Work is underway to formalise a National GLOBE Chapter in the Republic of the Philippines.

Legislators from both branches of the 16th Congress will convene on November 26 for their inaugural meeting and election of officers.

Legislators from the Philippines participated in GLOBE International summits in the past and expressed the desire to create a formal GLOBE National Chapter in the country's legislature before the last general elections on 13 May 2013.

Following the swearing in of elected legislators on 30 June 2013, a core group of legislators willing to establish GLOBE Philippines started working to formalise the Chapter.

The group is expected to be fully operational by November 2013. In order to facilitate the launch, Mr Chris Estallo, has been appointed as the group's director and liaison within the GLOBE network.

GLOBE Philippines will use this blog to publish regular updates about its activities and meetings. This section of www.globeinternational.org along with GLOBE Philippines' Twitter feed, will serve to announce the date of the inaugural meeting.

For more information about GLOBE Philippines, membership and the inaugural meeting, please contact GLOBE Philippines Director Mr Christopher Estallo.

Following the devastating impact of typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), 25 legislators have signified commitment to be the founding members of The Global Legislators Organisation (GLOBE) Philippines. Senior legislative staff, Congressional Committee Secretaries, media, local and international organisations also took part in the inaugural assembly.

Members came together to work across party political lines to campaign for the creation of a Climate Change and Disaster Management Committee in the House of Representatives to better oversee national responses to disasters and the impacts of climate change.

Congresswoman Susan Yap was elected as the first Chair of the group in the lower chamber. A subsequent inaugural meeting will be held for members of the Philippine Senate. At the inaugural meeting of the group, legislators from the House of Representatives outlined an initial action plan for the group. This included:

·Campaigning for the creation of a Climate Change and Disaster Management Committee in the House of Representatives;
·Working to promote regular consultation and dialogue between the executive and legislative branches of government in the country;
·Coordinating action to strengthen Congress's oversight functions Promoting the regular discussion of climate issues among Philippine legislators;
·Advocating for more proactive engagement of President Aquino on climate change issues;
·Promoting the engagement of legislative staff with GLOBE Philippine through secretariat support, capacity building and fellowship.

Members of GLOBE Philippines convened once again after its successful launching and inaugural meeting on November 26, 2013. The meeting was presided by Congresswoman Susan Yap on February 4, 2014, at the Minority Conference Room of the House of Representatives. Organisational strengthening and legislative agenda of the group were the key discussions of the meeting.

Members suggested and agreed to draft specific policy statement for issues in accordance with the principles of GLOBE. They said that there must be position statement on each sector (e.g. energy, forest, mining, etc.) and general guiding principles the group can stand on.

Congressman Christopher Batocabe of Ako Bicol Party-list will lead the drafting of the declaration of basic principles and advocacy statements of the different sectors. Congressman Walden Bello of Akbayan Party-list will help in crafting the statements.

Initially the members identified the following legislative agenda that GLOBE Philippines will pursue at the lower chamber this 16th Congress, namely: Creation of an Oversight Committee on Climate Change at the House of Representatives, National Land Use and Management Act, and Sustainable Forest Management Bill.

On the other hand, GLOBE Philippines Director Chris Estallo asked the members to be strategic in terms of communications. Members agreed to be active on press releases related to GLOBE issues and advocacies. They also agreed to link and promote GLOBE Philippines sub-site (website) and other social media sites in their online platforms.

Present in the meeting were, Rep. Ma. Victoria R. Sy-Alvarado, Bulacan 1st District, Rep. Rodel Batocabe, AKO BICOL Party-list, Rep. Walden Bello, AKBAYAN Party-list, Rep. Lawrence Lemuel Fortun, Agusan del Norte, 1st District, Rep. Agapito Guanlao, BUTIL Party-list, Rep. Ibarra Gutierrez III, AKBAYAN Party-list, Rep. Rene Relampagos, Bohol, 1st District, Rep. Leni Robredo of Camarines Sur, 3rd District, Rep. Isidro Ungab of Davao City, 3rd District, and Rep. Noel Villanueva, Tarlac 3rd District. While the rest of the members were represented by their Chiefs of staff.

GLOBE Philippines' formation at the Philippine Senate took place on February 5. Senator Loren Legarda initiated the formation meeting where Senators Benigno Aquino IV, Juan Edgardo Angara, Vicente Sotto III, and Cynthia Villar attended said meeting. On the other hand, Senator Gregorio Honasan signified his interest to join the organisation through Senator Legarda.

Senator Legarda was voted as Chairperson for the Senate, Senator Villar as Vice Chairperson for the Senate, Senator Aquino IV as Chairperson for Research and Policy Development, Senator Angara as Chairperson for Capacity Building and Education, and Senator Sotto as Chairperson for Media and Communications.

Thus, completing the leadership structure of GLOBE Philippines,

"Now, we have 6 Senators and 24 members of the House of Representatives, cross-party legislators, that are committed to finding legislative solutions to the challenges posed by climate change and sustainable development. This is major development in terms of organising GLOBE in the country," said Chris Estallo, GLOBE Director for the Philippines. "And so far, GLOBE Philippines has the most number of members across GLOBE chapters worldwide," he added.

Senator Legarda in the meeting emphasized the critical role of legislators, especially the Senators, in taking climate action.

The UK Special Representative for Climate Change Sir David King made a presentation at the joint Forum of the Senate Committee on Climate Change and the House Committee on Ecology entitled "Politics of Climate Change and 21st Century Challenges" held at the National Museum February 19, 2014.

The UK Special Representative for Climate Change Sir David King made a presentation at the joint Forum of the Senate Committee on Climate Change and the House Committee on Ecology entitled "Politics of Climate Change and 21st Century Challenges" held at the National Museum February 19, 2014.

"This is the first time that Senate and the House of Representatives hold talks on climate change to see how legislation could push for national and global commitments," Committee on Ecology Chair Congressman Amado Bagatsing highlighted in his opening and welcome statement.

"As lawmakers, we have the duty to craft policies towards sustainable development, environmental protection, climate change adaptation, and disaster risk reduction and management," says Senator Loren Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change and the Chairperson for the Senate of GLOBE Philippines. "However, our task as legislators does not end with the passage of laws. It's time to move these laws to action," Legarda continues as she welcomes and opens the forum.

Sir David King in his presentation stressed that all countries should reduce carbon emission by 3.2 percent annually to be able to reduce the current rate at 50 percent by 2015 but current data shows that emissions are off track towards end of target. "If we delay, we lose the ability to manage the challenge," warns Sir David King. He described lobbying for country level commitment such as the Green Climate Fund, to be a diplomatic challenge. "We are all in this together, but some of us have bigger responsibilities," he says.

The common bond of climate change legislation and preparedness units us all," says Representative Susan Yap, Co-chair of GLOBE. "It believes that legislators have a critical role to play in holding their own governments to account for the commitments that are made during international negotiations," concluded Congresswoman Yap.

Over 175 participants attended the forum and among them are GLOBE Philippines' key leaders, namely: Senator Cynthia Villar, Congressmen Rufus Rodriguez, Agapito Guanlao, Lawrence Lemuel Fortun, Ferdinand Hernandez, and Congresswoman Malou Acosta-Alba. Congressmen Yeng Guiao and Nelson Dayanghirang were among the non-GLOBE members who attended the forum. Commisioner Naderev Saño of the Climate Change Commission also joins the panel of discussants.

GLOBE Philippines co-organized the event with support from the British Embassy Manila.

GLOBE Philippines' Chair Congresswoman Susan Yap of Tarlac, 2nd District leads the Philippine delegation at the 2nd GLOBE Climate Legislation Summit held in the US Senate and World Bank in Washington DC on 27th to 28th February 2014. Over 132 legislators from 32 countries participated in the summit.

The Philippine delegation also includes GLOBE Philippines' Vice Chair for Luzon Congressman Agapito Guanlao of Butil Party list; and Chris Estallo, Director for the Philippines of GLOBE.

The Summit was part of the Global Legislators Organisation (GLOBE) Climate Legislation Initiative and received the findings of the 4th Edition of the GLOBE Climate Legislation Study as well as overseeing the launch of the Partnership for Climate Legislation, a GLOBE initiative supported by the United Nations and the World Bank. US Senator Edward Markey hosted the opening high-level session.

GLOBE Philippines' Chair Congresswoman Susan Yap of Tarlac, 2nd District leads the Philippine delegation at the 2nd GLOBE Climate Legislation Summit held in the US Senate and World Bank in Washington DC on 27th to 28th February 2014. Over 132 legislators from 32 countries participated in the summit.

The Philippine delegation also includes GLOBE Philippines' Vice Chair for Luzon Congressman Agapito Guanlao of Butil Party list; and Chris Estallo, Director for the Philippines of GLOBE.

The Summit was part of the Global Legislators Organisation (GLOBE) Climate Legislation Initiative and received the findings of the 4th Edition of the GLOBE Climate Legislation Study as well as overseeing the launch of the Partnership for Climate Legislation, a GLOBE initiative supported by the United Nations and the World Bank. US Senator Edward Markey hosted the opening high-level session.

Day two, hosted by the World Bank, included a dedicated discussion with Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank, about how the Bank could support legislators to advance legislation in developing countries. There was also a dedicated forests session involving legislators from both forest and non-forest countries, feeding into the GLOBE Forest Legislation Initiative and a legislator-led discussion to shape the agenda of the forthcoming 2nd World Summit of Legislators, to take place in the Mexican Congress from 6-8 June 2014.

In the forests session, Congresswoman Yap highlighted the role of forests in the context of climate change adaptation and building resilience. Representative Yap highlighted several recent developments related to REDD+ legislation in the Philippines, including the national Climate Change Act of 2009 and an Executive Order providing a moratorium on logging. Further legislative proposals to enhance REDD+ preparedness will be debated in Congress in 2014, including an Act to protect, conserve, utilize, develop and sustainably manage forest resources, and an Act providing for the protection, rehabilitation, and sustainable management of forest ecosystems.

Congressman Guanlao on the other hand stressed that agriculture and food security should not be missed out in the climate change discourse and moved that the matter be included in the 2nd World Summit of Legislators in Mexico, on June.

The House Committee on Ecology chaired by Rep. Amado Bagatsing convened a meeting with the Climate Change Commission held last 05 March. This meeting is a response to House Resolution 451 authored by GLOBE Philippines' Vice Chair for the House of Representatives Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez (2nd District, Cagayan de Oro City), co-authored by Rep. Maximo B. Rodriguez (Abante Mindanao Party-List).

Legislators belonging to the House Committee on Ecology and member legislators of GLOBE Philippines were briefed by Sec. Mary Ann Lucille Sering of the Climate Change Commission on the efforts and initiatives that the Commission has been undertaking in order to combat the effects of climate change.

While Commissioner Naderev Saño discussed the results of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 19th Conference of the Parties (COP19) held in Warsaw, Poland. He said, "Warsaw failed to cement the required mitigation commitments and financial pledges. We fell short of convincing the world with absolute clarity that developed countries can provide financial resources of $100 billion by 2020."

In the meeting, GLOBE Philippines' Chair for the House of Representatives Congresswoman Susan Yap stressed the importance of assessing the country's climate change related laws and see how they are being implemented. She adds that, "A number of resolutions were filed at the House of Representatives by founding members of GLOBE Philippines to create an Oversight Committee on Climate Change."

"There is an urgent need for the Climate Change Commission to inform Congress, as mandated by Republic Act 9729. We are racing against time," concluded Congressman Rufus Rodriguez.

"GLOBE believes that legislators are accountable for the policies we've passed, oversight and holding our executive and governments accountable for the work we're doing is crucial," said GLOBE Philippines Chair Congresswoman Susan Yap.

Through Congresswoman Susan Yap and the story, the film will make clear how an international organisation like GLOBE facilitates the two-way flow of information between the International and the domestic. We see how international agreements influence domestic legislation and local action. Working in the other direction, we see how local issues can set the agenda for national legislation that in turn can set the framework for constructing effective international agreements.

Philippines Congresswoman Susan Yap is on a mission to strengthen the country's commitment to environment and conservation legislation. She's a member of the Global Legislators Organisation (GLOBE), an international association of legislators from over 80 countries, committed to developing new laws, which support sustainable development. Congresswoman Yap has been active in helping to shape new laws around forest conservation including a recent moratorium on logging.

Congresswoman Susan Yap Chairs the GLOBE chapter in the Philippines and Chairs the House of Representative Special Committee on Climate Change.

This short film is about following Congresswoman Susan and the Reforestation Committee as they head on a fact-finding trip to Catanduanes, an island in the eastern part of the Philippines. And see how initiative is progressing and what prospects it has for delivering positive impacts to communities on the ground.

Known as 'The land of the howling winds', Catanduanes is highly vulnerable to typhoons, which make landfall on country's east coasts. Typhoon Haiyan, the most powerful typhoon ever recorded, recently affected the island.

It is also about finding out more about how GLOBE's international network works with national parliamentarians, and to see how that translates into legislation and ultimately more sustainable countries and communities,

Congresswoman Yap leads a legislative committee tasked with examining the government's ambitious Philippine National Greening Programme (NGP), which aims to grow over a billion trees in five years. The Philippines is the most storm exposed country on earth, and with impacts from climate change set to increase the frequency of storms, forest areas and mangroves can form a natural bulwark against the storms; as well as having an important role in increasing food security, in poverty reduction and in biodiversity conservation. The NGP was launched by President Aquino in 2011 to run until 2016 and aims to grow 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares nationwide in 5 years.

In Catanduanes the legislators met with local officials and community leaders of communities. They met local people and assessed the situation on the ground.

Through Susan Yap and the story, the film will make clear how an international organisation like GLOBE facilitates the two-way flow of information between the International and the domestic. We see how international agreements influence domestic legislation and local action. Working in the other direction, we see how local issues can set the agenda for national legislation that in turn can set the framework for constructing effective international agreements.