As we raise the Philippine flag this 12 June, we honor the courage and sacrifice of those who fought for our nation’s freedom and independence.

Yet today we face an invisible enemy that undermines our sovereignty and security — not foreign invaders, but a destabilized climate that drowns our islands and scorches our fields.

The science is unequivocal. Over the past 69 years, our annual mean temperature has risen 0.75°C. Projections show an increase of 0.9°C by 2030 and 1.7°C by 2050. Global warming is real and climate change is the existential and governance challenge for our generation.

The heroes of tomorrow will be defined by their resolve to confront this crisis.

Our National Adaptation Plan highlights these quantified realities: Sea levels are rising at 5.7mm to 7mm annually, nearly double the global average, threatening to displace millions in low-lying communities. More than 80 percent of our land (180,000km²) will face Category 4 or 5 cyclones by 2030, inflicting P83 billion in annual economic losses.

Under the business-as-usual (BAU) scenario, the loss and damage from climate change is anticipated to increase, potentially accounting for up to 7.6 percent of the nation’s GDP by 2030 and 13 percent by 2040.

Floodwaters now endanger lives and livelihoods. Extreme rainfall is expected to expose 4.8 million Filipinos to urban flooding and 250,000 individuals to river flooding by 2030, rising to 5.2 million and 300,000, respectively, by 2050. Landslides could displace 200,000 people every year.

Our agricultural foundation is fracturing. Rice yields are projected to decline 6 percent and corn 19 percent by 2040. Meanwhile, 7.5 percent of farmland and 15 percent of fishponds risk submersion. Our health systems brace for a 58 percent surge in leptospirosis and more cases of heat-related illnesses.

Just as our forefathers raised arms and voices to fight a colonial power to claim liberty, we have to consciously decide to battle ecological degradation and collapse. This time for our very survival.

We must remember, climate change strips us of our most fundamental of human rights: the right to life, with the most vulnerable suffering the most. Climate change robs us of our most basic freedoms: freedom from hunger, displacement, and against fear. Our cherished independence, our security, prosperity, and way of life, hangs in the balance.

We need a new generation of champions for our time, those who rise without fanfare in every corner of the country. They are the farmers adopting resilient practices to feed our people, the fisherfolk restoring marine ecosystems, the youth demanding intergenerational justice, the scientists developing life-saving innovations, and the indigenous communities preserving ancestral wisdom.

These modern Katipuneros wield ingenuity and initiative and with unity instead of blades, all driven by a common battle cry: to secure a livable homeland for us today and for future generations.

Victory demands collective action, a national awakening mirroring the spirit of 1898. Every citizen holds power: harvesting rainwater to conserve resources, planting gardens to combat food insecurity, rejecting single-use plastics to protect our seas, and championing local products to strengthen communities. Every sector is part of the solution, each contributing to the objective of achieving a low-carbon and climate smart economy, even as we continue to track a trajectory of growth and development.

This Independence Day, let us not only remember our heroes, let us become them. Climate action is the ultimate patriotism, ensuring our children inherit a nation not just free but thriving. The era of “bahala na” is over. What we need now is revolutionary courage, for the fight against climate change is the fight for true independence: freedom from disaster, injustice, and want.

The time for half-measures has passed. Complete fidelity to the cause is a must. There can be no life on a dead planet. There can be no rights and freedoms to enjoy in a desolate world.

As our founders laid down their lives, we must now pledge our utmost innovation, resources, and unyielding resolve. Let freedom ring from the peaks of mountains to the depths of the seas. Together, let us defend our homeland — and our planet — against climate change.