Foresight and science: Strengthening the Philippines’ climate resilience

The story of the Philippines has always been one of resilience — tested by storms, strengthened by communities, and sustained by faith in our people.

But resilience is not about how often we rebuild. It is about how rarely we are destroyed. For too long, it was measured by how quickly we could rise after disaster. Today, it must be measured by how effectively we prevent loss, protect lives, and sustain progress despite climate extremes. Delivering resilience means moving from reaction to reform.

Our resilience has been shaped by disasters that tested our institutions and resolve. The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo changed how we viewed risk zones and relocation. The 2009 floods from typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” exposed coordination gaps, leading to laws establishing the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Super typhoon “Yolanda” in 2013 redefined what resilience means and prompted reforms in pre-disaster planning, data use and financing.

We have been effective at responding after loss and damage. Now we must act before it happens. Resilience must be anticipatory, preventive, data-driven and sustained.

Our frameworks today make this possible. The National Adaptation Plan (NAP 2023-2050), the Philippine Development Plan (PDP 2023-2028), and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (NDRRMP) form a coherent architecture: informed by science, guided by data, and implemented through systems. The Nationally Determined Contribution Implementation Plan, while focused on mitigation, also delivers adaptation co-benefits — cleaner energy, greener transport and healthier communities — reinforcing national resilience.

Delivery depends on systems connecting data, policy and people. Our governance structure was built for specialization, not coordination, yet the climate crisis crosses every boundary. That is why we are strengthening coherence through shared data, common standards and coordinated action. The NAP charts adaptation pathways. The PDP aligns them with investment priorities. The NDRRMP ensures readiness on the ground. All depend on one foundation: data that are timely, trusted and actionable.

Through Accelerated Climate Action and Transformation for Local Communities (ACT Local), we help local governments translate data into evidence-based climate actions. Many still face gaps in capacity, information, and financing. ACT Local must evolve into a sustained system of local climate governance. The People’s Survival Fund widens access to adaptation funding, especially for local governments most in need. Access remains uneven. Processes must be simpler, technical assistance stronger, and results measurable.

Through Climate Change Expenditure Tagging, we are moving from tracking pesos to measuring protection, from budgets to impact. Progress is steady, but discipline and data consistency must deepen across agencies. These are signs of systems maturing and governance learning to think, act, and decide through data.

Science gives us clarity. Data gives us precision. Governance gives us purpose.

Over the past decade, the Philippines has lost more than p1.3 trillion to climate-related impacts. We continue to face record heat, erratic rainfall and stronger storms. Yet progress exists. Nearly 90 percent of local governments have submitted their Local Climate Change Action Plans. The challenge is to ensure these plans are data-informed, integrated and implemented consistently.

Partnerships with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, and state universities establish a national data-governance framework, harmonizing standards, sharing information, and linking data across agencies and local governments. Universities transform data into practical design, supporting resilient agriculture, protected watersheds, and informed communities. Science tells us what is coming. Data tells us where and how it will hit. Governance determines whether we are ready.

Resilience is built where governance meets the ground. Local governments are on the frontlines. The CCC must, given its resources, ensure they have the science, data, and policy frameworks they need. Yet gaps remain. Data does not always reach planners. Plans are not always funded. Funds are not always translated into foresight. These silos must be dismantled.

When national and local governments share responsibilities, data and systems, resilience stops being aspirational and becomes operational. That is convergence: shared science, shared data, shared direction.

Every sector has a role. Local governments innovate. National agencies connect policies with people. Development partners build infrastructure and institutions. The private sector contributes through business continuity, insurance modeling and green finance. Universities transform data into design. Civil society ensures systems remain inclusive and accountable.

Each of us holds part of the system, but only together can we make it whole. Every plan, peso, dataset, and decision must answer one question: Will this make our people safer when the next climate shock comes? If the answer is uncertain, our work continues.

Resilience cannot rest on one office or one administration. It must rest on one nation, guided by science, informed by data and united in discipline. Science must be our compass. Data must be our map. Governance must be our direction. Solidarity must be our movement forward.

Resilience is not reaction. It must be reform. It is not rhetoric. It is responsibility. Only through shared action can we deliver a truly resilient Philippines.

The measure of tomorrow’s Philippines will not be how fast we rebuild after disaster, but how wisely, firmly, and fearlessly we stand before it. That is the resilience we must build — data-driven, science-guided, and system-wide. That is the reform we must deliver, together and now.

(Editor’s Note: This piece is condensed from the author’s speech at the National Policy Dialogue on Climate and Disaster Resilience on October 29, 2025, in Manila, focusing on the Philippines’ pathway toward science-and data-driven climate resilience.)