Marcos bets discuss climate change, disaster mitigation in Robredo stronghold Camarines Sur

March 7, 2025 | 5:33pm

MANILA, Philippines — The senatorial picks of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. aimed to woo the stronghold of his main political opponent in the 2022 elections, former Vice President Leni Robredo, in her bailiwick of Camarines Sur.

Camarines Sur delivered a landslide victory for Robredo in the 2022 national elections. It was one of only two regions where Marcos lost, the other being Western Visayas.

Speaking to reporters in Pili, Camarines Sur, Marcos’ candidates were asked about their plans for climate change, the environment and agriculture—a pressing issue, especially after Bicol was devastated by tropical cyclone Kristine in 2024.

Incumbent Makati Mayor Abby Binay said she would focus on securing proper funding for the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and supporting disaster mitigation projects like Project NOAH.

“I think the bottom line really is resilience. Climate change is not going to revert itself anytime soon, it is here, and the only way we can combat climate change is to be resilient. So the only way you can be resilient is to have the proper data through forecasting,” Binay said in a mix of English and Filipino. 

Sen. Francis Tolentino, who was born in Bicol, pointed out that there was massive deforestation in Mount Isarog. He also said there was a need to revisit the Bicol River Basin Development Program  (BRBDP) to alleviate the flooding in the area. The BRBDP is a scrapped geography-based development initiative for Bicol to help mitigate its flooding. 

“We need a big budgetary outlay. This can be done and again this is needed specially with an area, big area such as Camarines Sur,” Tolentino said in a mix of English and Filipino. 

Rep. Camille Villar (Las Piñas) said that while the Philippines already has many laws that integrate climate change, proper implementation was lacking. 

“There is a lot of legislation on this that we need to make sure is properly implemented and there are a lot of trends in innovations around the world right now that [maybe] we can apply to our local agricultural industry,” Villar said. 

Meanwhile, Rep. Erwin Tulfo (ACT-CIS) said the government needed to properly fund projects such as post-harvesting facilities and provide support to farmers. Like Tolentino, Tulfo also said he would support the BRBDP.  

Former interior secretary Benjamin Abalos likewise supported the revival of the BRBDP.  

Meanwhile, former senator Ping Lacson emphasized that as legislators, their focus will be on their oversight function and to make sure that government agencies are using the budget properly for flood mitigation projects.