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Philippine House of Representatives Approves Climate Emergency Declaration Bill

Manila – The House of Representatives has passed on second reading a bill declaring a climate change emergency in the Philippines. The approval of House Bill 9084, or the proposed Climate Change Resilience Act, marks a significant legislative step towards addressing climate change impacts.

According to Philippines News Agency, Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, who advocated for the bill, emphasized the urgency of implementing measures to combat human-caused global warming and its effects. The declaration is intended to mobilize resources for climate mitigation efforts. The bill proposes the establishment of a Climate Change Resiliency Adaptability Program aimed at enhancing the country’s adaptive capacity to climate change. Key components of the program include open data sharing, probabilistic climate risk assessment, educational initiatives on climate resilience, health and climate change linkage, critical services improvement, and ecosystem protection strategies. Government agencies and local government units (LGUs) are expected to allocate sufficient funds for the development and implementation of climate change programs and plans under the Climate Change Act of 2009. Additionally, the bill encourages private entities, civil society organizations, and non-government organizations to engage in environmental preservation and protection. Projects by private entities under this law will be recognized as part of their corporate social responsibility. Furthermore, an annual Climate Change Resiliency and Adaptability Summit is proposed to be held every September, led by the Climate Change Commission, to consolidate efforts of concerned agencies in environmental preservation and protection.

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