Policy-wise, the Philippines has been responsive to the challenges of climate change with the governmentenacting a number of national policies underlining the necessity to undertake climate-related actions.Examples include the Climate Change Act of 2009 or RA 9729, the National Framework Strategy onClimate Change, and the National Climate Change Action Plan. The Philippines has also passed RA 10121or the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Law, which afirms and creates an enablingenvironment to develop synergy between disaster risk reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptationto reduce disaster and climate-related risks. To secure stable funds for adaptation initiatives by the localgovernments and communities, on June 6, 2012, the Philippine Congress approved the Bicameral CommitteeReport for a law to establish the “People’s Survival Fund to provide long-term finance streams to enable thegovernment to effectively address the problem of climate change, amending for the purpose Republic Act9729”. The legislation now awaits the signature of the President. For local government units (LGUs), the Philippines’ Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) hasissued several Memorandum Circulars (MCs) that encourage and/or mandate local governments to take thelead in adaptation. As early as 2008, even before the CC law was passed, DILG had already issued MC 2008-69 that encouraged CCA and DRR mainstreaming in development plans, projects, policies and budgets at thelocal level. This was followed by a series of other MCs aimed at CCA capacity building and local government projects.
