President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has a queer way of helping save the environment.

Arroyo, congresswoman-elect of Pampanga, keeps a friendly gecko lizard pet in her Lubao house, her unconventional way of adapting to the threatening impact of climate change.

Citing the Philippines as a climate-taker rather than a climate-maker, Ms. Arroyo promoted Friday that taking care of gecko lizards could help the country adapt to lingering global warming as she encouraged business firms to campaign for environment-friendly buildings.

She said the public should use gecko lizards, instead of using chemical repellents to get rid of house pests. “Hindi kami gumagamit ng chemical pest control para sa aming mosquito. Gumagamit kami ng tuko. Bumibili ako ng tuko at pinakawalan at ‘yung tuko ang kumakain ng mosquito at kumakain ng cockroach. Yun ang tinatawag na integrated pest management,” President Arroyo told members and officials of the 61st multiple district 301 Lions State Convention and Retrospective Seminar on Finance at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. (“We don’t resort into chemical pest control against mosquitoes. We use gecko lizard. I bought gecko lizard and set it free and the gecko lizard eats mosquito and cockroach.”)

She noted that her eldest son, outgoing Pampanga Rep. Mickey Arroyo, has also been using a gecko lizard to get rid off pests.

She also asked Lions officials and members, mostly businessmen, to adopt integrated eco-based management in their own enterprises by establishing “more environment-friendly” buildings that do not need air conditioners and have gardens in their rooftops.

The Chief Executive expressed hopes that the next administration will carry out her green-initiatives and policies, pressing on the need to efficiently and effectively mitigate the impact of climate change.

“I am confident that in the next years, even if I am no longer president nandun pa rin ang ating laban sa climate change and moving to grow (the fight against climate change continues),” she said.

She said the passage of the laws during her nine-year stint, which she considered her legacy, should be continuously implemented by her successor, including Bio Fuels Act, Renewable Energy Act, Climate Change Act, and the Integrated Coastal Management Act.

“I took particular pride in our effort to bring up and not tear down our ecosystem. We cannot eliminate poverty in the price of achieving that goal with polluted land, depleted seas and unbreathable air,” she said.

She also called for the strengthening of the health protection system and water governance and management, garbage segregation system, as well as the implementation of energy conservation measures.