BAGUIO CITY – The Department of the Interior and Local Government – Cordillera Administrative Region (DILG-CAR) reiterated its call for a whole-of-society approach in ramping up local climate change adaptation strategies during the 7th National Youth Environmental Summit held in this city on April 21, 2025.
Representing DILG Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” C. Remulla, DILG-CAR Regional Director Araceli A. San Jose emphasized the pivotal role of the youth in supporting their local government units (LGUs) in fostering environmental sustainability and driving progressive climate action.
Addressing around 300 youth leaders, Sangguniang Kabataan officials, environmental advocates, and civil society organizations from various regions, RD San Jose cited a study from the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative in 2024 that revealed that while 8 out of 10 Filipinos are aware of climate change, less than one out of three Filipinos have done anything to adapt to its impacts.
“Awareness without action is wasted potential. Our knowledge must always be reinforced with a proactive desire to act; and we believe the youth can help inspire this new wave of action, “she said.
The DILG-CAR chief shared the initiatives of the Department in recent years to prime LGUs on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation (DRR-CCA). It can be recalled that the Department issued DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2015-77 directing all LGUs to mainstream DRR-CCA in their local development plans such as their Comprehensive Development Plans (CDP) and investment programs.
This is complemented by DILG MC No. 2021-037 to ensure that all cities and municipalities are compliant with the integration of DRR-CCA in their sectoral and thematic concerns during the assessment of their CDPs.
RD San Jose underscored that in the formulation of these plans, the youth sector must be well represented through the SK and the Local Youth Development Councils (LYDC) to guarantee their stakes in the proposed programs of their LGUs.
“We need all of you to be involved. As we advocate for participatory good local governance, our youth must take up the spaces intended for them to ensure that our LGUs are prioritizing programs that respond to the threats of climate change,” she said.
RD San Jose also prodded the youth to participate in grassroots initiatives such as the DILG’s Kalinisan Program that directs barangays to conduct regular weekly clean-up to promote proper waste management and environmental preservation.
She asserted that the SK must also allocate funds for environmental protection activities, information and education campaigns, and capacity development programs to help the youth better understand and respond to the effects of climate change.
“The government cannot do this alone but we believe in the youth’s passion, innovation, and empathy in shaping a climate-resilient nation that starts at the very heart of our local communities,” RD San Jose concluded. (FFP/DILG-CAR)
