24/09/2026
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐๐ | ๐
๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฑ
โAs students, we should not only be knowledgeable about the issues around usโwe should also be willing to become doers.โ
Held at the ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด of Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT U) on September 22, 2026, the students joined the Climate and Sustainability Forum, led by ๐ฆ๐ฅ-๐๐๐ก๐ฅ in collaboration with the ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ and the ๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐ program, centered on the theme โ๐พ๐๐ง๐๐ช๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ค๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐ช๐จ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐จ๐จ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐ก ๐๐รฑ๐ค & ๐๐ญ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐ฉ.โ
The sessions gave us different perspectivesโfrom local weather phenomena discussed by ๐ ๐ฟ. ๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป ๐ง. ๐ ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ and ๐ ๐ฟ. ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐. ๐๐๐๐น, to the health risks of extreme heat shared by ๐ ๐. ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐น๐๐ป ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ, inclusive adaptation by ๐๐ฟ. ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ป ๐ก. ๐ ๐รฑ๐ผ๐, and urban heat islands discussed by ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ. The conversation then moved toward solutions through ๐ ๐. ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฎ ๐ ๐ถ๐ท๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ discussion on circular economy, followed by ๐๐ป๐ด๐ฟ. ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐น ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ and ๐๐ฟ. ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐บ๐บ๐ ๐. ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ผ, who shared ISAT Uโs waste management initiatives and Super El Niรฑo preparedness.
More than the information we gained, the forum reminded us that knowing is only the beginning. As students, we should be able to carry what we learn beyond the classroom and turn it into something we can practice, share, and act on. Two messages especially stayed with us:
โ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ค๐ฃ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐๐จ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐๐ก๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฃ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ, ๐จ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ, ๐ฃ๐ค๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐๐งโ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ค๐ฃ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐๐ก๐ค๐ฃ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ช๐จ.โ- Dr. Jasper L. Pastrano. His reminder to โSee, Care, and Actโ makes the message even stronger. We need to see what is happening, care enough to make it matter, and act while we still can.
And from Ms. Jean Jardeleza Mijares: โIn the future, we can proudly say that we were once the Top 1 plastics country, but now we are the Top 1 advocates for minimal use of plastics.โ Ms. Jeanโs message gave us something to look forward toโa future where the story we tell about our country is no longer only about the plastic problem we once had, but about how we chose to respond to it. It challenges us to imagine a Philippines that does not simply acknowledge its environmental problems, but actively works to change them.
The forum left us with a simple but important realization: ๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฌ๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐ง๐๐ข ๐๐ฃ๐๐จ. ๐๐ฉ ๐จ๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐๐ค๐ก๐ก๐ค๐ฌ ๐ช๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ค๐๐๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐.
We may be students today, but we are already part of the communities we hope to change tomorrow. If we can see the problem, care enough to do something about it, and act together, then perhaps one day, we will not only talk about the change we hope to seeโwe will be able to say that we were part of making it happen. ๐๐ณ
