SENATOR Loren Legarda called for a more proactive approach to disaster risk reduction, urging stakeholders to take meaningful action in mitigating the effects of climate change.

“We are at a crossroads where climate change and disasters threaten our very existence. Typhoons ravage communities, droughts cripple livelihoods, and data reveals alarming trends,” Legarda said during her keynote address at the Asian Institute of Management.

“The scorching heat is a sign that our planet is in distress,” she added.

Legarda led the ceremonial launch and signing of a Memorandum of Agreement for the Sustainable Leadership Learning for Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction Scholarship Program, in coordination with the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and AIM.

The program aims to develop competent climate and disaster resilience leaders, equipping them with the skills to transform policy into action and data into concrete solutions.

It will be implemented by the CCC, in partnership with AIM, through the Executive Master in Disaster Risk and Crisis Management and the Master of Science in Data Science programs.

For 2026, a total of 26 scholars will be supported by the initiative, which was initiated and championed by Legarda.

“Laws alone are not enough. We need you—planners, data scientists, advocates. We need you, the scholars who will bring resilience to the barangays, the data scientists who will turn analytics into action, the indigenous leaders who will bridge tradition and innovation,” Legarda emphasized.