On October 2, 2014, the International Day of Non-Violence, Yeb Saño, joined a group ofenvironmental advocates, setting out from Kilometer Zero in Luneta Park, Manila, embarking on a 40-day 1,000 kilometer journey tol bring them to Super Typhoon Haiyan’s Ground Zero in Tacloban City by November 8, the first anniversary of typhoon Haiyan, the strongest storm ever to make landfall, causing as many as 15,000 deaths.
>Â Climate Walk Website
>Â If not us, then who? video
>Â Fast For the Climate (#FFtC) United States Website
Some media coverage at end of walk
Climate envoyâ€
Marathon walk to storm city spotlights Philippine climate risks link
Climate Walkers Reach Typhoon’s ‘Ground Zero’Â link
Final Blog – November 16, 2014
I returned back to North Carolina Tuesday 11th, 3 days after the walkers crossed the San Jaunico Bridge and entered Tacloban – our arrival destination, but as Yeb has remarked, our real destination is the hearts and minds of people around the world. Three days prior to reaching Tacloban, I experienced what other walkers had endured, including Yeb. The muscle over my right shin conceded to extensive long walks and made walking painful. Days 35 and 36 I rode in the support vehicle to rest, as walking would have been almost impossible. This was a blow, as Iâ€
Friday November 7 we rested in Basey, just 14 km short of the bridge. This allowed time for actually drying some clothes out in the sun at last. Spoke with several groups of school children who gathered around and joined a short 40-minute walk around Basey town. I finished reading William Shirerâ€
Wake up 1 am in preparing to set off at 2 am to make the bridge by 6 am.  Yebâ€
A few more kilometers and we passed the infamous ship, Eva Jocelyn, which was still jutting onto the highway. Before our overnight resting place, we met at a coastal amphitheater where our final presentation took place. Noel Cabangon, a Philippine recording artist entertained with some of his well-known songs which are focused on justice issues, joined by Nityalila, our climate walker, also a singer-composer. The Tacloban Declaration was read (will post in a week or so here) and relief among the walkers was tangible as we had reached our goal. No more 4 am wake-ups or stretches etc.
The following dayâ€
The work goes on – it didnâ€
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October 28
We are now in Allen province, having crossed by ferry on Monday from Luzon Province. The living standards and the road conditions have noticeably deteriorated. Tonight, in Calbayog, we have Internet access – but itâ€
One major change is the heightened level of security in this region, where rebel communists are based. Uniformed police with rifles have arrived. Because of Climate Commissioner Yeb Sano‘s involvement in the group, and perhaps because I am a foreigner, the police are constantly watching for us, but we are assured there should be no problems.
Weâ€
The highlight in Allen, where we had a rest day, was participating in the creation of a mural by AG Sano, at a school. Along with other walkers and school kids, it was a real thrill to be part of this amazing activity. Later the group went to a nearby spot where we planted a few bili trees.
These days, the usual wake up time is around 4 am, breakfast at 5 and walk-off about 6 am after regular stretches. A team of 6 walkers have joined us from the Foundation for the Philippine Environment, and will stay with us to Tacloban.
With luck I may be able to send a final blog next Friday as we wait outside Tacloma, where we anticipate thousands joining us as we cross the San Jaunico Bridge.
October  23  –  Naga City to Sorsogon
Nearly a thousand people joined yesterdayâ€
We arrived Saturday, October 18 in Naga City from Libmanan after walking most of the day in rain. Naga is a big town where we will rest for a day on Sunday after several very long walks. Our arrival to Naga City was filmed by a Japanese TV crew who continued filming and interviewing through the evening town center presentation. My second interview that day was with a Philippine TV crew. The overnight stay on Saturday at a sports complex was considered seriously deficient, so we moved Sunday morning to a Methodist church where we received an extremely warm welcome.
On Sunday morning Yeb and I spoke to the congregation, with Yeb wearing my Fast for the Climate Tshirt, which Iâ€
Recently Yeb said the possibility of a typhoon while we walked was about 50 percent. I learned that typhoon shelters for Yolanda werenâ€
Baao, where we arrived October 20, was the best stopover yet, with great reception and 14 high-school dancing teams performing for us. Also we had real bathroom facilities – well, no hot water – but a flush toilet and toilet paper – quite unexpected. Mattresses and best meals yet. The further south we walk, the better the facilities, more mattresses are ready for us and the food gets better. Also roads are more navigable and less crowded – still the one national highway with just one lane each direction. As we move up and down mountainsides, the views are breathtaking – the pollution decreases and is almost non–existent as we get to Albay. As we walked into Albay, Mount Mayon was with us for 24 hours as the road weaved around it. The lunchtime meeting at a school was met with an announcement that evacuation for an eruption was in progress. In towns around, UNICEF already had emergency tents set up. My TV interviewer in Albay was more interested in my views on the volcano, which caught me off guard a little. I simply confirmed we were walking for the climate change crisis, which volcanoes arenâ€
Conversation with most walkers is not straightforward: though all speak English. Many Asians speak syllable by syllable instead of flowing and it is not always easy to comprehend. I also need to slow down and simplify – note to self. Thereâ€
Interesting stop near Osa where the regional governor hosted us. Governor Salceda, who joined the walkers for several kilometers, is very geared to climate preparedness, and thereâ€
Before the night stopover on Thursday (October 23), eight dancers performed at our lunchtime break and awarded us necklaces made from local Bili tree shells. As always, wonderful greetings all along the way, with welcome committees and opportunities for walkers to be announced. This day several groups joined at different intervals, always wearing Climate Walk T–shirts of their town.
Walking on the only major highway in the Philippines has its risks – two-lane roads were in bad shape until we reached about the 400km mark when there was a noticeable improvement.
Will try to blog again next week as we reach the ferry to cross to the next province.
October 13
A local Filipino official pledges to work in her community to enhance environmental awareness.
Vincent is one of the people I met along the Walk. He is a 32-year-old fireman who also volunteers teaching cpr and other types of first aid. His town was hit by Typhoon Glenda this summer and three people died.
Except for one particularly rainy day, and a couple of exceptionally hot days, we have been fortunate with weather. We have seen amazing kindness from local people along our planned stops. We have been offered nourishment; sometimes we receive unexpected donations – sometimes coffee and sometimes money for the cause. Thereâ€
The national media covered the walk widely during the first three days in Manila region, but have been back twice since to keep track of progress. (Iâ€
One of the main objectives during the walk has been to obtain agreement from local government officials and mayors that they will work to enhance environmental awareness in their communities. Yeb hands each official a Climate and Disaster Resilience Toolkit. The officials are then asked to write out their commitment and sign it. Of course, this is not officially binding, but in the spirit of ensuring their communities are as prepared as possible for future environmental disasters. From comments I receive, they all seem to acknowledge they expect things to get worse, and the problems are already accelerating.
Four days ago I talked with a fireman named Vincent, who serves an area not affected by typhoon Yolanda
(Haiyan) but which was hit badly during the recent typhoon Glenda where 3 people died in his town. Besides his duty as a fireman, Vincent, 32 years old, also volunteers to teach CPR and first aid.
On Sunday at Calauag, the walkers were received at an afternoon mass, where a short video (“Disruptionâ€Â http://watchdisruption.com/) preceded a talk by Yeb and two of the walkers . . . all in Filipino. During a later mass, Yeb again addressed an audience of around 500 people, and I followed with an explanation (in English of course) as to why Iâ€
The walkers are all holding up as weâ€
October 8
Yeb Saño, Philippines Climate Change Commissioner, and organizer of the Climate Walk, reaches the 100 km mark of the Walk
With suspect or zero internet access since the Walk for the Climate began on October 2Â at Zero Km in Manila, this is a catching up blog. We have now completed a full week’s walking, and tonight stay at a church in Pagbilao, some 160 km from Manila, and on schedule.
The going was tough the first 3 days negotiating the twists and turns of metro Manila, with over 100 following the walkers on the first day. The roads are filled with jeepneys, a peculiar Philippine bus based on WW2 American jeeps. Traffic is horrendous and traffic laws don’t apply when vehicles, pedicabs,and people fill the streets demanding priority. Only on the 5th day did the walk become saner. However bad roads
and nondescript hard shoulders deluged with rainwater, rubble, roadworks etc., made the going slow and hazardous. Each night we stayed at church places mostly, but also amilitary training center and schools.
The arrival on the first night was amazing, being met after dark by more than 200 patient public citizens waiting to cheer us in, then providing a welcoming meal on waited tables, (Okay – that was the best.) Other than that the receptions are warm and hosting is simple but gracious. Unable with space to detail each reception, but the walk is getting media attention nationally, and I’ve personally been interviewed three times in the first 4 days.
The Catholic diocese is primarily supporting walkers as we progress. Away from Manila itself, the pollution decreases as the extreme poverty fades, not that there isn’t a great deal of poverty everywhere, but signs of wealth become more noticeable the further we move south. For many days now we are keeping to the Pan-Philippine Highway, also known as the Maharlika Highway or Highway One which will take us to Tacloban (including a ferry journey in a few weeks time). All along the route so far we’ve received a police escort – at times a good number of motor bikes, but tailing off to one police car following the group.
We could be thirteen possibly in number – some, such as Yeb’s brother AG, need to depart for a few days at a time for commitments, and a recent addition, Rodney Galicha, who needed to attend a World Bank forum in Washington. Quite possibly ten of us will walk the entire 1,000 km. The weather has been very hot at times, restricting our walking during the noon to three hours. And today (Wednesday) there was rain for much of the time, though the countryside is opening up to lush tropical vegetation.
The enthusiasm is still with the group as we conclude our first week and look forward to the mountain part of the journey. With luck, internet access will improve and allow another blog in a few days.
Wednesday October 1
First 24 hours in Manila.
After spending almost 24 hours traveling – the air flight alone from Detroit to Manila was about 17 hours – arriving in an Asian capital for the first time around midnight is not good when the planned person meeting you fails to come to the right welcome area. 90 minutes later, with help from a young security firm employee (English is not fluently spoken Iâ€
The nearby hotel is okay – about $75 a night, evidently clean but unavoidable small roaches. A well-stocked fridge with drinks low-priced, and a TV which I couldnâ€
Now a possible problem is the walking. For some reason, on deplaning in Japan on the way, my calf muscle seized up – perhaps from 13 hours in coach. Whatever, it was a blow. For weeks Iâ€
A short walk from the hotel to a small river, passing street vendors and decorated long wheelbase Jeeps. A quick look indicated trash everywhere, and then the stench hit me. Technically Iâ€
Wednesday will be the first day of the month, and a day to fast, which I know Yeb Sano will undertake diligently. In a few hours I will meet up with Yeb and the other fasters as we come together for 39 days on the road. My recurring wish is to start the walk and leave the city.
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The ship – Eva Jocelyn – is still to be seen stranded on a sidewalk near the coast. While much of Tacloban has been repaired, there is still much to be done. NGO’s are in Tacloban still assisting with ongoing work. On our entry into Tacloban we passed the ship on November 8 after crossing the San Juanico Bridge.
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Walking across San Jaunico Bridge towardsTacloban, November 8
Walkers at 500km marker.
Wall painting by AG Sano at Allen High School.
