Philippines

The Philippines joined the CCAC in 2015 and is involved in agriculture, heavy-duty vehicle initiatives, waste management and national planning work. According to the ASEAN Climate Report 2021, the Philippines was the second most affected country by extreme weather events in the ASEAN region during the period from 1999 to 2018 and ranked first in terms of the number of people affected by climate-change related natural hazards. Ongoing climate change will likely aggravate these challenges. With 36 million inhabitants living below the high tide line, nearly 24% of the population will be severely affected by sea level rise.  

By joining the CCAC, the Philippines seek to actively address these challenges. The country has shown leadership through its collaboration on the CCAC-funded activity, “Advancing the Clean Air, Health and Climate Integration Agenda in the ASEAN Region,” which supports ASEAN member states to integrate air pollution and climate change mitigation into relevant institutions and policies following recommendations in the CCAC-UNEP Air Pollution in Asia and Pacific: Science-Based Solutions report.  

With CCAC planning support, the Philippines is working to develop a national plan to include mitigation of short-lived climate pollutants SLCPs) in existing policy processes. This project complements many existing national priorities, including  the country’s development ambition “to become a prosperous middle-class society free of poverty” by 2040.  

The Philippines has had a national programme for air pollution management and prevention, the Philippine Clean Air Act (No. 8749), since 1999. The Climate Change Act 2009 (Act No. 9729) established a Climate Change Commission, an independent body tasked to coordinate, monitor and evaluate programs and action plans of the government related to climate change. The committee brought together relevant stakeholders to elaborate the Philippine’s updated NDC, which was published in April 2021. With support from the NDC Partnership, the Philippines closely aligned their mitigation and adaptation actions with the national development agenda.  

This is complemented by the National Climate Change Action Plan 2011, which sets the adaptation and mitigation agenda for the period of 2011 to 2028. Amongst several energy-sector related mitigation activities, the national framework strategy includes an ambitious target of doubling renewable energy capacity from 4500 MW to 9000 MW over a 20-year period. The plan also prominently features waste management and methane collection as mitigation priorities. 

Working to achieve its waste management priorities, the Philippines has participated in the CCAC’s Waste technical assistance and finance programme to develop financially sustainable waste infrastructure that reflect local ambitions. Cebu City, for example, is engaged in the CCAC’s municipal solid waste work. The city aims to implement waste separation at source and collection, to promote a material recovery facility and composting facility for organic waste, and to improve the final disposal site. These activities build on the Ecological Solid Waste Management (Act No. 9003) of 2000, which set up institutional mechanisms and incentives for ecological solid waste management. The associated Implementing Rules and Regulations specify the design of composting facilities and landfill sites in order to prevent the creation of methane or recover and convert it into energy.