Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla called on local government units (LGUs) on Friday to integrate disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in local planning to help achieve climate and disaster resilience.

“The DILG recognizes that mainstreaming disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in local planning is critical in ensuring that risks and vulnerabilities at the community level are addressed,” Remulla said.

“Proper land use planning is crucial in determining how communities develop and in reducing their vulnerability to hazards like floods, landslides, and storms,” he added.

The DILG secretary stressed this during the 3rd plenary session on localization and urban and rural resilience of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) 2024 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

“Beyond warning systems, preparedness drills, and emergency response, strategic land use planning can help achieve climate and disaster resilience,” Remulla said.

He also disclosed that the DILG has been helping LGUs achieve full compliance on the preparation, updating and strict implementation of their Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP).

According to Remulla, a total of 651 or around 39 percent of cities and municipalities have updated their CLUPs; 837 or 51 percent are up for updating; and the remaining 146 or 9 percent still have no CLUPs.

He likewise called for concrete plans amid growing issues on climate change, citing proactivity and strategy as key to long-term resilience.

“We do not have the luxury of time because climate change is here, it’s here now,” Remulla said. “We still have a lot of ground to cover. We hope that this activity will trigger concrete actions that will strengthen local capacities and build resilient communities.”