Event

The Adaptation Knowledge Platform and the Ateneo School of Government (ASoG) conducted the Philippine Multi-Stakeholders Workshop and meetings from March 19 to 23, 2012 as part of the country scoping assessment activity aimed at better understanding of the capacity building needs of local government units  (LGUs) in the Philippines.(http://www.climateadapt.asia/events/Workshops%20/view/25). 

The workshops revealed the gaps in many of the initiatives undertaken by LGUs as climate change adaptation (CCA) measures. For instance, many of these initiatives do not take into consideration future climate changes scenarios or impacts. Although some of the initiatives have delivered good results in terms of local development, it is not certain whether they will be resilient to future climate–related events, or sustainable in the long term. Hence, there is an urgent need to integrate sustainable CCA measures in  the development planning processes of the LGUs.

The RA 9729 (or the Climate Change Law), the National Climate Change Action Plan and the latest Philippine Development Plan all call for the integration of CCA in the development planning processes of the LGUs.  Many LGUs are already engaged in this integration process. However, the process still needs to be fine-tuned to facilitate better coherence so that LGUs not only comply with the above-mentioned laws and policies, but also initiate the process of adaptation.

Two LGUs of the provinces of Iloilo and Albay had requested the Adaptation Knowledge Platform and the ASoG to facilitate the knowledge building process to enable them to 1) raise the level of awareness of, and sharpen approaches to, CCA; and 2) adopt a more trans-disciplinary approach in crafting local development plans of the two provinces. The Adaptation Knowledge Platform and ASoG responded to their demands by hosting a series of learning dialogues as part of the knowledge building process. The dialogues were carried out from  May 21 to 22 in the Iloilo province and from May 28 to 30 in the Albay province.

The objectives of the learning dialogues were:

1. To enhance the understanding of the need for evidence- and experience- based approaches to DRR and CCA;

2.  To come to terms with  the evolving challenges facing the DRR and CCA work by raising the awareness of a) evolving global risks; b) priority themes; c) scope and extent of climate-related hazards faced by the province; and d) various aspects of vulnerabilities from the perspective of DRR and CCA.

3. To better understand the distinction between the implementation of DRR and CCA;

4. To comprehend the significance of, and gain skills in, the application of various CCA tools in the LGU’s programs, plans and actions and budgeting processes; and

5. To craft enhanced tools that can be used specifically for facilitating approaches to adaptation in development planning with the use of evolving knowledge bases such as the ecosystem-based approach.

The outputs delivered were the following:

1. Participants in the dialogues, including LGU officers were better able to distinguish between local development planning processes and plans with and without CCA measures.

2. The provinces of Iloilo and Albay submit their Programs, Plans and Activities (PPAs) with adaptation options and the corresponding budget for PPAs incorporated. The PPAs and corresponding budgets will be inputs to the Annual Investment Plans for the Fiscal Year 2013 of the province of Iloilo, Albay and its 18 municipalities. 

3. The ASoG developed with other partners in the Philippines a comprehensive toolkit on integration of CCA in local development planning processes that incorporates findings from the dialogues.  For more information about the tool kit, please visit http://www.aksyonklima.com/activities/drr-cca-toolkit-launch-on-monday/. 

The expected outcome is the following:

The PPAs and corresponding budgets submitted by the two provinces will be adopted in the respective Annual Investment Plans for the Fiscal Year 2013.