MANILA, Philippines – At the National Climate Resilience Forum (NCRF) 2026, the Climate Change Commission (CCC) convened national leaders and key stakeholders to localize climate action and strengthen resilience.
 

Reinforcing that climate action remains a national priority under the vision and guidance of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Maria Luwalhati C. Dorotan-Tiuseco emphasized the government’s commitment to proactive and inclusive resilience-building.
 

“The government’s responsibility must be to anticipate dangers, strengthen communities, protect livelihoods, and ensure that no Filipino faces calamity alone. And this administration has pursued exactly that.”
 

CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje emphasized the increasing urgency to respond to intensifying climate impacts, noting that these are reshaping how resilience and development must be pursued.
 

“Climate change is reshaping the conditions under which resilience must now be built. And because resilience is inseparable from development, it is also reshaping the conditions under which our nation must grow and prosper. Our task now is to build upon these foundations—with discipline, with purpose, and with the shared understanding that resilience is not someone else’s responsibility. It belongs to all of us.”
 

As one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, the Philippines continues to face serious risks from extreme weather events, sea-level rise, food insecurity, water stress, and climate-induced displacement. These challenges underscore the urgency of translating national climate policies into concrete, on-the-ground action.
 

CCC Commissioner Rachel Anne S. Herrera underscored the importance of moving from planning to implementation, stressing that the forum serves as a platform to operationalize climate strategies at the local level.
 

“Our objective is clear: to translate national policies into context-specific, investment-ready, and scalable climate action where it matters most—in our communities.”

The forum featured panel discussions and breakout sessions that highlighted practical and scalable solutions, climate finance opportunities, resilience measurement systems, and science- and data-driven planning tools to support local governments in building climate resilience.

Senator Loren Legarda urged local government units to take a more active role in implementing climate strategies on the ground.
 

“To our local chief executives and planners: the success of our national climate strategies depends on how they are carried out at the local level. Climate resilience must be reflected in your land use plans, annual investments, and infrastructure decisions.”
 

Stakeholders across sectors showed support and echoed the need to translate climate commitments into concrete outcomes.
 

Representative Aniela Bianca D. Tolentino, Chair of the House Committee on Climate Change, stressed the importance of implementation. “Plans alone cannot make communities resilient. Ang tunay na sukatan ng tagumpay ay hindi kung gaano kaganda ang ating mga plano, kundi paano natin ito naipapatupad sa ating mga komunidad.”
 

Cong. Jose Manuel F. Alba, Representative of the First District of Bukidnon, also underscored urgency in delivering results. “History will not judge us by the plans we write, but by the lives we save. Let this forum be the line in the sand where rhetoric ends, and decisive action begins.”
 

Ms. Kyungsun Kim, country representative of UNICEF Philippines, emphasized measuring adaptation through real impacts. “Let us ensure that climate adaptation is measured, not only planned in budget, but in healthier children, stronger communities, more resilient families and greater opportunities for the next generation.”
 

H.E. Dr. Andreas Michael Pfaffernoschke, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Philippines, reaffirmed Germany’s support. “Germany has been and will continue to be a strong and reliable partner for the Philippines in climate action and in strengthening your country’s resilience.”
 

Mr. Jonas Tetangco of Catholic Relief Services Philippines underscored partnerships for community-based solutions. “Catholic Relief Services remains committed to partnering with communities, local governments, national government agencies, and development partners to advance nature-based solutions, climate-smart livelihoods, watershed protection, and ecosystem restoration.”
 

Mr. Hermilando I. Mandanas, Secretary-General of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines and Vice Governor of Batangas, called for stronger commitment to local resilience. “Together, I think we should again reinstate, revitalize, and really fortify our commitment in making our country resilient and really able to meet the challenges that really exist in our country.”
 

Anchored on the theme “Bagong Bansang Matatag, Handa sa Pagbabago ng Klima,” the NCRF 2026 served as a platform to strengthen alignment between national frameworks—including the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2023-2050 and the Nationally Determined Contribution Implementation Plan (NDCIP)—and their implementation at the local level.
 

Booth exhibits showcased climate action initiatives from government agencies, civil society organizations, development partners, and the private sector.
 

The NCRF 2026 was held with the support of the key partners, including the Philippine Red Cross, Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino, International Organization for Migration, Catholic Relief Services, UNICEF Philippines, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and Expertise France, with participation both onsite and through livestream via the CCC’s official Facebook page.
 

The forum brought together nearly 500 participants, including representatives from local government units (LGUs), national government agencies (NGAs), civil society organizations (CSOs), the academe and state universities and colleges (SUCs), development partners, embassies, international organizations, the private sector, and the media, among other stakeholders.

Participating NGAs included the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Health (DOH) - Health and Climate Change Office, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD)-Environmental, Land Use and Urban Planning and Development Bureau, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Central Office-Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Unit, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)-Bureau of Local Government Development, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF), Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy-Environment Management Service (BARMM), National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), National Youth Commission (NYC), Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Philippine Board of Investments (BOI), and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW). 
 

Panelists also included representatives from DOST-Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-PAGASA), Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), which further enriched discussions through their sectoral expertise and experience. This reflects a whole-of-government approach to strengthening climate resilience and accelerating climate action nationwide.
 

The CCC remains committed to advance climate action, strengthen resilience from the ground up, and continue to address climate change through a whole-of-society and whole-of-nation approach.
 

For more information on the CCC’s climate mainstreaming programs and partnerships, visit www.climate.gov.ph and www.facebook.com/CCCPhl