PBBM Admin Brings YAKAP Caravan to Region III

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

BALER, AURORA, 1 September 2025 - To ensure that school communities are physically and mentally healthy, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. and Education Secretary Sonny Angara led the Yaman ng Kalusugan (YAKAP) Caravan today at Aurora National High School. 

The caravan is part of CLASS+ (Clinics for Learners’ Access to School-health Services Plus), a program of the Department of Education (DepEd) and PhilHealth that aims to link school clinics with the local health system. This is implemented through PhilHealth Konsulta, the agency's primary care benefit package that provides consultations, laboratory tests, and medicines. 

PhilHealth has now expanded and strengthened Konsulta into the new YAKAP Program. The YAKAP Program aims to care for all Filipinos and keep them healthy through free check-ups, laboratory tests, cancer screening tests, and medicines. Each member is entitled to up to P20,000 worth of medicines per year. 

At the caravan in Aurora, more than 200 elementary students underwent eye check-ups. Meanwhile, over 350 teachers, non-teaching personnel, and high school students benefited from various medical services such as X-rays, ECG, urinalysis, and ultrasound. 

This event follows the successful caravan at Esteban Abada Elementary School in Quezon City on June 18, 2025, which was attended by Secretary Angara, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa, and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte. Together with 1Life Philippines, a private diagnostics company, DepEd, DOH, PhilHealth, and LGUs are collaborating to provide a first patient encounter and periodic check-ups for students, teachers, and non-teaching personnel. DepEd aims to expand not only the caravan drive but also the CLASS+ program to other regions. 

Secretary Angara emphasized the importance of collaboration for school-based health. "The health of our school communities is the foundation of quality education. Through CLASS+ and YAKAP, we are ensuring that the DepEd family has the strength and vitality to achieve our collective goals," he said. 

President Bongbong Marcos asserted that programs like CLASS+ and YAKAP are a testament to his administration's "whole-of-nation approach." With the help of private partners, the government is ensuring support for Filipino families, especially for teachers and the youth. 

Building Urban Oases: How Green Spaces Could Save Philippine Cities from Floods, Heat, and Stress

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Floods every rainy season, blistering heat each summer, and in between—the daily grind of noise, traffic, and choking air pollution. Welcome to life in a Pinoy city. It’s a familiar cycle that millions of Filipinos have accepted as “normal,” but experts warn that this normal is unsustainable.

Last week, more than 70 representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), and various local government units gathered in Manila for a three-day workshop with a single mission: to reimagine Philippine cities as greener, cooler, and more resilient.

Their vision is clear: by 2028, urban centers like Manila, Cebu, and Davao must have more green spaces—public parks, green roofs, riverside gardens, arboretums, and community-managed wetlands—not only to beautify concrete jungles but to protect citizens from floods, rising heat, and worsening pollution.

A Vanishing Past

Ask your parents what their childhood city looked like and you’ll hear of talahib fields swaying in the wind, tree-lined streets that cooled neighborhoods, and roads that didn’t require half a day to cross. Fast forward to today, Metro Manila alone has nearly 15 million residents packed into one of the most densely populated places on Earth. Cebu and Davao are racing to the same fate.

Globally, the United Nations projects that by 2050, seven out of ten people will live in cities. The cost of urban living is steep: congested roads, relentless noise, worsening floods, and the infamous “urban heat island effect,” where asphalt and concrete trap and radiate heat back to residents.

Why Green Spaces Matter

“Cities without parks are cities without lungs,” explains Joy Navarro, head of DENR’s Caves, Wetlands and Other Ecosystems Division. “Green spaces regulate heat, minimize floods, improve air quality, and provide habitats for wildlife that make ecosystems thrive. More importantly, they restore balance to human lives.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least nine square meters of green space per person. In Metro Manila, most residents make do with less than five.

Trees, the workshop emphasized, are not just ornamental—they are natural flood barriers. Roots absorb water, canopies slow rainfall, and trunks stabilize soil. In a city like Quezon City, submerged again by weekend floods, a few more thousand trees could mean the difference between a passable street and an impassable swamp.

And then there’s mental health. Global studies confirm that green spaces reduce anxiety, depression, and stress—the very conditions that silently plague Filipinos who endure long commutes, cramped housing, and daily exposure to pollution.

Nature as Infrastructure

“Instead of constantly relying on technology, let’s use Nature-based Solutions (NBS) to solve urban challenges,” says Anabelle Plantilla, UNDP-BIOFIN’s national project manager.

Imagine the Pasig River lined with green parks, its banks shaded by native trees that provide fruit, shade, and nesting grounds for birds. Instead of foul odors and garbage, families would see clean water and thriving wildlife. Instead of floods destroying homes, green buffer zones would soak up excess rain. These visions are not utopian—they’re achievable investments that return social, economic, and environmental dividends.

Argean Guiaya, environmental planner and DENR-BMB specialist, underscores another point: “Green spaces hit multiple Sustainable Development Goals at once—from climate action to sustainable cities. They’re not just optional add-ons; they’re strategic investments.”

The City Biodiversity Index: A Roadmap for Mayors

One of the workshop’s key outcomes was the introduction of the City Biodiversity Index (CBI), a tool to measure how much green space each city has left, where it can add more, and how effectively these spaces are being maintained.

“CBI is more than numbers. It’s accountability,” says Manila planning officer Sarah Labasatilla-Bonzon. “It helps us track progress and prioritize the environment in city budgets and plans.”

In Makati, city planners left the workshop determined to focus on urban agriculture and biodiversity education, proving that green spaces are not just about aesthetics—they’re about food security, resilience, and citizen engagement.

A Race Against Time

The Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP) has set a modest but urgent target: a 5% increase in green spaces across the nation’s largest cities by 2028. It may sound small, but in a megacity where every square meter is contested by developers, a 5% gain could mean millions of lives made safer, healthier, and happier.

Henry Pacis, DENR-NCR Assistant Regional Director, reminds us: “We often think conservation belongs to forests and mountains. But our cities are also frontlines. Green spaces are not luxuries anymore. They’re necessities for the survival and health of Filipinos.”

The Promise of a Greener City

From Singapore’s vertical gardens to the shaded walkways of La Mesa Park, models exist. What’s missing is urgency. As floods drown our roads and heatwaves test our endurance, the need for more parks, more trees, and more nature is no longer up for debate. It’s survival.

The workshop may have lasted only three days, but its implications span decades. If city planners, local governments, and citizens rally together, by 2028 our urban landscapes could be greener oases rather than gray prisons.

Because at the end of the day, every Filipino deserves not just a city to live in, but a city worth living in.

A Just Transition to Renewable Energy: Powering the Future Without Leaving Filipinos Behind

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The Philippines is standing at the threshold of an energy crossroads. On one hand, the country has pledged to embrace renewable energy as part of its commitments to fight climate change. On the other, millions of Filipino households continue to grapple with the harsh realities of expensive electricity bills, recurring red and yellow alerts, and unreliable power supply.

The question now looms larger than ever: how do we pursue a “Just Transition” to renewable energy—one that does not burden consumers, but empowers them?

The Government’s Promise vs. The People’s Questions

In his most recent State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. made a bold promise: over one million households will soon be powered by solar home systems. The Department of Energy (DOE) has also announced initiatives—from promoting a carbon credit policy to forging partnerships with Meralco and local government units—to accelerate the renewable shift.

But amid these commitments lies an unanswered concern: how will these projects impact ordinary consumers in terms of affordability, reliability, and access?

Promises of cleaner energy sound ambitious on paper, but for a family barely making ends meet, even the smallest increase in electricity bills can mean sacrificing basic needs.

Understanding “Just Transition”

Environmental advocates insist that the renewable energy shift must be anchored in what they call a “Just Transition.” Far from being an abstract policy buzzword, a Just Transition is a guiding principle: a move toward a low-carbon economy that is fair, inclusive, and equitable. It seeks to create opportunities without leaving anyone behind, especially the most vulnerable.

But how do ordinary electricity consumers—especially in the Philippines—grasp this concept in real, practical terms?

This was the very question explored in a forum on “Just Transition,” co-organized by Kuryente.org in August. The event brought together households, advocates, and organizations who exchanged their experiences and anxieties about the country’s energy future.

The Central Fear: Higher Costs

The forum revealed a crucial truth: there is no single formula for a Just Transition. But what unites consumer voices is a deep concern over cost.

For many participants, renewable energy remains effective only in small-scale settings. Solar rooftop systems, for example, are financially and structurally out of reach for millions of poor households in rural and urban areas alike. Without state subsidies, financing schemes, or genuine public-private partnerships, the renewable shift risks being accessible only to the privileged few.

One participant summed it up bluntly: “What good is clean energy if we cannot afford to switch on our lights?”

Redefining Energy Justice

The Philippine energy landscape has long been marred by what many call energy injustice. Consumers have endured some of the highest electricity rates in Southeast Asia, compounded by recurring red and yellow alerts that expose the grid’s fragility.

A Just Transition, therefore, cannot simply mean adding solar panels or wind turbines to the grid. It must address the underlying inequities that have burdened Filipino consumers for decades.

At the forum, participants arrived at a shared vision: a Just Transition means access to energy that balances affordability, security, and sustainability.

This definition is not abstract. It is rooted in the lived experience of households who want three simple things: bills they can pay, power they can rely on, and systems that do not harm the planet.

The Role of Stakeholders

What the Kuryente.org forum proved is that the energy transition cannot be dictated solely by government officials, private corporations, or foreign investors. It must be a multi-stakeholder process where households, consumer groups, civil society, and local governments are active participants.

The path forward requires transparency, open consultations, and concrete safeguards to protect the Filipino people from being saddled with higher costs or excluded from the benefits of renewable energy.

Moving Beyond Rhetoric

Renewable energy is not just about reducing carbon emissions. It is about reshaping the future of Filipino households. If the government fails to integrate affordability, security, and inclusivity into its renewable agenda, then the so-called “transition” risks becoming just another burden passed on to consumers.

Kuryente.org, a consumer welfare organization, has long been fighting for transparency and accountability in the energy sector. Its advocacy underscores a simple truth: sustainable energy must also be accessible, reliable, and affordable. Anything less is not a Just Transition—it is an unjust illusion.

The Way Forward

The Philippines has every reason to embrace renewable energy, but the journey must not repeat the mistakes of the past. Communities deserve more than promises—they deserve a seat at the table where decisions about their energy future are made.

For millions of Filipino families, a Just Transition is not a theoretical debate. It is the difference between flickering candles and steady light, between crippling bills and sustainable living, between exclusion and empowerment.

And unless the government anchors its renewable energy programs on the principle of fairness and inclusivity, the transition will be neither just nor sustainable.

The time to act is now—because the future of Philippine energy cannot be built on empty rhetoric. It must be built on justice.