Yap selected to climate change expert panel

Ms. Lenilyn Gallos



Prof. Encarnacion Emilia S. Yap, dean of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, UP Visayas (UPV-CFOS), was selected by the Climate Change Commission (CCC) as one of the members of its National Panel for Technical Experts (NPTE).


CCC Chairman-designate and Secretary of Department of Finance Carlos G. Dominguez introduced the new members of the expert panel in a virtual press conference on October 13, 2021, live-streamed on the CCC and DOF Facebook pages.


Chosen among 130 nominees, Yap was one of the 16 newly-appointed members of the reconstituted panel of climate experts representing various regions of the country.


“They were selected because they were doing practical work on the ground and are aware of what is going on at the grassroots level,” said Dominguez.


The NPTE is composed of experts in various disciplines related to climate change and disaster risk reduction. The expert panel is tasked to provide the Commission with technical guidance in climate science, technologies, and best practices for risk assessment and improving vulnerable communities’ adaptive capacity to potential climate change threats.


A licensed fisheries professional and professor in post-harvest fisheries, Yap said that as a member of the NPTE, she would focus on the adaptation and mitigation of the effects of climate change on post-harvest fisheries technologies and processes to address food security, especially in the coastal communities.


Yap’s fields of expertise span fisheries and ocean sciences, post-harvest technology for fisheries, molecular biology, and food science.


Two faculty members from UPV were also appointed to the NPTE. They are Dr. Wilfredo L. Campos and Dr. Gay D. Defiesta, both from the College of Arts and Sciences.


Other new members of the panel and their expertise are:


• Dr. Jhan H. Adil (environmental planning and Engineering)


• Dr. Nathaniel R. Alibuyog (engineering)


• Dr. Zenaida L. Andrade (chemical engineering, water management, and environmental science)


• Dr. Ramon Lorenzo Luis R. Guinto (climate change and health, public health, and planetary health)


• Dr. Eduardo O. Mangaoang (nature science, ecosystems, and environmental stability, human security with focus on climate and disaster risk preparedness),


• Dr. Jimmy T. Masagca (biology, aquatic sciences, natural sciences, and fisheries)


• Dr. Susan P. Mercado (health and food security, program management, climate, health and human development, climate and mental health, and climate and humanitarian action)


• Dr. Richard N. Muallil (marine science, conservation, and climate change, coastal resource management, and marine protected areas)


• Dr. Emma E. Porio (sociology and anthropology, climate and disaster resilience, coastal ecosystems, and gender and vulnerability assessment)


• Dr. Patricia Ann J. Sanchez (climate change assessment, disaster risk reduction and management, water resource management, hydrology-floods, and drought)


• Engr. Meriam M. Santillan (geodetic engineering, flood hazard mapping, and remote sensing)


• Dr. Maria Angela G. Zafra (inclusive business models, sustainable finance, sustainable tourism, responsible consumption and green industry, and gender inclusivity and women’s economic empowerment)


• Dr. Doracie B. Zoleta-Nantes (geography, hazards education, mitigation of hazards, gender and vulnerability, and disaster risk reduction).


Source: https://www.upv.edu.ph/index.php/news/yap-selected-to-climate-change-expert-panel