BAGUIO CITY – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Cordillera continues to provide trainings on the formulation of Enhanced Local Climate Change Action Plan (eLCCAP) to local government units (LGUs) through their City/Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officers (C/MDRRMOs) and City/Municipal Planning and Development Coordinators (C/MPDCs). The 9-step formulation process of the Enhanced LCCAP includes low emission development (LED) strategy, adoption of Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment (CDRA) espoused by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DSHUD), and awareness with the commitment of the Philippines to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
“A total of 46 MDRRMOs and MPDCs from 24 LGUs in the region took part in the four-day training in the formulation of the eLCCAP. The training stressed the importance of applying vulnerability and risk assessments as a prerequisite for developing the Local Climate Change Action Plans (LCCAPs) and other LGU plans to promote equitable and sustainable development in LGUs,” said DRR-CCA Focal Person Ralph Kevin Brett of DILG-CAR.
He underscored that LCCAPs need to be created using a clear planning process and analysis that will result in focused, practical and viable actions that deliver the development aspirations of their localities.
“Climate change actions should be consistent with the development requirements and prospects of the locality and aligned with National Framework Strategy on Climate Change (NFSCC) and National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP),” he said.
DRRMO Focal Person Brett said that NCCAP serves as a guide of the municipal and city governments in drafting their corresponding LLCAP where the seven (7) priority areas were identified including food security, water sufficiency, ecosystem and environmental stability, human security, sustainable energy, climate-smart industries and services, and knowledge and capacity development.
Adding, “LGUs are identified as the frontline agencies in the formulation, planning and implementation of climate change actions and most immediate government actors which directly work with the people in addressing climate change impacts and challenges that affect their lives,” he said.
He said that planning for climate change adaptation and disaster risk management are among the most important functions of local governments citing the implementation of the Philippine Climate Change Act of 2009 or the Republic Act No. 9729.
“Planning has brought about a significant improvement in the awareness and knowledge of LGUs regarding climate change issues,” he said. By BLM