European Union Ambassador Luc Véron had heard of Baguio City many times. The Summer Capital of the Philippines had always been a tourist hotspot, famed for its chilly weather and good eats, but Amb. Véron discovered much more than that when he went on his first regional outreach trip last year.

"I learned about the many environmental and smart mobility programs of the city government," he shares. From in-depth exchanges with Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong and government officials from Itogon and Pinukpuk, to enlightening conversations with the European Union's community beneficiaries, he was happy to find that the feedback was positive. "I was pleased to learn about the sustainability efforts of the communities in adapting the disaster and climate risk modules and inclusive early warning kits in their own localities."

One of the highlights of his trip was the dialogue with indigenous people's champions from the different tribes in the Cordilleras. "It was a touching experience to hear first-hand how passionate young environment advocates are in pushing for the protection of their ancestral lands."

The EU, in particular, has the "Indigenous Peoples Champions from the Philippines" project which received a grant of P14 million. It aims to support indigenous peoples in the Bangsamoro and Cordillera regions and to help engage in conversations that will mandate the protection and promotion of the indigenous peoples in nurturing culture and tradition and in protecting the environment.

Among other projects, disaster and climate risk modules and inclusive early-warning kits were also handed to civil society organizations and local government officials from Itogon, Benguet as part of the EMPOWER project, which aims to strengthen high-risk communities in disaster and climate risk governance in the municipalities of Itogon and Pinukpuk. The project officially began in January 2020 and covers over 23 barangays in Pinukpuk and nine barangays in Itogon with a total grant of P22 million.

In the realm of education, Amb. Véron also met with officials from Saint Louis University (SLU) and the University of the Cordilleras (UC), both of which are grantees of the capacity-building EU Erasmus+ projects based on multilateral, transnational partnerships between higher education institutions from the European Union and partner countries, one of which is the Philippines.

Amb. Véron's trip to Baguio was nothing short of a treasure, he shares exclusively with the Daily Tribune. "It was certainly a visit that nourished the heart." Particular highlights include visiting Tam-awan Village and meeting local artists, a personal tour of the BenCab Museum with national artist Ben Cabrera, and of course, the amazing food coupled with native wine.

"My trip to Baguio City was made more memorable because of the hospitality, warmth, and kindness of its people everywhere we went. I plan to come back soon and discuss how to strengthen our cooperation so as to promote green and sustainable economic growth and create green jobs."