Philippines to witness more extreme climate: senior official

MANILA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Filipinos must learn to accept the growing intensity of typhoons, great volume of rainfall as well as long drought, as the "new normal", a Philippine senior government official said on Wednesday.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ramon Paje Jr. made the statement as southwest monsoon continue to affect most parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

"There is nothing we could do but to adapt to climate change and the only way we could be prepared for the impact of climate change is to accept that these recent developments in our country like intense weather disturbances, heavy rainfall, as well as long dry season are now the 'new normal'," he said.

Paje also urged the public to listen to authorities during calamities and stop being stubborn, adding that the landslide area at Litex in Commonwealth village in Quezon City where nine people died has been identified as susceptible to landslide since 2002.

He said he would ask the local government of Quezon City to have the area be declared as a "permanent danger zone".

Paje said the Philippines has been identified to be highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

For this, he said, the government has been working on long-term solutions to minimize damage on people and government infrastructures. Enditem

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