Legarda pushes early-action funding vs climate risks

Senator Loren Legarda on Thursday called for reforms in government spending to address climate risks, urging a shift from disaster response to early action.

Speaking at the Asian Conference on Climate Change and Disaster Resilience in Makati City, Legarda said the country must move away from a cycle of “trauma and repair” and instead invest in preparedness. 

“For decades, we have operated within a cycle of trauma and repair. A typhoon hits. A river swells. A community is washed away. We see the images on our screens, we are moved enough to mobilize hot kitchens, community pantries, relief and rescue, and then... we wait for the next disaster,” she said. 

Legarda warned that current systems release resources too late, creating what she described as a “First-Mile/Last-Mile” disconnect between available funds and actual needs on the ground. 

She proposed legislative changes that would allow the government to release disaster funds based on forecasts instead of waiting for a declaration of a state of calamity.

“We must legislate for anticipation,” she said. 

Under her proposal, funds would be pre-positioned for local governments to support early action measures such as retrofitting infrastructure, setting up early warning systems, and preparing food reserves.

Legarda also pushed for automatic aid triggers tied to weather forecasts, saying financial support should reach vulnerable communities before disasters strike.

“We must simplify the trigger mechanisms for local aid. If the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) predicts a storm surge of a certain magnitude, the cash transfer should be automatic,” she said. 

She stressed that climate financing must prioritize vulnerable sectors, including women, indigenous communities, the elderly, and those in remote areas.

The senator also called on local governments to revise development plans to account for extreme climate events and urged international partners to align financing with resilience goals.

“Resilience is also financial. It is about liquidity. It is about the speed of the peso moving from the national treasury to a local barangay before the storm makes landfall,” she said. 

Legarda said anticipatory action is critical to reducing risks and safeguarding long-term growth, emphasizing that preparedness should be measured by what is prevented rather than what is rebuilt.

“The climate crisis is here, and it is intense. But so is our resolve,” she said.