Civil society organizations have pressed the Philippine government to raise its ambition in the country’s updated climate commitments, warning that existing plans remain inadequate amid corruption scandals in flood control projects.

The Philippines pledged in 2021 to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent within 2020–2030. However, 72.29 percent of this target is “conditional,” dependent on international finance and technical support.

“The recent flood control scandals have shown us that current climate strategies are simply not enough. We need a stronger commitment in our next NDC, and we are more than capable of turning promises into actions,” said John Leo Algo, national coordinator of Aksyon Klima Pilipinas (AKP).

The government is expected to finalize its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in time for the UN climate negotiations in November 2025 in Belem, Brazil.

On September 1, AKP and 38 organizations released a position paper calling for higher “unconditional” targets in the new NDC. 

The groups urged the government to commit to phasing out coal and gas, accelerating a just transition to renewable energy, and ensuring stronger protection and reforestation of forests, which were not prioritized in the current plan.

“Our country is clearly capable of funding more of its climate strategies. Yet billions of pesos that could have been used to protect our forests, reduce pollution, save lives, and avoid losses and damages flowed into the pockets of politicians and businesses,” Algo said.

Civil society groups also flagged the heavy reliance on debt to fund climate action. As of 2023, less than one percent of the estimated USD72 billion needed for the current NDC has been mobilized, with 88 percent of international climate finance coming as loans.

“The climate crisis is also an issue of accountability. Anyone responsible for worsening the climate crisis and its impacts being experienced by Filipinos, from corrupt and incompetent leaders to fossil fuel corporations, must be held accountable for their actions. Polluters must pay,” Algo stressed.

Algo emphasized that the executive and legislative branches must ensure the national budget reflects climate priorities. 

He noted that while developed nations must be held accountable for their ecological debt to vulnerable countries like the Philippines, the challenge also lies within. 

For him, the problem is not always the absence of funds, but how these resources are allocated and whose interests they ultimately serve.