MANILA, Philippines — The Climate Change Commission (CCC) and Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) met to discuss the implementation of their partnership on creating climate-smart communities.

CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director (VCED) Robert E.A. Borje welcomed the delegates from Aboitiz Equity Ventures, led by Ms. Ana Margarita “Ginggay” Hontiveros, First Vice President and Chief Reputation and Sustainability Officer.

“Public-private partnerships are crucial to harmonize coordination and concerted effort in ensuring local governments can plan for and implement strategies to minimize, if not avert, the impacts of climate change,” said VCED Borje.

The meeting was intended to concretize the activities of the partnership between CCC and AEV to transform LGUs into climate-smart communities, including assisting LGUs to prepare, implement, and enhance their local climate change action plans (LCCAP).

In December 2022, a preliminary orientation workshop on the enhancing LCCAP towards becoming climate smart communities was conducted for the municipalities of Sto. Tomas and Malvar in Batangas and Iligan City.

Building on the success of the event, the CCC and AEV expanded the program to other vulnerable communities hosted by the Aboitiz Group.
 
The Aboitiz Group expressed full support to the CCC towards the innovation on the consolidation and analysis of LGUs’ LCCAPs and the responsiveness of their Climate Change Expenditure Tagging (CCET).

The innovation component of the partnership seeks to provide relevant public information on the intervention of LGUs based on their local climate risks and hazards.

The LCCAP innovation project will be launched in September 2023.

For more information on the CCC’s climate mainstreaming activities, visit www.climate.gov.ph.