggest emitter of carbon gases which destroys the earth’s atmosphere. This as he criticized the latter for not signing the Kyoto Protocol, seven years ago in Kyoto, Japan.
By IRENE V. DAGUDOG
Davao Today
DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has seemingly embarked on a new role. That is, educating the people about the global phenomenon climate change and campaigning against the United States for its great contribution.
In his visit to a flood-stricken village here, February 1, Duterte told residents that the US is the biggest emitter of carbon gases which destroys the earth’s atmosphere. This as he criticized the latter for not signing the Kyoto Protocol, seven years ago in Kyoto, Japan.
“Naay convention didto, nagtapok-tapok ang mga tigas nga nasud apil ta aron kaning kaning aso, carbon emissions nga tawag nila, menos-menosan na (A convention was held where tough nations, us included, gathered to discuss on how to cut down carbon emissions),” he said, adding that, “(H)alos nipirma ang tanan, ang wala lang mopirma mao ang Amerika. (Almost every country signed the convention, except the United States).”
Duterte said that the US doesn’t want to limit its carbon emission, otherwise, it will affect its economy.
“Kay kung imong pugngan iyang buga buot pasabot ang mga factory sirhan nimo. Naa gud tanan tanan ginahimo sa Amerika, eroplano, barko, pati bala ug pulbora (Because if you have to stop the emissions, it would mean a closure of some factories. Almost all things are made in America – airplanes, ships, even bullets and gunpowder),” he told the residents in 5-A, Bankerohan.
He again emphasized that the communist movement has been right with its analysis, all along.
“Tinuod ang mga ginaiingon sa mga Komunista nga ang Amerika maoy dakong kontrabida. Dili lang ang Amerika kundi ang Western World. Sila nay magpadala og mga NGO diri, lektyuran ta nga kamo mga Pilipino ayaw mo pagputol og mga kahoy, ayaw mo pagsunog (The Communists are right all along in saying that America is the great villain. It is not just America but all of the Western World. They pretend to send NGOs here, lecture the Filipinos about not cutting down trees, or burn down things),” he said, adding that “(N)gano man? kay kato untang imong parte sa buga, punggan na niya kay nagkinahanglan nga siya nalang (Why do they have to do this? So that they can avail our emission level targets),” he said.
In his television program Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa, last Sunday, Duterte had lashed at foreign non-government organizations for putting the blame on the Filipinos for the so-called forest denudation, especially in Mindanao. He earlier said that Americans were the original loggers in the country.
The said NGO allegedly blames the Filipinos for the series of disasters that hit the country like typhoons Sendong and Pablo and the flashfloods that hit Davao City January 20.
Meanwhile, residents affected by the recent floods receive financial assistance from the local government with beneficiaries coming from the 13 villages: City Poblacion’s 1-A, 2-A, 5-A, 8-A; Talomo’s 74-A, 76-A, MAA; Dizon’s 9-A, 10-A, 19-B; Buhangin Waan, Tiggato, Mandug and Lasang.
Residents whose houses were totally damaged also received construction materials like plywood, nails and hammers. (Irene V. Dagudog/davaotoday.com)
