ILOILO citizen groups launched the first “Community Climate Response Hub” (CCRH) and a citizen science-led urban heat report on July 15, calling for broader people participation in climate action.
The CCRH aims to mobilize community-led climate change adaptation, and disaster risk preparedness and response to help build climate-resilient communities. It is powered by a broad multisectoral coalition of locally based youth groups, civil society organizations and people’s organizations.
Naomi Alaban Basay of the Homeless People’s Federation Philippines Inc. (HPFPI) noted that with the alarming and undeniable impacts of climate change, especially at the community level, it is essential to involve communities in the solution to ensure sustainability.
Adopted nationally, the CCRH can bring on-ground response to calamities like the floods that swept along Taft Avenue in Manila on July 19, 2025. PHOTO BY RENE H. DILAN
“This is where the CCRH should step in: by providing capacity-building initiatives and resources to empower individuals not just as recipients of aid but as active agents of change. As a youth-led, youth-centered organization, we in Homeless People’s Federation Philippines Inc. Youth Iloilo, see CCRH as aligned with our mission to mobilize and lead youth in strengthening community preparedness and resilience,” Basay said.
According to Greenpeace Philippines, the CCRH as a network of groups will act as a community-driven center for people-led climate-resilience and response initiatives. It will serve as a platform and space for local action and collaboration to prepare for and respond to climate impacts.
Jerol Kim Tanaliga of Green Eco-Warriors said that the CCRH emerges as a critical initiative in addressing the multifaceted challenges posed by the ongoing climate crisis. “It represents a synergistic collaboration across diverse sectors, demonstrating a unified commitment to mitigating climate change impacts within urban environments and extending its influence beyond,” he said.
The core group behind the CCRH included Greenpeace Philippines, Greenpeace Iloilo Volunteers Local Group (GIVLG), Green Eco-Warriors, Green Forum Panay Guimaras, HPFPI, Alerto Ako E-Yusay Memorial School, CurrentShift, and Navallasca Farmers Rise Against Hunger and Malnutrition Inc.
Study on urban heat
According to the groups, the hubs will function as citizen-led platforms for delivering support to affected communities while facilitating the participatory identification and co-designing of initiatives toward community climate resilience, including supporting climate change adaptation (CCA), and disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) projects.
According to Greenpeace Philippines, over time, the hubs are intended to evolve into strategic platforms for aggregating community-based data and articulating policy recommendations. They will inform and influence CCA and DRRM planning and governance at local and national levels. They have been designed as platforms for urgent calls for the government to pursue climate action and climate justice.
Meanwhile, the CCRH’s launch saw the release of the report “Turning down the heat: Citizen science and the urgency of climate action in the Philippines,” which was undertaken by GIVLG and Ulirat Collective, and supported by Greenpeace Philippines.
Iloilo City volunteers collect data on-ground. PHOTO BY GREENPEACE PHILIPPINES
The report is a study on urban heat using citizen science research and community narratives to understand the phenomenon from the perspective of citizens. It makes a case for the importance of people participation as an essential component in climate action at both the local and national government levels.
Cathy Manalo of Ulirat Collective said that science is too important to be left to scientists alone. “Today, as extreme weather patterns impact our society, who knows their own places the most? Residents should be actively involved in learning about the environment and pushing for livable communities. Our study reinforced the importance of resident-led methods when assessing the impacts of climate change,” Manalo said.
The groups contend that at both local and national levels, people participation must be a key strategy as the Philippines faces the worsening impacts of the climate crisis. They maintain that local citizenry should not just be seen as affected populations, but as partners in climate-resilience building and response efforts.
They noted that in this time of worsening impacts of the climate crisis, disaster risk management and resilience building plans would benefit greatly from including grassroots groups in their strategies. One way is fostering these partnerships and enabling conditions that promote their growth.
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