Legarda urges ASEAN to put climate resilience, dignity at heart of development

Senator Loren Legarda, the 83rd Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellow and the fifth from the Philippines since the program’s establishment in 1991, called on ASEAN nations to place resilience, ecological stewardship, and human dignity at the center of development as the region confronts the climate crisis.

Delivering a public lecture at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute on Wednesday, Legarda praised Singapore’s visionary governance under Lee Kuan Yew, citing his early recognition of water scarcity, land constraints, and global positioning as crucial to the city-state’s rise.

“True nation-building rests not only on physical infrastructure but on the architecture of governance, the stewardship of resources, visionary long-term planning, and ensuring the dignity of people,” Legarda said.

She contrasted Singapore’s model with the Philippines’ vulnerability, noting that the country has consistently ranked as the world’s most climate-vulnerable nation in recent years. “A single typhoon can erase billions in agricultural output, shatter infrastructure, and wipe out years of human development gains,” she added.

Despite these risks, Legarda stressed that resilience and renewal are within reach. “We only have to shift these burdens so they can be shared more equitably, and we will be able to see massive productivity, love of people and country, and a flourishing nature-based economy.”

Calling climate change “the governance challenge of our generation,” she underscored the stakes of food insecurity, displacement, and ecological decline, urging governments to act decisively. “Climate change will not limit us; it must compel us to think differently, act decisively, and transform profoundly.”

The four-term senator cited landmark Philippine laws she authored, including the Climate Change Act, Renewable Energy Act, Clean Air Act, Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, and the Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System (PENCAS) Act of 2023. “Legislation, at its core, is not only technical; it is moral,” she said.

Legarda also acknowledged contradictions in current policies, from reliance on polluting technologies to car-centric infrastructure, but voiced optimism for a generational shift. “If all this chaos does not lead us to a future more geared towards a circular economy, reliant on nature instead of concrete and corruption, only then will I give up. At this point, I am far from giving up.”

She introduced pending measures on the blue economy, low-carbon transition, plastic taxation, circular economy, and coastal protection, saying these bills have regional implications. “When the Philippines invests in our ecosystems, we also invest in the health of ASEAN’s shared seas and Asia-Pacific’s shared atmosphere.”

Legarda urged ASEAN to adopt shared standards for disaster response, circular economy, and resilient infrastructure, arguing that “progress must be redefined, not by what we extract, but by what we sustain; not by the wealth of a few, but by the dignity of all.”

The Fellowship Program runs from 11 to 14 September 2025, organized by the Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship in partnership with Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.