Senator Loren Legarda used a public lecture to call on fellow Southeast Asian nations to rethink development in the face of the climate crisis, urging them to prioritize resilience, ecological stewardship, and human dignity.

Speaking as the 83rd Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellow, the fifth from the Philippines, Legarda delivered her address at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute. She praised Singapore’s visionary governance, crediting the nation’s success to Lee Kuan Yew’s early focus on issues like water scarcity and land limitations.

“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 drew a stark contrast to the Philippines, which for three consecutive years has been ranked as one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations.

“A single typhoon can erase billions in agricultural output, shatter infrastructure, and wipe out years of human development gains,” said Legarda.

However, the lawmaker stressed resilience and renewal as she outlined the human and cultural stakes of food insecurity, displacement, and ecological loss but rejected the idea of resignation.

“Climate change will not limit us; it must compel us to think differently, act decisively, and transform profoundly,” she said.

Legarda highlighted landmark laws she has championed, including the Climate Change Act, the Renewable Energy Act, and the Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System (PENCAS) Act, as examples of integrating climate action into development. She noted that “legislation, at its core, is not only technical; it is moral.”

While acknowledging the country’s continued reliance on polluting technologies and car-centric infrastructure, she expressed hope 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,” said Legarda.

The senator introduced pending legislation aimed at completing the country’s climate resilience architecture, including bills on the blue economy, low-carbon transition, plastic taxation, circular economy, and coastal protection.

She stressed that these efforts have regional implications, as “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 challenged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to adopt a more cohesive, regional approach to circular economy standards, disaster response, and resilient infrastructure.

“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,” she said. “Let our legacy be nothing less than transformation and transcendence.”