The Philippines faces significant challenges from climate change, ranking high on global indices of vulnerability. However, public awareness of climate change impacts is low. The document discusses opportunities for the health sector to play a leading role in climate action. It proposes reframing climate change as a public health issue to raise awareness and support for adaptation. The Department of Health is well-positioned to champion this approach and strengthen climate resilience through existing health policies and programs.

1. Challenges and Opportunities
in the Philippines
Ramon Lorenzo Luis R. Guinto, MD
September 26, 2013
Second National Conference on Climate Change

2.  No. 6 in the Climate Change Vulnerability
Index
 No. 3 most vulnerable to disaster risks and
natural hazards in the World Risk Index 2011,
next to Vanuatu and Tonga

3.  Only 1 in 2 Filipinos
aware of climate
change (Pulse Asia
August 2010 survey)
 Climate Change
Commission facing
difficulties even
within government
 Seemingly slow
progress in
implementation of
adaptation measures
at local level

4. Ramos and Villamor, Benguet State University

7.  Frames - interpretive
storylines that set a
specific train of
thought in motion,
communicating why an
issue might be a
problem, who or what
might be responsible
for it, and what should
be done about it

9. Source: WHO

10.  Malaria
 Diarrhea
 Meningitis
 Dengue Fever
 Floods and Cyclones
 Drought
 Airborne Dispersion of
Hazardous Materials
 Heat Stress
 UV Radiation
 Pollens
 Air Pollution

16.  About one third of
Americans, one half of
Canadians, and two-
thirds of Maltese said
that people are already
being harmed
 Relatively few people
answered open-ended
questions in a manner
that indicated clear
top-of-mind
associations between
climate change and
human health risks

19.  Global warming’s six Americas:
 Two of the five segments responded positively to the public
health essay
 Five of the six segments responded more positively to
information about the health benefits associated with
mitigation-related policy actions than to information about
the health risks of climate change.

20.  Thinking in a far longer time
frame than has been
customary in health planning
through systems approach
that extends well beyond the
current boundaries of the
health sciences and the
formal health sector
 Communicating about the
risks posed by climate
change requires messages
that motivate constructive
engagement and support
wise policy choices
 Acting through interventions
that address climate change
should offer a range of
health, environmental,
economic, and social
benefits

22.  Health is an important value to Filipinos
◦ Household consumption expenditure for health:
15.2% growth in 2012 (NSCB)
◦ Challenge: broadening the view of health beyond
disease care
 In general, health concerns are immediately
felt and requires urgent attention
 Health brings a perspective that makes the
problem more personally relevant, significant,
and understandable to members of the public
◦ Climate change can be incorporated in existing
health education activities

23.  Climate change: Health impacts are varied in
terms of:
◦ Time frame (short-, medium-, long-term)
◦ Evolution of signs and symptoms (acute, chronic)
◦ Distribution (geographical, social)
◦ Severity (mild, moderate, severe)
 However, from a medical and public health
perspective, health impacts of climate change
are:
◦ Avoidable and preventable
◦ Curable with cost-effective measures
 Filipinos’ reception of a public health reframing
of climate change can be studied, but action
should not be delayed

25. Source: Dr. Gatan-Magturo, Department of Health

28.  Climate Change
◦ Climate Change Act of 2009 (RA 9729)
◦ National Framework Strategy on Climate Change
(NFSCC) 2010-2022
◦ National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP)
2011-2028
 Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
◦ Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Act of 2010 (RA 10121)
◦ National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Plan 2011‐2028

29. Source: Dr. Gatan-Magturo, Department of Health

30.  Department Circular: Adaptation
of Climate Change Framework
for Health
 Philippine Strategy on Climate
Change Adaptation for the
Health Sector
 DOH Department Personnel
Order No. 2010 – 2977: Creation
of a Technical Committee for
Climate Change and Health
 DOH Administrative Order No.
005 S. 2012: National Policy on
Climate Change Adaptation for
Health Sector
 DOH Department Personnel
Order No. 2011 – 2458: Creation
of a Climate Change Unit

31.  World Health Assembly Resolution 61.19 on
Climate Change and Health
 WHO Western Pacific Region Resolution 59.7
on Protecting Health from the Effects of
Climate Change
 WHO Regional Framework for Action to
Protect Human Health from Effects of Climate
Change in the Asia-Pacific Region

32.  STRATEGIC PRIORITY 3: Improving the
resiliency of national and local institutions
against health security risks and threats.
◦ Main Focus Area 3.3 Increasing
capacity of key national and
local government agencies to
manage the health impact of
climate change.
 Strategic Approach 3.3.1 Strengthen advocacy,
policy and health systems support through
partnership with other sectors and
stakeholders.
 Strategic Approach 3.3.2 Develop and test new
technologies, tools and guidelines, including a
monitoring and evaluation system for climate
change interventions.
 Strategic Approach 3.3.3. Support
epidemiological research to determine the
nature and measure the impact of different
aspects of climate change on health outcomes
(to help in future priority- setting)

34.  Surveillance systems
◦ Event-based Surveillance and Response System in
the Community (ESRC)
◦ Surveillance in Post-Extreme Emergencies and
Disasters (SPEED)
 Hospital assessment of disaster preparedness
 Capacity-building among health workers
 Communication and education
 Health vulnerability and capacity assessment
tools

35.  Department of Health to champion a health
reframing of climate change across sectors
 DOH to equip the media
with information that
highlight the health
impacts of climate change
 Reorient health sector to
be prepared for climate
change – begin with health
workforce training and
education

36. Whoever would study medicine
aright must learn of the following
subjects. First he must consider the
effect of the seasons of the year and
the differences between them.
Secondly he must study the warm
and the cold winds, both those
which are in common to every
country and those peculiar to a
particular locality. Lastly, the effect
of water on health must not be
forgotten.
On Air, Water, and Places
By Hippocrates
Father of Medicine

37.  Promote climate change
mitigation measures that
provide co-benefits to health
◦ Sustainable transport – reduces
injury, prevents obesity and other
noncommunicable diseases
◦ Air pollution control – reduces
respiratory diseases due to
hazardous airborne materials
 Promote public health
interventions that are also
climate change adaptation
measures
◦ Water and sanitation – prevents
diarrheal disease
◦ Vector control – prevents vector-
borne infections

38.  Incorporate climate awareness and
preparedness in national and local health
planning – beyond disaster risk reduction
 Broaden the scope of climate and health
messages to include impact on the social
determinants of health –”Health in All
Policies” approach
◦ Food security
◦ Worsening of poverty
◦ Job insecurity
◦ Destruction of infrastructure -> Economic loss

39.  Package Kalusugang Pangkalahatan as a
climate adaptation measure – stronger health
systems with universal coverage that can
respond to people affected by climate-related
health impacts
Creates
climate
resilience
from
health
impacts
Promotes
health
equity and
prevents
widening
of gaps

40.  While existing climate change policy
frameworks refer to some health aspects,
there is still room for highlighting the need
for protecting the health of Filipinos from
climate change, as well as the indispensable
role of the health sector in climate action.
 The Department of Health should play a more
prominent role in driving a whole-of-
government or “Health in All Policies”
approach to climate change and its impacts.

41.  Furthermore, alliances with national media
should be forged in order to develop a
concerted communication strategy which will
present climate change to the general public
through a health lens.
 Building capacity within the Philippine health
sector to combat the health effects of climate
change should also be pursued.

42.  Finally, adopting a public health approach to
climate change is feasible and acceptable
especially today, as current government
efforts towards universal health care are
clearly compatible with the goal of
strengthening health systems in order to
ensure health protection and health equity in
an era of global climate change.

43. "Health is not
everything, but
without health
everything is
nothing."
Arthur Schopenhauer
German Philosopher