La Consolacion College Bacolod’s National Service Training Program (NSTP) held an Environmental Symposium on Nov. 15 at the Auditorium, rallying students to strengthen their role in climate action under the theme “Empowering the Youth for Climate and Environmental Action.”
The symposium reinforced NSTP’s long-standing commitment to environmental conservation, including its years-long mangrove planting initiative in Barangay Sampinit, Bago City. This year’s gathering urged students to become proactive defenders of the planet as communities face worsening floods, earthquakes, plastic pollution, recurring calamities, and the continued impact of fossil fuels.
In his keynote talk, climate activist Paul Daniel Serrano, climate campaigner of the Negrosanon Initiative for Climate and Environment (NICE), challenged widely held assumptions linking urban flooding solely to plastic waste. While plastic waste is often blamed for clogged waterways in cities like Bacolod, Serrano said the crisis cannot be separated from broader systemic issues.
“Plastic pollution is a visible and immediate problem, and yes, it blocks our drains and contributes to local flooding. But we cannot ignore the larger climate systems at play, nor the human-made factors like poor urban planning and corrupted flood control infrastructure,” Serrano said.
He emphasized that climate change, governance lapses, and social inequalities intensify the vulnerability of communities, especially in a country that contributes minimally to global emissions yet disproportionately suffers the impacts of typhoons and flooding.
Serrano urged students to understand environmental issues within a global and justice-oriented frame. His talk highlighted the need to move beyond individual blame and focus instead on structural solutions that empower young people to advocate for fairness, support vulnerable communities, and promote sustainable alternatives.
NSTP’s theme underscored that climate action must go hand-in-hand with climate justice—ensuring that those who contribute least to environmental destruction are not the ones who suffer most. Students were encouraged to champion community resilience through disaster preparedness, clean-ups, coastal rehabilitation, reducing plastic use, and supporting equitable energy systems.
Although unable to attend the symposium, Sr. Flolyn S. Catungal, OSA, President of LCC Bacolod, sent a message of encouragement to the NSTP students.
“The fight for our common home belongs to your generation as much as it belongs to ours,” Sr. Catungal said. “Your willingness to learn, to take action, and to stand with communities most affected by climate challenges gives us hope. Continue leading with compassion, integrity, and courage. When the youth rise for the environment, the whole society rises with you.”
The event concluded with a renewed call for students to become lifelong advocates of environmental stewardship—grounded in science, compassion, and justice—toward a greener and more resilient future for all.