43
the survivors of extreme weather events are again victimized by the violation of their
rights to water and sanitation.
v. Right to Livelihood
Article 6 of the ICESCR recognizes “the right to work, which includes the right of
everyone to the opportunity to gain his living by work which he freely chooses or
accepts.”202 Meanwhile, Article II, Section 9 of the Philippine Constitution provides
that the State shall “promote full employment, a rising standard of living, and an
improved quality of life for all,”203 and Sections 3 and 9 of Article XIII thereof recognize
and promote the importance of equal employment opportunities for all.
However, the IPCC notes that climate change affects both access to and the quality
of natural resources that sustain livelihoods.204 In the agricultural sector, farmers
experience a higher incidence of pests and diseases, low crop productivity/
yield, stunted growth, delays in fruiting and harvesting, declining quality of
produce, increased labor costs, and low farm income.205 Increased rainfall has
also caused prolonged inundation and destruction of crop fields–particularly rice,
which is especially vulnerable to water stress.206 The weather unpredictability
has “made rice-planting less exact and more like guesswork.”207 Yields of other crops
were also drastically reduced, making farming less viable as a source of livelihood, and
forcing communities to shift to other industries such as construction work. 208
Buucan Hangdan, an indigenous farmer of the Ifugao tribe residing in the Banaue Rice
Terraces, described the disruption in this manner:
202
ICESCR, supra note 153, art. 6, para. 1.
203
Phil. Const. art. II, § 9.
204
IPCC, AR5 WGII, supra note 159, at 1068.
206
L. M. Peñalba, D. D. Elazegui, M. G. C. Amit, F. P. Lansigan, & F. J. G. Faderogao, Meeting the
Challenges to Food Security and Livelihood in a Changing Climate (Center for Strategic Planning and
Policy Studies Working Paper No. 2012-01, 2012).
205
Lutgarda L. Tolentino & Leila D. Landicho (2013). Climate Change Adaptation Strategies of Selected
Smallholder Upland Farmers in Southeast Asia: Philippines And Indonesia, 3 APN Sci. Bull. 61
(2013).
207
Ma. Lourdes P. Kempis, 15 December 2017, Leyte Community Dialogue, at 9.
208
Id.
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