QUEZON CITY, (PIA) --The Climate Change Commission PH (CCC) lauds President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.'s recent State of the Nation Address (SONA) emphasizing the critical importance of climate action in building a sustainable economic agenda for the Philippines.

 President Marcos Jr., in his second State of the Nation Address on Monday reiterated that "the building blocks of progressive, livable and sustainable communities will never be complete without appropriate and responsible action to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change."

Consistent with the pronouncements of the President in SONA 2023, CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje said, the Commission will continue to collaborate with government agencies and stakeholders to further ensure that climate change is integrated and mainstreamed in national policies, planning, decision-making, and implementation.

“For Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, the Philippine government’s budget for climate change programs and projects, as tagged by various national government instrumentalities, is PHP 464.5 billion, which is 60.32 percent higher compared to FY 2022 allocation,” Borje said at the Post-SONA discussions on Environment Protection and Disaster Management.

“From this year’s climate budget, PHP 411.21 billion or 88 percent is aimed to finance climate change adaptation initiatives as programmed and to be implemented by different government agencies, and PHP 53.29 billion for climate change mitigation,” Borje said

“Under the FY 2024 National Expenditure Program, PHP 543.45 billion is earmarked for climate action, supporting the government’s decarbonization and resilience-building efforts,” Borje further said.

He said the CCC will further strengthen the implementation of the National Climate Risk Management Framework, and update the National Climate Change Action Plan and the Nationally Determined Contribution.

“Additionally, the National Adaptation Plan is currently being developed to enhance the country's resilience to the impacts of climate change,” Borje said

“All local government units (LGUs) are targeted to be capacitated in mainstreaming climate action in local governance. As of July 2023, the CCC has received a total of 1,472 Local Climate Change Action Plans (LCCAPs) out of 1,715 LGUs,” Borje added.

The CCC shares President Marcos Jr.'s vision of a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, including in dealing with the climate crisis, emphasizing “collaboration between government offices, the private sector, industries, academe, international partners, and most importantly, among our populace.”

To further harness stronger cooperation with key stakeholders in advancing transformative climate action, Borje said the CCC established and will further strengthen the following coordination mechanisms with various entities:

● WE CAN or Working to Empower Climate Action Network for Civil Society Organizations,
● ENACT or Empowering Nurtured Alliance for Climate Action and Transformation for Development Partners,
● CONNECT or Communicating Opportunities to Network, Navigate, and Explore Climate Transformation for the Private Sector, and
● ACT LOCAL or Accelerating Climate Action and Transformation for Local Communities for Local Government Units.

“The CCC remains committed to advance and pursue the realization of President Marcos, Jr.’s vision for a low-carbon, climate-smart and climate-resilient Philippines, and transformative economic growth, with the unlocking of the development of the green and blue economies,” Borje said. (ccc/pia-ncr)