MANILA - The Climate Change Commission (CCC) on Tuesday underscored the need for an immediate climate change action in the country to move towards the prevention of disasters, especially those that emerge gradually over time. "Climate action in the Philippines must address both extreme and slow onset events. Adaptation and mitigation actions, some of which are already underway in the country, would reduce vulnerability and future losses if fully implemented," Climate Change commissioner Albert dela Cruz Sr. said in a press statement. Slow onset events, as initially introduced by the Cancun Agreement (COP16), refer to the risks and impacts associated with: increasing temperatures; desertification; loss of biodiversity; land and forest degradation; glacial retreat and related impacts; ocean acidification; sea level rise; and salinization. According to dela Cruz, the Philippines has many of the tools and instruments that could reduce the damage of climate change and global warmi