46 LGU personnel in Cordillera undergo climate change action plan training
By Chito Chavez
A total of 46 City/Municipal Disaster risk Reduction and Management Officers (C/MDRRMOs) and City/Municipal Planning and Development Coordinators (C/MPDCs) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) underwent training in the formulation of the Enhanced Local Climate Change Action Plan (eLCCAP).
Ralph Kevin Brett, of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) CAR, said the training stressed the importance of applying vulnerable and risk assessments as a prerequisite for developing the Local Climate Change Action Plans (LCCAPs) and other LGU plans to promote equitable and sustainable development in the localities.
The formulation process of the eLCCAP includes low emission development (LED) strategy, adoption of Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment (CDRA) espoused by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DSHUD), and awareness with the commitment of the Philippines to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
“Climate change actions should be consistent with the development requirements and prospects of the locality and aligned with National Framework Strategy on Climate Change (NFSCC) and National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP),” Brett said.
Brett explained that the NCCAP serves as a guide of the municipal and city governments in drafting their corresponding LLCAP where the seven priority areas were identified including food security, water sufficiency, ecosystem and environmental stability, human security, sustainable energy, climate-smart industries and services, and knowledge and capacity development.
“LGUs are identified as the frontline agencies in the formulation, planning and implementation of climate change actions and most immediate government actors which directly work with the people in addressing climate change impacts and challenges that affect their lives,” Brett said.
He noted that planning for the Disaster Risk Reduction-Climate Change Adaptation (DRR-CCA) are among the most important functions of the local governments citing the implementation of the Philippine Climate Change Act of 2009 or Republic Act (RA) No. 9729.
Brett serves as the focal person of the DRR-CCA in the DILG CAR.
“Planning has brought about a significant improvement in the awareness and knowledge of LGUs regarding climate change issues,” Brett said.