The Climate Change Commission (CCC) and Deputy Speaker and Antique Congresswoman Loren Legarda are very pleased to announce that the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board, presently convened for its 24th Meeting held in Songdo, Korea this week, has just approved our country’s first GCF project on the establishment of a multi-hazard impact-based forecasting and early warning system (MH-IBF-EWS). The GCF Board, which includes Deputy Speaker and Antique Congresswoman Loren Legarda as Alternate Member, approved the proposal for a USD10-million grant that aims to strengthen and ensure the delivery of actionable and timely early warning to communities and “last mile” end users at risk of impending natural hazards. “The Board’s decision to approve this project comes at a critical time as we commemorate this November the onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines six years ago. The experiences and lessons we gained from Yolanda and other disasters necessitated the need for a project like this that can translate risk and hazard information into understandable and actionable early warnings, so our citizens remain safe and aware,” Legarda said. The project aims to translate hazard forecasts into warnings that can convey location- and sector-specific impacts, providing tailored climate risk information directly to the LGUs and communities on the ground. It will implement four outputs: i)      Generate science-based multi-hazard weather and risk information; ii)    Establish an MH-IBF-EWS supported by a knowledge and decision support system; iii)   Improve national and local capacities in implementing a people-centered MH-IBF-EWS and forecast-based early actions (FbA); and iv)   Mainstream climate risk information and MH-IBF-EWS in development policy and planning, investment programming and resilience planning at national and local levels and institutionalizing a people-centered MH-IBF-EWS in the Philippines. The GCF will channel the grant to Land Bank of the Philippines acting as the direct access entity of the project. The country’s national meteorological agency PAGASA will be the project’s lead executing entity, together with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB), Office of Civil Defense (OCD), World Food Programme (WFP), and the local governments of Tuguegarao City; Legazpi City; Palo, Leyte; and New Bataan, Davao de Oro, which shall also be the project’s target sites. The DILG will be responsible for advocacy, outreach, and public awareness on MH-IBF-EWS, capacity building of local government units, and the updating of disaster preparedness and response protocols using impact-based early warning system. The DENR-MGB will be responsible for the generation of landslide hazard maps and establishing threshold values for landslide. The OCD, as the implementing arm of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), will be expected to facilitate inter-agency coordination, mobilize resources for disaster preparedness and response, and manage information at the national and regional levels. The WFP will lead in activities related to FbA and shock-responsive social protection, including the development of index-based triggers and SOPs aligned with impact-based forecasting and warning system. The target LGUs will be responsible for leading all activities in the project sites, such as building the exposure database with population and socio-economic variable; housing and building data and gathering data in the field; identifying forecast-based actions and financing mechanisms; adopting and implementing early action protocols (EAPs); identifying alternative resilient livelihood options; and integrating MH-IBF-EWS and FbA in their respective local resilience plans. A Project Board consisting of the CCC, Land Bank, DOST-PAGASA, OCD, DENR-MGB, and DILG will be set up at the national level to provide project oversight and implementation strategies. Climate Change Commissioner Rachel S. Herrera, who is also the National Focal Point to the GCF, said that accessing the GCF has been a priority of the CCC since day one, emphasizing that our strong advocacy for climate action and climate justice must be matched by an efficient system to access climate finance. “We are overjoyed with the approval of our very first GCF country proposal, which is the product of convergence among agencies, organizations, and stakeholders who contributed to the development and submission of this project. This is just the beginning. The CCC, as the National Designated Authority to the GCF, will remain determined to access more climate finance that can enable genuine and lasting resilience for our vulnerable communities,” Herrera said. “The Philippine Senate in the past years conducted workshops on climate finance and GCF processes when I chaired the Committee on Climate Change. This all bore fruit now. We will continue to build capacity in government agencies, LGUs, and private sector partners to build resilience for a whole of nation approach,” Legarda added.

TACLOBAN, LEYTE November 12, 2019 – The Climate Change Commission (CCC), in partnership with the different sectors in the province of Leyte, pledged to strengthen the adaptive capacity and climate resiliency of the local government units of Leyte through the signing of the Pledge of Commitment to establish the Leyte Climate Change Consortium (LCCC). Among the signatories were CCC Assistant Secretary Romell Antonio Cuenca, together with An Waray Representative Florencio Noel, University of the Philippines Visayas, Tacloban City Officer-in-Charge and Dean Eulito Casas Jr.; Former Leyte Vice Governor Nestor Villasin; and Department of the Interior and Local Government Regional Director Artemio Caneja. Representatives from the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Agriculture, Palompon Institute of Technology, and Leyte Normal University also signed the pledge. Though not present, the Commission on Higher Education, Eastern Visayas State University, Waste 360, YLEAF, and the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners – Eastern Visayas Chapter also expressed their support to the LCCC. This will be the second consortium following the establishment of the same in Northern Panay last September. The endeavor promotes climate knowledge-sharing, support and advocate mainstreaming of climate-smart and resilient practices from different local government units with the help of the academe which can be references in crafting quality Local Climate Change Action Plans (LCCAPs). The event is also in commemoration of the 6th anniversary of the super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) which struck the Eastern Visayas in November 8, 2013. “Climate change knows no borders, no reigns and no man, and so it presents an existential challenge to all of us. … Let us focus our time and energy in the formulation of LCCAPs… and take action as soon as possible,” said Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla in his written speech read by former Vice Governor Villasin. The signatories committed to “build safe, resilient and sustainable future, raise the task of protecting lives homes, livelihood and development gains from the effects of climate change” and “solely support the establishment and operationalization of the Leyte Climate Change Consortium aimed at decreasing the vulnerability and enhancing the adaptive capacity of the communities of [the] province of Leyte.” “As we continue to remember those who perished and what was taken from us, we should now position our region to a level of mindfulness and preparedness. Climate change is here to stay and we can’t just hope and pray that Yolanda won’t happen again. And when it does, God forbid, we are now at least prepared and coordinated, benefiting from the technical know-how that is locally available. To mind, this is the best commemoration we can make,” said Rep. Noel.

On November 11, a day before the 24th Meeting of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board Meeting officially starts, the Informal Board Working Session was convened for GCF Board and Alternate Members and their advisers to discuss comments on the agenda items for Board discussion. It was facilitated by the co-Chairs from the developing and developed country constituencies. Deputy Speaker and Antique Congresswoman Loren Legarda participated in the session as an alternate member of the GCF Board, with support from Climate Change Commission. The country project team behind the first GCF proposal from the Philippines meanwhile met with the GCF’s Division on Mitigation and Adaptation (DMA) and participated in the Workshop Session with the Independent Technical Advisory Panel (ITAP), before taking questions at the Technical Session with GCF Board Advisers. Composed of Land Bank of the Philippines Assistant Vice President Prudencio Calado III; Land Bank Program Officer Pauline Angelica Roxas; PAGASA Assistant Weather Services Chief Thelma Cinco; and CCC Senior Technical Advisers Josie Ramos and Dr. Marqueza Reyes, the team seeks a grant of USD10 million on the establishment of multi-hazard impact-based forecasting and early warning systems and services (MH-IBF-EWS).  Land Bank serves as the accredited entity, with PAGASA as the lead executing entity, together with other agencies and target local government units, for the MH-IBF-EWS project that aims to strengthen and ensure the delivery of actionable and timely early warning to communities at risk of impending natural hazards, down to the last mile.   Mr. Joseph Intsiful and Mr. Nazeem Wasti of the Secretariat Division on Mitigation and Adaptation helped the country project team prepare for the process of the Board Meeting deliberation and approval. At the ITAP session, Land Bank of the Philippines and other accredited entities were informed on the technical evaluation of funding proposals, particularly on forest and land use change and sustainability for adaptation projects. At the Technical Session that serves as a precursor to the GCF Board Meeting, Land Bank was given the opportunity to address queries and concerns by GCF Board advisers on the MH-IBF-EWS project.  The country project team was also able to meet Deputy Speaker and Antique Congresswoman Loren Legarda, who sits as an alternate member in the GCF Board representing the Asia Pacific Group.  The consideration of the MH-IBF-EWS project and other funding proposals is on the second day, November 13, of the GCF Board Meeting agenda.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES 11 November 2019 – The Climate Change Commission (CCC) today announced that the country’s very first funding proposal to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) will be up for consideration at the 24th Meeting of the GCF Board, to be held in Songdo, South Korea on November 12 to 14, 2019.   The funding proposal seeks a grant of USD10 million on the establishment of multi-hazard impact-based forecasting and early warning systems and services (MH-IBF-EWS). The project aims to strengthen and ensure the delivery of actionable and timely early warning to communities at risk of impending natural hazards, down to the last mile.   The country’s national meteorological agency PAGASA shall serve as the project’s lead executing entity, together with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Office of Civil Defense (OCD), DENR-Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), World Food Programme (WFP), and the local governments of Tuguegarao City; Legazpi City; Palo, Leyte; and New Bataan, Davao de Oro, which shall also be the project’s target sites. The Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) serves as the accredited entity through which the GCF shall channel the funds if approved by the Board.   Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda, who serves as an alternate member in the GCF Board, is confirmed to attend the meeting. The PAGASA Modernization Act which she principally authored in 2015 provided the foundation for the co-financing component from the Philippine government to ensure sustainability of the MH-IBF-EWS project.   “We are making significant progress in our pursuit to access climate finance with our very first country proposal to the GCF. I hope that my fellow GCF Board Members will also see the potential of this project to transform our traditional early warning systems and services towards a more proactive and inclusive climate risk management tool for saving lives and resources,” Legarda said.   “Lessons from Typhoon Haiyan, which, six years ago, battered central Philippines and my very own province of Antique, remind us that actionable information and warnings are key to saving lives and protecting property,” Legarda added.   In June, the CCC, as the National Designated Authority (NDA) to the GCF, issued a no-objection letter for the MH-IBF-EWS project, after a review process which included consultations with the GCF-Technical Working Group (comprised mainly of the Department of Finance, National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Office of the Executive Secretary, Office of the Cabinet Secretary, and Philippine Commission on Women).   “One crucial consideration that the GCF looks into when reviewing project proposals is the country ownership aspect. As the NDA, the CCC has put in place a whole-of-nation approach, so we can be sure that agencies and stakeholders are onboard on these projects,” said Commissioner Rachel Herrera, who is also the National Focal Point to the GCF.   “The MH-IBF-EWS project is just the start, and we are hopeful that we can quickly move several other projects in the pipeline for submission to the GCF. We will continue to work with other government agencies and project proponents to bring in climate finance that will build genuine resilience for our people and environment,” Herrera concluded.     About the GCF and the Board   The Green Climate Fund is the largest climate finance mechanism in the world, specifically catered to developing countries. It was created by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to support low emission (mitigation) and climate resilience (adaptation) projects and programs. The GCF serves the Paris Agreement in supporting the goal of limiting global warming below two degrees Celsius and pursuing efforts to limit it further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.   The GCF Board governs the Fund and is composed of 24 members with equal representation from developed and developing countries. The Board receives guidance from the Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC.   As of October 2019, the GCF has approved 111 projects amounting to USD5.2 billion (with co-financing, amounting to USD18.7 billion). An estimated 310 million people will benefit with increased resilience and 1.5 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent will be avoided through these projects.

October 15 is the deadline for nominations of individuals and organizations to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Green Champions Awards. The Green Champions GCF Awards will recognize outstanding individuals and organizations that are driving climate transformation, as well as promote initiatives that stand as examples of environmental, social, and business-led commitments to combat climate change. This includes activities that limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions and those that encourage adaptation to climate change impacts. The categories are as follows: 1. Climate Youth Champion - Individual, aged 25 years below, who is making a difference in responding to the climate challenge. 2. Climate Gender Champion - Individual who has a track record in emphasizing the inclusiveness of women in climate action. 3. Climate Community Champion - Individual or organization that is central to a community’s engagement with climate action. 4. Transformational Country Champion - Individual or organization in a developing country that has made notable progress in pursuing national interaction with the GCF. 5. Climate Entrepreneur - Individual or organization making successes in bringing the private sector into climate finance. 6. Climate Lifetime Achievement Champion - Individual who is a recognized trailblazer in promoting climate action. If you want to nominate outstanding Filipino individuals and/or organizations in any of the categories, please do so through the GCF Green Champions Awards website via: https://awards.greenchampions.online/ Let us support our deserving fellow Filipinos and organizations by making their efforts to drive climate ambition and action known by the global community!

Is the country really taking climate change as a serious threat, especially since the Philippines is considered to be one of the most vulnerable countries in the world when it comes to global warming? Watch Commissioner Noel Antonio V. Gaerlan as he highlights the Philippines' staunch commitment in pushing our climate agenda forward here at home and in the international climate negotiations. Please click here to see the video.   

DILIMAN, QUEZON CITY, September 26, 2019 – The new landmark report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the Special Report on Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) – emphasizes the need for decisive, urgent and more ambitious action to address the intensifying impacts of climate change in the ocean and cryosphere. In a joint press briefing organized by the Climate Change Commission, Rare Philippines and the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, Ms. Lourdes Tibig, member of the National Panel of Technical Experts and the only Filipino among the 104 scientists who drafted the landmark report, shared that “only transformative governance that integrates a variety of strategies and benefits from institutional change can reduce risks posed by the changing climate.”  “We need to change practice, process and structure which consider equity and co-benefits appropriate to the issue at hand,” Ms. Tibig said. Millions of people and species benefit from the oceans and cryosphere – the frozen parts of the planet. Drastic climate changes in these ecosystems poses threat to their existence disrupt biodiversity therein. The Philippines, most of its communities are situated in coastal areas, will not be spared from the horrifying impacts of rising sea levels brought by climate change. According to PAGASA, our seas are nearly double the global average rate, and therefore, are at higher risk of coastal flooding, sea salt contamination of ground water, beach erosion, and storm surges, among other impacts of climate change. From 1951-2015, observed temperature rise in the Philippines is warming at an average of 0.1°C per decade. By 2100, average mean temperature could rise by as much as 1.3°C to 2.5°C for a moderate emission scenario, and by as much as 2.5 to 4.1C for a high emission scenario. The release of the SROCC strengthens the Philippine leadership stand and policy advocacy on the pursuit of the global warming threshold and long-term temperature goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels enshrined in the Paris Agreement. Moreover, the report shows the importance of building and enhancing the adaptive capacity of individuals and communities of the most vulnerable countries amidst the impacts of climate change, which the country is already doing.  “We contributed next to nothing to the climate change problem, yet we suffer the brunt. Nevertheless, we are making a stand because we believe that a resilient low-carbon future is the only pathway that will secure inclusive, enduring development for all. There is no excuse for inaction. It is our moral and intergenerational responsibility to build the capacities of our communities to these impacts and to take greater steps to protect our oceans,” CCC Commissioner Rachel Herrera said. Immediately after the briefing, the Climate Change Commission will provide a more localize viewpoint of the IPCC Special Report to the public, and share the highlights of the Report to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, chairman of the Climate Change Commission, to the members of the Cabinet, and leaders across the country. “We shall ensure that this latest climate science will inform government processes on policymaking, development planning, and programming of service delivery, pursuant to the laws of the land,” said Herrera.

Commissioner Rachel Herrera's CNN Interview  on the United Nations Climate Change Summit in New York. Please click here to see the video.

The process of Nominations for membership in the Climate Change Commission’s National Panel of Technical Experts is now open.  The Climate Change Commission formally invites government agencies and offices and other relevant stakeholders to nominate professionals on each of the following fields of expertise : a.    Climate investment and finance - covers expertise on financial risk analysis and climate risk investment; economic modelling of climate change impacts; economic analyses of regulatory climate change-related policy instruments b.    Sustainable energy - covers expertise on how climate intersects with energy industry in terms of energy regulation, efficiency, and sustainability c.    Civil or environmental engineering - covers expertise on any of the impacts of climate change; resilience for climate adaptation; hydrologic modeling and dynamic simulation; coastal processes and engineering; remote sensing of the environment; advanced water treatment processes; industrial ecology and techno-economic assessment; resource recovery; development of environmental remediation techniques; or sensing of pollutants in the environment d.    Climate policy and environmental law - covers expertise on laws, regulations, agreements, and common law that governs management of natural resources, protection of the environment, and regulation of climate change impacts Potential candidates for the Panel must be nominated by an academic or research institution, government agency, civil society group or private organization duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and should meet the minimum requirements as follows: a.    Filipino Citizen b.    Has a proven credible track record in his/her field of expertise, preferably with at least ten (10) years of experience in his/her field of expertise c.    Has consistently supported the development of his/her field of expertise in the country d.    Preferably has an advanced relevant university degree e.    Preferably has relevant peer-reviewed research publications in the last 10 years The recruitment and selection of members of the NPTE are carried out with the utmost professional and ethical standards observed by the Climate Change Commission. Moreover, the evaluation process and results prior to the appointment of selected members are considered confidential. The Commission welcomes your nominations and extends its warmest regards for your continued support towards promoting urgent action in the face of climate emergency. Deadline for submission of nomination letters is on 16 October 2019.  Please contact the NPTE Secretariat at (02) 364-1204 or send an email to [email protected] for further inquiries.

PANDAN, ANTIQUE September 11, 2019—Northern Panay will the first region in the Philippines to benefit from a climate knowledge-sharing, support and advocacy consortium of national government agencies, local government units (LGUs), and higher education institutions (HEIs). The Northern Panay Climate Change Consortium (NPCCC) was officially launched at the end of the five-day Climate Resilience Field School Capacity Building Training for the Province of Antique conducted in the Municipality of Pandan. “Risk assessment is fundamental in coming up with a science and risk-based local climate change action plan and other local plans. The event today is symbolic, because we are collaborating with national government agencies and the academe to really serve the LGUs and the local communities who are actually in the frontline of climate change impacts,” CCC Secretary Emmanuel De Guzman during the launch. The CCC facilitated the establishment of the NPCCC to further strengthen the cooperation between national and local governments and the science and academic community on mainstreaming climate change adaptation and mitigation in local development planning in the Northern Panay Region. The NPCCC will model the way for the formation of more regional multi-stakeholder partnerships that will accelerate the delivery of capacity building and technical assistance to LGUs, the private business sector, and other entities in key vulnerable areas in the country. Members of the NPCCC agreed that bringing climate science closer to communities to inform their policies drives relevant and tangible actions, both at the national and grassroots level. “Coming-up with a risk-based and evidence-based assessment entails strong commitment from the partners, and the LGUs as beneficiaries of the intervention to gather numerous data development of vulnerability and risk maps and analyzing the assessment result to properly allocate their very limited financial resources to programs and projects that would directly or indirectly respond to or mitigate climate change and its impacts,” Engr. Carmelo Orbista, Regional Director of Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region VI, said. “We hope to expand the DILG’s partnership to other HEIs and SUCs in the region given their expertise in sciences and research,” he added. “The role of HEIs is to prepare the society to adapt to the impacts of climate disruptions through our research and education on adaptation strategies. Higher education should also take the leadership role in climate mitigation and adaptations. HEIs should make the fundamental contributions to climate adaptation efforts by identifying the most pressing climate impacts related to specific communities, especially in relation to the most vulnerable populations in our society,” said Dr. Anna Mae Relingo, Vice President for Academic Affairs of the Aklan State University. The NPCCC is composed of the CCC, DILG Region VI, Commission on Higher Education Region VI, Department of Education Region VI, Ms. Remelyn Recoter, Department of Agriculture Region VI, Northwestern Visayan Colleges, Aklan State University, and University of Antique.

MANILA CITY, 9 September 2019 – Miss Earth 2017 Karen Santos Ibasco officially joins the first ever United Nations Youth Climate Summit in New York City happening on September 21.  The historic event will gather 500 young climate action leaders from countries all over the globe to showcase their unique climate solutions at the UN, and have a dialogue with decision and policy makers on climate change. This will be the largest gathering of young climate leaders at the UN in history.    Selected participants to this event demonstrated their firm commitment to address the climate crisis and displayed leadership and initiative in advancing solutions towards development. “Youths play a crucial role in addressing climate change. We are the voice of this generation in spreading awareness on the importance of preserving and cultivating what is left of the planet. We are the ones who will experience its irreversible impacts if the world will not act sooner. The invitation to the upcoming UN Summit came as an honor and opportunity for me to raise the voice and empower more youths as we continue to call for action,” Ibasco said.   The Youth Climate Summit will feature a full-day of programming that brings together young activists, innovators, entrepreneurs, and change-makers who are committed to combating climate change at the pace and scale needed to meet the challenge. It will be action oriented, intergenerational, and inclusive, with equal representation of young leaders from all walks of life.   Ibasco is a physicist and a known active environment advocate before she won the prestigious Miss Earth title in 2017. She recently joined the Climate Change Commission as its Youth Ambassador for Climate Action and advocates the promotion of energy conservation and utilization of renewable energy across the country which shall further contribute to the global call to limit the global average temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. “With her background and innate passion for change, we are optimistic that she will be able to encourage more young people to do more and to do better in our fight against the enormous challenge of climate change,” CCC Secretary Emmanuel De Guzman said. 

PANDAN, ANTIQUE September 6, 2019 – Local government units (LGUs) in Antique received a comprehensive training on localizing climate information systems and managing Climate Resiliency Field Schools (CRFS) which could help farmers bolster the resilience of their livelihood. Organized by the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and the Rice Watch Action Network Inc. (R1), in collaboration with the Office of Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda, the five-day CRFS Capacity Building Training for the Province of Antique happened in the Municipality of Pandan. The CRFS Training is designed to capacitate municipal agricultural officers in the province to establish climate field schools for farmers in their respective municipalities. Towards the end of the workshop, participants are expected to submit their re-entry and commitment plan to implement CRFS. This will enable the CCC to monitor and assess the effectiveness and impact of the training to the participants Recognizing the important role of climate and weather information systems in helping farmers adapt to climate shifts and extreme weather events, the training will also orient the participants on the Localized Climate Information Systems for Agriculture and Fisheries.  On the final day of the training, the CCC will formally launch the Northern Panay Consortium—a conglomerate of agencies and higher education institutions which aims to provide technical assistance for the enhancement of Local Climate Change Action Plans of the seventeen (17) LGUs of Aklan and four (4) LGUs of Antique.

TACLOBAN CITY, LEYTE  27 August 2019 – Local government leaders of the Yolanda Corridor expressed their commitment to respond to the prevailing climate emergency during the Communities for Resilience (CORE) Modular Training Rollout held last August 12-16, 2019 at Tacloban City, Leyte. Together with Climate Change Commission (CCC) Secretary Emmanuel De Guzman, Abuyog Mayor Lemuel Gin Traya, Dulag Mayor Mildred Joy Que, Tolosa Mayor Maria Ofelia Alcantara, and Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez signed the declaration entitled CORE Resolve of the Local Governments in the Yolanda Corridor to convey their resolve in ensuring an effective and collective response to the impacts of climate change in the country. The local leaders, in particular, vowed to support the strengthening of cooperation between and among the national and local governments and the science and academic community on mainstreaming climate change in local development planning; scale up climate resilience-building efforts at the local community level; and enhance their Local Climate Change Action Plans to become more responsive to the prevailing and emerging needs of communities. The CORE Modular Training Rollout is the CCC’s flagship capacity building program for local leaders and planners on mainstreaming climate change in local development and investment planning. This year, CORE aims to give preferential attention to local communities in the Yolanda Corridor, to coastal communities more vulnerable to rising sea level and salt water intrusion, and to indigenous peoples whose resilience to extreme weather events are compromised by weak and vulnerable livelihoods. “We only deem it fit to re-launch the CORE here in Tacloban, the ground zero of Yolanda. Tacloban, along with other cities and municipalities in the Yolanda corridor, showed us that climate change is no longer a mere specter on the horizon. It is happening now and it will only get worse with business as usual,” Secretary De Guzman said during the opening ceremony of the five-day training workshop. Tolosa Mayor Maria Ofelia Alcantara, meanwhile, expressed their gratitude to the CCC for the CORE rollout in their region. “We are really happy na nandito ang Climate Change Commission kasi ang Tolosa is a small municipality with 15 barangays with 21,000 population. 88 percent of our land area is agriculture, and we have a 76-hectare protected marine sanctuary. But ngayon, because of climate change effects, it has really gone down kaya we want this na mas makagawa ng adaptation programs and interventions para maiwasan na natin ang paglala nito,” she said. More than 39 representatives from the local government units of the Eastern Visayas Region, academic institutions, civil society organizations, and the private sector participated in the event, which included lectures on climate and disaster risk assessment process, greenhouse gas inventory, climate change expenditure tagging, and a workshop on project proposal development for the People’s Survival Fund (PSF). With the goal of widening the scope of technical support to LGUs for accessing the PSF, the CCC also launched the PSF e-learning platform during the workshop. The platform, which runs through an open source learning management system, enables the CCC to conduct a 12-week online course for LGUs and community organizations to enhance their knowledge on climate and disaster risk and vulnerability assessment, the PSF and its approval processes, and other sources of climate finance. There will be two batches per year, which will run from August-October and February-June. Details of the PSF e-Learning Platform and Mentoring Session are available on the CCC website [email protected], PSF website [email protected], and CCC’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. For inquiries, interested groups could contact the CCC-CCO PSF Unit at (02) 420-5513 or Telefax at (02) 420-5517, or via email at [email protected].

MANILA, Philippines 24 July 2019 – The Climate Change Commission (CCC) and Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. (AEV) have forged a partnership that will increase the adaptive capacity of local governments to climate change. CCC Secretary Emmanuel M. De Guzman and Mr. Sabin M. Aboitiz, AEV chief operating officer, signed yesterday the Memorandum of Understanding for the implementation of the CORE: Partnerships Towards Climate-Smart Philippines Program during a simple signing event held at the AEV Headquarters in BGC, Taguig City. The partnership is expected to accelerate the delivery of trainings on science and evidence-based climate and disaster risk assessments, enhancement of Local Climate Change Action Plans (LCCAP), and development of project proposals for the People’s Survival Fund, among others. It will also promote simple adaptation practices that readily build the resilience of communities to climate change. In a shared message during the signing ceremony, De Guzman noted that the Paris Agreement on Climate Change acknowledges the crucial role of non-state actors such as the business sector in advancing climate action. “Collaboration is at the heart of climate action and sustainable development. And I am confident that this collaboration between the CCC and Aboitiz will deliver the transformational change needed by our communities,” he said. Mr. Aboitiz, meanwhile, highlighted the crucial role of local governments in the country’s response to climate change. “Our approach is anchored in our belief that the growth of people and their leaders are fundamental to the development of our society and our country,” he said. AEV is committed to supporting the training of local communities in all their business locations, particularly in developing and enhancing the LCCAPs of their local governments, a deliverable asked by the Climate Change Act of 2009.

MANILA, July 24, 2019 --The Climate Change Commission (CCC) welcomes the policy pronouncement of President Rodrigo Duterte to advance rapidly renewable energy deployment and reduce the country’s dependence on coal for energy generation, a strategy aligned with achieving the goal of the Paris Agreement on climate change which the Philippine government ratified in March 2017.  “We recognize the urgent need to ensure the sustainability and availability of resources and the development of alternative ones. In this regard, I trust that Secretary (Alfonso) Cusi (Department of Energy) shall fast-track the development of renewable energy sources and to reduce dependence on traditional energy sources such as coal,” President Duterte said in his Fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA).  The presidential directive effectively sends a clear signal to policymakers, regulators, investors, and energy industry executives to promote and invest in more affordable, reliable, and cleaner power infrastructure, which in turn, builds diversity of electricity generation, and bakes in long-term energy sector price deflation. “The president’s SONA pronouncement on coal energy clearly conveys that the country is not only taking the low-carbon development pathway, but will also pursue it faster,” said CCC Secretary Emmanuel De Guzman. “This only means that the country shall pursue socioeconomic development in a manner that is clean, healthy, and sustainable for the Filipino people,” De Guzman explained. “This also means that technology development and transfer and investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency, the country’s energy sector’s transition as a whole, will have to take place in an accelerated manner.”  De Guzman also cited that the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 provides the legal and institutional framework necessary for harmonizing policies on the development of renewable energy technologies. The Act aims to enable the Philippines to move rapidly towards its goal by developing and utilizing resources such as solar, wind, hydropower, ocean and biomass energy. “Renewable energy can provide a major share of the Philippine electricity mix in a stable and reliable manner and at the same time increase energy self-sufficiency and reduce supply-related risks,” De Guzman said. “We must act swiftly to transform our energy sector and to deliver its socioeconomic benefits to the Filipino people as we also help achieve the 1.5C Paris goal.”  He referred to the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius, noting that limiting warming to 1.5C entails dramatic emission reductions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by around 2050. This means there is a need to take advantage of the increasing availability of affordable, renewable and efficient energy solutions. He also shared that the 2017 climate policy study for the Philippines by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis found that replacing imported diesel generation with renewables, especially solar and wind, in small islands can eventually save Filipinos PHP10 billion or roughly US$ 200 million per year. The Philippines’ total installed power generating capacity continued to grow from 22,728 megawatts in 2017 to 23,815 megawatts in 2018, according to the DOE Philippine 2018 Energy Situation. It added that coal-fired power plants constitute the largest share of the installed and dependable capacity in 2017 with 8,049 megawatts and 8,844 megawatts in 2018. Among renewable energy technologies, hydropower maintains the highest share (1,134 megawatts), wherein the majority comes from the Mindanao Grid. “According to our review, energy efficiency is the easiest and often cheapest way to reduce the need for expansion of coal power generation. And with the country’s energy demand projected to increase by 80 percent between 2017 and 2040, improving energy efficiency in the building sector would be our best course to reduce emissions,” De Guzman said. Since 2016, the CCC has been facilitating a national policy review and framework development on energy, through a whole-of-nation approach, in order to develop a clear policy on coal-fired power plants in pursuit of a low carbon development pathway for the country. “The President’s policy pronouncement comes in a crucial time when we are finalizing our country’s first Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), our commitment under the Paris Agreement, due for submission this year,” De Guzman explained.  The CCC has been working closely with all government agencies and civil society in defining the targets and pathways for the country’s low-carbon development from now until 2040. At present, the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) is revisiting the Philippine Development Plan and Ambisyon Natin, as well as completing its economic modelling for the NDC by September 2019. The CCC also supports NEDA, DOE, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Trade and Industry, the lead agencies of government for the NDC sectors, in whole-of-government-and-society efforts to transition our economic sectors into a green economy.

MANILA, July 22, 2019 — The Climate Change Commission (CCC) will ensure that more climate change adaptation projects of the local governments can be supported by the People’s Survival Fund (PSF) with the launch of the free PSF e-Learning Platform and Mentoring Sessions in August at the rollout of the Communities for Resilience (CORE) Modular Training for the Yolanda Corridor. The move affirms the Duterte administration’s commitment to strengthen the country’s resilience to the devastating impacts of climate change, said CCC Secretary Emmanuel De Guzman. “Climate resilience is at the heart of the Duterte Administration’s development agenda. This inspires us in the CCC to come up with innovative solutions that will enable more local government units (LGUs) to implement community-led adaptation initiatives,”De Guzman said. Passed into law as Republic Act No. 10174 in 2012, PSF is a national funding mechanism in support to LGUs in implementing climate change adaptation projects. It maintains an annual allocation of one billion pesos.   “CCC has accelerated the implementation of its CORE Program in the past years to help LGUs develop and enhance their Local Climate Change Action Plans (LCCAPs) and to assist PSF project proponents develop science and risk-based adaptation funding proposals,” said CCC PSF Unit head Assistant Secretary Romell Antonio Cuenca.   Since the PSF grant approval and disbursement system was established, the PSF Board has approved six climate change adaptation projects amounting to P330 million. They are the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Response as Coping Mechanism to Resiliency in Lanuza, Surigao del Sur; Siargao Climate Field School for Farmers and Fisherfolks in Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte; Building Resilience through Community-based Ecological Farming in San Francisco, Camotes Island, Cebu; Promoting Resiliency and Climate-Informed Gerona, Tarlac; Establishment and Sustainable Management of River Ecosystem in Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte; and Saub Watershed Ecosystem Rehabilitation and Flood Risk Reduction for Increased Resilience in Sarangani. Cuenca explained that most of the proposals received by the PSF Board Secretariat at the Department of Finance have been either business-as-usual projects or those kinds usually funded under regular programs of national government agencies, and not climate change adaptation which the law asks; thus, the low-approval rate. “This year, we are working towards widening the scope of technical support to LGUs for accessing the PSF. An e-learning platform has been developed, and a series of one-on-one mentoring sessions is set for the third quarter. They aim to improve the soundness and worthiness of submitted proposals and to assist LGUs in develop full-blown proposals from their concept notes,” Cuenca said. The PSF e-Learning Platform, which runs through an open source learning management system, will be conducted via a 12-week online course for LGUs and community organizations to enhance their knowledge on climate and disaster risk and vulnerability assessment, the PSF and its approval processes, and other sources of climate finance. There will be two batches per year, which will run from August-October and February-June. Employing the latest information technology, Cuenca said, the CCC is also launching the PSF Monitoring and Evaluation System where proponents can track their proposals and submit documents online. In this manner, he said, the process of accessing the fund becomes easier and more convenient and with lesser costs to the proponents. The system will also ensure a more efficient and transparent evaluation and approval process for PSF grants. Details of the PSF e-Learning Platform and Mentoring Session are available on the CCC website [email protected], PSF website [email protected], and CCC’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. For inquiries, interested groups could contact the CCC-CCO PSF Unit at (02) 420-5513 or Telefax at (02) 420-5517, or via email at [email protected].  

MANILA, July 17, 2019 — More local governments will receive training on local climate change action planning this year, the Climate Change Commission (CCC) reveals today as the Pre-SONA forum concludes in Davao City.  This year’s rollout of the Communities for Resilience or CORE Modular Training Program for local government units (LGUs) will commence in August. “It’s a good time to resume training LGUs following the assumption of newly elected local officials many of whom demonstrate a strong resolve to pursue climate action and environmental protection,” Climate Change Secretary Emmanuel M. De Guzman said. More than 80 LGUs are expected to benefit from the training and to deliver enhanced Local Climate Change Action Plans (LCCAPs) which the Climate Change Act of 2009 asks of every LGU.  Based on Department of the Interior and Local Government’s latest count, 1073 LGUs now have LCCAPs, a hundred fold increase from 137 in 2015. “There is greater awareness now among local authorities on the importance of LCCAP in ensuring community resilience to climate change and sustainability of local investments,” said CCC Strategic Partnership Division Chief Alexis Lapiz. CCC and DILG are set to issue this year a joint memorandum circular to LGUs on establishing the quality assurance review system for LCCAP.  This year’s first wave of CORE training in August will benefit all LGUs in Yolanda Corridor. The second wave will assist vulnerable coastal municipalities in Luzon in September, while the last wave shall help muslim and indigenous peoples communities in Mindanao in October.  “We give preferential attention to the new poor in Yolanda Corridor, coastal communities more vulnerable to rising sea level and salt water intrusion, and indigenous peoples whose resilience to extreme weather events are compromised by weak and vulnerable livelihoods,” De Guzman said on the priority target areas for this year’s CORE rollout. Since the launch of its CORE Program in 2016, CCC has trained 124 LGUs on enhancing LCCAPs and 133 faculty members from state universities and colleges across the country on standard modules for mentoring local planners. They include modules on climate and disaster risk assessment, greenhouse gas accounting, climate budget tagging, and PSF project proposal development. CORE trainings are expected to be in full swing next year to cover the rest of the country. “Networking state universities and colleges and higher education institutions is key to the sustainability of CORE as a capacity building program for LGUs. This is why we are forming multi-stakeholder consortiums among NGAs, SUCs, private universities, and research institutes.” De Guzman said. “This way, we strengthen the cooperation between national and local governments and the science and academic community on mainstreaming climate change adaptation and mitigation in local development planning,” he added. “As we celebrate in October our 10th year anniversary as an institution, CCC endeavors to present more knowledge and learning exchange platforms for our LGUs so they can readily apply adaptation solutions and good practices and strengthen the resilience of our communities which are at the forefront of climate change impacts,” De Guzman said. To sustain peer-to-peer learning among LGUs on climate change adaptation and mitigation and disaster resilience, CCC and DILG are jointly holding the 3rd National Convention on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction during the national observance of the Climate Change Consciousness Week in November.  

MESSAGE   Strengthening local risk governance is key to strengthening disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) in the country. Therefore, in observance of the National Disaster Resilience Month, the Climate Change Commission (CCC) calls for greater cooperation between national government agencies and local government units in enabling and facilitating risk-informed local development planning, emergency preparedness and response planning, and impact-based forecasting and multi-hazard early warning for early and effective community action. As the climate emergency exacerbates disaster risks and threatens to erode our hard-earned development gains, the CCC will be relentless in our efforts to ensure the integration and coherence of climate action and DRRM at all levels in the country.   With this greater task at hand, the resolve of our President Rodrigo Duterte to uplift the quality of life of the Filipino people and  to build the resilience of our communities to climate change will keep us in the right direction. His marching order is very clear: Making the Philippines climate-resilient and disaster-ready is a top priority of the government.    SECRETARY EMMANUEL M. DE GUZMAN Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Climate Change Commission MANILA 09 July 2019

The Climate Change Commission (CCC) strongly supports the call of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for ASEAN countries to play its active and leadership role in addressing climate change in the global community and stand for climate justice. In his statement during the 34th ASEAN Summit Plenary in Bangkok, Thailand early this month, Pres. Duterte urged ASEAN member countries to make developed countries accountable for climate change, and to assist adapt and build our resilience by advancing initiatives that care for the people and the environment.  “Cooperation is key. We highly support the President’s call upon ASEAN countries to join forces in calling out industrialized nations to counteract the threat of climate change. We need to send a very clear signal to the international community that ASEAN leaders are taking decisive climate action,” CCC Secretary Emmanuel M. De Guzman said. De Guzman stressed that the contribution of countries to climate change, and their capacities to survive its consequences, varies enormously. With innovation of their more advanced mechanisms, developed nations tend to emit more carbon footprints than those of the developing ones.  Furthermore, with little to no resources, vulnerable and developing countries will find it unviable, if not difficult, to catch up from these fast-progressing nations. This shows the need for developed countries to provide technologies and investments, in the form of climate finance, to developing countries as part of their mitigation efforts. The most vulnerable countries, like the Philippines, that are least responsible for the climate crisis always carry the heaviest burden. In the recent Global Peace Index 2019 report, Philippines was listed as the most vulnerable to climate risks in terms of its overall natural hazard score, followed by Japan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and China. “We maintain that those with historical responsibility must shoulder the far greater burden of acting faster, sooner, and with far bigger accountability of keeping the long-term temperature goals to no higher than 1.5 degrees Celsius. Otherwise, it's all hypocrisy from rich countries that have benefited the most from the burning of fossil fuels which heightened climate change,” he added.  

PASIG CITY 11 June 2019 – Highlighting the need to mobilize climate finance to enable the translation of the country’s climate goals and needs into action, the Climate Change Commission (CCC) urged financial institutions to provide innovative solutions and investment models that will spur financing on green, climate-smart, and sustainable projects during the Roundtable Dialogue on Climate Finance held recently at the Discovery Suites, Ortigas Center. The dialogue organized by the CCC with the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat brought together senior representatives from the government, banking sector, private sector associations, multilateral and bilateral agencies involved in the mobilization and delivery of climate finance. Discussions focused on the role of public finance and private sector investments in the implementation of the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement, which is now being finalized through a whole-of-government-and-society approach being facilitated by the CCC. Mr. Daniele Violetti, Director for Finance, Technology and Capacity Building of the UNFCCC Secretariat, emphasized that 2019 is a critical moment for countries to raise targets ahead of implementation starting 2020. “It is our last opportunity to enhance action in the pre-2020 period. It also hounds the roles of the new rounds of NDCs, making 2019 the year to ensure that these new or updated NDCs reflect the increased ambition needed to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement,” he said.   In urging financial institutions to ramp up financing for climate change adaptation and mitigation, Climate Change Secretary Emmanuel M. De Guzman said that the government is addressing the shortage of risk information in the country in order to de-risk investments. “We are working on the establishment of a National Integrated Risk Information System, an integrated platform that will converge all available vulnerability and risk information in the country. This will be made accessible to all stakeholders, including the financial and private sector,” De Guzman said. “In addition to that, we are also assisting the Office of Civil Defense in developing loss and damage registry and protocols for valuation and validation, which could provide the insurance sector with a better picture of risk prevalence,” he added. Climate Change Commissioner Rachel Herrera, National Focal Point to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), noted that climate finance is currently limited in terms of availability. “There is no other recourse but to be strategic in terms of funneling in climate finance from various sources and channeling them to those who need it the most,” she said. Herrera said that the CCC, as the Philippine National Designated Authority (NDA) to the GCF, is seeking funding under the Readiness and Preparatory Support Program of the GCF to establish a monitoring and verification system of climate finance flows in the Philippines. Herrera also shared that the GCF Technical Working Group, a group established by the CCC to review and assess the technical merits of the funding proposals submitted to the NDA, is now deliberating two multi-country funding proposals that aim to leverage GCF funds in order to attract more private sector investments through equity sharing and de-risking of renewable energy projects. “This is an indicator of the private sector confidence in investing in the Philippines for energy efficiency and renewable projects,” she said.  

Makati City, Philippines 10 June 2019 – “We are now living in a period of exponential transformation. We’re seeing the beginnings of a radical change in the world’s energy system,” Secretary Emmanuel M. De Guzman of the Climate Change Commission (CCC) said as he urged chief executive officers to join the green energy revolution during the CEO Forum on Financing Government Energy Efficiency Projects held in Dusit Thani Manila recently. Citing a report released by the International Renewable Energy Agency, De Guzman said that the decade-long trend of strong growth in renewable energy capacity continued in 2018. “As total global renewable energy generation capacity reached 2,351 gigawatts at the end of last year, renewable energy now accounts for a third of global power capacity ,” he noted. Attended by business leaders, government officials, and civil society, the forum which was organized by the European Union-supported Access to Sustainable Energy Programme and the Department of Energy aims to facilitate discussions on key issues and challenges in implementing energy efficiency projects. In his keynote address, De Guzman challenged business leaders to invest in clean and green infrastructure and practices including energy efficiency and renewable energy. He noted that the energy sector has consistently accounted for a significant percentage of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions and, therefore, offers the highest mitigation opportunity for the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution for the Paris Agreement.   “Energy efficiency is the easiest and often cheapest way to reduce the need for expansion of power generation. And with the country’s energy demand projected to increase by 80 percent between 2017 and 2040, improving energy efficiency in the building sector would be our best course to reduce emissions,” De Guzman said. De Guzman added that renewable energy can provide a major share of the Philippine electricity mix in a stable and reliable manner and at the same time increase energy self-sufficiency and reduce supply-related risks. “There is no debate that coal is the most carbon-intensive of all fossil fuels. It brings serious public health, ecological, and economic risks to the country,” he explained. “Renewable energy now presents the biggest opportunity for local investment,” he added.