Senator Loren Legarda called for immediate, decisive action to address the worsening climate crisis, describing the country’s current vulnerabilities as a deadly convergence of natural disasters and systemic failure.

“Kapabayaan, hindi bagyo, ang pumapatay (Negligence, not the storm, is what kills),” Legarda declared in her privilege speech delivered on the Senate plenary session on Tuesday. 

Legarda framed climate change not merely as an environmental issue, but as a full-blown human rights crisis. 

Citing the recent Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), she underscored that climate inaction is now potentially a violation of international law. 

The ruling affirmed that states have binding obligations to mitigate and adapt to climate change under international human rights and environmental law.

“In line with this, I filed this morning a Proposed Senate Resolution affirming the binding nature of international climate obligations and urging its national implementation in light of the ICJ Opinion,” she said

. 

Legarda emphasized the tragic irony that the Philippines, contributing less than 0.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, ranks as the most disaster-prone nation globally for four consecutive years according to the World Risk Report.

A long-time environmental advocate, Legarda recounted decades of legislative work, from the landmark Climate Change Act to the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act and the Renewable Energy Act. 

But she lamented that many of these laws, though pioneering, suffer from poor implementation and chronic underfunding—made worse by corruption and weak governance.

“Hindi sapat ang tinta ng batas sa papel kung palpak ang pagpapatupad (The ink of the law on paper is not enough if its implementation is flawed),” she warned. 

“Aanhin natin ang plano kung wala namang sumusunod? At lalong walang sapat na pondo ang pwedeng ilaan kung nilulusaw ito ng korapsyon (What good is a plan if no one follows it? And there will never be enough funds to allocate if corruption keeps draining them),” she added. 

Climate Justice as climate prosperity

Legarda introduced a forward-looking framework rooted in the concept of “climate prosperity.”

Rather than framing climate resilience merely as survival, she argued it should empower communities to rise, thrive, and live with dignity.

She revealed that the Department of Finance is now crafting a Climate Prosperity Investment Memorandum, in collaboration with the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), a coalition of 74 climate-vulnerable countries. 

This “Philippine Climate Prosperity Plan” aims to link climate adaptation with real investment in green infrastructure, energy, and jobs.

Four-point action agenda

Seenator Legarda urged her colleagues in the Senate to act decisively in four critical areas to mobilize and monitor climate finance by strengthening legislation that ensures transparent access to and tracking of climate funds; to strengthen local adaptation by fast-tracking the updating and implementation of Local Climate Change Action Plans (LCCAPs) across all local government units, grounded in scientific data and real risk assessments; and to drive low-carbon development by accelerating the transformation of the energy, transport, agriculture, and industry sectors, supported by strong incentives for green jobs and sustainable technologies. 

She also urged to demand international accountability by leveraging the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling to pursue justice, financing, and reparations from high-emission countries and fossil fuel corporations. 

In support of this, she also filed a Proposed Senate Resolution affirming the ICJ's advisory opinion and calling for its implementation at the national level.

Further, Legarda issued a stark reminder that the climate crisis is not a distant threat but a present catastrophe already taking lives and futures.

“Kaya’t tapos na ang tanong kung ano ang gagawin o kung kaya ba natin. Huhusgahan na lamang tayo sa pagkilos o sa kawalan nito (So the question of what to do or whether we are capable is no longer relevant. We will be judged solely by our actions—or our failure to act),” she said.