“Mga Kwento ng Klima” received a silver screen award in the documentary environment and ecology category at this year’s US International Film and Video Festival.

The festival has been acknowledging excellence in corporate, education, entertainment, documentary and student productions for more than 50 years.

OML Center Executive Director Dr. Rodel Lasco welcomed the achievement, saying “I am extremely proud of the film festival award knowing how hard our staff worked on it together with the ABS-CBN crew.” Dr. Lasco added, “It gives me great pleasure that we have shown how scientists can interact with lay-people and media to convey the urgency of climate change.”

A co-production of the OML Center and ABS-CBN DocuCentral, “Mga Kwento ng Klima” tells the story of climate in the context of the Filipino experience, baring the susceptibility of communities to disruptive changes experienced globally. 

“Mga Kwento ng Klima” aired on ABS-CBN DocuCentral’s “Sunday’s Best” on November 24, 2019. It is available for viewing online via iWant and the ABS-CBN News YouTube channel. An exclusive pre-screening was held on November 22, which was attended by representatives from the academe, government, media, non-government organizations and youth organizations.

Taking three months to produce, the OML Center and the ABS-CBN DocuCentral team visited areas gravely impacted by climate change as well as areas soon to be affected by it, harnessing narratives from survivors on how climate-related disasters destroyed housing infrastructures, food source and livelihood, changing them and their way of life since. 

As part of the development of the documentary, the OML Center held several mini-workshops with multi-sectoral stakeholders on themes surrounding climate change, including culture, land use, water and seascape, policy and public service, economy, and risks to sectors and industry, among others. 

Impacts of climatic disasters

“Mga Kwento ng Klima” revisited the impacts of Tropical Storm Ondoy (International name: Ketsana) in 2009 and Super Typhoon Yolanda (International name: Haiyan) in 2013.

Tropical Storm Ondoy inundated the National Capital Region and neighboring provinces, causing loss of lives and destruction of property as it unleashed months-worth of rainfall in hours. Super Typhoon Yolanda, one of the most powerful cyclones recorded to hit land,  battered the Eastern Visayas region and other parts of Southern Luzon and the Visayas, destroying infrastructures and claiming more than 6,000 lives 

The documentary also looked at the effects of climate change in vulnerable communities, such as flooding in low-lying areas in Bulacan and threats to agriculture and food security due to prolonged drought in Agusan del Norte.

Sustainable solutions in provinces

Aside from noting how climatic disasters have impacted thousands of lives, “Mga Kwento ng Klima” also put a spotlight on sustainable solutions and initiatives in different provinces, chronicling how Filipinos are starting to adapt to changes and become resilient.   

In Camarines Sur, farmers who have endured years and years of being constantly in the path of tropical cyclones brewed in the Pacific, have changed to an integrated diversified organic farming system. They have also shifted their planting calendar, learning to nurture the farmlands too. In Romblon, communities have tapped renewable energy from windmills and solar panels. Adjusting to reduced rainfall, locals have also utilized rainwater harvesting units for their daily water needs.

Insights from representatives and experts from several organizations and institutions on how the country can adapt to climate change and mitigate its effects were also sought. Among them are the Climate Change Commission, Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka, Philippine Network of Food Security, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), the UP Marine Science Institute and the UP Resilience Institute.

The documentary also featured climate emergency protests held in Metro Manila, spearheaded by the youth who have been relentless in putting the climate crisis on the center stage. The protests were held as world leaders convened for the United Nations (UN) Climate Action Summit in New York in September 2019. Among these climate activists are survivors of disasters who have chosen to take action and demand climate justice. 

Harnessing the much-needed local perspective, the documentary gets across crucial points: climate change is real, its effects can be harrowing, but Filipinos can become more resilient to it by  learning more about it and its impacts. 

Still haven’t seen “Mga Kwento ng Klima?” Watch the documentary here:

Mga Kwento ng Klima | Part 1 | Hinagupit ng Bagyo
Mga Kwento ng Klima | Part 2 | Nilamon ng Tubig
Mga Kwento ng Klima | Part 3 | Sinukol ng Gutom
Mga Kwento ng Klima | Part 4 | Enerhiya at Kalikasan
Mga Kwento ng Klima | Part 5 | Binuhay ng Pagasa

What do you think of “Mga Kwento ng Klima?” We’d love to hear from you! Access our feedback form here.

For more information on Philippine climate trends and impacts, visit the State of the Philippine Climate page, the Philippine Climate Change Assessment Report page and the Philippine Climate Almanac page.