Cagayan, Palawan, Iloilo vulnerable to sea level rise

MANILA, Philippines - The world-famous sweet Guimaras mangoes might soon become an endangered variety as global warming could submerge Iloilo province, together with Cagayan and Palawan, the Climate Change Commission (CCC) warned yesterday.

The commission, chaired by President Arroyo, warned that many parts of the country, including the regions where the mangoes are grown, are “seen to go underwater due to climate change” due to the rise in sea level by at least a meter.

Citing a study of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, CCC vice chairman Secretary Heherson Alvarez said Iloilo ranks third among the provinces in the country that are most susceptible to the rise in sea level.

The study identified Cagayan province as the most vulnerable, followed by Palawan.

“We are extremely vulnerable because we are in the southwestern Pacific area where there is an occurrence of many depressions, (which) mature into storms, and violent storms sometimes enter the archipelago,” Alvarez said.

The Philippines has been calling for a deep and early cut of carbon dioxide emissions by Annex-1 countries under the Kyoto Protocol in order to moderate, if not avert, the accelerating destructive storms brought about by climate change.

“If people will not unite for a deep and early cut of carbon dioxide, the entire country will go under the surface because of the frequency of extreme weather disturbances entering the Philippines every year,” Alvarez said.

Aside from the possible sinking of many parts of Iloilo, he said climate change has started affecting mango production on the island of Guimaras, resulting in losses to mango farmers.

In 2009, the National Mango Research and Development Center (NMRDC) reported that erratic weather patterns attributed to climate change have already taken its toll on the production of the “sweetest” mango in the world.

The decline in mango production, according to the center, was shown in price increases despite the peak season last year.

Rhod Orquia, an NMRDC researcher, said mango production in Guimaras is being threatened by climate change since the shifting trend in the onset of rains already affects the planting process and harvesting schedule of mangoes.

Guimaras has more than 200,000 mango trees planted by 7,000 farmers. – With Rhodina Villanueva