​PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed former Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga as special envoy for disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM), Malacañang said Thursday. ​Loyzaga’s appointment came nearly a year after she left the agency following a Cabinet revamp by Marcos in May last year. ​The chief executive administered Loyzaga’s oath of office Wednesday at the Palace, where he also conveyed his full support for the new special envoy as she advances the administration’s agenda on climate action, renewable energy integration and disaster risk reduction. ​Marcos likewise expressed confidence that Loyzaga “will champion sound environmental governance and help build a more resilient Philippines,” according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO). ​Loyzaga served as DENR secretary from 2022 to 2025. Before that, she served as a director at the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies for two years. ​She also served as president of the National Resilience Council and was a member of the UNDRR Asia Pacific Science and Technology Advisory Group. ​Climate resilience and effective disaster response have been consistent priorities for Marcos. ​During his recent working visit to the United States, he underscored how the climate crisis is not a future risk but a “present reality” while pitching for the Philippines’ candidacy for a nonpermanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. ​The president positioned climate change as an urgent, existential threat to the Philippines, emphasizing disaster resilience, renewable energy and the need for climate financing from industrialized nations.