Ten local government units (LGUs) received a maiden Climate-Adaptive and Disaster-Resilient (CLAD) Awards for cities and municipalities for their exemplary programs to mitigate the impact of climate change. The CLAD Awards is a project of the Climate Change Commission (CCC) as conceptualized with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and Senator Loren Legarda, UNISDR Global Champion for Resilience. The winning LGUs, which were awarded during the Climate Change Consciousness Week concluding program on November 25, were Canaman, Camarines Sur; Carmona, Cavite; Dumangas, Iloilo; Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur; Legazpi City, Albay; Malolos, Bulacan; New Lucena, Iloilo; Palompon, Leyte; Sorsogon City, Sorsogon; and Tublay, Benguet. Each awardee was given a plaque and cash prize of P500,000. Legarda lauded the 10 winners of the inaugural CLAD awards as she urged other LGUs to adopt and replicate their best practices in order to strengthen community resilience to disasters and climate change. She cited Canaman’s Crop Insurance Program, which helps restore the livelihood of farmers affected by disasters by providing crop insurance; and the Farmers Field School, which provides farmers with knowledge on climate change impacts and adaptation such as storm surge and drought, as well as practical hands-on training on seed selection, water management, among others. The town of Tublay, Benguet was awarded for its Carbon Stock and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Sequestration Enhancement, as well as its coffee-based agroforestation program, which empowers the community to participate in environmental conservation, climate change adaptation and disaster mitigation initiatives while gaining economic benefits from it. Legazpi City, Albay also made it to the top 10 for its efforts in establishing organic gardens and planting of mangrove and fruit-bearing trees. The mangroves serve as buffers or coastal defense from the effects of storm surge and tsunami while providing a rich habitat for marine life and sequestering carbon effectively. Malolos, Bulacan was awarded for its outstanding psychological program which involves the conduct of traumatic and/or psychological debriefing for evacuees and victims of disasters. Sorsogon, Sorsogon has been recognized for its Climate-Resiliency Field School where farmers and fisherfolks undergo actual practice on new farming technologies adaptable to climate change. Another noteworthy project of this municipality is their reforestation (mangrove and upland) project which aims to minimize soil erosion and prevent storm surge in mangrove areas. Carmona, Cavite was awarded for its Solid Waste Management and 3Rs Program (reduce, reuse, recycle) and installation of LED lights in the municipality, an initiative that not only saves electricity but also lessens greenhouse gas emissions. Source - http://news.mb.com.ph