CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, 10 March 2020 – More local government units (LGUs) pledged to enhance their local development plans during the week-long Enhanced Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP) Training Workshop.
 
Representatives from the LGUs of the Province of Lanao del Norte, academic institutions, civil society organizations, and the private sector participated in the event, which included lectures on climate change 101, climate and disaster risk assessment process, basic greenhouse gas inventory, climate change expenditure tagging, and a workshop on project proposal development for the People’s Survival Fund (PSF).
 
“This five-day Communities for Resilience Training Workshop is an essential step to find and adopt solutions that are viable to implement in our localities for we feel the urgency to do this,” said the Province of Lanao del Norte Governor Imelda Quibranza-Dimaporo.
 
Said training is in line with the mandate of the Climate Change Commission (CCC) to further mainstream climate change and capacitate the LGUs in enhancing their LCCAPs. 
 
In his opening message, Climate Change Commission (CCC) Secretary Emmanuel M. De Guzman shared that LCCAPs, a deliverable of LGUs under the Climate Change Act 2009, have increased ten folds in number from 137 in 2015 to 1,267 in 2019.
 
“The support of policy and decision makers at the highest level of the national government is critical in our pursuit of climate resilience and sustainable development for our communities. Likewise, key to a climate-resilient Filipino nation is strengthening the cooperation between and among our national government agencies, LGUs, and the science and academic community on mainstreaming climate change adaptation and mitigation in local development and investment planning across the country,” said De Guzman, highlighting the attendance of House Committee on Climate Change Secretary Erwin Lara to represent the Chairperson, Bohol Representative Edgar Chatto.
 
Aside from CORE, the CCC has also initiated programs which will help LGUs on enhancing LCCAPs and developing PSF project proposals.
 
Last year, CCC facilitated the formation of nationwide network of multi-stakeholder consortiums to promote and sustain climate science education, research and knowledge-sharing, policy advocacy, and providing advisory and mentoring services to LGUs. To date, CCC has already initiated the establishment of two consortiums – the Leyte and Northern Panay Climate Change Consortiums.
 
The CCC also issued a resolution adopting a National Climate Risk Management Framework which urges LGUs and national governments to undertake national and local risk assessments and formulate risk management strategies and interventions.
 
De Guzman said that enhanced LCCAPs are expected to further strengthen participatory local risk governance, enhance the resilience of rural livelihood, preserve the integrity of ecosystems, ensure the rich and resilient indigenous peoples’ culture, and strengthen early recovery planning.
 
“We need to work even smarter, and in unison with each other—to survive and thrive in this extremely challenging era of climate change. Now is the time to unite for climate action. Now is the time to unite for climate resilience,” De Guzman concluded.
 
“Climate emergency is real. The decisiveness of our action at the local levels must take place here and now, lest the extinction of the human race becomes irreversible,” said Rep. Chatto in his keynote message delivered by Lara.
 
This Communities for Resilience - Enhanced Local Climate Change Action Plan Training for the Local Government Units and Higher Education Institutions incorporates the country’s National Framework Strategy on Climate Change 2010-2022, National Climate Change Action Plan 2011-2028, and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Plan 2011-2018. 
 
The program also trails the post-2015 global frameworks for development: the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, Sustainable Development Goals 2030, and the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.

Secretary Emmanuel M. De Guzman's Message - eLCCAP Training for Lanao Del Norte LGUs