MANILA, Philippines--Learning its lessons from the devastation brought by Tropical Storm ?Ondoy,? Malacañang is now eyeing the creation of a ?Province of Metro Manila? to better prepare the National Capital Region for more calamities in the future.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita on Wednesday said they were taking a ?serious look? at the proposal of Albay Gov. Joey Salceda, whose province is considered a model for disaster management among local governments.

?If that is a solution to the problem, why not?? Ermita said in a media briefing that tackled the need for a national effort to address the impact of climate change.

An important step is the three-day ?National Conference on Climate Change Adaptation +2? scheduled at the Diamond Hotel in Manila on Monday.

?If climate change is already a fact of life, affecting livelihood and property right in the financial and political center of the country, you cannot have that risk,? Salceda told reporters.

Under his proposal, legislation would be required to organize all local governments in the National Capital Region into a province under an ?integrative political authority.?

Salceda said the overall leader for Metro Manila would have to be elected.

He also described the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority as a ?debating club,? noting that it did not have powers to prod mayors into a concerted action in case of calamity.