Representatives of the City Government of Cagayan de Oro receive an ICLEI membership plaque from ICLEI Southeast Asia last April 15, 2026 during the fellowship night for SIRA fellows. (L-R) Ricardo Marfiga Jr., ICLEI SEA Membership, Governance, and Circular Economy Manager; Sarah Sofia M. Salcedo, Planning Officer II; Cindy Sabanal, Planning Division Head; Elvisa B. Mabelin, Assistant City Local Environment and Natural Resources Officer; and Victorino Aquitania, ICLEI SEA Regional Director.
ICLEI Southeast Asia (SEA) recognized the City Government of Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines as one of its active, longstanding members by presenting a membership plaque, which was received by representatives of the city’s Environment and Natural Resources Office and Planning Office.
Elvisa B. Mabelin, Assistant City Local Environment and Natural Resources Officer; Sarah Sofia M. Salcedo, Planning Officer II; and Cindy Sabanal, Planning Division Head, received the plaque last April 15, 2026 during the fellowship night for fellows of the Socially Inclusive Resilience Leadership Program under the Enhancing Local Capacities in Socially Inclusive Resilience in Asia (SIRA) Project. The gathering was part of the International Conference on Local Equitable and Inclusive Resilience (ICLEI-R) held in Baguio City.
Cagayan de Oro City is participating in the SIRA Project with Mabelin, Salcedo, and Sabanal as SIRA fellows.
ICLEI SEA awarded the membership plaque as part of a series of activities for its 21st anniversary celebration, including recognition of its members.
Cagayan de Oro City has been involved in notable ICLEI projects over the years, starting with ICLEI SEA’s first project, the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign from 1999 to 2005.
After joining ICLEI in 2016, the city participated in the Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity (SURGE) Project, implemented by ICLEI SEA in the Philippines until 2020 as the project’s technical partner. Under the project, low emission development strategies and mainstreamed disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation (DRR-CCA) were mainstreamed in local development processes of project cities, including Cagayan de Oro.
The city was also part of the Access to Sustainable Energy Programme – Clean Energy Living Laboratories (ASEP-CELLs) from 2019 to 2022; the Harnessing Cities Share, a capacity building program from 2022 to 2023; the One Planet City Challenge (OPCC), the flagship activity of the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) One Planet Cities (OPC) program; and the Global Learning Network of the Safe and Sound Cities Programme (S2Cities).
