COPENHAGEN – Even though she is listed as the head of the Philippine delegation, President Arroyo left the climate summit Friday morning without waiting for a binding deal to come out of the landmark conference.
DEVELOPED NATIONS FIRST
Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's speech at the Climate Summit in Copenhagen The Philippines looks upon these negotiations in Copenhagen with a critical sense of urgency. The average world per capita CO2 equivalent emission is 6 tons and must be brought down to 3 tons to stabilize at 450 ppm in 2050. The Philippines is already doing better than that. Our emissions are only 1.6 tons per capita and we are committed to further deviate from our business-as-usual growth path. Yet, though our country has a good carbon footprint, we are disproportionately vulnerable to the devastation of Mother Nature, accelerated by the mistreatment of the fragile environment by human beings all over the world. This is due in large part to the fact that we are an archipelago of over 7,000 islands with the majority of our people living in low-lying areas that are prone to climate hazards. The UN reports that the Philippines is one of the top 12 countries at the greatest risk from climate change. We top the list of nations most in danger of facing more frequent and more intense storms as the impact of climate change intensifies. Tropical storms of historic scale have inflicted devastation and a tragic loss of lives upon our country. Two recent typhoons cost our people $4 billion or 2.7% of our GDP. Our major food regions lost 8 to 10 percent of their GDP because over 600,000 hectares of farmlands were destroyed, while the industrial areas lost 6 to 8 percent. Read complete
text of Pres. Arroyo's speech here Photo by Jerry Carual Yesterday, Arroyo had said that “we cannot afford to leave Copenhagen without a deal, and a deal based on common but differentiated responsibilities." Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, a long-time member of the Philippine delegation to the climate talks, said Mrs. Arroyo left on a chartered flight with her contingent of about 200 people after staying for two nights at a reported cost of $700 per room per night at the
Hilton hotel near the airport. Mrs. Arroyo addressed the climate summit Thursday afternoon, praising US Secretary Hillary Clinton for announcing support to a $100-billion fund that will help developing countries adapt to the negative impact of climate change.
"Wala namang bago sa sinabi niya. Parang namasyal lang sila," Corpuz said. She added that some members of the Philippine delegation were disappointed that Mrs. Arroyo removed references to renewable energy as the main driver of the country's emission reduction efforts following an alleged lobby from the coal industry. A staff member of the president's advance party told GMANews.TV that Mrs. Arroyo left at 8 a.m. Friday on board a chartered Philippine Airlines plane.
"Napaaga yung alis niya," palace staffer Elvie de los Santos said, but did not explain why. Mrs. Arroyo's departure coincided with the arrival of US President Barack Obama here on the last day of the climate summit, which has attracted more than 100 world leaders. Obama's presence is expected to help clinch a deal aimed at reducing emissions from major countries that are responsible for the highest proportion of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, resulting in disastrous impact from climate change. Mrs. Arroyo attended a reception for Filipinos in Denmark on Wednesday at the Hilton, where she introduced the members of the Philippine delegation to the climate negotiations. Among the officials that she introduced were her brother-in-law Rep. Ignacio Arroyo Jr., Deputy House Speaker Girlie Villarosa, Rep. Nene Nicolas from Bulacan, and Ricardo Saludo of the reconstruction commission tasked to rehabilitate the damage from tropical storms Ondoy and Pepeng. The composition of the Philippine delegation to the landmark climate talks here has been contentious since the start of the conference. In place of skilled negotiators, including retired diplomat Bernarditas Castro-Muller and Joyceline Goco from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Mrs. Arrroyo had inserted politicians who have not been part of the Philippine delegation since the climate negotiations started in 1995. Antonio La Viña, dean of the Ateneo School of Government and also a member of the Philippine delegation, said Presidential Adviser on Climate Change Heherson Alvarez would take the place of Mrs. Arroyo at the concluding plenary sessions of the climate summit.
– with a report from PIA FAUSTINO, GMANews.TV 
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