As climate risks become increasingly complex and interconnected, the Philippines must shift from fragmented climate initiatives to a unified, systems-based approach, the Climate Change Commission (CCC) said.
At the launch of the Capacity-Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) Philippines project in Pasig City on Monday, CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje emphasized the urgency of strengthening governance systems that can anticipate and manage climate risks, rather than respond to disasters after they strike.
“Everybody knows that our climate risks are no longer linear, cascading across sectors and then compounding over time,” he said.
Borje stressed that the country is now being tested to see whether its systems can anticipate risks and deliver timely, precise, and sustained responses to these challenges.
He said the CBIT Philippines project is designed to strengthen the country’s measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) framework by integrating data systems, institutional processes, and analytical tools into a single decision-making platform.
He underscored that the country’s focus now must shift from recovery to prevention, and from reacting to risk to managing it.
“What we are launching is not simply another project. It is part of a broader effort to build a system where climate information shapes decisions and where those decisions lead to real, measurable results, allowing us to situate where we are very clearly,” he said.
Borje said the initiative will align data architecture, clarify institutional roles, and improve analytical capacity so that climate information feeds directly into policy choices, investment planning, and performance tracking, emphasizing the need to move beyond compliance-driven reporting.
The effort builds on the Philippines’ first Biennial Transparency Report submitted in 2025 under the Paris Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework, which demonstrated the country’s commitment to accountability but also revealed persistent capacity gaps.
“The challenge has never been willingness. It has always been capacity,” Borje said.
He also called for stronger coordination across government agencies and partners, warning that siloed approaches could undermine progress.
“We need to work very, very closely together. The work should not stay within silos. It has to function as one. A system where information moves with discipline, where decisions are based on evidence, and where results are tracked and improved over time,” he said.
He added that stronger transparency systems would not only improve policymaking and adaptation efforts but also help mobilize climate finance, noting that “transparency builds confidence.”
“Ultimately, transparency is not just about visibility. It is about being able to steer, to make decisions with confidence, and to adjust when things are not working. And then to do so before problems become more difficult or more costly,” he said.
The CBIT Philippines project is a multi-year initiative supported by partners including the Manila Observatory, Oscar M. Lopez Center for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management Foundation, Conservation International, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit.
Borje noted that while systems are critical, their effectiveness ultimately depends on people and institutions working together. (PNA)
