Climate Change Commission Goes To Grassroots For Stronger, Deeper Cooperation With Communities At Risk

The Climate Change Commission (CCC) rolled out on Thursday a revitalized partnership with grassroots communities within the 18 major river basins of the country in a bid to promote a risk-and-science-based approach to climate change adaptation and mitigation planning among local government units (LGUs).

Dubbed as Communities for Resilience (CORE), the CCC intends to promote the understanding of climate and disaster risk, especially by communities identified by experts to be more vulnerable to disasters caused by climate change, and strengthen the technical knowledge and capacity of LGUs in developing the Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP) through a series of convergence consultations and trainings.

Through CORE, the CCC also aims to help facilitate access of grassroots communities, LGUs, and people’s organizations to the People Survival Fund (PSF) in order to support their respective climate change adaptation and mitigation programs.

CORE is an improved “ECOTOWN program” launched in August 2011 and an important component of the National Convergence Program on Managing Climate and Disaster Risks for a More Resilient and Sustainable Philippines.

Secretary Emmanuel de Guzman, vice chairperson of the CCC which is chaired by President Benigno S. Aquino III, led the first CORE Convergence Forum in Davao City on March 10-11. The pilot CORE Convergence Forum involves stakeholders from 18 LGUs located around the Tagum-Libuganon River Basin.

“Combining all the important aspects of the climate change adaptation and mitigation (CCAM) projects and the disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) programs of the present government will lead to a more coherent, holistic, substantial and meaningful approach and strategies to significantly lessen the risks linked to climate change and to the geophysical hazards many communities are exposed to daily,” De Guzman said.

The CCAM and the DRRM are two distinct strategies, but both of them aim to substantially reduce risk and vulnerabilities directly and indirectly caused by national disasters, De Guzman also explained, noting the provisions of the Climate Change Act of 2009 and the Philippine National Disaster Risk and Management Act of 2010.

The annual natural calamities and hazards which affect the Philippines is costing the country 5 percent of the yearly gross domestic product, according to the World Bank. Losses and damages from super typhoon “Yolanda” alone were placed at USD15 billion or roughly Php650 billion.

De Guzman added that the socioeconomic losses due to natural calamities and hazards is likewise accompanied by loss of lives and injuries to thousands of Filipinos as more and more Filipinos are occupying or settling down along coastlines, waterways and landslide-susceptible and -prone areas.

“It may be sad or inappropriate to say. But the Philippines has become one of the best poster boys for climate change vulnerabilities. We need to act decisively and collectively now,” De Guzman said.

“Failure to appropriately prepare for and implement the much needed programs and projects on the combined climate change adaptation and mitigation projects and the disaster risk reduction and management programs may lead to more devastating disasters in the country. Simply, we cannot afford to lose more lives and incur bigger socioeconomic losses,” he also said.

The CORE Convergence Forum will be conducted throughout the year to cover other major river basins across the country such as the Pasig-Laguna, Pampanga, Agno, Abra, Cagayan, Agusan, Mindanao, Ilog-Hilabangan, Tagoloan, Cagayan De Oro, Ranao (Agus), Davao, Buayan-Malungon, Bicol, Panay, Jalaur, and Apayao-Abulug.

The 18 Major River Basins are identified as key priority areas by the Cabinet Cluster for Adaptation and Mitigation. (PNA) SCS/PND/EDS