Legarda brings climate action closer to home on World Environment Day

MANILA, Philippines — On World Environment Day 2026, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda turned the global observance toward a local reckoning: the everyday struggles of Filipino families living on the frontlines of climate change.

The four-term senator has witnessed the daily challenges of fisherfolk and farmers since her youth and early career as a broadcast journalist. Today, as the world rallies around climate action, she points to these lived experiences as the foundation of her work. Whether standing with communities rebuilding schools after typhoons, joining fisherfolk in coastal cleanups, or meeting farmers adapting to shifting seasons, she has consistently gone directly to communities to listen and act. These encounters continue to guide her push for laws that protect livelihoods and strengthen resilience.

Legarda’s legislative record consistently aims to better the lives and surroundings of Filipinos. The Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 safeguards public health. The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 keeps communities clean. The Climate Change Act of 2009 institutionalizes adaptation. Other measures, such as the Philippine Green Jobs Act of 2016, the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018, the Extended Producer Responsibility Act of 2022, and the Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System (PENCAS) Act of 2024, continue to anchor resilience in law.

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“Our environment is the first shield of our people. When forests are protected, when rivers are kept clean, and when air is safe to breathe, communities are stronger against disasters. Every law I have authored is meant to secure that shield and to give families the means to withstand the shocks of climate change,” Legarda said.

Legarda has consistently emphasized that climate finance must shift from reactive relief to anticipatory action, ensuring that vulnerable communities are protected ahead of storms and floods.

Central to her advocacy is bringing the People’s Survival Fund (PSF), the country’s pioneering finance mechanism for adaptation, to the communities that need it. Legarda has called for the PSF to be fully activated and accessible to local governments so that adaptation projects such as mangrove reforestation, early warning systems, and school retrofitting are funded before disasters strike.

As United Nations Global Champion for Resilience, Legarda has brought the voice of Filipino communities to the international stage while ensuring that climate action is embedded in national law.

“I have stood with fisherfolk who return to the sea after storms, with farmers who plant again despite failed harvests, and with children who continue learning in rebuilt classrooms,” Legarda said.

“Their determination shows that resilience is not abstract. It is built on protecting our environment and ensuring that every Filipino has the chance to recover and move forward.”