A message from the Philippines

Since witnessing the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan, doctor and public health graduate Allison Gocotano has urged Australians not to become idle in the face of such disastrous events and to remember that climate change should be everyone’s responsibility.  

After completing his Masters at UNSW in International Public Health and Health Management in June on an Australia Awards Scholarship, Allison returned to his home in the Philippines to work on projects with local NGO Health Futures Foundation.

While Allison had the option of returning to Sydney for his graduation ceremony in November, he chose to remain in the Philippines and to prepare for the approaching typhoon. It is now believed to be the strongest storm to ever make landfall, with some scienists linking the disaster to climate change.

Sent with his colleagues on a relief mission to the Municipality of Guiuan in Eastern Samar, Allison saw firsthand the extensive destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan.

“My greatest fear is if the cycle of evacuation-destruction-reconstruction becomes a way of life. It would be unfortunate to believe that the frequency with which such events occur ‘numbs’ us to its effects,” he tells the UNSW Newsroom.  

While Allison is appreciative of the aid efforts provided by Australia and other countries, he says he hopes it does not absolve them of their greater responsibility to acknowledge the role climate change is playing in natural disasters. 

“I sincerely believe that the human impact of climate change is a responsibility of every citizen of the world. In the end, every small action or inaction contributes to our current situation.”

Continuing to work in the relief effort, Allison is keen to build on his skills gained during his Masters, and to become an expert in program design, monitoring and evaluation in a range of public health areas.

“My country is a recipient of the impacts of climate change – we bear the brunt of other countries’ decisions not to take action. I want to gain more knowledge to deal with this,” he says.

Read an opinion piece here by Allison Gocotano’s supervisor, Dr Melissa Haswell, on the impact of climate change.

Media contact: Cassie Chorn, UNSW Media Office, 9385 8107, c.chorn@unsw.edu.au

Devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan. Image taken by Allison Gocotano.