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Duterte finally agrees to sign Paris Agreement on climate change
President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday that he has given his nod to pursue the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Duterte earlier refused to uphold the Paris Agreement reached and supported by the Aquino administration in December 2015.
He was concerned this would prevent the development of small countries, like the Philippines .
"After so much debate on climate change, I will sign (the Paris Agreement) because (of) a unanimous vote (of the members of the Cabinet), except for for one or two," Duterte said in a speech during the oath taking of the National Press Club officers in Malacanang.
Duterte admitted he and Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr opposed the Paris Agreement.
"I was the one which was arguing about (it). If it's a binding treaty, you have to have a sanction. But it's binding. If you read the treaty, it's binding but there is no sanction," he explained.
"So that if it is a low country in terms of economic level, the big ones will always force upon you to do it. But if is the highly industrialized countries, there's nothing you can do about it because the sanction cannot be done by smaller nations, let alone without the powers of pressure," Duterte added, stressing the name of the game is pressure and money.
Duterte said he read the Paris Agreement word for word which include that money to be culled would come from rich industrial countries, but there was no binding agreement that they have to pay for certain acts.
"But whatever it is, the industrial countries have been known not to honor financial obligation, especially America . It has not paid its dues to the United Nations," he said.
He said during the Cabinet meeting last week, Yasay presented the strongest argument against Paris Agreement. But later, he was also persuaded to support it. .
"Because it's a Cabinet decision, I'll go along with it and sign it. As I have promised you, I will not solve this problem alone. I will give it, place it on the table, give the Cabinet members, the whole of the Cabinet vote," he said.
Duterte noted that under the Paris Agreement, small countries like the Philippines , have to reduce the green house gas emission by 0.3 percent, which is much lower than what was provided in the Philippine law, which is to reduce it by 70 percent.
With the President's approval on the Paris deal, this will be sent to the Senate for its ratification. Celerina Monte/DMS
