Albay Establishes Climate Change Academy

LEGAZPI CITY, Jan. 29 2011 –- Albay Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda has established the Climate Change Academy (CCA), a first of its kind in the country to provide focused competency development program for adaptation, disaster risk reduction and management.

The Climate Change Academy will hold environmental classes at the Bicol University campuses starting this year as stipulated in Executive Order No. 2011-02.

Center for Initiative and Research on Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) Executive Director Manuel Rongasa, told this writer that the Climate Change Academy of Albay will occupy the building formerly used by the Albay Provincial Schools Division at the Bicol University Compound.

The provincial government earlier entered into a Memorandum Of Understanding with the Office of the President’s Climate Change Commission and the United Nations System for the establishment of the Climate Change Academy in Albay.

The initiative is an output of the Millennium Development Goal Fund 1656 Albay Demo Site of the Joint Programme of the Government of the Philippines through the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), with the assistance of the Spanish Government which is implementing the MDG-F 1656 Joint Programme on strengthening the Philippines institutional capacity to adapt to climate change.

The CCA, in coordination with CIRCA, will make available its facilities, resources and information to assist parties to the MOU, including other local government units to mainstream climate change management into developmental or land use planning.

The United Nations earlier hailed Albay as champion in climate change adaptation.

The CCA-CIRCA partnership will have its own organizational set-up and office and operate independently from the administrative control of the provincial government.

The EO creating the academy was signed by Gov. Salceda last Jan. 3 which took effect immediately. (PNA)