ILOILO City – This city has been chosen as pilot site for the Climate Resilience Cities Project (CRC) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
Mayor Jerry Treñas said this latest Overseas Development Assistance would significantly aid the city’s initiatives in combating climate issues.
Iloilo City, together with the cities of Batangas, Borongan, Cotabato, Legazpi, and Zamboanga, signed on Aug. 30 a five-year Philippine Climate Resilient Cities project to improve climate resilience by enhancing their capacity to understand and use climate adaptation technology.
Assistant City Administrator Noel S. Panaguiton and City Planning and Development Office assistant department head Arch. Dolly Anne M. Zoluaga represented the city during the signing ceremony.
KOICA Philippines Country Director Eunsub Kim said they will offer technical assistance through training opportunities, visits to Korea, and adaptation projects with the deployment of Korean experts to the city.
The USAID-CRC project’s ongoing interventions in Iloilo City include preparing and updating the Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment and Local Climate Change Action Plan.
They also aim to strengthen further the relationship between civil society organizations and academe in formulating development plans.
The Philippine Disaster Relief Foundation will embark on the City Resilience Challenge, a proposal design competition for resiliency among cities.
They are formulating the detailed guidelines, tentatively set to launch by Sept. 12.
KOICA noted the nation’s heavy reliance on climate-sensitive natural resources leaves it particularly susceptible to the far-reaching consequences of climate change, which encompass factors such as sea level rise, the heightened occurrence of extreme weather events, elevated temperatures, and shifting rainfall patterns.
“These occurrences often lead to the displacement of communities, resulting in injuries, loss of life, destruction of vital infrastructure, disruptions to livelihoods, and hindrances to economic growth. The urban poor are most at risk due to their lack of resources to cope with the threats of natural hazards and the effects of climate change,” stated KOICA.
Comprehensive climate adaptation technology guidelines will be developed for the six designated cities based on their local circumstances to strengthen the local government units’ understanding of technologies and facilitate their practical application. (With a report from Iloilo City PIO)/PN
