Climate leaders, partners, and advocates gather at the 2025 Solidarity Night to celebrate the culmination of the Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week.
 

MANILA, 5 December 2025 — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to decisive climate action in his message during the 2025 Solidarity Night, the culminating activity of the 18th Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week (CCC Week). Hosted by the Climate Change Commission (CCC), the event showcased the country’s progress on the Nationally Determined Contribution Implementation Plan (NDCIP) and emphasized a whole-of-nation approach to climate action.

“Let us uphold climate governance, protecting the beauty and bounty of our land, while seeking effective ways to ensure the welfare of generations to come,” Pres. Marcos said. “Together, let us nurture a nation that leads with foresight and thrives with purpose—one that is resilient, future-ready, and responsive to the needs of both people and the planet.”

Highlighting resilience, the President pointed to ongoing initiatives under the National Adaptation Plan, the NDCIP, and efforts in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and climate finance as foundations for a future “that leaves no Filipino behind.”

Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla, the Official Representative of the President to the CCC, emphasized that building resilience goes beyond policies and programs. “It requires compassion, commitment, and collaboration. It means supporting local innovations, empowering communities, and transforming development pathways into ones that are sustainable, inclusive, and just.”

CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje highlighted the event’s unifying spirit. “Let this be our continuing challenge: to work for the last, the least, the lost, and the most vulnerable. In doing so, we can become the change our country and the world need,” he said.

Borje stressed that partnership remains central to the Philippines’ climate agenda, as embodied in the Active Climate Change Engagement Leading to Resilient, Adaptive and Transformative Empowerment (ACCELERATE) Framework, which drives inclusive, participatory, and whole-of-nation climate governance.

Speakers from various sectors shared their contributions. ACEN President and CEO Eric Francia highlighted the urgency of measurable mitigation amid rapid growth. “The Philippines is growing quickly, industries are expanding, and power demand is rising, yet we remain one of the most climate-vulnerable nations. As we grow, we need to make sure we are also cutting emissions in a real and measurable way. That’s the heart of mitigation, and this is why the Philippines’ NDC does matter.”

Tebtebba Executive Director Helen Biangalen-Magata stressed the importance of supporting Indigenous Peoples. “Indigenous Peoples are among the most vulnerable,facing land dispossession, loss of cultural heritage, and threats to their very way of life. By embracing and supporting Indigenous knowledge and rights, we not only honor their contributions but also strengthen our own capacity to adapt and thrive.”

Mayor Alfredo Coro II of Del Carmen, Siargao emphasized empowering local governments: “Most actions and impacts are managed and governed by LGUs. If we all work for local climate solutions, then all local climate solutions will benefit us all.”

From the private sector, PLDT and SMART Chief Sustainability Officer Melissa Vergel De Dios highlighted the importance of resilient digital infrastructure. “We recognize our key role in empowering businesses and connecting Filipinos, especially in remote and isolated areas. We aim to minimize network downtime by fortifying our systems, taking into account climate change, changing weather patterns, and extreme climate.”

UN Women Philippines Ambassador Vanessa Vianca S. Pallarco-Yu stressed gender-responsive climate action. “With the Belém Gender Action Plan now in force, we have an even stronger time-bound global mandate to scale these efforts. When climate action is gender-responsive, it becomes more just, more inclusive, and more effective.”

Food and Agriculture Organization Philippines Representative Lionel Dabbadie emphasized that transformation happens where ambition meets implementation. “Ambition without implementation leads to frustration, but implementation without ambition leads to stagnation. Transformation happens where ambition meets implementation—it is urgent, it is lived, and it is real.”

Started in 2024, Solidarity Night was established to highlight the thematic strategies of the National Adaptation Plan 2023–2050. The 2025 edition focused on mitigation and the NDCIP, underscoring the country’s resolve to advance from planning to full-scale implementation of long-term climate objectives. Guests concluded the event by signing a collaborative artwork made from various indigenous fabrics, symbolizing their commitment to climate action, unity, cultural preservation, and shared responsibility for a whole-of-nation climate effort.

The event reaffirmed the CCC’s belief that climate leadership is a shared responsibility, strengthened by partnership, grounded in evidence, and driven by collective resolve. The country can meet its climate goals only through collaboration among government, communities, development partners, the private sector, academe, and civil society, working together to create a low-carbon, climate-resilient, and sustainable future for all Filipinos.