MANILA, 25 November 2022 — Science- and local-based action plans are crucial in addressing the worsening impacts of climate change in the country.
This was highlighted during the 11th National Panel of Technical Experts (NPTE) Forum, where NPTE members recommended concrete action points to address the 10 leading climate risks in the Philippines.
The 16-member panel laid out strategies and action plans for each of the risks identified to support the national and local governments in formulating and crafting science-based policies.
“In order to deal with and find appropriate and sustainable solutions to the issues caused by the economic and non-economic impacts of climate change, the NPTE members will work together with various entities, such as government agencies, civil society organizations, private and public education institutions, and local government units, to undertake science-based climate change adaptation, mitigation, and disaster risk reduction and management action plans,” said Dr. Doracie Zoleta-Nantes, NPTE Chairperson.
The forum also became an avenue for LGUs to share their experiences in the recent extreme weather events that hit the country.
Leyte 3rd District Representative Anna Victoria Veloso-Tuazon, Vice Chairperson of the House Committee on Climate Change, shared that the extreme weather events, which have been made worse by climate change, have had a tremendous impact on their local community.
“Our Provincial Disaster Risk Management Plan states that 1,090 of our 1,641 barangays in the 40 municipalities of the province – or 66.4% — are flood susceptible, and 29 of the coastal municipalities, five of which are in my district, and all three cities, are vulnerable to storm surge,” Tuazon emphasized.
The area’s basic social services, primary sources of livelihood—agriculture and fishing—as well as infrastructure development are all severely affected by floods and rain-induced landslides.
Flooding is one of the 10 climate-induced risks identified by the NPTE. Among other risks are rising sea levels; coastal erosion; increasing frequency and severity of tropical cyclones; extreme drought; temperature increase and rising urban heat index; extreme rainfall; climate-influenced diseases; changing wind patterns, and biodiversity loss.
About P515.51 billion ($10.6 billion) in loss and damage have already been attributed to climate risks in the country from 2010 to 2020.
In order to prepare for and adapt to the effects of climate change, Tuazon emphasized the importance of technical advice from local scientists and academicians, especially in the areas of marine spatial planning, riverbank stabilization, agroforestry development, upland reforestation, and mangrove protection and management.
For climate change adaptation, she noted that data gathering is crucial for developing risk management and science-based programs.
“Our discussion of adaptation implies that we know our problem, we have our benchmarks, and can begin crafting policies and the solutions for adaptation because we have the data on which to premise our discussions of loss and damage, and the financial and technological mechanisms to prevent or reduce risk and bounce back immediately,” she added.
In addition, the forum also featured renowned science experts, including Dr. Faye Abigail Cruz who presented highlights of the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and Dr. Rosa Perez, who provided an overview of the loss and damage scenario in the Philippines.
The forum brought together state universities and colleges, higher education institutions, local government unit representatives, and various national government agencies, face-to-face and online, to highlight the importance of transforming science into local action towards climate resilience.
“It is imperative that we are able to further build and strengthen local capacities to conduct climate action in different fields. Buhay, kabuhayan, at kinabukasan ang nakataya,” said Climate Change Commission Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje.
The 11th NPTE Forum, held on 23 November 2022 in Novotel Manila, is part of the commemoration of the 15th Annual Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week (CCC Week 2022).
With the theme “Sama-samang Tumutugon sa Hamon ng Nagbabagong Klima,” CCC Week 2022 draws together various climate change and environment stakeholders in the Philippines in a collective push toward transforming climate change commitments into action for a climate-smart and climate-resilient Philippines.
For more information about the 11th NPTE Forum and CCC Week 2022, visit the social media accounts of the CCC using @CCCPhl or visit its website at https://climate.gov.ph. ###
SEC leads discussions on private sector sustainability reporting to ramp up PH climate investments
MANILA, 22 November 2022 – Commissioner Mcjill Bryant Fernandez of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) led the discussion on Sustainability Reporting Guidelines for Publicly Listed Companies in one of the sessions of the Climate Investment Forum (CIF) 2022 on 21 November.
Sustainability reporting is a mechanism for a business entity to disclose and communicate its economic, environmental and social impacts to society.
“The Sustainability Report measures and monitors PLCs’ contributions toward achieving universal targets of sustainability, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, as well as national policies and programs, such as AmBisyon Natin 2040,” said Fernandez. “At the core of the regulatory guidelines is a recognition that not all companies are at the same level in their sustainability, thus we are embarking on continuing capacity building for our stakeholders,” he added.
Commissioner Fernandez was joined by Ms. Liza Silerio, Vice President for Corporate Compliance of SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPH); Agnes De Jesus, Chief Sustainability Officer of the First Philippine Holdings Corporation (FPHC); Dr. Allinnettes Adigue, Regional Head of Global Reporting Initiative-ASEAN; and by Atty. Roel Refran, Chief Operating Officer of the Philippine Stock Exchange, as session moderator.
Agnes De Jesus of the FPHC gave a grim picture of the impact of Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 on their business. She shared how strategizing their mission among its business segments contributes in creating values for their stakeholders and business.
Maintaining nature’s integrity, people’s well-being, and robust economy are the values for their stakeholders, while stable revenues and growth are for the business.
“We are able to contribute to the low carbon economy and reduce our risks. Because we have mainstreamed sustainability in our mission, we are able to deliver robust data in our sustainability report,” continued De Jesus. “We look to our regulators to be a repository of tools that will be used by all including agencies and local governments,” she remarked.
Liza Silerio of SMPH highlighted the integral role of private sector to economic development and embracing climate resilience as one of its core business strategies, and cited as an example their malls built with flood management measures and water catchments, using science-based solutions.
“Sustainability and climate programs are centered on environment, social inclusion and governance plus disaster resilience,” Silerio said.
Refran highlighted the lessons to be learned in terms of measuring impacts from various ESG methodologies, and looking far ahead to a sustainable future. “When you look at sustainability as a narrative, it cannot be just a short-sighted view. You must answer the question- will you still be here a hundred years from now? If you can answer that in the affirmative, you probably have the right knowledge on how to be a sustainable business.”
The Climate Investment Forum (CIF) 2022 is part of the commemoration of the 15th Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week (CCC Week).
With the theme “Sama-samang Tumutugon sa Hamon ng Nagbabagong Klima,” CCC Week 2022 draws together various climate change and environment stakeholders in the Philippines in a collective push towards transforming climate change commitments into action towards a climate-smart and climate-resilient Philippines by 2050.
Pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 1667 s. 2008, the CCC spearheads the annual observance of the Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week every November 19th to 25th, aimed at raising consciousness on addressing the impacts of the changing climate.
For more information about the CIF, visit the social media accounts of the CCC using @CCCPhl or visit its website at https://climate.gov.ph. ###
Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Official Representative of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. in the Climate Change Commission, Senator Cynthia Villar, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, and Representative Edgar Chatto, Chairperson of the House Committee on Climate Change addressed the participants of the Opening Ceremony of the 15th Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week on 21 November 2022 in Novotel Manila.
Envi, climate officials: Invest more in climate action to save lives, livelihood and future against climate change impacts
MANILA, 21 November 2022 –Top environment and climate officials urged stakeholders to invest more in climate action and work together to achieve climate-resilient development during the Opening Ceremony of the 15th Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week (CCC Week 2022) on 21 November 2022.
Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Official Representative of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. in the Climate Change Commission (CCC), stressed the importance of investing in initiatives to pursue climate resilience.
Citing the record-high PHP453.11 billion for climate change adaptation and mitigation under the FY 2023 National Expenditure Program, a 56.39% increase to this year’s PhP289.73 billion, Loyzaga stressed the need for more investments to support the country’s climate-resilient development.
“More investments are still needed if we are to make transformative strides to achieve climate-resilient development. The coming years will present more opportunities to show how the whole-of-society effort can shape the future of our country,” Loyzaga said.
Senator Cynthia Villar, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, and Chairperson of the House Committee on Climate Change and Bohol 1st District Representative Edgar Chatto also joined the activity.
In her recorded message, Villar remarked that the impacts of climate change on biodiversity, food security and on our communities are becoming even more pronounced, thereby needing serious and urgent attention from all.
“We should take climate change more seriously and urgently. We should rally all communities to institute appropriate strategies to (this) make environment climate-resilient and not to initiate activities that would aggravate the sufferings of the people,” said Villar. “Filipinos are called to do their parts to counter the ill effects of climate change,” she added.
Representative Chatto highlighted the need to collectively strengthen the capacities of communities to reduce loss and damage.
“The vulnerability of our society is measured in three aspects: Susceptibility, Coping, and Adaptability. We may not control the natural events, but we need to strengthen our susceptibility measures, our coping mechanisms in minimizing damage, adaptation or our long-term strategies to anticipate changes to mitigate or avoid the adverse effects and impacts,” said Chatto.
The Opening Ceremony of the CCC Week 2022 took place in Novotel Manila. The Climate Investment Forum 2022 immediately followed the ceremony, which brought together various stakeholders to identify strategies in achieving the Philippine Nationally Determined Contribution targets, priority actions on climate finance, and opportunities for climate action.
“I wish to thank our partners from the national and local governments, the business sector, the private sector, the academe, and civil society for joining us in this mission. The Commission shall continue to bring everyone together to ensure a dynamic synergy as we pursue greener and more resilient pathways towards a sustainable future,” said CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje.
With the theme “Sama-samang Tumutugon sa Hamon ng Nagbabagong Klima,” CCC Week 2022 draws together various climate change and environment stakeholders in the Philippines in a collective push towards transforming climate change commitments into action towards a climate-smart and climate-resilient Philippines by 2050.
Pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 1667 s. 2008, the CCC spearheads the annual observance of the Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week every November 19th to 25th, aimed at raising consciousness on addressing the impacts of the changing climate.
For updates and live streams visit the CCC’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cccphl or its website at www.climate.gov.ph. ###
About the Climate Change Commission
The Climate Change Commission is the lead policy-making body of the government tasked to coordinate, monitor, and evaluate government programs and ensure mainstreaming of climate change in national, local, and sectoral development plans towards a climate-resilient and climate-smart Philippines.