The Climate Change Commission (CCC) on Monday presented a science-based action plan to Metro Manila’s top leaders, urging a shift from fragmented disaster responses to a regional, systems-based approach to combat rising environmental threats.

During a joint meeting of the Metro Manila Council (MMC) and the Regional Development Council (RDC), CCC officials outlined the specific climate impact drivers facing the National Capital Region. These include rising sea levels, extreme temperatures, droughts, and fluvial flooding.

CCC vice chairperson and executive director Robert E.A. Borje stressed that local government units must move beyond reacting to individual weather events and instead integrate climate risk data into long-term urban planning.

“It’s critically important that we provide support for the planning ahead,” Borje said. “We underscore that climate change does not arrive as a single-footed event.”

The presentation highlighted sections of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) tailored to the National Capital Region, stressing that risks in the metropolis are increasingly interconnected.

It also argued that integrating these projections into flood management, transport, and land-use planning would reduce asset loss and protect vulnerable communities.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairperson Romando S. Artes expressed full support for the initiative and proposed the creation of a technical working group to advance the climate agenda.