Keynote Speech of Senator Loren Legarda | Awarding Ceremony of the Philippine Resilience Awards 2025 | 24 November 2025 | Philippine Normal University Gymnasium, Manila City

Thank you very much.

As I arrived, I noticed the exhibit, maganda. Una, mukhang organic. Second, natural. Third, contemporary. It’s simple, but all the textiles and the photos speak about our shared advocacy. Napansin ko rin, mabuti naman, ay walang plastic na halaman. Salamat. Sana sa lahat ng events, hindi lang sa PNU, sa lahat ng mga state universities and colleges, pati ‘yung ating mga simpleng events, ay let’s veer away from single-use plastic. Definitely no single-use plastic, and second, ‘yung hindi single-use pero plastic, let’s try to veer away na rin, ‘di ba? Kasi hindi lang dapat sa panahon ng mga awards natin sinasabuhay ang ating adbokasya, kundi sa maliliit na pang-araw-araw.

Thank you so much, Robert. He always has kind words for me and I could not do the work that I’ve been doing all these years, actually decades na, without the support of the Climate Change Commission, which is a commission enacted by law, which I wrote in 2007, enacted in 2009, operational 2010 or 11, still one of the smallest government bodies, but I would like to say they’re efficient, competent, and definitely not corrupt. ‘Yan ang mahalaga.

Lahat na ng administrasyon sinuri natin. Ano bang climate change na ‘yan na ginawa ni Loren? May foreign-assisted projects. Bakit ba? Ano’ng ginagawa? Sinisilip, ‘di ba, Rachel? Ano bang gustong-gusto ni Loren ‘yang climate change na ‘yan? Sisilipin. Foreign-assisted, grant na ganyan, maski anong balik-baliktarin mo ang kanilang budget o implementasyon, I think ha, that’s what I know, whatever budgets I give to increase the Climate Change Commission, there is no intervention from a lawmaker on how they spend their funds, and I am certain with Rachel there and Robert and all of them there, they try to do their best. I think you won. You were cited by COA as the number one agency? Ten years—for ten years—as the model agency with no audit observations. Oo, ganyan. Sabihin nyo, ah kasi maliit lang naman ang budget kaya madali. Pero kung maliit ang budget, ‘di sana kada ahensya ng gobyerno at saka bureau, even if they’re part of a department, ganyan. ‘Di ba? Kasi alam naman nila mula ‘nung sinulat ko ‘yung panukalang batas at ‘yung aking adikain na ito’y maging national agency… Alam ba niyo ng 2007 when I wrote this bill at ngayon na-carry bilang batas, walang nakakaalam sigurong marami na ang Presidente ng Pilipinas ang Chair ng Climate Change Commission. Isipin ninyo bakit? Ba’t ko ginawa ‘yan noong 2007? Rachel was with me. And people were wondering, why are you making the head of the Republic the Chair of the Commission? Bakit, nag-aambisyon ba ako maging pangulo ‘nun? Hindi naman. O baka, ‘nung bata ako. Ngayon wala na sa dami ng problema.

Pero hindi, ang mahalaga, because I believe then and up to now that climate change must not be a by-the-way. Climate change adaptation and mitigation must not be siloed in a small corner. It must be mainstream, and so, if you’re the president and you Chair the Commission and you also head all government agencies and the executive, then every action, whether it’s in agriculture or education or in higher education or in public infrastructure, should be climate adaptive, ‘di ba? So anyway, I’m not even reading my message yet. So, because I have to talk about the history of how this Commission was born. It was really a thought and there are many challenges at a time. People didn’t want it. I will not name names. Maybe at the proper time. Somebody stood and said, ‘The climate will change even if we have a law. Oh, Lord, there will be floods even if we have the law of Loren. What is she talking about?’ That was almost 20 years ago. Alam ni Rosa ‘yan.

But I said, all the more because it happens that we have to learn adaptation. Ano ba ‘yan adaptation? Then we have to learn mitigation. Why do we mitigate, we’re less than 1%? But mitigation is a function of adaptation. Mitigation and adaptation go hand in hand. And resilience, DRR, it was way back 2004, 2007—20 years ago. ‘Ano pinagsasabi niya?’ So, I would stand on the floor and talk about DRR, CCAM, and that’s when my colleagues would go and smoke or go for coffee or merienda. I had the IPCC of UP Los Baños. Kasama ka doon, ‘di ba Rosa? Dr. Pulhin, Chancellor Rex Cruz at the time before he became chancellor and Rodel Lasco. Yes, my four climate angels were always advising me, and of course, Atty. Tony Oposa and Bebet Gozun was way ahead of her time when she was Environment Secretary. I wish you, you could still be there.

So, thank you very much, Dr. Bert Tuga, for having us here. Gaya ng sinabi ko sa Climate Change Commission, huwag tayo nag-e-event sa mga five-star hotel na ang giginaw ng mga aircon na over-lighted sila, na ang mahal-mahal ng pagkain na dalawang libo kada plato. Kailangan tayo ang mauna, hindi lang sa pagtitipid, Kundi sa pamumuhay na payak pero elegante naman at ayon sa ating adbokasya. Dati kasi puro five-star hotel ‘yang mga ‘yan eh. Sabi ko, lilitan ko budget n’yo. So, let’s work with the state universities and colleges. Yes, and just like when I spoke the other day in the UP Los Baños event on INREM, Integrated Natural Resources event, it was an international event, they were net zero. So all the events henceforth of the Climate Change Commission must be computed as net zero. And Rachel, please draft a special provision on the General Appropriations Act that all government agencies, activities, and events must be net zero. Kung kaya ng UP Los Baños event, kung kaya ng PNU, bakit hindi… Gagawin natin ‘yun ha. Ito, inet zero niyo. It’s not too late. Babawiin niyo sa pagtanim ng indigenous tree species sa land grant ng UP Los Baños, puwede yun.

Okay. Hindi pa ako nagsisimula ng speech. Mga ano pa lang ito, mga bilin. That’s what you get for getting me as a speaker. When you get me as a speaker, dadami ang trabaho niyo and there are many rules. Sabi nga nila, ba’t ka ba ganyan? Puro do not, do not, do not. E paano, pinalaki tayo nang mali. Hindi ng mga magulang natin; ng ating lipunan. Hindi isinasapuso ang mga batas na nandiyan naman. I was just talking to Tony Oposa the other night and he said, ‘Hay naku, ikaw lang talaga ang politician na kinakausap ko’ kasi talagang frustrated siya sa mga nangyayari. Sabi niya, ‘Ikaw lang kasi sa batas sa bansang ito, yung mga batas na ginawa mo na ang gaganda, para bang suggestion lang, recommendation lang.’ Eh bakit ganun? Dapat strikto. Pinapaghirapan eh, gaya ng Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, ang paghiwalay ng basura sa nabubulok at hindi nabubulok. Sana lahat ng 114 SUCs ang manguna dito ‘di ba? Pumunta kayo sa opisina ko, apat ang trash bins. And I’m so strict. Maski walang tumitingin, I throw away my food waste or my tissue waste in the bin. So, Rachel and Robert, mag-Climate 101 kayo sa lahat ng SUCs, even if they know

it already, just so that they live it. So, Lisa, ikaw naman ang in charge, and then Lisa Aselerio, another dear friend, and we’ve been working together to make sure all SM offices, malls, yes, really do it daily, day-to-day. Simple like, huwag tayong mag-aksaya ng kuryente, we always pull the plug as part of the energy efficiency act, we close lights when it’s not needed, we buy local the shortest distance possible. We reuse, recycle, as we always do. Ako siguro, from top to botton, local ito lahat. ‘Pag may magreregalo sa akin ng mga imported, Prada o Chanel, hindi ko naan type. Pinamimigayko. Un, sabi ko, ‘do not give me material gifts.’ Number two, you give me important, I will give it away.’ Sabi ng mga staff ko, ‘Ma’am, akin na lang, akin na lang ‘yung Prada.’ O, sa ‘yo na.’ Mas gusto ko ba ‘yung aking bayong. Anyway. So, allow me to read my message.

Three years na to, ‘no? Three years na tayo. Yes. It was really an idea. You know, everything starts with an idea which not everybody would consider brilliant, just like I thought about the Climate Change Act, because in 1998 when I was a very young senator, I thought about climate change, and I did first the Solid Waste Management, so lupa, air, tubig. Clean water, clean air, and solid waste management. And then, in my second term, the Climate Change Act.

Distinguished guests, resilience champions for the past two years and now, the third year, colleagues in government, private sector, academia, civil society, we gather today to honor this year’s Philippine Resilience Awardees—women and youth who have shown us what resilience truly means through their daily acts of courage to protect life, community, and our shared future. In this moment, our nation is called to deep reflection and determined action.

Just weeks ago, the world’s most powerful storms this year—Super Typhoons Nando and Tino—struck Northern Luzon and the Visayas, leaving behind destruction, loss, and grief. Hindi pa nga nakakaahon, soon after, Typhoon Uwan brought widespread rains and severe flooding across the country from the Visayas to Central Luzon, where major roads once again disappeared under water. And I wonder, after Ondoy in 2009, we became more aware and that’s when the doppler radar was purchased by PAGASA, and I think that’s the time when I authored the PAGASA Modernization Act. Then Yolanda happened again, 2000… Is it 13? Yes. Then we were bore aware again, ayun pala ang ibig niyang sabihin sa climate change, DRR. But when you look the loss of livelihood and the deaths now, perhaps a large part of it could have been prevented if there was clear early warning systems that were followed, kung nilikas talaga ‘yung tabing-ilog, at kung na-foresee ‘yung pagtaas ng tubig sa paikling panahon para nailikas sa lugar na hindi babahain. At kung sa nakaraang panahon, hindi inuka ang bundok na parang sungka dahil sa illegal logging, maaski naman may executive order from President Noynoy’s time na bawal pumutol ng puno. Pero sa aking pag-defend ng budget ng DENR and it was the most painful time in my life, how hard to defend the budget of such agency, which doesn’t seem to know what it’s doing. With all due respect, I’m sorry to say this because they don’t seem to know about the illegal logging happening at bakit inuuka ang mga bundok pati ang pagmimina sa Sierra Madre, na siyang nagpo-proteksyon sa ating lahat. So, voicing my frustration.

So, we all know that these are not distant threats; this is the climate crisis we live every day. And all the things we’re talking about in these four walls, sayang. Would be to not if we don’t cascade it down to the barangays, if it’s not followed in the puroks and sitios, or if people die kasi nagpapalaot dahil hindi narinig na may bagyo or hinayaan lang dahil walang forced evacuation, or dahil ang kanilang komunidad ay talagang nabaha ng putik dahil sa pag-uuka ng bundok sa irresponsible mining, unsustainable, overexploitation of our resources uplands and illegal logging and over quarrying and many more.

And yet as Filipinos, we know that resilience is not merely enduring; it is about rising, rebuilding, reimagining a safer, more inclusive future; and putting in the work to achieve it,
one day at a time.

Allow me to recognize—with deep gratitude—the champions present today: our women, our youth, our local leaders, civil society, our partners in government and the private sector who continue to do their work. You are the anchors of hope for our nation. Because honestly, at this time, with so much negativity, with so much scandals and chaos, with so much negativity of blame, what we must see are the bright lights, the legislation that are in place that must be understood and followed, the champions who know what to do in the grassroots level, in their communities, and to share it so that others may learn.

For many years, the Philippines has been called “ground zero” for climate disasters. But I have always emphasized: vulnerability does not mean incapacity. Vulnerability is a call to act—with capacity, adaptation, and urgency. And this Resilience Awards, however new, pangatlong taon lang, was born from a simple vision: to recognize those who, in the face of difficult, seemingly impossible odds, chose action over despair.

This year, as in the years past, we honor women and youth champions who show that resilience lives in every island, in every barangay. And in so doing, we harken back to the foundations we have laid—the Climate Change Act 2007, passed in 2009; the People’s Survival Fund, which was initially part of the Climate Change Act but deleted by an unenlightened colleague in the Senate, but while I refiled years later and enacted into law. Isipin na lang niyo kung sino ang mga ‘yon, kung buhay pa o wala na. Saka ko na lang ibubulong at alam naman ni Rachel Herrera kung sino ‘yung mga ‘yon. Hindi ko sinasabing mahina ang ulo dahil matatalino sila pero gaya siguro ‘nung Pangulo ng isang malaking bansa ay climate denier.

Our commitments under the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. So, these are not abstract words; they are bases for action, lifelines for communities, guides we must strive to implement more fully in the years ahead.

This year reminds us: resilience cannot be achieved without women and youth at the center. They are not victims to be saved; they are leaders, innovators, torchbearers of change.

To our local governments: please integrate resilience as the core of your development agenda. And that’s the role of the Climate Change Commission, no matter how small you are. I’m giving you a roving climate change academy budget for 2026. Please teach all LGUs especially those na fresh pa ‘yung negative impact ng Tino at ng Uwan. Hindi ko sinasabing kasalanan ng LGU pero kailangan ipaalala at alamin paano pa ma-innovate, ma-adapt ang ang kanilang pamumuhay dahil sa naganap na kamatayan at kawalan ng kabuhayan. Work with DepEd and CHED, SUCs to retrofit our schools. Let us restore our wetlands. Those in protected areas, those not yet legislated but already have the initial proclamation, let us not wait for the Senate and Congress to act to legislate it. Marki na hindi pa batas at alam na ito’y initial component niyo para maging PA ay i-protect na natin. Strengthen early warnings so that it’s communicated, hindi lang blast. Bahala na, maintindihan ba, Ingles, teknikal, siyensya. Paano maiintindihan? Hindi sinusunod. Eh kung wala siyang load, hindi niya matanggap. Paano na? So, these are everyday and common problems. Intindihin natin. Let’s not be in our ivory towers academically, intellectually. Hindi, bumaba tayo; simplify the language. Intindihin; alamin muna natin ano ang sanhi ng kawalan, ano ang sanhi ng kamatayan. Kung matigas ang ulong hindi sumunod, idikdik sa mga utak nil ana hindi na dapat mangyari nang muli. Kung namatay dahil sa kawalan ng impormasyon, tungkulin natin ‘yan na ipaalam sa lahat. Kung hindi nila alam may batas or kung may kakulangan ang batas, amendahan natin ang ating polisiya. So, resilience must be systemic; it must not be seasonal. Hindi lang sa panahon ng bagyo handa tayo, ayan, awaken, ok. PRA maghanda tayo sa awards. No. Araw-araw, gabi-gabi, 24/7, 365.

To civil society, to the academe because you’re embedded in every province, to our citizens, never tire of holding us accountable. You can tell me, ‘Sayang naman ang paglagay namin sa iyo kung ang batas mo ay hindi sinusunod.’ I feel that way. Rachel knows that. I feel frustrated. Nandiyan na ako napakatagal, and I’m being blamed. ‘Anong nagawa mo? Bakit may kamatayan pa rin?’ And I feel frustrated. Para na akong broken record na pinapatupad ko at ini-implement, pinapabigyan ko ng halaga ang mga batas ko. Ang dami pa rin namamatay, para nakakalimutan nila. Then, when I asked them, sometimes not everybody knows we have the laws. And so, with our roving climate change academy, sisisid tayo sa mga barangay. Sa pamamagitan ng mga SUCs at even DepEd schools at mga lokal na komunidad.. At ang ating mga PRA champions, mula ng nakaraang dalawang taon at ngayon, ang mga kababaihan at kabataan ay tutulong sa atin bilang ating mga warriors. Hindi warriors para makipag-away sa Facebook, hindi warriors para manira ng kapwa, warriors para wasakin ang tanikala na nakakabit sa pagwalang bahala at kamangmangan. Kailangan alamin ang dapat gawin para mabawasan ang kamatayan at kawalan ng hanapbuhay.

So, let no injustice go unseen. Let no community be invisible. Storytelling is nation-building. Because we, Filipinos, are a nation of storytellers. Pero ‘yung storytelling natin, totoo. Huwag fake news. Huwag Marites na nakakasira. Ikuwento natin ang ehemplo ng ating mga PRA champions. Ikuwento natin ang magagandang na-innovate nila, naisip nila, at magkaroon sila ng champions sa mga lugar nila.

At sa ating Kabataan, to our youth, own your future. And I would like to say own the present. Your innovation, whether through technology, for risk monitoring, or community organizing, can build the momentum necessary for systems change. Refuse to be mere bystanders. Your energy and your conviction can move mountains and hold us, your leaders, accountable.

We will be tested again, perhaps sooner than we wish. But each time, we must not only rebuild, but demand better. Let us demand for smarter policies, science-driven budgets, and protection of every Filipino’s dignity.

To our awardees, you are not only honorees; you are torchbearers for every Filipino determined to build a resilient and just future. May your dedication inspire concrete and transformative changes in communities across our islands. And may your success… be the stories and your success stories be templates for others to follow.

So, let’s all walk together as lawmakers, as citizens, as those working in communities on the path of resilience. May our steps be steady. Our resolve unshaken, our hearts committed to justice, inclusion, and the dignity of all.

There’s much more I’d like to say, but time is short and we’re doing the national budget. And just to remind, the Climate Change Commission for the special provision for all agencies of government to have a net zero event and perhaps we can roll this out to all SUCs, so that all board meetings of the Board of Regents and all activities can be net zero. And we can say that the higher education budget, or the higher education activities are net zero.

And let us demand that all of those who have been awarded in the past two years and the award is for 2025, show us that the work they do in their communities, whether they’re in Luzon, Visayas, or Mindanao, and they live a net zero life, ‘di ba? And I should start with my office before the end of December, or by January, whatever is feasible. I’ve been aspiring for this even before the pandemic, that my office should be a net zero office.

So, what’s important is that we communicate it clearly because these are abstract thoughts. Because ang concern ng tao, nabaha, tanggalin ang putik, nawala ang kabuhayan. Let’s rebuild. Kailangan umutang. Gutom, walang kabuhayan. Yan ang urgently eh. Pero dapat ikabit natin ang resilience, ang climate change mitigation, adaptation, at disaster risk reduction sa bituka. ‘Yung ginagawa natin, Rachel, ng 2007, ibalik natin na muli. Mukhang nakalimutan na ng mga bagong liderato kasi that was how many administrations ago.

Having said that, I thank the PNU for hosting us today and congratulate all the awardees. Ayokong banggitin dahil kayo naman magbabanggit sa kanila. And maybe before Christmas, I can get together the awardees in the senate along with the past two years, so ilan ‘yon? We had ten the first year, we had five the next year, correct 15? Is that correct? Or seven, and how many this year? Yeah. I can host something, we can just… and we can… Ang baon nila, hindi pagkain. Ang baon nila, mga alituntunin na dapat ginawa sa Cebu, sa Negros Oriental, sa Siargao, sa Palawan, sa kaninang pagsiyasat, ano ang nangyari at hindi nasunod, kaya naging trahedya. So, mag-share without pinning the blame on anyone. So, thank you for your patience. I know baka ‘yung kabataan nabo-bore sakin because I just keep on lecturing, but it’s important that we do this.

Thank you very much.