MANILA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos on Wednesday urged developed countries to fulfill their longstanding commitments on climate changes, vowing to take bold steps by his country to transition to renewable and alternative energy technologies securely and sustainably.
"Developed countries have a moral obligation to support adaptation and mitigation efforts of the most vulnerable countries through technology transfer, capacity building and climate financing to address loss and damage, and to achieve necessary breakthroughs for climate action at a global scale," Marcos told the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit held in Indonesia's tourist town of Labuan Bajo.
In a statement published by his Presidential Communications Office, Marcos called for unity among the ASEAN members.
"Although developing countries such as the Philippines only account for less than 1 percent of global emissions, our countries bear the brunt of the devastating impacts of climate change," Marcos said.
The Philippines is rich in critical metals like aluminum, nickel and chromite, which are energy efficient to produce.
"Recognizing that a cleaner energy future is anchored on the supply of critical minerals, ASEAN should now start enhancing regional cooperation towards boosting the region's strategic industrial metals and minerals value chain," he said.
The 42nd ASEAN Summit kicked off in Labuan Bajo in eastern Indonesia on Wednesday.
At the plenary, the Philippine president also raised his concerns over the region's aging population.
Citing the Asian Development Bank data, Marcos said one out of four people in the Asia Pacific region will be over 60 by 2050.
"I think it is time that ASEAN should start discussing the concerns of an aging population, consistent with the ASEAN tradition of valuing our elders," Marcos said, adding the aging issue must be viewed as an opportunity and a challenge, "especially in terms of adequate social benefits on the one hand and social empowerment on the other." ■
