Climate Action Sustainability Workshop
Cebu Technological University (CTU) Main Campus
Commissioner Albert P. Dela Cruz, distinguished guests from the Climate Change Commission, Governor Pamela Baricuatro, fellow business leaders, representatives from government, academe, and civil society. Good morning!
It is an honor and a privilege to stand here today, on this third day of this landmark forum, to speak on a topic that sits at the heart of everything the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry stands for “the integration of sustainability into business-led initiatives.”
When Commissioner Dela Cruz and his team reached out to invite the CCCI to participate in this Climate Action Forum, we did not hesitate. Because CCCI recognizes the importance of strengthening collaboration among government, private sector, academe, and civil society in advancing climate adaptation and resilience efforts. We fully support platforms like this that translate the National Adaptation Plan into concrete, local actions for Cebu.
And let me be clear from the outset: this is not a topic we come to as observers. We come as practitioners. As doers! The Cebuanos have felt the weight of the storms, and who refuse to simply wait for the waters to recede.
Over the past five years, Cebu has endured a cascade of disasters that would have broken lesser communities. Typhoon Odette in 2021. Typhoon Megi in 2022. The El Niño drought of 2023. Typhoon Carina in 2024.
Then 2025 arrived like a reckoning, Tropical Cyclone Ragasa, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Northen Cebu that killed 79 and damaged over 130,000 homes, Typhoon Kalmaegi killing 71 of our own Cebuanos, and Super Typhoon Fungwong following right behind. Cumulative losses in Cebu in 2025 alone reached PHP 50 billion. Then in January 2026, the Binaliw landfill tragedy, a garbage landslide that buried dozens of our neighbors, exposed the cascading consequences of decades of deferred action on waste and urban resilience. These are not abstract statistics. These are closed businesses, lost livelihoods, displaced families, and lives cut short.
But here is the truth that the business community has come to understand perhaps more viscerally than any policy paper could convey: climate risk is economic risk. Sustainability is not a charity. It is not a burden. It is, in fact, the most rational long-term business strategy available to us.
When flooding shuts down a factory for a week, when a typhoon destroys supply chains, when a drought sends food prices spiraling, the cost of inaction always exceeds the cost of preparation. This is the fundamental business case for climate action, and it is why CCCI has made sustainability one of its central pillars.
The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been in existence for 122 years. We are a business organization based in Cebu with over 800 member companies across different sectors such as Industry, Trade, Service, Sectoral and ICT.
We envision to be “The Engine of Cebu’s business growth towards global competitiveness” – and translated into being a driver to have world-class enterprises, world-class business community and world-class people.
Two years ago, we created our leadership agenda, LEAD. A year after, we added AMUST as it reads: LEAD AMUST. It is a Call to Action. The chamber is not the leader but everyone and it is a must for each person to lead.
This year. The board agreed to add IMPACT. Hence, it now reads as LEAD AMUST have IMPACT.
Let me dissect this.
L – represents lifting the Cebu branding. “Invest in Cebu, Prosper in Paradise”. We aspire to be the investment gateway in Southeast Asia.
E – engaging the whole Cebu community because we foster inclusivity and it is important to get others involved.
A – activating partnerships for we change the perspectives of sponsorship to partnership and go a long way.
D – developing the culture of innovation and creativity since we need results.
The AMUST is an acronym of the alliances we created as strategy to engage the whole business community.
A – is our initiative to address industry job-skills mismatch, talent shortage and human development. Hence, A represents for the Academe-Industry Alliance.
M – is our program to support the tourism and hospitality sector. M boosts Cebu’s MICE: Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions.
U – is to attend the basics of operating a business. This group treads through power, water and connectivity to ensure these are the non-negotiables and we cannot afford to lose these UTILITIES.
S – is for sustainability and environment stewardship. This is the heart of CCCI. This is where we advocate for an enabling ecosystem that we can still sell Cebu as a sustainable and livable investment destination.
T- is for trade and logistics. Cebu is a transshipment hub. Most of the shipping owners are from Cebu and we leverage on this so connectivity is substantial and accessible.
Ladies and gentlemen, that is LEAD AMUST.
And because we want to transform actions into meaningful lasting change for individuals, communities, and the environment – we added IMPACT in our agenda.
LEAD AMUST have IMPACT. Impact is also an acronym.
I – Institutional (Build lasting systems)
M – Measurable (Clearer results)
P – Practical (Achievable within a year)
A – Achievable (Realistic goals)
C – Community Benefit (Visible in Cebu and beyond)
T – Tangible results (Members and community can feel the difference)
Yet, it is too early to assess the impact-today is my 23rd day as the President of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Nonetheless, we are happy to share of our Sustainability initiatives.
Under the LEAD AMUST framework, where “S” represents Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship, guides how the Chamber works with businesses, communities, and government to protect the environment while promoting economic growth. Sustainability is a core part of how CCCI envisions Cebu’s future-both ethical and practical.
CCCI: The Convergence of Sustainability, Innovation, and Civic Action
- Nature-Based Solutions: Healthy rivers, wetlands, and mangroves act as natural buffers against flooding, regulate water flows, and support biodiversity.
- Urban Resilience Demonstrations: Rainwater retention systems, permeable pavements, and ecosystem-based infrastructure showcase practical ways to mitigate flood risk and climate impacts.
Walking the talk, we installed a rainwater catchment facility using EcoBloc, a German-engineered stormwater management system that captures rainwater, replenishes groundwater, and prevents localized flooding in front of the Cebu Chamber center, hoping to inspire our neighboring establishments to do the same.
We partnered with Carmen Copper Corporation and Treasure Island and donated IBC tanks, each with a 1,000-liter capacity to Cebu City, Mandaue City and Cordova LGU for deployment across barangays for rainwater harvesting and flood mitigation. And when Typhoon Tino struck in November 2025, our Task Force Padayon Cebu mobilized 100 additional IBC tanks for emergency water access in Talisay, Lapu-Lapu, Consolacion and Bogo City.
- Interactive Learning: Exhibits and live demonstrations allow businesses, policymakers, and communities to see, experience, and replicate sustainable practices.
This combination transforms the Innovation Hub into a living laboratory for sustainability—bridging science, policy, and business innovation while making environmental action tangible and scalable.
Circular Economy Leadership: ACEBA
As the Philippines’ lead representative in the ASEAN Circular Economy Business Alliance (ACEBA), we advocate that circular economy is essential for fighting climate change.
In our endeavors, CCCI has become the platform for businesses to experience circular economy pilots and sustainable product cycles in real-life demonstrations and provide Knowledge-sharing sessions which enabled peer learning and ASEAN collaboration, bringing regional insights into local implementation.
The ACEBA showcases how resource efficiency and material loop closure improve business resilience, competitiveness, and long-term growth.
By integrating circular economy principles into the operation, CCCI moves beyond awareness campaigns toward practical adoption, measurable results, and regional leadership.
To date, CCCI has convened over 100 companies, facilitated seven (7) circular economy forums and workshops, and initiated two (2) pilot collaborations.
Citizen-Led Resilience: Cebu Flood Hero
Flood resilience requires collective responsibility, and in the Chamber movement, we encourage citizens, institutions, and businesses unite to act.
Floating Boom Installations: Preventing plastic and waste from reaching the ocean.
Our vision is to make Cebu City the first in the Philippines with zero contribution to ocean plastic. This is a long-shot but we are closely working with RiverRecycle and the city government on four critical waterways, namely: Kinalumsan River, Bulacao River, Guadalupe River, Lahug River, Kinalumsan River, Mahiga River, and Estero de Parian. We are now in discussion with Mandaue City to install one for Barangays Subangdaku and Canduman.
School and Community Engagement: Waste segregation stations, youth participation, and volunteer training programs.
The Flood Hero PET Bottle Receptacle Bin, has been routed through partner universities such the University of the Visayas, Cebu Technological Sciences, USJ-R collecting nearly 100 kilos of PET bottles from each campus, to be repurposed as trash interceptors in our rivers. Because waste and flooding are not separate problems. They have the same problem.
Nature-Based Mitigation Measures: Rain gardens, rainwater catchments, porous surfaces, and temporary water storage systems that reduce runoff and complement engineered infrastructure.
The ReGenesis Project, housed within the Innovation Hub, turns this vision into visible solutions by integrating practical demonstrations, citizens see how their actions directly contribute to environmental protection, flood mitigation, and community resilience.
Since its launch, Cebu Flood Hero has mobilized over 5,000 volunteers, engaged 10 schools and institutions, and generated approximately ₱ 5M in private sector and in-kind support for flood mitigation and environmental programs. These figures demonstrate that flood resilience is not merely advocacy-it is structured, funded, and operational.
CCCI Innovation Hub as the Intersection of Initiatives
Located at the 2nd floor of the Cebu Chamber Centre, the Innovation Hub is where sustainability, circular economy, flood resilience, and innovation converge.
- Collaboration Across Sectors: Businesses, communities, policymakers, and researchers interact, share knowledge, and co-create solutions.
- Tangible, Replicable Impact: Live demonstrations make abstract strategies concrete—from ecosystem-based solutions to circular business models.
- Civic and Economic Empowerment: Citizens, students, and business leaders actively participate, reinforcing a culture of responsibility and innovation.
In one space, CCCI connects theory to practice, ideas to action, and vision to measurable outcomes, positioning Cebu as a model for sustainable, resilient, and inclusive urban development.
Our CCCI building uses solar panels reducing our own carbon footprint and demonstrating that energy transition is not aspirational, it is achievable, here, now, in Cebu.
These are not pilot programs sitting in a drawer. They are operational. They are visible. And they are replicable by any business in this room.
So, what does integrating sustainability in business-led initiatives actually look like, in practice? Let me offer three concrete principles drawn from CCCI’s experience.
Lead by example at your own premises. Install rainwater catchment. Put solar panels on your roof. Segregate your waste. Measure your carbon footprint. These are not grand gestures but they are operational decisions that lower costs, reduce risk, and send a message to your employees, your customers, and your community about what you stand for.
If CCCI can do it, any business in Cebu can do it.
Connect sustainability to your core business. This is not Corporate Social Responsibility as a sideshow. CCCI’s sustainability programs are integrated into our advocacy, our membership services, our business month programming, and our international partnerships.
Sustainability is not a department. It is a strategy. And a strategy only works when it is embedded in everything you do.
Commissioner Dela Cruz, the National Adaptation Plan identifies eight critical sectors. Today, this forum has helped us build bridges across all of them. But plans only matter if they mobilize action.
The CCCI stands ready to be that bridge between the NAP and the ground floor of Cebu’s business community. We are already doing the work. We are already building the systems. We are already convincing our 800-plus member companies that sustainability is not a cost but as a center to Cebu’s competitive edge.
We live on islands. We are surrounded by the sea. We are in the direct path of the storms. We do not have the luxury of treating climate change as someone else’s problem. Every boardroom in Cebu is a climate action room. Every hiring decision, every supply chain choice, every investment in your building and your operations are all climate decisions.
The Flood Hero Cebu Movement ends with a covenant: a shared commitment to act.
Today, in this forum, I invite every business leader in this room to make the same covenant. Not because the government requires it. Not because a foreign investor demands it. But because we are Cebuanos and we have never, in our history, waited for disaster to define us.
Thank you! Daghan Salamat. Padayon Cebu.