CarbonPH Coalition, an alliance of top Philippine companies advocating nature-based solutions and sustainable practices, concluded its 2025 Education Series with a high-level session on climate finance and nature-based solutions, underscoring the growing alignment between the public and private sectors in advancing decarbonization and climate resilience.

As a lead convenor of CarbonPH Coalition, Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) has been spearheading the lecture series to advance dialogue on nature-based solutions and strengthen climate initiatives across various sectors.

The Department of Finance (DoF) highlighted ongoing efforts to expand local governments’ access to climate finance, particularly through the People’s Survival Fund (PSF), the country’s dedicated financing mechanism for climate adaptation projects led by local government units (LGUs) and community organizations.

DoF Director John Adrian Narag echoed the government’s initiatives in mobilizing large-scale financing opportunities from domestic and global climate funds, while also helping shape international policies to enable access, management and deployment of resources for climate action.

“We want to make sure climate finance reaches the ground. That means deeper partnerships with LGUs, civil society, the private sector, and our international partners,” he said.

For his part, Bukidnon Representative Jose Manuel Alba, Chairman of the House Committee on Sustainable Development Goals provided key updates on the development of a policy architecture that would make investments in nature scalable and financially viable.

Key measures under deliberation include the proposed Green Infrastructure Act, the Carbon Rights Bill, and the Low-Carbon Economy Investment Bill.

“We have 2.7 million hectares of seagrasses and 5.4 million hectares of ancestral domain forestlands. The potential is there. The land is there. The communities are there. What’s missing is the legal framework to unlock capital — and that’s what we are building in Congress,” Alba said.

Private sector representatives reaffirmed their support for deeper collaboration to scale nature-based solutions and unlock climate investments, especially in high-risk localities that need technical support for project preparation and access to financing.

Ginggay Hontiveros-Malvar, First Vice President and Chief Reputation and Sustainability Officer of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, stressed the importance of shared commitment in advancing climate finance and nature-based solutions.

“When government leadership meets private-sector commitment, we create the momentum needed to scale nature-based solutions nationwide. Resilience must become part of how we build, invest, and plan for the future,” she said.

Throughout 2025, the CarbonPH Coalition Education Series convened experts and industry leaders to strengthen dialogue on carbon policies, climate resilience, and collaborative climate action.