The Philippines is poised to deliver key climate actions after the agenda of climate change was included in the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028.
This developed as the Climate Change Commission (CCC) welcomed the inclusion of an accelerated climate change agenda in the PDP, pointing out that "this will further strengthen the commitment of the Philippine Government to deliver on key climate actions."
CCC Vice Chair and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje cited the addition of an entire chapter on climate change in the PDP 2023-2028, Chapter 15: Accelerate Climate Action and Strengthen Disaster Resilience.
“The PDP Chapter 15 reflects the Philippine Government’s commitment and dedication to enhance the nation’s overall resilience to climate change and its impacts, putting a premium on the need for integrated and comprehensive climate action between and among government, partners, and all stakeholders,” Borje said.
Chapter 15 of PDP 2023-2028 identifies the goal for communities, institutions, and the natural and built environment to be “more resilient to the impacts of natural hazards and climate change” by 2028.
To achieve this objective, strategies such as increasing climate and disaster risk resilience of communities and institutions; enhancing ecosystem resilience; and enabling transition to a low-carbon economy are identified under Chapter 15.
According to Borje, the CCC is updating the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP) and the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), strengthening the implementation of the National Climate Risk Management Framework (NCRMF), and developing the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) in order to support and operationalize PDP 2023-2028.
He said these plans and frameworks provide convergence points for CCC to work with relevant government agencies on enhancing ecosystem resilience and enabling low carbon economy transition.
These plans and framework will also allow the Philippine government to assess the required climate finance and investments on top of public resources for needed climate change actions, he added.
Towards this end, P453.1 billion has already been tagged for Fiscal Year 2023 for climate change expenditure by National Government Institutions (NGIs) to be used for adaptation and mitigation programs.
Borje noted that the figure represents a significant 56 percent increase from the climate change expenditure tagged for Fiscal Year 2022 of P289.7 billion, with 83 percent for adaptation and 17 percent for mitigation, which, he said, is “an indication of the priority of the Administration given to transformative climate change agenda, as laid out by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.”
He also pointed out that it is essential that NGIs implement the adaptation and mitigation projects anchored on the following NCCAP thematic priorities: food security, water sufficiency, human security, environmental and ecological stability, sustainable energy, climate smart industries and services, and knowledge and capacity development.
To increase climate and disaster risk resilience of communities and institutions, the CCC bared that it will ramp up its programs on further strengthening the capacity of LGUs and communities through the development, enhancement and submissions of Local Climate Change Adaptation Plan (LCCAP).
“The CCC will continue to further strengthen its public-private-community engagements to further develop public awareness and understanding on climate change, and further improve the quality of risk and vulnerability assessments,” Borje said.
“We will intensify our partnerships with the private sector, CSOs and other stakeholders as necessary, as well as provide CCC technical support to build the capacities of our LGUs and enhancing LCCAPs, including in the areas of risk and vulnerability assessment, greenhouse gas inventory, and local climate budget tagging,” he added.
The PDP presents the six-year vision of the Marcos administration towards an upper middle-income and low-carbon development, and a climate-smart and climate-resilient Philippines.
It was developed by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), with other government agencies and stakeholders.