The Regional Social Development Committee (RSDC) of the Cordillera Regional Development Council (RDC CAR) endorsed the “Panahon ng Pagkilos: Philippine Locally-led Climate Change Action Project (PLCCAP)” of the Department of Social Welfare and Development during its third quarter meeting on August 13.
The PLCCAP, proposed for local funding and a World Bank loan, is aligned with the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and aims to enhance community resilience, particularly among the most vulnerable populations. The project aims to promote capacity building, sustainability development, partnerships with various stakeholders, and data-driven decisions. Its main components include strengthening local climate change action planning, action implementation, project monitoring and management, and contingency emergency response. The salient features of the proposed project were presented by Department of Social Welfare and Development-CAR Assistant Regional Director Rina Claire Reyes and Mr. Manuel Ocaña Jr.
Ms. Leonarda Lingayo of NEDA-CAR acknowledged how the frequency of typhoons is a direct consequence of climate change, which also causes crop and livestock losses, damage to irrigation and farm-to-market roads, and landslides which continue to affect the agricultural sector in the region. The slope and elevation of CAR, especially in Benguet and Mountain Province, make the region highly vulnerable to rain-induced landslides.
With the project targeting 620 barangays in 43 municipalities with 894,277 individuals under 255 households, the Committee supports the selection of areas with higher poverty incidence. It is also worth noting that all six provinces in CAR are supportive of the project.
DSWD may also involve relevant agencies in assisting local government representatives and volunteers in proposal preparation, procurement, finance monitoring, and adherence to environmental and social standards, especially for highly technical sub-project types such as small-scale irrigation. Ms. Lingayo also emphasized the inclusion of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in the project implementation.
Ms. Edna Tabanda suggested strengthening existing efforts in climate change mitigation and environmental preservation without the need for a massive loan. Commission on Population and Development Regional Director Cecile Basawil encouraged LGUs to properly utilize the budget provided by the government in their disaster risk reduction management efforts. Moreover, Mr. Ferdinand Gonzales proposed to add gender and development perspectives to the said project.
The PLCCAP is the DSWD’s flagship climate change adaptation and mitigation program under the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) Program. The KALAHI-CIDSS Program, a poverty alleviation program, employs the Community-Driven Development approach, prioritizing the empowerment of community members to identify and address their most pressing needs.
Also discussed in the meeting were the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program, particularly vertical housing development, and interventions as well as projects, programs, and activities (PPAs) in the health sector to addressing malnutrition.
The Cordillera RSDC is presently chaired by Hon. Joseph Sto. Niño B. Bernos, Mayor of Lapaz, Abra, with Mr. Arnel M. Cabanisas of the Filipino Japanese Foundation for Northern Luzon, Inc., serving as Co-Chair. NEDA-CAR acts as the technical secretariat for the Committee. By Mikka Ella F. Soriano with Belinda D. Lucas, and Victor Eugene S. Caccam
