Advancing metro-wide climate action. The CCC, led by Vice Chair and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje, and the MMDA, led by Chairman Atty. Romando S. Artes, convene to align metropolitan programs with the country’s climate resilience and low-carbon development agenda. The MMDA addresses climate change through urban planning, maintaining pumping stations, and disaster risk reduction for Metro Manila’s 17 local government units. (lower right photo from RTVM)

PASIG CITY — The Climate Change Commission (CCC) met with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to discuss priority areas for convergence of climate actions and identify opportunities to align MMDA programs with the country’s key climate policies and frameworks.

The exploratory meeting highlighted the critical role of the two agencies in managing metro-wide climate-sensitive urban systems in the National Capital Region (NCR), one of the country’s most densely populated and climate-vulnerable areas.

Held at the MMDA Central Office, the meeting brought together the agencies’ leaders to strengthen institutional coordination on climate resilience and low-carbon urban development. The CCC delegation was led by Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje and Deputy Executive Director Romell Antonio Cuenca, and MMDA with its Chairman Romando S. Artes, Undersecretary Frisco San Juan, and General Manager Nicolas Torre III.

The CCC underscored the importance of anchoring metropolitan programs on the country’s two foundational climate policies, the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2023–2050 and the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which guide climate action efforts across sectors.

Developed under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration, the NAP serves as the country’s long-term blueprint for climate resilience. The CCC emphasized that Metro Manila, given its exposure to extreme rainfall, flooding, sea level rise, and urban heat, must adopt a systemic and climate risk–informed approach to planning and governance.

“We recognize MMDA’s central role in managing drainage systems, flood control facilities, transport networks, solid waste operations, and disaster response mechanisms that are increasingly affected by climate change,” Borje said. “Our goal is to institutionalize a climate lens across these metro-wide systems to ensure that investments today are resilient to future risks.”

The CCC highlighted the importance of consolidating short-term, high-impact initiatives into a coherent, climate-smart metro framework that integrates adaptation, mitigation, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable urban development.

Through strengthened coordination, the CCC and MMDA aim to advance a whole-of-metro approach that safeguards communities, protects critical infrastructure, and positions Metro Manila toward a more resilient and climate-smart future.