13 negotiations from 2016 to 2020 is ever more crucial, because the devil is in the details. This is the time where powerful countries can manipulate the process through diplomatic blackmail, intimidation, bullying, arm-twisting, and horse-trading. The Paris Agreement was merely a diplomatic compromise to capture the progress of negotiations since the Bali Action Plan was adopted in 2007. By no means is this process concluded. It is evident in the text and language of the Paris Agreement that more work needs to be done and the Paris Agreement is not the conclusion of this whole endeavor to continuously improve the international response to climate change. • The Paris Agreement does not mention the phrase “fossil fuel” even once. This is mainly because there will never be consensus among governments about the role of fossil fuels in the global economy in the foreseeable future, as politics is highly influenced by the fossil fuel industry. While the Agreement lays down the aim of full decarbonisation by the mid-century, it does not go as far as pinpointing the fossil fuel industry, despite the clear science around climate change and the role of coal, oil, and gas in fueling this crisis. On the Role of The Philippines: “If not us, then who? If not now, then when? If not here, then where?”Abraham “Ditto” Sarmiento The Philippines signed on to the UNFCCC on June 12, 1992. The Philippine Congress ratified the Convention on August 2, 1994 and thus entering into force for the Philippines on October 31, 1994. The Philippines signed on to the Kyoto Protocol on April 15, 1998 and ratified the Protocol on November 20, 2003. The Kyoto Protocol required the ratification of at least 55 countries under its Annex B representing at least 55% of global emissions in order to enter into force. The Kyoto Protocol entered into force on February 16, 2005 after the Russian Federation (which accounts for 17.2% of emissions) ratified it. The Philippines, being a signatory and Party to both the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol, have obligations under the Convention as outlined in Article 4.3 The Climate Change Act (Republic Act 9729) of 2009, and as amended by R.A. 10174, mandates the Climate Change Commission to represent the Philippines in the international climate change negotiations. It should be noted that the Paris Agreement only entered into effect for the Philippines on April 22, 2017. This said, the Paris Agreement is not the starting point for the Philippines’ efforts on climate adaptation. The Philippines had started to work on adaptation many years ago, including the crafting of the National Strategic Framework on Climate Change (2010) and the National Climate Change Action Plan (2011) both of which outline the adaptation needs and the necessary programs to combat the effects of climate change, one of the most salient of which is the mandate for local communities and LGUs to carve out their Local Climate Change Action