MANILA, Philippines — The Climate Change Commission (CCC) welcomed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s decision to bring the Philippines into the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), calling it a practical and forward-looking step for climate adaptation. The Philippines was formally welcomed as CDRI’s 71st member during the President’s meeting with coalition officials in New Delhi, India. The Department of Public Works and Highways has been designated to represent the country in the coalition. “This is a timely decision for Philippine adaptation. It can further strengthen our nation’s ability to anticipate risks and apply what we know before infrastructure is located, designed, financed, built and maintained,” said CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje. He said the decision supports the Marcos administration’s shift toward predictive governance, using climate projections, hazard information and risk assessments to guide present-day policies and investments. “Prediction has value when it changes a decision: the site selected, the design standard applied, the project prioritized, the maintenance scheduled and the essential service protected,” he added. Borje pointed out that roads, bridges, ports, power and water systems, schools, hospitals and communications facilities are interconnected. The failure of one critical system can disrupt essential services, livelihoods and economic activity, underscoring the need for climate-resilient design and preventive adaptation. The CCC said CDRI membership can complement the implementation of the National Adaptation Plan 2023–2050 and the National Climate Risk Management Framework by widening access to international expertise, technical cooperation, risk-assessment tools and potential partnerships for resilient infrastructure investment. The Commission emphasized that the value of membership will depend on how international knowledge and cooperation are translated into national standards, budgets, investment decisions and projects. “With DPWH as the country’s designated representative, the next step is to connect this cooperation with the work of other national agencies, local governments, infrastructure operators, financing institutions, universities and communities,” Borje said. “Our objective must be to build right at first sight and ensure that public investments remain safe, functional and useful under the risks we already face and those we can reasonably foresee.” CDRI is a voluntary global partnership that promotes infrastructure resilience against climate and disaster risks. The Philippines is its second Southeast Asian member after Vietnam. The CCC is the lead policy-making body of the government on climate change. Under Republic Act No. 9729, as amended, it coordinates, monitors and evaluates government climate programs and supports the mainstreaming of climate change into national, sectoral and local development policies and plans. For more information on the CCC’s climate mainstreaming activities and partnerships, visit www.climate.gov.ph and www.facebook.com/CCCPhl.
Representatives from various divisions, units, and offices of the Climate Change Commission convene for a strategic and operational planning workshop to support the agency’s optimization efforts. MANILA, Philippines – The Climate Change Commission (CCC) continues to strengthen its organizational systems and operations through its Optimization Program to improve efficiency and support the faster delivery of climate action. The ongoing initiative seeks to align the Commission’s structure, resources, and operations with its mandate and priorities, with the goal of continuously improving its processes and strengthening its responsiveness to the country’s growing climate needs. As part of this continuing effort, the CCC recently conducted strategic and operational planning workshops with representatives from its divisions, units, and offices. The workshops focused on aligning institutional priorities, identifying areas for improvement, and strengthening coordination across the Commission. The workshops aimed to strengthen the Commission’s institutional capacity to advance national adaptation and mitigation policies and programs, supported by stronger climate data and science, measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV), and monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) systems. These capabilities will help ensure more efficient and accurate planning, monitoring, and decision-making amid the evolving climate risks and needs of the country, while strengthening the delivery of climate policies and programs. CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje underscored the importance of continuously strengthening the institution to effectively respond to climate change. “Climate change continues to pose complex and evolving risks, as seen in recent extreme weather events. Strengthening how we organize, plan, and deliver our programs is essential to ensuring that our policies translate into timely, effective, and meaningful action on the ground,” Borje said. Deputy Executive Director Atty. Romell Antonio O. Cuenca emphasized that organizational efficiency is an ongoing effort essential to delivering responsive public service. “By continuously reviewing and improving our structure, processes, and priorities, we are working to make the Commission more responsive and effective in delivering climate action for the Filipino people,” Cuenca said. The CCC’s Optimization Program forms part of the broader Government Optimization Program (GOP) under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. toward a more agile, efficient, and responsive bureaucracy. As the Optimization Program progresses, the CCC continues to identify opportunities to strengthen its institution and operations. Further, it will improve internal coordination and enhance the delivery of programs and policies that advance climate resilience and sustainable development across the country. For more information on the CCC’s climate mainstreaming programs and partnerships, visit www.climate.gov.ph and www.facebook.com/CCCPhl.
Representing the Philippines as chair of the ASEAN Task Force on Carbon Neutrality, CCC Vice Chair and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje pushed action on carbon neutrality at the ASEAN Strategy for Carbon Neutrality Work Plan workshop in Jakarta, Indonesia. JAKARTA — The Climate Change Commission (CCC), representing the Philippines as chair of the ASEAN Task Force on Carbon Neutrality (ATF-CN), called for greater regional cooperation to translate ASEAN’s carbon neutrality strategy into concrete action. CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje said stronger coordination across sectors is to moving from strategy to implementation while recognizing the different development priorities and capacities of ASEAN Member States. “Climate ambition is easy to declare. Delivering it, however, requires ownership,” Borje said at the August 5 validation workshop for the ASEAN Strategy for Carbon Neutrality Work Plan in Jakarta, Indonesia. “The distance between a strategy and a result is measured by the quality of coordination: who acts, who supports, by when, and toward which shared outcome,” he added. Adopted by the ASEAN Economic Community Council in 2023, the ASEAN Strategy for Carbon Neutrality provides a regional framework for an orderly, inclusive and economically beneficial transition to a low-carbon economy. It sets out eight strategic approaches and 16 priority initiatives covering areas such as green value chains, circular economy, green infrastructure and markets, sustainable finance and green skills. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is an important part of addressing climate change, alongside strengthening adaptation and resilience to impacts already being experienced across the region. For the Philippines, regional cooperation on carbon neutrality complements its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and NDC Implementation Plan, which guide mitigation action while taking into account national development priorities. Borje said ASEAN cooperation should help connect work across sectors while supporting implementation by Member States according to their respective national circumstances. “The Sectoral Bodies, as the custodians of sectoral work, are where the real work lives,” he said. “The role of the Task Force for Carbon Neutrality is to help connect initiatives across sectors and carry good sectoral ideas up to the regional level where they can scale.” The Jakarta workshop, convened by the ASEAN Secretariat with support from the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), brought together Member States and relevant ASEAN sectoral bodies as part of continuing work on the Carbon Neutrality Work Plan. The CCC chairs the ATF-CN for the Philippines upon the recommendation of the Department of Trade and Industry, which leads the country’s engagement under the ASEAN Economic Community pillar. Work on the Carbon Neutrality Work Plan will continue through established ASEAN processes before the Task Force reports to the ASEAN Economic Community Council in November. The Climate Change Commission is the country’s lead policy-making body on climate change. Under Republic Act No. 9729, or the Climate Change Act, as amended by Republic Act No. 10174, the CCC is mandated to coordinate, monitor and evaluate government programs and actions on climate change and mainstream climate change into national, sectoral and local development plans and programs. For more information on the CCC’s climate mitigation programs and partnerships, visit www.climate.gov.ph and www.facebook.com/CCCPhl.
The Climate Change Commission (CCC), together with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), engaged in knowledge exchange to develop a capstone project proposal that will strengthen evidence-based and data-informed climate action and ecological monitoring through research. MANILA– The Climate Change Commission (CCC) has partnered with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) to launch research-based efforts to support evidence-based and data-informed climate action and ecological monitoring in the Philippines through improved datasets and analyses. This also provides support to students from the Sustainable Leadership Learning for Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction (SLL-CDRR) scholarship program, an initiative of Senator Loren Legarda in partnership with the CCC and AIM, which aims to develop future leaders equipped to respond to climate and disaster risks through science, data, and innovation. The initiative also aims to build scholars’ capacity and strengthen their interest in climate-related data generation, analysis, and application—skills that they can use for the programs, activities, and initiatives of their respective agencies. Under the collaboration, Master of Science in Data Science (MSDS) students of AIM will work with the CCC to explore innovative approaches in tracking changes in land use and forests, as well as improving how the country measures and reports greenhouse gas emissions. The initiative seeks to address persistent challenges in producing timely and reliable data to inform climate planning and decision-making. CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje underscored the value of collaboration between government and the academe in addressing the climate crisis. “Climate change continues to intensify, and our response must be anchored on science, data, and strong partnerships. Through this collaboration, we are able to harness the expertise and innovation of our students, ensuring that our efforts remain responsive to national priorities and grounded in evidence,” Borje said. Borje added that strengthening climate data systems is essential to improving transparency and accountability in the country’s climate response. “Reliable and accessible data allows us to understand better risks, track progress, and design policies that deliver real impact on the ground. By investing in data and people, we are strengthening the foundation of a more resilient and climate-informed Philippines,” he said. A total of four AIM MSDS students will undertake the capstone project, working closely with the CCC to contribute to ongoing efforts to strengthen climate data systems, enhance transparency reporting, and support evidence-based policy development. The CCC remains committed to bridge academic knowledge and public sector needs, while empowering the next generation of data scientists to play an active role in advancing climate resilience and sustainable development. For more information on the CCC’s climate mainstreaming activities, visit www.climate.gov.ph and www.facebook.com/CCCPhl.
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has advanced efforts to integrate gender and social inclusivity into climate governance, planning, implementation, and monitoring. The President, who chairs the Climate Change Commission (CCC), approved last August 27 2026 three CCC resolutions adopting the CCC Gender and Development (GAD) Agenda 2027–2032 and the Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines (HGDG) Checklist for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, and establish the Gender and Climate Change Advisory Group (GCAG) to support the implementation of the Philippines’ Nationally Determined Contribution Gender Action Plan (NDC-GAP) 2024–2030. Together, the measures provide stronger institutional mechanisms and practical tools to ensure that gender considerations are integrated into climate policies, programs, projects, budgeting, and decision-making. CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje said the approval reinforces the government’s commitment to making gender equality an integral part of climate action. “Climate change does not affect everyone in the same way. Gender-responsive climate action allows us to recognize these differentiated impacts and ensure that our policies, investments, and programs respond to the realities of those most vulnerable. These resolutions help translate that commitment into concrete institutional action,” Borje said. The CCC GAD Agenda 2027–2032 sets the Commission’s strategic direction for institutionalizing gender-responsive climate governance, planning, implementation, and monitoring. It directs CCC offices and units to integrate gender-responsive actions into their annual GAD Plans and Budgets and GAD Accomplishment Reports. Meanwhile, the adoption of the HGDG Checklist for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation provides a climate-specific tool for assessing the gender-responsiveness of climate programs and projects. It integrates gender analysis and sex-disaggregated data into climate risk assessments, project design, monitoring, and evaluation, while supporting alignment with the NDC, National Adaptation Plan (NAP), climate change expenditure tagging, and GAD planning and budgeting processes. CCC Commissioner and Chairperson of the CCC Gender and Development Focal Point System (GFPS) Rachel Anne S. Herrera emphasized that the measures strengthen the institutional foundation for translating gender commitments into actual climate action. “Gender mainstreaming must be reflected not only in our policies, but in how we design projects, allocate resources, make decisions, and measure results. These resolutions give us the institutional framework and practical tools to ensure that gender considerations are consistently integrated into climate action,” Herrera said. The third resolution establishes the Gender and Climate Change Advisory Group, composed of the CCC and key national government agencies, including the Philippine Commission on Women, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, Department of Transportation, Department of Energy, Department of Economy, Planning and Development, Department of Budget and Management, and Department of Finance. The GCAG will provide strategic leadership, coordination, quality assurance, and performance monitoring in implementing the NDC-GAP 2024–2030, strengthening inter-agency collaboration in mainstreaming gender equality and social inclusion across climate mitigation and adaptation programs. Borje said the measures reinforce the importance of a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to climate action. “Climate resilience must be inclusive by design. By bringing gender considerations into our planning systems, project development, budgeting, and inter-agency coordination, we strengthen not only equity but also the effectiveness and sustainability of our climate actions,” he added. The CCC works with national government agencies, local government units, development partners, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to support the implementation of the measures and advance gender-responsive climate mitigation and adaptation across the country. Through these institutional reforms, the CCC continues to strengthen gender equality and social inclusion as integral components of the Philippines’ climate agenda, supporting a climate-resilient and low-carbon development pathway that leaves no one behind. For more information on the CCC’s climate mainstreaming activities and partnerships, visit www.climate.gov.ph and www.facebook.com/CCCPhl.
