December 10, 2025
12 years after Super Typhoon Yolanda wreaked havoc in the island of Leyte, the students of Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU) still remember experiencing the devastations of climate change firsthand.
During Klima Eskwela: Climate Science, Arts, and Action at their campus on November 27-28, the students shared the many ways Yolanda changed their perspective on the climate crisis.
“To our educators: be the spark that ignites curiosity. To our artists: paint the future we deserve. To our leaders and policymakers: turn words into deeds. And to our youth: you are the architects of tomorrow. Seize this moment,” said Dr. Benedicto Militante Jr. in his opening remarks. Dr. Militante is EVSU’s Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Aimed at empowering the youth to lead grassroots climate action, Klima Eskwela connects the science of climate change and plastics education to movement building. Klima Eskwela also spotlights the role of the plastic industry in emissions that worsens global warming, underpinning the need for actions eliminating single-use plastics in communities.
This Visayas leg of Klima Eskwela in Tacloban is the second one this year, following the Mindanao leg at Caraga State University (CSU) in Butuan. Another leg is scheduled for Luzon next year. Participants for the Tacloban leg included students from different colleges and organizations across year levels, including the student government and the university publication.
“We have student leaders and youth gathered here— and you are the most important partners in this conversation. Climate change is already defining your generation’s lifetime of leadership, and it’s you who must take this dialogue forward,” said Atty. Rachel Anne Herrera, Commissioner at the Climate Change Commission.
Despite the differences in encounters with extreme weather events, Klima Eskwela learners from different provinces recount similar stories of how they felt facing the impacts of the climate crisis.
“I was 8 years old when Typhoon Yolanda hit Tacloban. I remember the fear, the sounds, and the days after — seeing our city broken and people helping one another survive. That experience made climate change real for me.”
That was Lyanne Faye Malig-on, a fourth-year student at EVSU. A whole decade has passed since she witnessed Yolanda battering her community, but she still remembers it vividly.
Lyanne Faye was one of over 60 students at Klima Eskwela in Tacloban. In the two-day workshop, the participants were taught a wide range of topics surrounding the climate and plastic crises.
“Klima Eskwela helped me understand why these things are happening and what we can do, not just as victims, but as advocates. It gave me a space to talk about my fears and turn them into action. It also connected me with other young people who care, which made me feel less alone in this fight,” Lyanne Faye said.
Sessions included a rousing lecture on climate science and the impacts and solutions to climate change, courtesy of Visayas State University’s Director for Disaster Resilience and Management, Mr. Charlindo Torrion.
On the other hand, Joseph Pilapil, Plastic-Free Reality Program Lead, emphasized that the plastic crisis is inextricably linked to climate change with fossil fuel emissions as the common denominator. He also shared that zero waste approaches like reducing the production of unnecessary single-use plastics, together with reuse and refill, can effectively curb plastic pollution.
To supplement the technical knowledge on climate and plastics with local perspectives, representatives from Tacloban City’s planning and environment offices presented their local climate action plan and solid waste management policies and strategies.
Students also took inspiration from stories of resilience and climate action shared by Mr. Arturo Tahup, the Director of Community Resilience at RE-Charge Pilipinas. He showcased their organization’s work and the unwavering spirit of the vulnerable communities in Eastern Visayas and success stories of their solar scholars, including some alumni from EVSU.
The Klima Eskwela lectures were designed to prepare them in crafting their own campus programs and policies on dealing with single-use plastics. Turning knowledge into action, Klima Eskwela participants train on project management and policy writing, led by Climate Reality Philippines Interim Branch Manager Aimee Oliveros and Erwin Husmalaga, Development Management Officer IV of the Climate Change Commission, respectively.
Students were introduced to the project management cycle and were taught how to break down the bigger problem of plastic pollution into specific, manageable issues. They also set goals and objectives for the issues they identified in the areas of policy and regulation; information, education and communication (IEC); research and development; consumption, and disposal.
EVSU students shared common issues with CSU students in their universities, including the presence of policies and initiatives, but the ineffective implementation thereof.
To date, CSU and EVSU as host schools for Klima Eskwela have been selected as recipients of a seed grant for youth-led projects tackling the plastic crisis in climate-vulnerable communities through Project Niche.
Project Niche is Climate Reality Philippines’ youth capacity-building and project incubator to equip students in finding solutions to the pressing issues of plastic waste.
In all sessions, the students showed enthusiasm as they shared their thoughts and perspectives during open forum discussions.
Culminating the event was a call to action for students to continue the conversations on climate action, speaking as survivors and standing as leaders.
“You are Yolanda babies; that’s a story that you will carry for the rest of your lives. But today, we want to highlight that you are a generation of survivors. And please, don’t forget—you have the power to uplift your lives, your communities, and our world,” said Oliveros.
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