THE Climate Change Commission (CCC) said the country’s first ever National Adaptation Plan (NAP), which will help boost local resilience against the impact of extreme weather, will be out soon.
“Our NAPS or National Adaptation Plan is already 99 percent [complete] and is now for signature of the President,” CCC Commissioner Albert Dela Cruz said during a press conference last week.
The NAP, the result of the comprehensive stakeholder consultation of CCC, contains the government’s plan to address multiple aspects of climate change including “food security, agriculture, water resources, governance, stakeholder engagement, technology, financing and capacity building.”
It also includes the priority programs of the government to address climate change-related issues.
CCC also noted the NAP will help mainstream climate change adaptation measures among local government units (LGU) through their Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP).
Dela Cruz said currently, 86 percent of LGUs have submitted their LCCAP.
However, he noted such plans should be “dynamic” especially since LGUs are at the forefront in facing the rapidly changing impact of climate change.
Aside from the NAP, CCC also said the creation of the standards needed for the implementation of Republic Act (RA) No. 107741, or the Green Jobs Act, is also in its “final stages.”
The legislation gives qualified firms special deduction from taxable income equivalent to 50 percent for skills training and research and development expenses, as well as tax and duty free importation of capital equipment.
“This will spur development and transition towards a low carbon economy and it will incentivize investments by our private sector in greener processes,” CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje said.
