On June 16, Consul Cunanan attended a dinner hosted by the Climate Change Commission in honor of Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of the United Natiions Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The event was held at the EDSA Shangri-la Hotel and hosted by Former Senator Heherson Alvarez, a member of the CCC.

Honored guests included Environment Secretary Ramon Paje, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, former House Speaker Jose de Venecia, and former Senator Santanina Rasul, who each spoke up their efforts in the field of climate change. Consul Cunanan also addressed the audience, which was composed of various interfaith groups, and spoke about his own environment initiatives involving the Philippines and Georgia. Specifically, he is organizing the first Philippine Climate Change Delegation to Georgia in late November, in partnership principally with Mr. Alvarez, who will lead the group and conduct a series of talks.

The delegation will also include noted theatre artist Cecile Guidote-Alvarez and famous Filipino visual painter Pancho Piano. Ms. Alvarez will dialogue with theatre groups in Georgia about arts for social change, while Mr. Piano will exhibit his paintings, which will be centered on the theme of care and protection of the environment, in the National Museum of Georgia’s Gallery of Fine Arts. He will be the first Filipino painter to display his works in Georgia.

Consul Cunanan will also be bringing a Philippine movie to Georgia, for participation in the Tbilisi International Film Festival from December 1 – 7. The movie, which will also have a climate change theme, will be included in the festival’s “Horizons” category.

For these projects, Consul Cunanan is working with, among others, Caucasus University, the National Museum of Georgia, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Environment Protection, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Georgian National Film Center, and the Tbilisi International Film Festival.