22/05/2026
STRENGTHENING LCCAPāS as VEHICLE
FOR ANTICIPATORY ACTION AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE
In 2007, Albay in Action on Climate Change is a pioneering local adaptation framework created by the Provincial Government of Albay in 2007 under the leadership of then Philippine green economist Albay Governor Joey Sarte Salceda., United Nations First Senior Global Champion on DRRNamd Climate Change Adaptation.
The A2C2 methodology focuses on mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (CCAM) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) directly into provincial governance, land-use planning, and public education.
The A2C2 framework operates through four core methodological pillars to build community resilience against typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and flooding. The 4 core pillars includes 1. Institutional Capacity Building, 2. Science and Data-Driven Land Use, 3. Early Warning and Pre-emptive Evacuation and 4. Community and Education Mainstreaming. While Albay pioneered localized models (like A2C2) its methodologies are echoed across the broader Philippines
Albay developed and demonstrated the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Anticipatory Adaptation Management tool is a localized risk-mapping and planning framework originally developed and used in 2007 by the Provincial Government of Albay ā Centre for Initiatives and Research on Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) under the Executive Director Nong C. Rangasa and the Climate Change Academy (CCA) inside Bicol University and VAAAM retooled by the pioneeriing Local Climate Change Adaptation for Development executive director Nong C. Rangasa, is a proactive anticipatory adaptation strategic framework and evaluation matrix for LGUs like provinces, cities, and municipalities In 2013, the Local Government Academy (LGA), a training arm of the Department of Interior and Local Government (Dilg) was commissioned LCCAD Executive Director Nong Clidoro Rangasa to develop the 1st Users Manual for LGUs and as resident trainer for Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP) Formulation of the 1700 - LGUs in the country to proactively identify for hazards, vulnerability and risk.
Rangasa spearheaded the VAAAM tool to identifies systemic weaknesses ( vulnerability and risk) and plans protective measures before disaster strikes, commonly applied in climate change resilience, disaster resilience and cyber-security. The VAAAM tool evaluates how vulnerable the five major sectors: social economic, environmental, infrastructure and institutional (SEEII) and sub-sectors (CHAWFFBEEETISM) and areas to climate hazards and outlines proactive anticipatory measures to manage and reduce those risks.
The VAAAM framework systematically cross-references climate projections with socioeconomic and environmental conditions using the core components of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Vulnerability Framework:
Key Component of VAAAM framework generally follows two continuous phases:
1. Vulnerability Assessment (VA)
This VA evaluates how exposed a system (e.g, CHAWFFBEETISM,) is to specific threats, how sensitive it is to those impacts, and its current ability to cope.
ā¢ Hazard & Exposure Mapping:
o Analyzes localized biophysical hazards (e.g., severe typhoons, sea-level rise, and volcanic activity) threatening specific municipal boundaries.
o What hazards (e.g., floods, heatwaves, or hackers) is the system facing?
o Measures the degree to which a system (such as an ecosystem, and LGU agricultural zone) physically experiences climate-related hazards (e.g., sea-level rise, prolonged droughts, or increased temperatures).
ā¢ Sensitivity Analysis:
o Determines the susceptibility of local sectors, heavily prioritizing agriculture, fisheries, water, and public health
o How much damage or disruption would the hazard cause?
o Evaluates how severely the system is affected by these climate stressors (e.g., how sensitive local crops are to temperature spikes and/or how prone specific infrastructure is to flooding).
ā¢ Adaptive Capacity Evaluation:
o Quantifies community resources, livelihood resilience, and institutional preparedness.
o What resources, systems, or plans are already in place to handle or recover from the impact?
o Assesses the community's or system's ability to adjust to climate change, mitigate potential damages, and cope with the consequences.
2. Anticipatory Adaptation Management (AAM)
In response to calamity, disasters and crises, this AAM focuses on implementing anticipatory adaptation strategies to minimize future risk.
ā¢ Proactive Anticipatory Planning: Developing and modifying policies, upgrading and retrofitting infrastructure, or updating standard operational protocols (SOPs) to absorb anticipated shocks before they occur.
ā¢ Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs): Integrates climate-proofing directly into municipal zoning, infrastructure development, and permanent evacuation management.
o Budget Prioritization: Directs limited LGU resourcesāas well as international aidāto the most at-risk communities to preempt long-term climate impacts.
o Early Warning Systems: Aligns vulnerability data with real-time weather monitoring to facilitate preemptive evacuations.
o Continuous Management: Regularly updating, monitoring, and adjusting adaptation strategies as new data emerges or the risk-informed landscape shifts.
The VAAAM Matrix is an analytical planning framework used by the province of Albay and other local governments and stakeholders to evaluate climate exposure and risks and prioritize anticipatory adaptation strategies. It cross-references vulnerable economic and ecological sectors with specific hazards to identify impact points and design actionable management solutions.
The matrix maps out the anticipatory adaptation planning process in a highly structured, scannable format, friendly LGU data into five main components:
1. Climate Hazards
Identifies the primary threats, such as prolonged droughts, extreme typhoons, flooding, or heatwaves.
2. Exposed and Vulnerable Sectors
Evaluates the assets, communities, or industries that face the highest risk. Common sectors analyzed include AFHI:
ā¢ Agriculture and Fisheries: Vulnerable to crop destruction and changing rainfall patterns.
ā¢ Health: Increased susceptibility to heat stress and waterborne diseases.
ā¢ Infrastructure: Risk of damage to roads, bridges, and ports from severe weather.
3. Socio-Economic Impacts
Assesses the broader consequences of these hazards, such as localized economic, potential, losses, damages, disruption, food security risks, and impacts on poverty rates.
4. Anticipatory Adaptation Measures
Proactive, long-term anticipatory adaptation strategies implemented before a disaster strikes. Examples include:
ā¢ Policy Integration: Revisiting, updating comprehensive land-use plans (CLUP) to restrict buildings in high-risk zones.
ā¢ Infrastructure Upgrades: Building climate-proofing and disaster-proofing sea walls and retrofitting bridges.
ā¢ Adaptation Management: Establishing localized drought-resistant crop rotation and/or rainwater harvesting for agriculture and food security.
5. VAAAM Matrix Structure
When plotted on a matrix, the intersection of these variables helps local planners, managers, visualize their overall Vulnerability Index. This anticipatory visual matrix helps local governments and stakeholders:
ļ Identify hotspots: Pinpoint which sectors or geographical areas are most exposed and at risk.
ļ Prioritize interventions: Direct funding and resources to the areas requiring the most urgent, transformational changes.
ļ Plan proactively: Formulate anticipatory adaptation strategies before extreme weather events or slow-onset climate changes cause severe, irreversible damage.
ā¢ Similar methodologies, such as the Climate Risk Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) utilized by the Philippine Department of Agriculture, and the WHO Vulnerability and Adaptation Guidelines for health systems, demonstrate this matrixed approach in action.
6. Implementation Anticipatory Action:
ā¢ Defines how these anticipatory adaptation measures and actions will be executed, monitored, and integrated into broader local or national development policies.
ā¢ The VAAAM framework aligns with the broader goals of standard Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) processes established by LCCAD through LGU LCCAP Formulation in the country supervised by the CCC and DILG-LGA. It helps translate scientific climate projections into localized, budget-conscious, and practical resilience plans.
