CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje, CCC Commissioner Rachel Anne S. Herrera, NRC Executive Director Silvestre Z. Barrameda, Jr., and Samantha Bacaron, NRC Program Officer signed the Memorandum of Agreement between the two agencies for the Philippine Resilience Awards 2023: Category for Women.
 

MANILA, 27 September 2023 — The Climate Change Commission (CCC), together with the National Resilience Council (NRC), formalized its commitment to gender-responsive climate action in the Philippines through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the 2023 Philippine Resilience Awards (PRA): Category for Women.

The PRA, a collaborative initiative by the CCC, NRC, the Office of Senator Loren Legarda, SM Cares, the Philippine Commission on Women, and the Women International Network on Disaster Risk Reduction (WINDRR)-Philippines, celebrates and acknowledges the outstanding resilience-building efforts of local women leaders across the country. Envisioned as an annual event, the PRA aims to honor and document best practices in Gender and Climate Action.

The call for nominations for the 2023 PRA Awards was initiated on 22 August 2023, and concluded on 23 September 2023, garnering a total of 62 nominations.

Guided by Republic Act 9729 or the Climate Change Act of 2009, the CCC has been steadfast in incorporating a gender-sensitive, pro-children, and pro-poor approach into the design and implementation of the government’s climate change efforts, plans, and programs.

In his remarks, CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje emphasized the vital role women play in climate action.

“For our climate action to be truly reflective of the various needs of our communities, and truly make these initiatives transformative, we need women, we need them to be part of leadership, of decision-making, and of the critical mass that will move our nation towards greater climate resilience,” Borje said.

Commissioner Rachel Anne S. Herrera underscored the importance of collaboration among agencies to achieve climate goals.

She said, “We recognize that achieving resilience requires massive transformation in our individual and societal behavior, enabled by an environment that fully embraces and practices sustainable and resilience-building initiatives, and we know that we need help from partner agencies and organizations to accelerate actions within our sectors and communities.”

In parallel, the NRC, mandated to strengthen disaster resilience across the country, recognizes the pressing need to reinforce gender mainstreaming in climate change and disaster resilience work through the PRA.

“Through the establishment of a network of resilience champions, this partnership empowers others to embark on similar journeys. It nurtures mentorship, fostering a culture of knowledge and experience that is shared and the inspiration of resilience is kept alive,” said NRC Executive Director Silvestre Z. Barrameda, Jr.

To showcase the first Philippine Resilience Award for Local Women Leaders, the CCC and NRC will spearhead a learning session with the 2023 PRA awardees in November 2023 as part of the 16th Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week.

Both the CCC and NRC affirmed their commitment to expand the partnership beyond the PRA, working towards strengthening institutions and local governments to advance gender equality and climate resilience in the Philippines.

“Our ultimate goal, after all, is to uplift the lives, livelihoods, and the future of every Filipino. Importante at mahalaga na ang partisipasyon ng bawat Pilipina ay maipasok natin sa mga ginagawa nating aksyon,” Borje added.

For more information on the CCC’s climate mainstreaming activities, visit https://climate.gov.ph and https://facebook.com/cccphl.