As the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) approaches, the Philippines has yet to finalize its updated national climate action pledge through the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The delay is not merely a setback, but a window for the Philippines to create NDC policies and measures (PAMs) that are just, equitable, measurable, and time-bound, for climate action that is rooted in climate justice.  

NDC PAMs are the country’s tools to achieve the 1.5oC global target with the Filipino people’s welfare at the center. Our 75% target reductions, backed by a self-funded commitment rising from 2.7% to 10-20%, signal seriousness. Now, the Philippine government and agencies leading the country’s NDC development must ensure these goals take root in every community. 

In this light, the global stage offers both a roadmap and a warning. The recent 64th Session of the Subsidiary Bodies of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (SB64) in Bonn delayed in launching the Belém Action Mechanism (BAM), a framework designed to protect the rights and interests of workers, women, youth, Indigenous peoples, and local communities during the just transition. Without it, the most vulnerable are left unprotected. Adaptation finance pledges from wealthy nations also stalled.

This global inaction has already proven dangerous to ordinary Filipinos, amid worsening climate-related disasters and the oil and gas market shocks due to ongoing conflict in West Asia. It is imperative for the Philippines to increase its ability to protect itself and continue to reach its climate goals as a vulnerable nation.

It is within this fragile context that we must confront the governance gap that is leaving our local stakeholders behind. The Philippines is still one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, yet our local government units (LGUs), the delegated implementing bodies of our NDCs on the ground, operate without sufficient resources. 

The Reimagine NDC consultations led by The Climate Reality Project Philippines in 2025 revealed LGUs’ topmost challenge in implementing climate goals. It is their lack of information and understanding about the NDC, which further worsens the effects of other barriers to their enforcement of climate action. 

These frontline leaders are rarely consulted when national targets are set, yet they are expected to carry the heaviest burden. To further empower LGUs as primary drivers of national climate action, the national government alongside its policymakers must urgently invest in them. 

Raising our unconditional target to 10-20% means we cannot rely solely on foreign aid. We therefore call on the national government to dedicate resources and sustained support for LGUs, ensuring our towns and cities have the actual support to implement local projects without the need for unpredictable international support. 

The updated NDC must provide them clear guidance for embedding the NDC PAMs into local plans like the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP), Comprehensive Land Use Plan, Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP), and the Disaster Risk Reduction And Management (DRRM) plans. Capacitating our LGUs is how we can deliver just, equitable, measurable, and time-bound solutions to climate action. 

As the PAMs have highlighted, being ‘measurable and time-bound’ in the 2035 cycle also means concrete five year milestones. ‘Just’ means recognizing that a wealthy city and a coastal farming town have different capacities and ensuring that climate action protects constituents at the grassroots level. ‘Equitable’ demands that resources flow to our most vulnerable and least-resourced municipalities. Without LGU capacitation for PAMs implementation, our updated ambition for the 2026 NDC remains aspirational. With it, they become actionable, accountable, and grounded in local realities. In this light, capacitating LGUs is not just an administrative necessity, it is the cornerstone of a just transition. As we move away from the business-as-usual scenario, our LGUs must be equipped to retrain its workers and cushion communities from socioeconomic disruptions. 

However, ambition without check and balance is a gamble. The Philippines has yet to establish a fully functional, nationwide Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system. A reliable MRV allows the country to count and check our emission cuts. Having a robust MRV system within the 2035 cycle is the essential prerequisite for tracking participation, proving our progress, and justifying international support. 

A comprehensive MRV system will also help the national government in setting a more ambitious 2026 NDC that is grounded in the realities of the local implementing bodies.

Highlighting lessons from consultations with LGUs, an MRV system will also support in creating PAMs that are measurable and reflective of LGU capacities and contributions.

As we approach COP31, we must confront these global and domestic challenges head on. LGUs and communities cannot continue to struggle alone, they need government guidance through clear NDC PAMs. Higher ambition is essential to reach global targets, but urgency in submission is what the Philippine must demonstrate now. They must establish a robust MRV system, and develop PAMs that are just and equitable for local stakeholders. 

As the Philippines prepare for its updated NDC 2026 submission from the Philippines, we call on the Philippine government and policymakers to look at our global climate goals with the Filipino people in mind. Every policy and every measure is an opportunity for a statement: that the Filipino, from the local to the global stage, is the heart of Filipino climate action.

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