By Climate Change Commission
(Editor: The original media release was revised into a first-person account)
During the 1st Manila Water Sustainability Leadership Talk in Quezon City, I underscored the urgent need for essential service providers, including water utilities, to align their business strategies and investments with our national climate commitments.
As vice chairman and executive director of the Climate Change Commission (CCC), I addressed the systemic nature of climate risk for our water-stressed and disaster-prone archipelago. I emphasized that managing this risk requires coherence between sectoral agencies, private operators, and the communities themselves — who act as active agents of resilience. My message was clear: climate action cannot succeed on policy or infrastructure alone; it succeeds when our institutions, communities, and every individual Filipino move together.
I highlighted that for water utilities, climate action is not just a policy matter — it is a governance and operational priority. Climate impacts directly threaten water availability, the integrity of our infrastructure, and the continuity of service. To ensure water security in this changing climate, we must:
• Climate-proof our existing infrastructure.
• Diversify our water sources.
• Integrate nature-based solutions into our watershed management.
Guided by the policies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., I pointed to the Philippines’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and National Adaptation Plan (NAP) as our core frameworks for addressing risk and advancing development. Water companies contribute to these national targets through:
• Mitigation: Improving wastewater treatment, increasing energy efficiency, and adopting low-carbon operations.
• Adaptation: Implementing risk-informed planning and building resilient infrastructure.
I told those in attendance that when their sustainability strategies align with the NDC and NAP, they are doing more than just complying with policy — they are translating national commitments into daily realities for millions of Filipinos.
Manila Water president and chief executive officer Roberto Locsin affirmed this view, noting that every operational task and decision can be transformed into direct climate action that shapes resilience for future generations. This inaugural talk, themed “Bridging Sustainability and Resilience for a Climate-Smart Future,” served as a vital platform for the CCC to engage with leaders across government, academe and industry.
The CCC recognizes the private sector as a crucial partner. We are actively leveraging bilateral partnerships and our system of contact groups to ensure that our collaboration remains a continuous loop of action and ambition. In line with the national climate agenda and the Paris Agreement, we reaffirm our commitment to working with all stakeholders to safeguard our essential services and advance a climate-resilient future.