Mainstreaming climate resilience into government - the Philippines Climate Change Act

This policy brief examines the Philippines' legal and institutional approach to climate resilience, centered on the 2009 Climate Change Act. The Act establishes a centralized governance structure led by the Climate Change Commission to mainstream climate adaptation and mitigation across government sectors and local government units (LGUs). While the framework emphasizes devolved planning and integrated socio-economic objectives, the document notes tensions between these goals and national policies promoting large-scale mining and coal investment.

• The Philippines passed the Climate Change Act in 2009 to create a legal and institutional framework for climate governance, which established the Climate Change Commission as the sole policy-making authority. This commission reports directly to the President, who serves as its Chairperson, ensuring climate action is addressed at the highest political level.
• The government developed a National Framework Strategy on Climate Change in 2010 and a National Climate Change Action Plan in 2011. The Action Plan focuses on seven priority areas: human security, water sufficiency, food security, sustainable energy, climate-smart industries and services, knowledge and capacity development, and ecosystem and environmental stability.
• Climate resilience is devolved to the local level through Local Climate Change Action Plans (LCCAPs), which are implemented by local government units (LGUs). To support these, the government uses 'ecotowns' as models for climate compatible development and as hubs for technical assistance from national agencies.
• Funding for climate activities is sourced from multiple channels: government agencies must allocate portions of their annual budgets, and LGUs may redirect internal revenue allotments. Additionally, the Disaster Management Assistance Fund provides low-interest loans (3–5%), and a proposed 'People’s Survival Fund' aims to use carbon credit sales and motor vehicle taxes for adaptation.
• There are significant policy contradictions between the Climate Change Act and other national priorities. Specifically, the liberalisation of large-scale mining under the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 and the government's continued promotion of coal investment conflict with the Act's mitigation and ecosystem protection goals.
• Civil society organisations (CSOs) have criticized the consultation process for the National Framework Strategy and Action Plan, arguing that it has not sufficiently engaged the most marginalized groups, including indigenous peoples, fisherfolk, farmers, the urban poor, women, and young people.

APA

Lofthouse, K., & Kenny, A. (2012). Mainstreaming climate resilience into government - the Philippines Climate Change Act. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/resource/cdkn-inside-story-mainstreaming-climate-resilience-into-government-the-philippines-climate-change-act

Chicago

Lofthouse, Katherine, and Alex Kenny. Mainstreaming climate resilience into government - the Philippines Climate Change Act. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2012. https://cdkn.org/resource/cdkn-inside-story-mainstreaming-climate-resilience-into-government-the-philippines-climate-change-act.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lofthouse |first1=Katherine |last2=Kenny |first2=Alex |title=Mainstreaming climate resilience into government - the Philippines Climate Change Act |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=3 August 2012 |url=https://cdkn.org/resource/cdkn-inside-story-mainstreaming-climate-resilience-into-government-the-philippines-climate-change-act |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lofthouse2012mainstreaming, author = {Lofthouse, Katherine and Kenny, Alex}, title = {{Mainstreaming climate resilience into government - the Philippines Climate Change Act}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2012}, month = aug, url = {https://cdkn.org/resource/cdkn-inside-story-mainstreaming-climate-resilience-into-government-the-philippines-climate-change-act}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }