MANILA – Extreme climate conditions have pushed the term "climate change" in the mainstream.

But while it is a term that many use to describe as the cause of the disasters they see, officials said it has yet to be fully grasped by most Filipinos.

According to the Climate Change Commission, climate change is no longer just a concept but a reality many people are living through.

“It’s important for us to mainstream climate change. It’s one thing to hear about it but it’s another to fully understand the phenomenon but its impacts and most importantly what we need to solve it,” said Climate Change Commission Executive Director Robert Borje.

He explains that because climate change is now being felt in different levels worldwide, efforts must be poured in by all sectors to ensure that its significance is imbibed at the individual level.

To ease and solve the effects of climate change, Borje stresses three important actions; pag-unawa (understanding), pagplano (planning) and pagsunod (following).

“If a person doesn’t have a clear understanding of climate change then it will be very hard to understand that what is happening to you and me is a product of that.”

But climate change is not just extreme weather per se.

Borje explains that there is a systemic nature behind climate change which must also be seen and understood. For instance, greenhouse gas emission is one of the driving factors to rising heat and extreme weather. While the Philippines contributes significantly less to the accumulation of greenhouse gasses compared to industrial countries, it is still the most vulnerable to hazards brought by extreme weather events.

“Klaro na kailangan tumulong (ng international community) sila sa climate finance and capacity building. Nagkukulang ang internationall community para dun. It’s our country that suffers. CCC is working with different partner agencies to provide projects. it’s important we have bilateral development partners.”

“Gusto natin malaman ng tao ang iba-ibang programa, successes, lessons learned and best ways forward. Kasama na rin dito ang involvement ng private sector at kung paano sila makakatulong na magkaroon pa ng investments for a climate resilient Philippines.”

This is why the Commission is gearing up for the observance of Climate Change and Global Warming Awareness Week in November. It is during this period, designated by Proclamation No. 1667 in 2008, that awareness about global warming and climate change is heightened through comprehensive public information and educational campaigns.

The Commission also stressed the importance of capacity building in local governments. Being the first to respond and recover during times of disasters, Borje says it is important for LGUs to also be the first to prepare in order to avert disasters from natural hazards.

• Changing mindset on disasters preparedness difficult but happening: UN rep

This is a similar view to that of the United Nation’s Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction Mami Mizutori who was recently in the country for the launch of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.

Mizutori said that a shift in paradigm, from response and recovery to preparedness, must happen not only to individuals but even more so to local leaders who have access to funds and power to make communities safer.

Borje says, it’s time for the Philippines to take a bolder stand from becoming just a "victim" to a "victor" of disasters.

Having a robust experience from different types of natural hazards, the Climate Change Commission says the country has what it takes to being a global thought leader in terms of disaster resilience.