City of Parañaque Develops its First Clean Air Action Plan

Under the ASEAN SDGs Frontrunner Cities Programme Phase 2, the City Government of Parañaque in the Philippines received support to develop the city’s first Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) with technical assistance from Clean Air Asia (CAI-Asia). The CAAP is a pivotal tool to address air quality and climate change through targeted measures, particularly in the transport sector, and focusing on the growing emissions from mobile sources.

The CAAP drafting process commenced in early 2024, through a series of engagements. These activities defined the city’s clean air vision as well as transport measures to reduce emissions, and prioritised actions based on a 2019 emissions inventory. The inventory highlighted mobile sources, particularly jeepneys, as the primary contributors to air pollution, leading to the CAAP’s focus on transport measures. The plan outlines three key action areas: i) building institutional and policy frameworks; ii) promoting sustainable and inclusive transport systems; and iii) improving traffic management.

This process was completed and culminated with a Launch and Turnover Ceremony, held at the Brittany Hotel Global South in Metro Manila on 8 November 2024. The event was attended by 32 participants, including representatives from the City Government of Parañaque, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), and CAI-Asia. The event marked a significant milestone in Parañaque City’s efforts toward sustainable urban growth and improved air quality. The ceremony served as an occasion to highlight the CAAP’s key contents as well as to strengthen stakeholder collaboration by securing commitments from key stakeholders for the plan’s effective and sustained implementation.

In the opening remarks, Ms. Dana Babela (Senior Researcher, CAI-Asia) underlined the CAAP’s alignment with global environmental goals and its potential to serve as a model for other cities. Mr. Mark Allen Besa (Head of CENRO, City of Parañaque) welcomed participants and expressed the city’s enthusiasm for the CAAP, crediting Mayor Eric Olivarez's leadership and proactive collaboration with CAI-Asia and IGES.

Mr. Alfon Ducta (Environmental Management Specialist, CENRO, City of Parañaque) provided an overview of the CAAP’s development process. He presented details of the collaborative and evidence-based approach, which included workshops and consultations with stakeholders.

Various stakeholders shared messages of support during the ceremony. Ms. Dang Espita-Casanova (Programme Manager, CAI-Asia) commended Parañaque City for its successful collaborative efforts and its establishment of a project cross-sectoral working group. Ms. Shom Teoh (Programme Manager, Sustainable Cities, IGES) emphasised Parañaque City’s leadership as an ASEAN Frontrunner City, contributing to global climate change mitigation through the CAAP. DENR-EMB Director Jacqueline Caancan (Director, DENR-EMB, Philippines) pledged continued support for the city’s initiative and hoped it would be emulated by other cities in the Metro Manila region.

The ceremony concluded with the turnover of the CAAP to Mr. Besa on behalf of Mayor Olivarez. A pledge of commitment was signed by all participants, signifying the collective ownership and commitment towards the plan’s implementation and continuing improvement.

Ms. Precious Benjamin (Sustainable Cities Lead, CAI-Asia) delivered the closing remarks, during which she emphasised that the actions identified in the CAAP should not remain as ideas on paper but be instrumental in catalysing concrete actions to achieve a cleaner and healthier environment for the city’s current and future generations.

The ASEAN Sustainable Development Goals Frontrunner Cities Programme Phase 2 (SDGs-FC 2) is supported by the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) and implemented by IGES. In the Philippines, Parañaque City is recognised as an ASEAN Frontrunner City, contributing to the realisation of SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 13 (Climate Action) through the development of the city’s first CAAP.