March against climate change set

THE People Climate Change Movement-Cebu Chapter will spearhead a “March for Climate Justice” on Nov. 28.

The march will be attended by students from the different universities and colleges in Cebu City and government and private organizations.

The march will start at the Fuente Osmeña circle at 4 a.m. and end at the Basilica del Santo Niño, where a Mass will be celebrated.

Different cultural presentations depicting the present environmental situation will be shown at the pit stops along Fuente Osmeña and Santo Rosario.

Fr. Alladin Luzon from the Order of Saint Augustine said the march aims to make the people aware that the church is in solidarity with environmentalists in their concern for the environment.

“We will be expecting 3,000 participants to attend. We firmly believe that this fight belongs to everybody,” said Fr. Aladdin.

The group is also united in their stand to take  decisive action against climate change.

They will also be asking the local government to craft ordinances based on Pope Francis’ encyclical letter “Laudato Si,” a  wake-up call to the world on  the destruction that man is wreaking on  the environment.

Cebu City Councilor Alvin Dizon, who was present during the conference at the Colegio del Santo Niño, told reporters that the city has already crafted several ordinances in line with environmental preservation, including one that requires high-rise buildings to install rainwater-catchment structures  to conserve water.

But Dizon said not all buildings have complied with the ordinance.

Dizon said it’s now time to conduct an information drive on the existing ordinances for the compliance of public and private establishments.

Fr. Aladdin said they have also started conducting information drive in schools, incorporating environmental protection in classroom instruction.

In universities and colleges, Aladdin said they have already asked the National Service Training Program (NSTP) directors to include environmental awareness as a subject.

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