Mainstreaming climate resilience into goverment: The Philippines’ Climate Change Act

The Philippines' Climate Change Act of 2009 created a centralized governance structure led by the Climate Change Commission, which reports directly to the President. This framework is supported by a National Framework Strategy (2010) and a National Climate Change Action Plan (2011) that prioritize seven key areas, including food security and sustainable energy. Implementation is devolved to local government units (LGUs) through Local Climate Change Action Plans (LCCAPs), supported by various funding mechanisms such as preferential loans and the proposed People's Survival Fund. While the Act promotes integrated adaptation and mitigation—exemplified by 'ecotowns' like Surigao del Norte—civil society organizations have raised concerns regarding the inclusivity of consultations and contradictions with other government policies, such as the promotion of coal and large-scale mining.

• The Climate Change Act of 2009 established the Climate Change Commission as the "sole policy-making authority on climate change," which reports directly to the President to ensure high-level political accountability.
• The National Climate Change Action Plan, finalized in November 2011, 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) as "frontline agencies".
• Funding for climate activities is sourced from several channels: mandatory budget allocations by government agencies, preferential loan packages for LGUs from government financial institutions, and the Disaster Management Assistance Fund which offers loans at rates of 3–5%.
• The 'ecotown' model, piloted in Surigao del Norte on Siargao Island, aims to mainstream climate compatible development by integrating disaster risk reduction into local planning and using payment for ecosystem services for mangrove rehabilitation.
• There are significant policy contradictions where the government continues to "promote investment in coal" and liberalize large-scale mining under the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, which may undermine the mitigation goals of the Climate Change Act.
• Civil society organizations have criticized the consultation process for being insufficiently inclusive of the most vulnerable populations, specifically "farmers, fisherfolk, indigenous peoples, the urban poor, women and young people".

APA

Lofts, K., & Kenny, A. (2012). Mainstreaming climate resilience into goverment: The Philippines’ Climate Change Act. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Philippines-InsideStory_6pp_WEB1.pdf

Chicago

Lofts, Katherine, and Alex Kenny. Mainstreaming climate resilience into goverment: The Philippines’ Climate Change Act. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2012. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Philippines-InsideStory_6pp_WEB1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lofts |first1=Katherine |last2=Kenny |first2=Alex |title=Mainstreaming climate resilience into goverment: The Philippines’ Climate Change Act |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=July 2012 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Philippines-InsideStory_6pp_WEB1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lofts2012mainstreaming, author = {Lofts, Katherine and Kenny, Alex}, title = {{Mainstreaming climate resilience into goverment: The Philippines’ Climate Change Act}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2012}, month = jul, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Philippines-InsideStory_6pp_WEB1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }