I’D LIKE TO BEGIN BY ACTUALLY JUST ACKNOWLEDGING THE PRESENCE OF OUR GOVERNMENT COLLEAGUES AS WELL AS OUR GUESTS FROM THE DEVELOPMENT PARTNER SECTOR.

WE HAVE, AND I WILL NOT READ NAMES BECAUSE THEN WE’LL TAKE UP ALL OF THIS TIME READING NAMES, BUT WE DO HAVE REPRESENTATION FROM NEDA, FROM CCC OF COURSE, FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE, THE DOE, THE DSWD, THE DOST, THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, DHSUD, FROM THE BANGKO SENTRAL AS WELL.

AND WE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE, OF COURSE, THE PRESENCE, OF COURSE, OF HER EXCELLENCY AND THE TEAM FROM THE UK EMBASSY, GROUPS FROM REPRESENTATION FROM THE EMBASSY OF CANADA, FROM THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY IN MANILA, AND OF COURSE FROM OUR OTHER PARTNERS IN THE EU, FROM THE US EMBASSY AS WELL, FROM GIZ, AND THE GLOBAL GREEN GROWTH INSTITUTE FROM JICA, AND OTHER PARTNERS FROM THE UN GROUP, UNDP, UN HABITAT, UNIDO, AND I DARESAY UN WORLD FOOD PROGRAM, AND THE WORLD BANK, WHO HAS BEEN A CLOSE PARTNER OF THE DENR AS WELL.

IF I’VE MISSED ANYONE, PLEASE DON’T TAKE OFFENSE. THIS IS A RATHER LONG LIST, BUT WE DO HAVE OTHER DEPARTMENTS HERE PRESENT WHO I MAY HAVE MISSED CALLING OUT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR MAKING TIME TO JOIN US TODAY.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, GOOD AFTERNOON ONCE AGAIN. A VERY WARM WELCOME TO ALL THE PARTICIPANTS AT THIS DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON CLIMATE ACTION IN THE PHILIPPINES: MOBILIZING SUPPORT FOR THE NDC IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND THE NAP, THE NATIONAL ADAPTATION PLAN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US IN THIS IMPORTANT DISCUSSION.

ALLOW ME FIRST OF ALL, AS I SAID EARLIER, TO THANK OUR KEY PARTNERS IN THE CRAFTING OF THE NAP AND THE NDCIP. THIS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE SUPPORT FROM THE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK AND THE UK GOVERNMENT.

THESE TWO DOCUMENTS, AS WELL AS OUR GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY THAT HAS RECENTLY BEEN UPDATED AND CONTINUES TO BE UPDATED, ARE THE GUIDEPOSTS FOR PHILIPPINE CLIMATE ACTION TOWARDS RESILIENT AND INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT.

I WAS TOLD THAT IT HAS BEEN QUITE A WHILE SINCE THE LAST TIME THE DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS WERE GATHERED BY THE DENR AND OTHERS TO PROMOTE PARTNERSHIPS IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES SECTOR AND IN THE CLIMATE ACTION SPHERE.

THESE EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE AGREEMENT, ALIGNMENT, AND POTENTIALLY CONVERGENCE WERE REALLY DRIVEN BY THE VISIONARY LEADERSHIP OF OUR PRESIDENT.

ALLOW ME TO QUOTE OUR PRESIDENT’S SPEECH DURING THE LAST STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS IN 2023. “THE ECONOMIC AGENDA CANNOT AND WILL NEVER BE INCOMPATIBLE WITH OUR CLIMATE CHANGE AGENDA. CLIMATE CHANGE IS NOW AN IMPORTANT CRITERION IN OUR INTEGRAL NATIONAL POLICIES, IN PLANNING, DECISION-MAKING, UP TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAMS. THE POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES OF SUCH ENLIGHTENED POLICIES EXTEND TO JOBS AND LIVELIHOOD, WITH THE UNLOCKING OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE GREEN AND BLUE ECONOMIES.”

IT HAS THEREFORE BEEN THROUGH THE PRESIDENT’S LEADERSHIP AND THE SIGNIFICANT COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, SCIENTISTS IN OUR COMMUNITY, TECHNICAL EXPERTS, PRACTITIONERS, AND COMMUNITIES, AS WELL AS DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS, THAT THE PHILIPPINES HAS ALREADY SUBMITTED TO THE UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE OUR COUNTRY’S NATIONAL ADAPTATION PLAN. AND THE FIRST EVER NDC IMPLEMENTATION PLAN IS NOW AS WELL COMPLETED THROUGH THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ADB. WE ARE ONLY THE THIRD IN ASEAN TO SUBMIT A NAP AND 56TH IN THE WORLD. AND WE ARE AMONG THE FEW COUNTRIES THAT HAVE A NAP, AN NDC IP, AND A GHG INVENTORY.

WE KNOW THAT MORE WORK IS AHEAD. WE ALSO KNOW THAT THESE ARE LIVE DOCUMENTS AND THAT THESE MUST CONTINUE TO EVOLVE ALONG WITH OUR NEEDS AND PRIORITIES. FROM COP28 IN DUBAI, WHEN THE PHILIPPINES HOSTED A HIGH-LEVEL DIALOGUE TO UNVEIL THE NAP AND THE NDCIP, WE PRESENTED THESE PLANS DURING A CABINET-LEVEL MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT LAST JANUARY. THE INSTRUCTIONS WERE CLEAR. THE VALUE OF THESE PLANS MUST BE TRANSLATED TO THE BENEFIT OF COMMUNITIES. THE PRESIDENT ALSO DIRECTED AN AGGRESSIVE INFORMATION DISSEMINATION CAMPAIGN ON THESE CLIMATE PLANS AMONG LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND COMMUNITIES THEMSELVES.

AS A DEVELOPING MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRY, WE ALSO KNOW THERE ARE PLANS, PROGRAMS, AND GOALS THAT THE GOVERNMENT CANNOT ACHIEVE ALONE. THIS FORUM IS THEREFORE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE STOCK, RECOGNIZE, AND STRATEGICALLY BUILD UPON THE ASSISTANCE AND INVESTMENTS OF DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS. THIS WILL ENSURE THAT ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION CAN BE EMBEDDED ACROSS SECTORS, SCALES, AND GEOGRAPHIES. IT IS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK ALONGSIDE LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES WHO ABIDE BY A RULES-BASED INTERNATIONAL ORDER TO ACHIEVE INCLUSIVE AND CLIMATE-RESILIENT DEVELOPMENT AND CONTRIBUTE TO INTERNATIONAL STABILITY BY REDUCING REGIONAL AND GLOBAL RISKS.

THIS WORK WILL RANGE FROM PROTECTION AND REGENERATION OF OUR BLUE AND GREEN ECOSYSTEMS, BUILDING CLIMATE-RESILIENT COMMUNITIES, THE TRANSITION TO CLEAN ENERGY, WATER, AND FOOD SECURITY, RESPONSIBLE AND SUSTAINABLE MINERAL RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT, INVESTING IN GRAY AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, VALUE GENERATING DIGITALIZATION, AND THE CREATION OF MORE GREEN AND BLUE JOBS.

AS THE PHILIPPINES MOVES FORWARD FROM PLANNING TO ACTION, IT IS CRITICAL THAT THIS AFTERNOON’S DISCUSSIONS IDENTIFY AREAS OF ALIGNMENT AND COHERENCE, AND THAT WE WORK ACROSS SILOS TO ACHIEVE THE ADDED VALUE OF COLLABORATION AND POSSIBLE SYNERGIES.

IT’S SALIENT TO HIGHLIGHT, PERHAPS AT THIS JUNCTURE, A FEW OF THE ONGOING COMBINED EFFORTS WHICH WE HAVE STARTED WITH DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS.

FIRST IS THE NDC UPDATING. SINCE ARTICLE 4 OF THE PARIS AGREEMENT STIPULATES THAT COUNTRIES WHOSE NDCS HAVE A 2020 TIMEFRAME MUST COMMUNICATE OR UPDATE THEIR NDCS EVERY FIVE YEARS, EFFORTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN INITIATED IN THE UPDATING OF THE NDCS, AIMING TO ELEVATE THE COUNTRY’S LONG-TERM CLIMATE ACTION AND AMBITION.

THE SECOND AREA IS IN CARBON POLICY. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IS CURRENTLY BEING EXTENDED TO THE DENR FOR THE FORMULATION OF GUIDELINES FOR ESTABLISHING, MANAGING, AND MONITORING FOREST CARBON PROJECTS. THE OTHER PROPOSED POLICY INCLUDES A DRAFT, EXECUTIVE ORDER PERHAPS, ON THE IMPLEMENTING OF FOREST CARBON MARKET MECHANISMS IN THE COUNTRY, AND DESIGNATING THE DENR AS AMONG THE KEY, PERHAPS THE NATIONAL AUTHORITY IN THIS REGARD.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IS ALSO ONGOING TO ESTABLISH A COMPREHENSIVE NATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR IMPLEMENTING ARTICLE VI OF THE PARIS AGREEMENT AND PARTICIPATION IN VOLUNTARY CARBON MARKETS AS WELL. THESE EFFORTS ARE BEING HELD IN PARALLEL WITH THE WORLD BANK’S TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE DOF ON POSSIBLE EMISSIONS TRADING SYSTEMS AND CARBON TAX POLICIES.

AS SOME OF YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ATTEMPTED TO CROSS THE STREAMS – SOME OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN PART OF THIS EFFORT ARE IN THIS ROOM TODAY – TO SEE HOW THESE COMPLEMENTARY CARBON POLICY EFFORTS CAN BE ALIGNED AND INTERSECTED TO ACHIEVE A COHERENT POLICY AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK.

THE FOURTH AREA IN TERMS OF THE CONVERGENCE IS THE JUST TRANSITION AREA. THE GLOBAL TRANSITION TO NET ZERO REQUIRES A SHIFT AWAY FROM TRADITIONAL INDUSTRIES THAT HAVE HISTORICALLY PROVIDED EMPLOYMENT AND LIVELIHOODS FOR MANY FILIPINOS. AS THE COUNTRY RESPONDS TO CLIMATE CHANGE, WITH THE NDCS, THERE IS A NEED TO ENSURE A JUST SOCIAL TRANSITION.

A NATIONAL JUST TRANSITION FRAMEWORK IS CURRENTLY BEING WORKED AT WITH THE MULTISTAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS BEING READIED ALONG WITH THE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK AND PARTNERS SUCH AS THE DOLE, THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT, THE DOE, AND THE DENR AS CO-HEADS.

THE FIFTH AREA IS IN UPDATING THE GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY. AS YOU NOW KNOW, WE ARE NOW WORKING ON THE 2022 GHG INVENTORY TO BE COMPLETED BY 2024.

THE SIXTH AREA IS IN COMBINING ADAPTATION AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION. WITH FLOODS AND RAINFALL-INDUCED LANDSLIDES COMPOUNDING RISK IN CERTAIN AREAS OF MINDANAO WHICH ARE ALSO SEISMIC, PRESIDENT MARCOS HAS TASKED THE DENR AND THE DPWH TO EXPEDITE A PROGRAM FOR MINDANAO-WIDE CLIMATE RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE.

PRIORITY NEEDS OF THIS MATTER HAVE ALSO BEEN CONVEYED TO SOME OF THE DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS ALREADY.

LASTLY, AS YOU ARE ALL AWARE, THE LAW ON PHILIPPINE ECOSYSTEM AND NATURAL CAPITAL ACCOUNTING SYSTEM HAS BEEN PASSED, INTEGRATING NATURAL CAPITAL INTO NATIONAL PLANNING AND DECISION-MAKING, PROVIDING A COMPELLING BASIS FOR MORE TARGETED INVESTMENTS IN PROGRAMS THAT PROMOTE A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEMS IN OUR BLUE AND GREEN ENVIRONMENTS, AND RESILIENT COMMUNITIES.

THIS DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS ROUNDTABLE WILL BE A PROMISING PLATFORM, I BELIEVE, AS WE CONTINUE TO ACTUALLY SUSTAIN IT, TO KNOW WHERE WE ARE TODAY, AND MAKE OUR COOPERATION ON CLIMATE ACTION ACHIEVE THE SUSTAINABLE IMPACT THAT WE ALL NEED AS A COUNTRY.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PROPOSED INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS BEING DEVELOPED AND CONCEPTUALIZED TO RESPOND TO THE MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS AND TASKS REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT THE PRIORITY PROGRAMS AND MEASURES. YOU WILL HEAR ONE PROPOSAL TODAY, BUT SOME OF YOU ARE ALREADY WORKING WITH US IN THE WATER SECTOR.

AND HERE WE ARE GRATEFUL AS WELL FOR THE SUPPORT FROM THE UK GOVERNMENT, WHERE IN FACT A PRIORITY HAS BEEN SET TO PROVIDE SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER. THAT IS BEING SPEARHEADED BY THE DENR’S WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT OFFICE, IN VERY CLOSE PARTNERSHIP NOW WITH THE NATIONAL IRRIGATION AUTHORITY AS WELL AS THE DPWH, ALONG WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, AND COMMUNITIES. THERE ARE ALREADY EFFORTS ONGOING TO ACHIEVE CONVERGENCE BUDGETING IN THIS REGARD AND PLANNING AS WELL IN THIS SECTOR BEING LED BY OUR NATIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY.

IT IS IN THIS URGENT AND DYNAMIC CONTEXT THAT THE SUCCESS TODAY MUST BE MEASURED BY OUR ABILITY TO DEVELOP TRANSFORMATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS FOR INCLUSIVE AND CLIMATE RESILIENT DEVELOPMENT.

I THEREFORE LIKE TO THANK ALL OF YOU, ESPECIALLY OUR PARTNERS AT THE ADB AND THE UNITED KINGDOM FOR ALL YOUR REPRESENTATIONS HERE TODAY AND HELPING US IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR CLIMATE ACTIONS FOR THE PHILIPPINES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO ACTUALLY JOURNEYING TOGETHER ON THIS RACE TO RESILIENCE TOWARD A LOW CARBON FUTURE.
MARAMING SALAMAT PO