Footprints Across Borders: United for a Sustainable Future
by Precious Angel Guevarra Editor’s Note: Angel is a member of the Manila Youth for Climate Action, and the current vice president of the AGGA Philippines. On the first day of the exposure visit, delegates from the ASEAN Green Generation Alliance (AGGA) Philippines, Indonesia, and Cambodia visited the House of Representatives of the Philippines, where they were given a guided tour of both the museum and the plenary hall. During the museum tour, the delegates learned about the history of the Philippine Congress, the country's previous constitutions, and the legislative process, including how a bill becomes a law. [...]
ICSC reacts to 5th SONA: Promising developments underway, but do not lose sight of climate action and resilience
QUEZON CITY, 28 July 2026 – Responding to the fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. yesterday, Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) Executive Director Angelo Kairos dela Cruz said: “In this year’s SONA, President Marcos was firm: the welfare of Filipinos is his top priority, as it should be. Over the last year, the Philippines faced significant economic challenges, with the energy crisis directly impacting the costs of services, from transportation to electricity, even food. We appreciate the updates on the country’s immediate response the past few months, however, what our [...]
Solar Scholars Across Islands: Bridging Communities through Renewable Energy
By Glinly Alvero Editor’s Note: Glin currently serves as ICSC’s RE-Charge Pilipinas Senior Innovations Officer, based in ICSC’s regional office in Tacloban City, Leyte. With increasing risks and impacts from the changing climate, there are communities that are far more vulnerable than others, and they’re the ones who are affected immediately, with impacts on their livelihoods and lives. As we are facing this battle, the call for energy transition has become one of the key initiatives to address this: in grassroots communities, especially those off-grid, they are also taking a step forward towards energy transition, like using [...]
Northern Samar accelerates energy transition through RE Roadmap validation and proposed provincial energy ordinance
Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities PRESS RELEASE CATARMAN, NORTHERN SAMAR, June 28, 2026 — Following the initial workshop in April that identified renewable energy (RE) development opportunities, the Provincial Government of Northern Samar took a significant step towards energy transition during the second phase of crafting the Renewable Energy Roadmap in a Multistakeholder Consultation held June 17 to 18, 2026, at the Provincial Capitol in Catarman. Building on the gains of the workshop last April, local government units, civil society organizations, electric cooperatives, national government agencies, the private sector, and community representatives were brought together to review the [...]
Transcending Beyond Plans and Papers
By: Jim Lester Triño As a new member of ICSC's Urban Development Team, I felt like being sent to the Transformative Actions for Climate and Ecological Protection and Development (TRANSCEND) Project’s Landscape Launch Series, as part of my first few missions under the project, was the perfect opportunity for me to learn. Working in ICSC and TRANSCEND felt like coincidence and familiarity for me: I grew up in Iloilo and previously worked with stakeholders from Calapan and Cagayan de Oro on programs for children and youth; it so happened that TRANSCEND's priority landscapes for the transport output [...]