MANILA (November 17) — The Climate Change Commission (CCC) is calling for stronger empowerment of girls and young women in climate leadership — a push that resonates strongly in Mindanao, where climate-driven disasters continue to hit some of the country’s most vulnerable communities.
At the Girls Summit 2025 on Nov. 5, CCC Commissioner Rachel Anne Herrera said climate impacts are felt unevenly, with girls facing heavier burdens especially in rural and conflict-affected areas.
“Climate change is a threat multiplier,” Herrera said. “It disproportionately affects women and girls, threatening their safety, health, education, and livelihoods.”
Why this matters for Mindanao
From the flooding in CARAGA and Maguindanao to prolonged droughts in North Cotabato and the Bangsamoro region, Mindanao girls often shoulder additional responsibilities during disasters — caring for siblings, missing school, or traveling longer distances for water and food. These conditions heighten exposure to gender-based violence and limit opportunities to pursue education and leadership roles.
Herrera said the CCC is strengthening gender-responsive climate budgeting and requiring sex-disaggregated data in local climate plans — tools crucial for LGUs in Mindanao, where climate pressures intersect with poverty and limited access to services.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte echoed the need for inclusive frameworks and urged young women to take active roles in citizen science, early warning systems, and community-based adaptation — approaches long adopted in many Mindanao barangays facing recurring floods and landslides.
Plan International Pilipinas Executive Director Pebbles Sanchez-Ogang stressed that many girls, particularly in remote and conflict-prone communities in Mindanao, continue to navigate daily threats that “silence their voices and limit their potential.”
The Girls Summit 2025, organized with the Quezon City Government, ended with the handover of The Girls’ Agenda — a set of priority demands urging government and the private sector to amplify girls’ participation and protect their rights in climate policymaking.
