Press Release
April 22, 2016

Legarda: Local Gov't Leaders in PHL Support Early Ratification
of Paris Agreement

In time for Earth Day, local government leaders in the Philippines expressed their support for the immediate ratification of the Paris Agreement that will be signed by world leaders today.

Senator Loren Legarda, who is in New York as Co-Head of the Philippine Delegation for the Paris Agreement Signing Ceremony at the United Nations Headquarters, announced that the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), the umbrella organization of all leagues of local government units (LGUs) and locally elected officials in the country, has called on the government to immediately adopt the Agreement.

"Local leaders must be at the forefront of climate action to ensure that solutions will address the specific climate vulnerabilities of communities. I am glad that our LGUs have joined our efforts to ensure the early entry into force of the Paris Agreement. I hope that the ULAP Resolution will be passed by all local legislative bodies in their respective assemblies to build up healthy amount of pressure for immediate ratification of the Agreement," said Legarda, UN Global Champion for Resilience and Chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change.

In ULAP Resolution No. 2016-01, local government leaders, led by Governor Alfonso Umali Jr. (ULAP President), Mayor Leonardo Javier (ULAP Vice Chairman), Mayor Herbert Bautista (ULAP Executive Vice President), and Board Member Edmund Abesamis (ULAP Secretary-General), stressed that acting on the climate crisis is an intergenerational commitment.

They have committed to ensure the institutionalization of the country's commitments under its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and to continue the urgent appeal for world leaders to implement the agreements on reducing emissions, formulating and implementing mechanisms on climate finance in the context of loss and damage and adaptation, mitigation, technology transfer and capacity building for countries vulnerable to climate change.

The organization also encourages its membership and their constituents to ensure a smooth transition to clean and sustainable energy by phasing out coal-fired power plants by the year 2050 while maximizing efforts to shift to renewable energy.

They likewise committed to fully cooperate with concerned authorities and institutions in developing and implementing programs in accordance with the guidelines prescribed by the authorities, particularly in formally accessing the People's Survival Fund for local climate actions and programs.

ULAP's member leagues are the: (1) League of Provinces of the Philippines, (2) League of Cities of the Philippines, (3) League of Municipalities of the Philippines, (4) Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas, (5) League of Vice Governors of the Philippines, (6) Vice Mayors' League of the Philippines, (7) Provincial Board Members of the Philippines, (8) Philippine Councilors League, (9) National Movement of Young Legislators, and (10) Lady Local Legislators League.

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