Speech of Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda Panel Discussion on ASEAN Priorities for COP26 December 12, 2019 | Madrid, Spain

For the Philippines, COP26 will be a defining moment in our history. We view it as the start of the full implementation of the Paris Agreement, as we strive to finalize the Paris rulebook in this year’s COP.

The period from COP25 to COP26 will also be just as crucial, as countries are given until March next year to submit their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which should reflect scaled up commitments 2 in order to achieve the prescribed climate goals in the Paris Agreement.

PHILIPPINE STATEMENT BY HON. LOREN LEGARDA DEPUTY SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES High Level Segment 25th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP 25) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Madrid, Spai

Madam President,
On behalf of the Filipino people, we thank the people of Spain for rising to the extraordinary challenge of co-hosting COP25. We are confident that the Chilean Presidency will deliver on the higher ambition and faster action that the 1.5 Paris goal requires of the global community.
The latest science tells us that our options to survive and thrive are swiftly diminishing. So in this COP, let us finish the work at hand — that which lets us translate the […]

High-Level Forum of Global Commission on Adaptation Convening Countries: Raising Ambition Ahead of the 2020 Climate Adaptation Summit 10 December 2019 | 11:30 AM – 12:45 PM Institucion Ferial de Madrid-Feria de Madrid Madrid, Spain

The challenge posed by the climate crisis is nothing short of daunting.
Many have been calling on governments to declare a climate emergency. In my view, we have been in a climate emergency since two decades ago.
What we need now is to act decisively with courage, hope, and an unmistakable sense of urgency.
We must approach ambition with the correct frame of mind — we need to focus on scale and speed, because we need to go big and to act fast.
We […]

Speech of Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda: Climate Vulnerable Forum High Level Press Event for the Madrid Ambition Drive for Survival (#MAD4survival) 10 December 2019 | 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM Chiloe Room, Hall 10 (Valparaiso), IFEMA Madrid, Spain

Let us state the facts plainly, so that no one will misunderstand our collective message.
We live in an upside down world. 
Today, children have stepped forward to lead.
Today, as our world burns, adults expected to act like leaders behave like children. 
When our youth demand action from those with the means to stave off this crisis, the rich and the powerful gaze at their navels, seemingly in love with the illusion they can bring their wealth to the afterlife.
In the meantime, millions […]

Message of Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda Parliamentary Breakfast of the Global Renewables Congress December 9, 2019 | Madrid, Spain

Good morning to my fellow legislators. 
It is an honor and a pleasure to be with colleagues in this Parliamentary Breakfast of the Global Renewables Congress. I thank Chairperson Bärbel Höhn for this opportunity to hold a dialogue on renewable energy and its role in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. 
I am often asked why the Philippines—a highly climate-vulnerable archipelagic country considered a non-emitter with only 0.3% contribution to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—should exert so much effort to achieve […]