Driving climate action at scale. The Climate Change Commission (CCC) presents a science-based framework for climate resilience and low-carbon development to the Metro Manila Council (MMC) and Regional Development Council (RDC), and underscores the role of local government units in addressing climate risks across the National Capital Region.

PASIG CITY — The Climate Change Commission (CCC) presented its science-based climate action and priority areas for collaboration to the Metro Manila Council (MMC) and Regional Development Council (RDC), aiming to strengthen regional coordination and accelerate climate action across the National Capital Region (NCR).

The presentation outlined the national climate scenario, key policies, and a partnership strategy that brings climate science into urban systems and decision-making, with direct implications for the region’s local government units (LGUs). 

At the core of the Commission’s message is the need to move from fragmented responses to a systems-based approach, integrating climate risk data, projections, and policy frameworks into critical sectors such as flood management, transport, solid waste, and land use planning. This approach enables LGUs to better anticipate risks, reduce asset loss, and protect communities from compounding climate impacts.

“It’s critically important that we provide support for the planning ahead. We are encouraged by the vision of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., which emphasizes a systems-based approach to the issue of climate change and addressing its impact,” CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje said. “We underscore that climate change does not arrive as a single-footed event.”

In the presentation, the CCC also highlighted the section of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) that tackles the Climate Impact Drivers (CIDs) exposure level of LGUs in the NCR. This included sea level rise, extreme sea levels, increased temperature and droughts, fluvial flooding, and extreme weather.

With this, the Commission emphasized that climate risks in Metro Manila are increasingly interconnected and multi-hazard, requiring coordinated, region-wide strategies.

These initiatives are designed to strengthen LGU capacities as frontline actors in climate action, enhancing their ability to integrate climate change into local development plans, access financing, and implement resilience-building measures on the ground.

Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairperson Atty. Romando S. Artes expressed the agency’s full support for the CCC’s mandate and its drive for science-based climate action across the region, and pushed for creating a technical working group moving forward. He underscored the importance of sustained collaboration in advancing climate resilience and safeguarding Metro Manila communities.

Moreover, Artes expressed the MMDA’s commitment to work with CCC to advance the transformative climate agenda and science-based planning.

The joint MMC-RDC platform, which serves as both the policy-making body for metro-wide governance and the region’s development council, provides a strategic venue to align national climate commitments with regional planning and local implementation. The meeting was attended by 13 Metro Manila mayors, with some of them joining online. 

The CCC also called on these local chief executives to take part in the National Climate Resilience Forum in July 2026, which aims to further align policies, investments, and partnerships toward a climate-resilient and low-carbon future.

Through sustained engagement with the MMC and RDC, the CCC continues to push for a regional, systems-driven approach to climate governance — one that translates science into action, strengthens LGU capacities, and minimizes economic and asset losses across Metro Manila.