Stories of Resilience:

A Compendium of Local
Climate Action in the Philippines
Stories of Resilience: A Compendium of Local Climate Action in the Philippines
Copyright @2021

Published by the Climate Change Commission (CCC)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
permission in writing from the publisher.

Send inquiries to:

Climate Change Commission

6th Floor, First Residences Building
1557 J.P. Laurel Street, San Miguel, Manila, Philippines
T/ (632) 8353 8494

E-mail: info@climate.gov.ph
www.climate.gov.ph

Printed in the Philippines

The views expressed herein are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and
policies of CCC or the government they represent.

This compendium was produced by:

Rachel Anne Herrera

Lyka Ranelle Dela Cruz
Sarah Jane Escario
Patricia Arcelo
Crystal Eunice Dela Cruz
Christian Soqueño
Joshua Pile
Clarisse Gonzales
Gina Adesas

Stories of Resilience : A Compendium of Local Climate

Action in the Philippines 2
 PREFACE

T
he world has entered a crucial decade: the years in the lead up to 2030 mark humanity’s last chance
to avoid catastrophic climate change.

For countries like the Philippines, the stakes are higher. Being one of the most vulnerable countries in the
most climate-vulnerable region in the world, failure to take substantial and decisive steps in this decade
would mean worse disasters and extreme weather events, massive loss of lives and livelihood, and an
unsure future.

With the immediate threat of the COVID-19 pandemic drawing focus and energy away from the urgent
action we need to save the planet, prospects are grim. And yet there is still hope; across the country,
we see communities leading the way in pursuing resilience and adaptation. We see local governments,
organizations, and stakeholders pitching in, doing what they can, rising to the greatest challenge humanity
has ever faced.

This Compendium of Local Climate Action in the Philippines shares the stories and experiences of these
communities. From Batanes to Cotabato, from climate-smart farming and disaster resilience and recovery,
to sustainable transport and ecotourism, these stories feature the origins of resilience and adaptation
initiatives all over the country, share insights gleaned in their implementation, and trace the impact they
have made within communities, and even beyond.

The stories featured in this Compendium capture the principles of locally-led adaptation—as articulated by
the International Institute for Environment and Development—in action. For instance, its explorations of
how Lanuza in Surigao del Sur built inclusion into its ridge-to-reef model—giving due space to indigenous
communities and highlighting women’s economic empowerment—and how Pasig City built a green city
in the heart of Metro Manila while also ensuring women’s livelihood both highlight the importance of
addressing structural inequalities faced by women, youth, children, disabled and displaced people,
indigenous peoples, and marginalized groups.

The need to build a robust understanding of climate risk and uncertainty, perfectly illustrated by how
Dumangas in Iloilo put up a Climate Field School that blended technology and indigenous knowledge; how
Batanes achieved zero-casualty in the face of a super typhoon by harnessing indigenous practices; how
Monkayo in Davao de Oro partnered with indigenous communities for sustainable planting and farming;
how the province of Bulacan mobilized schools to grow disaster preparedness and awareness; and how
Zamboanga City manages unpredictable weather and climate hazards through a strong early warning
system.

The principle of collaborative action and investment is also captured in Bulakan municipality’s cash-for-work
initiatives to clean rivers with the katuray plant; a youth-led creek rehabilitation project in Taytay, Rizal; and
the inclusive and transformative climate actions being taken in Quezon City, ranging from community-led
disaster risk reduction to innovative approaches to single-use plastics and waste management.

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Action in the Philippines 3
Meanwhile, the Compendium’s features on how Camotes Island in Cebu harnessed the indigenous
Purok System for waste management and disaster response and San Fernando’s efforts to target plastic
pollution starting from the household level illustrate the importance of devolving decision-making to the
lowest appropriate level. On the other hand, the local government of Del Carmen’s approach to climate
in governance, along with its Climate Field School and its Blue Carbon initiative, shows the importance
of ensuring transparency and accountability by highlighting climate change adaptation as a governance
platform.

The principle of flexible programming and learning is also evident in the Compendium’s features on how
Gerona, Tarlac built resilient communities through stronger climate information; how Candon City in Ilocos
Sur adapted to drought and water scarcity by equipping and educating farmers and turning to sloping
agricultural landscape technology; how Cotabato fostered climate-resilient farming by encouraging life-
long learning; how Sitio Pulo in Navotas City centered its flood resilience programming on the needs of
residents, who eventually developed their own tools; and how Pandan in Antique adapted to surges in
tourism by turning to ecotourism and eco-conservation.

Abra’s experience in driving food security through solar power and Naga’s inter-local initiatives for integrated
emergency management also illustrate the benefits of investing in local capabilities to leave an institutional
legacy. Meanwhile, the benefits of having patient and predictable funding that can be accessed more easily
is evident in the gains made by Albay, a pioneer in disaster risk reduction, which received funding from
the World Bank Country Assistance Program, and Marikina, which was recipient of a grant from the Global
Environment Facility more than discussing best practices and providing workable models that may be
replicated in other locales across the country, the Climate Change Commission hopes the stories of the
communities in this Compendium provide hope—that more and more Filipinos are likewise rising to the
challenge; that together we can solve the climate crisis; that we need not be locked into a future of tipping
points and irreversible loss.

May these stories inspire stronger and more decisive collective action bring us closer to the future we
aspire to: a greener, safer, more sustainable future.
 FOREWORD

M
itigating and reversing climate change is the greatest challenge of our time. It will take
decades, perhaps generations, to undo what unthinking industrialism has wrought on our
planet.

While the Philippines only contributes 0.3 percent to the total global greenhouse gasses emissions,
it is among the countries most vulnerable to the effects of global warming. Nevertheless, the country
is more than ready to do more to mitigate this existential threat to humanity.

The Philippines is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent by 2030.
This is undoubtedly an ambitious target and a massive challenge. It will require a whole-of-nation
approach as well as the most ingenious ideas of our people to achieve this goal. This bold move will
not be accomplished in the large conferences regularly organized to talk about climate change. It
is a challenge that will be met on the ground, in our communities, as we battle for a new economy
sensitive to the welfare of the planet we inhabit.

We need to initiate resilience at the level of our communities. In this task, the leadership of the
local governments is indispensable. It is at the level of our communities that practices must change,
economies must evolve, and lifestyles must be altered.

We are not beginning with a blank slate. We have been working on building resilience for years.
This book , titled “Stories of Resilience: A Compendium of Local Climate Action in the Philippines,”
collects and documents those experiences and practices that will matter in the years to come. These
practical approaches and projects should guide us in this unprecedented task of saving the only
planet that we have.

CARLOS G. DOMINGUEZ III

Secretary, Department of Finance
Designated Representative of the Chairperson to the Climate Change Commission

Stories of Resilience : A Compendium of Local Climate

Action in the Philippines 5
 Message of Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda

T
he Philippines is blessed with nature’s wonders and bounty, but it is also a country that is
burdened by extreme weather events and natural disasters. Typhoons, flashfloods, landslides,
and droughts have led to massive losses of lives, livelihoods, properties, and to our economy.

Within the last decade, the Philippines has consistently ranked high among countries most vulnerable
to climate change because of our country’s archipelagic nature and geographical location along the
typhoon belt in the Pacific. But one other major factor is our country’s adaptive capacity to cope
with and manage climate impacts.

We therefore pursue adaptation as our national strategy on climate action. While we continue to
clamor for climate justice in the global arena, We have worked with the resources we have to
fund projects, innovate programs, and enable the environment to help build resilience at the local
level—where it is needed the most.

“Stories of Resilience: A Compendium of Local Climate Action in the Philippines” is about this
journey of our people’s survival, their aspirations, and of hope. This is a chronicle of our people’s
commitment to and leadership on local climate action.

I congratulate the Climate Change Commission for this publication, which puts the spotlight on
some of our local governments, communities, organizations, and stakeholders, and their efforts in
making our country and vulnerable populations safer and more resilient.

We truly cannot yearn for inclusive and sustainable development if we do not address our climate
risks and hazards. May this book serve to raise awareness and inform action to address the growing
challenges brought about by the global climate crisis.

I hope this would inspire many more local actors to start and realize their own stories of resilience.

LOREN LEGARDA
Deputy Speaker and Representative,
Lone District of Antique
UN Global Champion for Resilience and
National Adaptation Plan Champion

Stories of Resilience : A Compendium of Local Climate

6 Action in the Philippines
 Message from the National Panel of Technical Experts

H
appy Climate Change Consciousness Week to all! Congratulations to the organizers of this
event on the launching of Stories of Resilience: A Compendium of Local Climate Action in
the Philippines.

The material which depicts the innate ingenuity of our local people and communities for survival in
times of disasters and challenging moments should be serving as an effective reference and guide
for other climate-prone, highly vulnerable, yet least-accessed communities in our country. As the
late Ernie Baron would say, knowledge is really power. The very interesting local resilience stories
just prove that local people with their knowledge, innovations, and best practices are good enough
foundations of their resilience to climate change. This, however, should be supported by science
to harness local innovations and practices, to heighten local resilience and eventually make them
firmly prepared, able to competently respond and effectively recover by themselves with least
interventions from external entities to climate-induced disasters.

The challenge, therefore, is for science to consider local knowledge and practices as its foundations
in innovating customized technologies and approaches that local communities can fully understand
and perform at their level of knowledge and capacities. Well, I’m wondering if this great creation
can be expanded into presenting full stories of this wonderful local ingenuity to fight against the
negative effects of climate change. Maybe full stories can be inputted in Local Climate Action Paper
Series which stakeholders, such as the academe, can use as a reference material in their knowledge
and capacity development venture for local government units and local communities.

Again, I wish to convey my thanks for giving me this opportunity to share my thoughts. And, my
congratulations again to the CCC. Maraming salamat po!

DR. EDUARDO O. MANGAOANG

University Professor
Visayas State University

I
would like to thank the Climate Change Commission for giving me this opportunity to share my
thoughts on this publication. Congratulations to all the local governments and communities
showcased in this compilation. Your stories and experiences of adaptation to climate change
serve as inspiration to all of us, especially to other communities, to continue to pursue the path to
adaptation and resilience.

We know that the Philippines is among the vulnerable countries in the world to climate change.

In the latest long-term Global Climate Risk Index published this year, we ranked 4th among the
most vulnerable to climate change – this covers 20 years from 2000 to 2019. In these two decades
,the Philippines experienced the highest number of extreme events at 317, or an average of 16
annually. It has been identified that adaptation to lessen the negative impacts of climate change
should be localized at the level of communities.

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Action in the Philippines 7
 For example, in 2018, we had 8 typhoons and one flooding which affected more than a hundred
communities – that is according to EM-DAT: The International Disasters Database. So we see that
impacts of climate change are felt most by communities. That is why climate action should be
contextualized to their realities. A hazard may affect the whole region but the impacts will certainly
be different among local communities within that region, because some are well-prepared, some
are not. Some have higher poverty incidence or have lesser access to resources and livelihoods
compared to others. Adaptation and climate action should address local needs, be suitable to local
context, and acceptable to local people. Just like the strategies employed by our local communities
in this local Compendium, the community-based disaster response in Camote Island, inclusion of
indigenous knowledge in Climate Field School in Dumangas, Solar-Powered Irrigation System in Abra
and Livelihood Adaptation with Dragon Fruit in every home in Candon City, just to mention a few.

I believe that the level of climate awareness of LGUs is generally high all over the country. The
numerous projects, trainings, seminars, and fora organized by government, NGOs, international
organizations, and academic institutions are more than enough for our LGUs to be well-informed on
this issue, but it might be different when it comes to climate action. We can see that climate action
among LGUs is actually uneven; some are more advanced while others are lagging behind. We expect
that LGUs frequently experiencing hazards are most likely the ones with high levels of climate action.
This disparity in levels of climate action at the local level can be due to the following:

• Climate change adaptation is not the priority of the LGU;

• They lack scientific information especially downscaled data on the climate risk specific to the
community, city, or municipality; or
• Lack of resources or access to resources, or even competing uses for resources.

But everyone, however, must prepare for climate change impacts. Scientific evidence show and
project a lot of changes or anomalies happening now and in the future. So, what can LGUs do to
enhance science- and evidence-based actions against the climate crisis? I will just add two important
[points]:

• One, foster partnerships with academic institutions, NGOs, and organizations that can help in
capacity building and research on climate change for evidence-based decision-making. Successful
climate action arises from collaborative efforts as we have seen in the various climate change
adaptations of our communities.
• Invest in and set-up local climate-related databases. This is in recognition that information is
power in the fight against climate change.

In closing, I reiterate that the best strategy to address the climate crisis is to localize science-based
climate action for community resilience. The adaptation and resilience journeys of the communities
highlighted in this Compendium attest to that. I salute the CCC and all the LGUs for this publication.

Magandang umaga sa inyong lahat. Isulong ang local climate change action! Thank you.

DR. GAY DEFIESTA

Professor V
University of the Philippines Visayas

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8 Action in the Philippines
CLIMATE CHANGE COMMISSION

CONTENTS
11 List of Abbreviations
13
Knowledge is resilience:
Building resilient communities through
stronger climate information in Gerona

14 A town reborn:
How Guiuan bounced back after Super Typhoon
Yolanda

15
Sustaining paradise:
Building climate information and driving
adaptation through inclusive governance in
Del Carmen

16 Small districts, big results:

Harnessing the Indigenous Purok System from
waste management to disaster response in the
Camotes Island

17
When past and future meet:
Blending technology and indigenous
knowledge for resilience in Dumangas

18
From ridge to reef:
Improving livelihood, empowering citizens,
and building resilient and adaptive
communities in Lanuza

19 A sustaining sun:
Driving food security through solar power
in Abra province

20 From Vatican of Disasters to global

model: Pioneering disaster risk reduction
for “zero casualty” in Albay province

21 A paragon of polished response:

Building Urban Climate Resilience:
Road-Sharing in Marikina City

22 Emerging victorious:
Emerging Victorious: Zero Casualty Batanes
in the Aftermath of Typhoon Ferdie

23 Green in the heart of the

metro: Integrating the climate lens in
policymaking in Pasig City
24 A Dragon Fruit in every home:
Adapting to drought and water scarcity in
Candon City, Ilocos Sur

25 The ever-growing city:

How comprehensive urban planning continues
to build a model city in Naga

26 Seizing opportunities: Building resilience

through inclusive and transformative climate
action in Quezon City

27
Learning for life: Driving resilience with
climate-smart farming in Cotabato

28 Project SHINe: Hydrological Observation

for Disaster Preparedness in Bulacan

29
Bringing Back “Maningning”:
Youth-led creek rehabilitation
and climate-resilient farming in Taytay, Rizal

30 From beneficiaries to climate

leaders: Community-led flood resilience in
Sitio Pulo, Navotas City

31 Ahead of the curve:

Managing unpredictable weather and
climate hazards through early warning
systems in Zamboanga City

32
Working with Nature:
Ecotourism and Eco-conservation in Pandan,
Antique

33
Breaking the wave of plastic:
Innovating and collaborating towards
a plastic-free San Fernando, La Union

35 Reviving rivers and communities:

Cash-for-work initiatives to clean rivers with
katuray in Bulakan

36
Planting Seeds of Empowerment:
Sustainable planting and farming through
Cash-for-Work in Monkayo, Davao de Oro

38
Beyond the bounty of the sea:
Building not just climate but pandemic
resilience through mangrove reforestation
in Kabasalan
Abbreviations
A2C2 Albay in Action on Climate Change
ADB Asian Development Bank
ADPC Asian Disaster Preparedness Center
BINDS Building Resilient and Adaptive Communities and Institutions in Mindanao
BSWM Bureau of Soils and Water Management
BU Bicol University
CBFMMP Community-based Flood Mitigation and Management Program
CCA Climate Change Adaptation
CCAF Climate Change Adaptation Framework
CCC Climate Change Commission
CFF Cities Finance Facility
CFWS Cooperation Fund for the Water Sector
CIRCA Center for Initiatives and Research on Climate Adaptation
CORE Communities of Resilience
CORDAID Catholic Organization for Relief and Development Aid
CRF Community Resilience Fund
CrFS Climate Resiliency Field School
DA Department of Agriculture
DAMPA Damayan ng Maralitang Pilipinong Api, Inc. (Solidarity of Poor Filipinos)
DENR Department of Environment and Natural Resources
DepEd Department of Education
DFAT Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
DOLE Department of Labor and Employment
DPWH Department of Public Works and Highways
DRRM Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
EMB Environmental Management Bureau
ENCORE Enhancing Community Resilience to Disasters
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization
GCF Green Climate Fund
GEF Global Environment Facility
GIS Geographic Information System

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Action in the Philippines 11
 GO-FAR Good Practices in Local Governance: Facility for Adaptation and Replication
HEI Higher Educational Institution
ICLEI - SEAS International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives -
Local Governments for Sustainability Southeast Asia Secretariat
ICRAF World Agroforestry Centre
ICSC Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities
LDRRMO Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office
LGU Local Government Unit
LCCAP Local Climate Change Action Plan
LLDA Laguna Lake Development Authority
PAGASA Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
PDA Water Pilot and Demonstration Activities
PPP Public-Private Partnership
PRFFWC Pampanga River Flood Forecasting & Warning Center
PSF People’s Survival Fund
R1 Rice Watch and Action Network
RSDG Recovery and Sustainable Development Group
SALT Sloping Agricultural Landscape Technology
SCFSFF Siargao Climate Field School for Farmers and Fisherfolks
SGP Small Grants Program
SHINe School Hydrological Information Network
SPIS Solar-Powered Irrigation System
SSCT – DC Surigao State College of Technology – Del Carmen
SSIP Small-Scale Irrigation Project
TWG Technical Working Group
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNDRR United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
UNISDR United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
UPLB University of the Philippines Los Baños
USAID United States Agency for International Development
WDM Water Demand Management
ZWAT Zamboanga City Water District Water Audit Team
Stories of Resilience : A Compendium of Local Climate
12 Action in the Philippines
KNOWLEDGE IS RESILIENCE: Climate Financing

BUILDING RESILIENT COMMUNITIES THROUGH People’s Survival Fund

STRONGER CLIMATE INFORMATION IN GERONA Gerona is one of the first four
recipient municipalities and the only
one in Luzon to access the People’s
Survival Fund (PSF).

The ₱ 38.1-million PSF funding is

allotted to programs and projects
that would benefit mostly Gerona’s
farmers and vulnerable sectors. As
Mayor Eloy C. Eclar said during the
awarding of the fund, “the PSF will
help improve the management of our
water resources, due to the expected
increase in severity and frequency
of climate-induced drought and
flooding.” The municipality for its part
provides the staffing for the Climate
Resiliency Field School (CRFS).

Agromet Weather Station forecaster Wilchita S. Melegrito explains to a visitor how

the information center board helps farmers plan for planting and harvesting,
under a program for local climate change adaptation practices in the Philippines.
Photo courtesy of John Ernest M. Mateo.

T
he Municipality of Gerona in the province of Tarlac, located Trainings and Communication Platforms
139 kilometers north of Metro Manila, is a predominantly
agricultural town with rice and sugar as its main produce. The partner farmers and community are trained in the Climate
Forum, a 16-week workshop facilitated by PAGASA on utilizing
Due to diverse weather conditions and the sheer number of the data and forecasts produced from the project. PAGASA also
tropical cyclones hitting Gerona in a year, the town experiences presents a 3-4 month forecast followed by strategic planning in
intense flooding that submerges standing crops underwater or anticipation of any intervention that may be required.
extended dry spells and droughts which usually result in little to no
irrigation water. Moreover, the partners are assisted in diversifying their produce.
The farmers are informed of the data and risk management
Thus, the Climate Resiliency Field School (CRFS) project was born, strategies through these announcement boards located at the
a partnership among the community, municipal government, the Agromet Weather Station: (1) Climate Information Center, (2) LGU
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Climate Data Record, and (3) Climate Risks Analysis of Gerona’s
Administration (PAGASA), and non-government organization Rice Agriculture. The ten-day forecast from PAGASA is sent through
Watch and Action Network (R1). text messaging and a Facebook group.

Weather Forecasting using Local Data Future Plans

The municipal government invested in the construction of the The farmers are organized into associations and produce organic
Agromet Weather Station Building and in manual (e.g. evaporating fertilizer, calamansi concentrate, vinegar, and other goods
pan, thermometer shelter, standard rain gauge, tipping bucket, depending on the abundant produce in their area. Barangay
event recorder, and atmospheric barometer) and automatic Sembrano, having satisfied the eligibility requirement of having
(e.g. davies console, automatic davies sensor, and pipe pole with a legal entity as an association, will receive equipment from the
anemometer) weather instruments placed in the middle of rice Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). They also have
fields. Staff manages and operates the station to gather data and a municipal federation with around 200 members.
forward them to PAGASA for processing. In turn, PAGASA sends
back a ten-day weather information advisory.

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 A TOWN REBORN:
HOW GUIUAN BOUNCED BACK AFTER
Barangay Tagpuro in Guiuan SUPER TYPHOON YOLANDA
is known for its production of
root-crops particularly Palauan
(Scientific Name: Cyrtosperma
merkusii), a staple food discovered by
Spanish missionaries the in early 1600s
and was among the staple until the early
1980s in Guiuan.

Palauan, which thrives abundantly in

wetlands, is one of the most reliable
food crops that survives climatic hazards,
including Typhoon Yolanda. In order
to increase its production, the LGU is
planning to establish a Palauan Root-
crop Research and Development Center.

Residents of Sulu-an, Guiuan Eastern Samar installed solar panels on top

of their community store. Photo from Glinly Alvero/ICSC.

A
2nd class municipality in the province of Eastern Samar, The CCAF, as supported by the Catholic Organization for Relief
Guiuan is home to many white-sand beaches. It is and Development Aid (CORDAID) and the Institute for Climate and
predominantly a fishing community with 38.2% of its land Sustainable Cities (ICSC), follows a bottom-up approach in setting
being used for agriculture. down priority programs and actions for adaptation. For Guiuan,
their identified needs revolved around attaining food security and
Being in the country’s eastern seaboard, it was the first town hit water resource management.
when Super Typhoon Yolanda made landfall on November 8, 2013. Incorporating Sustainability Measures to Livelihood
Despite suffering from isolation from humanitarian relief and
national support services for the first three days of the typhoon due Some of the notable stories from Guiuan include the multi-
to massive destruction of built infrastructure and farms, Guiuan has stakeholder partnership and cooperation with regard to the
risen stronger and wiser. declaration of some parts of Guiuan as marine protected areas.
This was initially met with resistance from fisherfolk, but a
Creation of the Guiuan Recovery and compromise was eventually reached to allow regulated fishing.
Sustainable Development Group (RSDG)
By 2019, thousands of fisherfolk organized themselves into the
Amid the influx of humanitarian aid from both national government Guiuan Fisherfolk Federation, which guards the marine reserves
and international institutions, Guiuan formed the Recovery and and operates fish cages that can be lowered before a storm. They
Sustainable Development Group (RSDG) through an executive order. work together to address the community’s economic vulnerabilities
The RSDG aimed to consult the communities and other stakeholders and other social concerns. On food security, Guiuan is increasing
to find out their needs, and to coordinate all aid to respond to priority its cultivation of the root crop Palauan, which thrives abundantly in
needs. wetlands as a reliable food source that survives climatic hazards.
The municipal government of Guiuan is planning to establish a
The Roadmap to Resilience, Development and Progress Palauan Root-crop Research and Development Center.

Learning from the successes of the RSDG in the recovery of the

town, Guiuan crafted its Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP),
which was enhanced by its implementation of the Climate Change
Adaptation Framework (CCAF).
Stories of Resilience : A Compendium of Local Climate
14 Action in the Philippines
SUSTAINING PARADISE:
Climate Financing

BUILDING CLIMATE INFORMATION AND DRIVING People’s Survival Fund (PSF)

ADAPTATION THROUGH INCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE The municipality of Del Carmen
IN DEL CARMEN proposed for the funding of a ₱ 95.6
million climate field school for farmers
and fisherfolks under the PSF, with a
counterpart funding of ₱ 14.9 million by
the local government and the Surigao
State College of Technology.

Mainstreaming Climate Finance

Del Carmen Vice Mayor Alfredo Coro III
highlighted the importance of
tapping funding opportunities from
different sectors.

Public-Private Partnership (PPP)

Vice Mayor Coro also stressed the

Siargao Climate Field School for Farmers and Fisherfolks (SCFSFF), an institute focused mainly on developing importance of tapping the private
innovative climate-adaptive technologies and strategies for agriculture and fisheries, and adopting the best sector for climate change adaptation.
science and process to educate the farmers and fisherfolks on sustainable production despite a changing An example would be a PPP for the
climate. This facility is jointly funded by the PSF, the Local Government of Del Carmen, and the Surigao State
Mangrove Protection and Information
College of Technology. Photo courtesy of Del Carmen Mayor Alfredo Matugas Coro III (2018).
Center in Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte.

T
he municipality of Del Carmen is a 5th class municipality in the
within and around boundaries of critical key biodiversity areas, which
province of Surigao del Norte. It is located in Siargao island,
are at high risk because of climate change. The Ecotown Framework
known for Cloud 9, possibly the country’s most famous was created by the CCC to help LGUs integrate climate adaptation
surfing wave. Del Carmen boasts of 5,000-hectare mangrove forests and mitigation actions into their land use and development plans
and 44,000 hectares of municipal waters with farming, fishing, and with six components, namely: 1) natural resource assessment, 2)
tourism as the people’s main sources of livelihood. vulnerability assessment, 3) Environmental and Natural Resources
accounting, 4) adaptation measures, 5) climate adaptation support
Siargao island, located on the eastern part of the Philippines, is service, and 6) finance scheme. As an Ecotown, the Municipality
often hit by typhoons. But these were also viewed by its local of Del Carmen worked to enhance the adaptive capacities of its
leaders as building blocks for a more resilient, developed, and communities and ecosystems while assuring its ecological stability
progressive Del Carmen. and economic resilience.

The Siargao Climate Field School for Farmers and Fisherfolks In 2019, Del Carmen emerged as the first and only LGU with a
technical working group (TWG) for the Blue Carbon Initiative and a
Partially funded by the PSF, the Siargao Climate Field School for local Center of Excellence (COE), composed of a network of higher
Farmers and Fisherfolks (SCFSFF) is an institute focused mainly educational institutions (HEIs). The COE will be the research arm
on improving agriculture and aquaculture – the main source of of the TWG and will be responsible in coordinating and providing
livelihood of the townspeople. This is an initiative of the Local recommendations for the Blue Carbon Initiative in the municipality.
Government Unit-Del Carmen and its implementing partner, the
Surigao State College of Technology-Del Carmen (SSCT-DC) in Climate Change Adaptation as a Governance Platform
response to the natural hazards posed by climate change.
Del Carmen Vice Mayor Alfredo “JR” Matugas Coro III calls on his fellow leaders
From Ecotown to Blue Carbon to put the environment and the people at the center of local governance. This
requires having a long-term plan for climate change adaptation to address
In 2011, the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and Municipality of local vulnerabilities, utilizing knowledge on people’s behavior towards the
Del Carmen agreed to pilot the Ecotown Framework with a vision to natural ecosystem. He encouraged local government units to converge with
create model communities for adaptation and mitigation practices other sectors and maximize opportunities for fruitful partnerships.

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Action in the Philippines 15
 SMALL DISTRICTS, BIG RESULTS:
HARNESSING THE INDIGENOUS PUROK SYSTEM FROM
Climate Financing
WASTE MANAGEMENT TO DISASTER RESPONSE IN THE
CAMOTES ISLAND
People’s Survival Fund
The municipality of San Francisco,
Cebu was able to access ₱ 33.89
million from PSF to fund its
initiatives to build resilience through
community-based farming.

The 2011 United Nations Sasakawa

Award for Disaster Reduction
Grant
San Francisco won $50,000 or 2.1
million pesos from the United Nations
International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (UNISDR) for its sustainable
municipal development and efforts
to uplift the economic condition of
the poor.

PUROK MAP. This map helps Purok Baybay visualize where its most
disaster-vulnerable members are. Photo by Rappler.

C
amotes Islands is a group of islands classified as a 3rd class contest, promising PhP20,000 (approximately US$395) to each
municipality in Cebu Province. Its capital, San Francisco, purok that effectively maintained a solid waste management
produces mainly agricultural produce such as corn, program, conducted regular member consultations, and
coconut, fruits, vegetables, livestock, and fish. planted a community vegetable garden. Some puroks even
raised purok funds from member donations, which served as
Among all towns where Typhoon Yolanda made landfall, only San a capital fund from which members could draw micro-loans.
Francisco registered ‘zero casualty’ despite the devastating loss
suffered by its neighboring cities and towns in Leyte and Samar. Puroks as Vital Agents for Climate Change Adaptation
Their use of the Purok System (“purok,” or smallest political unit
in Filipino) as the medium for cascading early warning has been When news of any form of weather disturbance reaches
identified as the game changer. the local disaster risk reduction and management office
(LDRRMO), they inform the purok leaders, who then go around
The Purok System the village to announce the news by megaphone.

In 2004, then Mayor Alfred “Al” Arquillano Jr. encouraged one When evacuation is needed, purok leaders are guided by
purok to solve its own solid waste management problem. With community profiles as they evacuate first the most vulnerable
the successful waste reduction and transformation in that first areas. Purok leaders have access to WiFi to continuously
purok, others followed. He organized a purok beautification communicate with the LDRRMO.

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16 Action in the Philippines
WHEN PAST AND FUTURE MEET:
BLENDING TECHNOLOGY AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE
FOR RESILIENCE IN DUMANGAS

Dumangas IloIlo Climate Field School

Photo from: Maps123.net 2

A
coastal town in the Visayas, Dumangas, Iloilo relies Climate and Weather Forecast Station
largely on agriculture and fisheries. The town suffers
from drought and flooding in the dry and wet seasons, In 2002, as a pilot project of PAGASA and the ADPC, the town
respectively. Its location at the tail end of the Jalaur River, a established its Agro-Met station which had appropriate
major river basin, renders it a catch basin during rainy seasons. facilities to gather local weather data. PAGASA also trained local
government personnel to translate weather information into
In order to help the farmers adjust to the adverse impacts of understandable language which were disseminated to the local
climate change, the municipality of Dumangas, together with DRRM councils, farmers, and fishpond operators everyday. The
the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), the United farmers and fisherfolk now base their activities on the Agro-Met
States Agency for International Development (USAID), the station advisories.
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration (PAGASA), and the Iloilo Provincial Agricultural Indigenous Knowledge with Technology
Office, adopted the Climate Field School (CFS) program in 2007,
the first of its kind in the Philippines. The secret to the success of CFS is its keen understanding that
learning must begin at the level of knowledge of the end-user.
The Climate Field School The program did not seek to overstep, but instead, respectfully
worked to enhance the community’s indigenous ways, such as
The CFS aims to provide in-depth training and skills development relying on insects to predict weather conditions. At the same
to help farmers sustain their livelihood. Farmers are taught to time, the CFS continues to add new and scientific knowledge
interpret climate information and apply them in their farming to the already rich knowledge and culture of the farmers and
and fishing practices. The components of CFS are training, fisherfolk.
infrastructure, and community organizing.
The municipality of Dumangas continues to receive recognition
The CFS Training both locally and around the globe. Beyond the accolades,
the farmers and fisherfolk have dramatically improved and
A 16-week course was developed by agricultural technologists, diversified their productions leading to more produce, higher
focusing on the importance of climate in plant growth and income, and resilient communities.
development, familiarization on forecast implementation, usage
of climate parameters and instruments, learning to integrate
weather and climate information with disaster management and
agricultural planning, and creating awareness on disaster risk.

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 FROM RIDGE TO REEF:
IMPROVING LIVELIHOOD, EMPOWERING CITIZENS, AND
BUILDING RESILIENT AND ADAPTIVE COMMUNITIES
IN LANUZA
Climate Financing

People’s Survival Fund (PSF)

The municipality of Lanuza received a
₱ 39.08 million pesos grant from the
PSF.

Australian Government’s
Department of Foreign Affairs
and Trade (DFAT) with Oxfam as
implementing partner
Oxfam, with the support of
Australian Governments DFAT and
together with other local partners,
provided technical assistance in
the development of Lanuza’s PSF
proposal.

The rehabilitation and development of local mangrove and beach forests is a component of Lanuza’s
PSF project proposal. Mangrove forests act as a buffer against powerful waves caused by tsunamis and
powerful storms, thus protecting inland areas. Mangrove trees also help accumulate silt and create a
barrier against salt water. In Lanuza, as in other areas in the Philippines, many mangrove forests have been
lost over the years due to wood harvesting and reclamation for agricultural purposes.
Photo by VJ VillafrancaOxfam.

L
anuza is a 4th class municipality in the province of Surigao del Sur (3) development of climate-resilient agricultural and forest
in southern of the Philippines. Mainly dependent on agriculture, lands, and (4) strengthening citizens’ resilience through more
fishing, and eco-tourism, the local economy heightens with the varied sources of income.
arrival of both local and foreign surfers in November. It is, however,
vulnerable due to its location along the eastern seaboard of Mindanao. Improved Livelihood
It is also at risk of tidal surges and tsunamis from the Pacific Ocean.
One target outcome is to increase the residents’ income from nipa
From 2012 to 2014, Oxfam worked with the local government of sugar and wine-making. In Sitio Ipil in Barangay Agsam, farmers
Lanuza in the Australian Government-supported Building Resilient were provided a new distillation facility that uses coconut husks, a
and Adaptive Communities and Institutions in Mindanao (BINDS) more sustainable source of energy for nipa lambanog producers.
project. In 2013, Oxfam, together with local non-government
organizations (NGOs), provided technical support in crafting the Inclusive Governance
People’s Survival Fund (PSF) proposal entitled “Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management Response (Ridge-to-Reef Approach) as Adaptation The model of Lanuza is also one of inclusion. It included its
Mechanism to Resiliency.” indigenous people in the project development process, and
explored ways to provide its women additional sources of income,
Interconnected Components such as through the shift from growing bananas to growing abaca.
Abaca is a climate-resilient crop, not easily damaged even with
The project touches on interrelated components, such as (1) typhoons, and is easily replaced. Women in the indigenous
the management of watersheds, ecosystems, and forests; (2) community also manually strip abaca.
development of livelihood and capacity-building programs;

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18 Action in the Philippines
A SUSTAINING SUN:
DRIVING FOOD SECURITY THROUGH SOLAR POWER Climate Financing

IN ABRA PROVINCE The Department of

Agriculture’s Rice Program
The SPIS is the flagship
program of the DA through
the Bureau of Soils and Water
Management (BSWM) under the
Small-Scale Irrigation Project (SSIP).

The SPIS, amounting to

approximately ₱ 6 million, can be
availed through full grant. Some
of the requirements include an
organized group of farmers and
sustainable water source, among
others.

A Solar-Powered Irrigation System (SPIS) is turned over to farmers’ organizations

in Mallabaga, La Paz, Abra. Photo from the Office of the Governor, Province of Abra.

T
he Province of Abra, located in the northern part of the The SPIS uses solar energy to pump water from the source to
Philippines, is hemmed in by the towering mountain the fields. The pumps used for transport are equipped with solar
ranges in the west. The Abra River runs from south to west cells. The solar energy absorbed by the cells is then converted
and central areas, bisecting the whole Abra valley and joined by into electrical energy via a generator which then feeds an electric
the Tineg River. motor driving the pump.

Abra’s economy is agriculture-based with rice, corn, vegetables, The National Government – Local Government
and root crops as its major industry, with some production of – Farmers Organization Partnership
livestock, coffee, tobacco, and coconut.
With the DA providing the SPIS facility, the local governments
For generations, farmers in the uplands have been dependent on are expected to construct more tanks and connect these to the
the rain for the irrigation of their rice fields. They could usually solar pumps. The farmers, on the other hand, can manage and
harvest only one crop a year because of the weather pattern. properly distribute the water according to user needs. They are
also trained to operate and troubleshoot the SPIS.
The Solar-Powered Irrigation System (SPIS)
Increased Produce for the Communities
All these changed with the installation and full operation of
the Solar-Powered Irrigation System (SPIS) provided by the With the SPIS installed, farmers increased their cropping cycle
Department of Agriculture (DA), as part of its Small-Scale Irrigation from 1 to 3 per year, increasing their produce and income. In
Project (SSIP). The DA provided four SPIS in Abra situated in (1) effect, they are managing the effects of climate change and
San Vicente, (2) Piddocol, Malabbaga, La Paz, (3) Abot, Cabaruan, natural calamities on local agriculture and livelihood.
Danglas and (4) Bangbangcag, Bucay.

The water for the systems comes from the Abra and Tineg Rivers
whose banks are deep, preventing the establishment of the
traditional irrigation systems.

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Action in the Philippines 19
 FROM VATICAN OF DISASTERS TO GLOBAL MODEL:
PIONEERING DISASTER RISK REDUCTION FOR
“ZERO CASUALTY” IN ALBAY PROVINCE

Climate Financing

The World Bank Country

Assistance Program
The World Bank funds projects that
need engineering interventions
such as flood control for flood
plains, watershed protection and
reforestation, and irrigation and
rehabilitation.

The Mayon Volcano, pride of Albay Province. Photo from Edgar Alan Zeta-Yap.

T
he second largest province in Bicol region with an area of The Center for Initiatives and Research on
2,552 square kilometers, Albay has been known as the Climate Adaptation (CIRCA)
“Vatican of Disasters of the Philippines” because of the
many typhoons, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and landslides CIRCA was established in 2008 as a living research and training
that hit in any given year. Given the presence of various climate institution, through a collaboration among the provincial
and geological hazards, Albay focused on climate adaptation government of Albay, Department of Environment and Natural
and disaster risk reduction measures and has been recognized Resources - Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), World
as successful in reducing its risks and vulnerabilities. It was cited Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Bicol University (BU), and the
as a “Global Local Government Unit (LGU) model for Climate University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB). It aims to
Change Adaptation” by the United Nations Office for Disaster strengthen the capacity for research and project and program
Risk Reduction (UNDRR) implementation in sustainable agriculture, forestry, fisheries,
energy, and eco-cultural tourism in light of the growing
APSEMO challenges from climate change.

Albay is a pioneer when it comes to disaster risk reduction (DRR). Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation
It established its Provincial Disaster Risk Management Office
(PDRMO) by order of the provincial legislative council in 1994. The province also implemented the Albay in Action on Climate
With the implementation of RA 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Change (A2C2) program, which aims to embed adaptation
Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, Albay’s PDRMO and disaster risk reduction in education and local plans.
became the Albay Public Safety Emergency Management Office Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) programs are integrated
(APSEMO). in the curricula of all schools in the province. More so, CCA
was also largely considered in the province’s formulation of a
Through APSEMO, the province conducts social preparation Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP).
programs to continuously train and educate the communities in
dealing with climate change and disasters. Residents are trained
on evacuation, community kitchen management, mountain
survival skills, compass reading, and community risk mapping.
This training has been credited for making Albay’s mantra of
“zero casualty” possible throughout numerous typhoons and
Mayon’s volcanic eruptions.

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20 Action in the Philippines
A PARAGON OF POLISHED RESPONSE: Climate Financing

BUILDING URBAN CLIMATE RESILIENCE: ROAD-SHARING

IN MARIKINA CITY The Global Environment Facility
(GEF) Grant from World Bank
The GEF grant financed 19 kilometers
of sidewalks with a total funding of $
1.143 million with a local government
counterpart of$ 2 million
The GEF Small Grants Programme
(SGP) provides financial and
technical support to communities
and civil society organizations to
meet the overall objective of global
environmental benefits secured
through community-based initiatives
and actions.

Bikers passing through a bike path beside the Marikina riverbank.

Photo from broomieskywalker.blogspot.com.

M arikina, known as the country’s Shoe Capital, is the biggest manufacturer of quality locally made shoes.
It is also home to commercial and industrial centers, local markets, and shopping centers.
With the Marikina River running along the western part of the city, and at risk of overflowing in times of heavy rains,
the city has adopted an alarm system corresponding to the river’s water level: (1) when the water is 15 meters above sea
level, an alarm signals people to “prepare,” (2) when the water is 16 meters above sea level, an alarm signals people to
“evacuate,” and (3) when the water is 18 meters above sea level, an alarm signals the start of “forced evacuation.”

Marikina Trash to Treasure Photo from: Rappler.com Marikina Bikeable City Photo from: Travelup.com Marikina Bikeable City Photo from: Travelup.com

Trash to Treasure Walkable and Bicycle-Friendly / Social Preparation

Marikina City also boasts successful solid Investing on Infrastructure In promoting alternative modes of
waste management practices, such as The city has established 700 kms of cleared transportation and discouraging the use
the collection of restaurant food wastes sidewalk, 52 kms of bikeways, and five of private vehicles, the city integrated the
and turning them into fertilizer. Another bridges to ensure the safety of bikers and bikeways network in programs for regular road
is the collection of household cooking oil, walkers. These provide low cost, healthy, and improvementandwidening.Strictandconsistent
which is then mixed with plastic bags and environment-friendly transport alternatives. implementation of traffic rules and regulations
styrofoam to make bricks. The bikeways network successfully connects is important. Other initiatives include bicycle
city residential areas, specifically low-income safety education, information dissemination
communities, to offices, markets, schools, and advocacy campaigns, granting of bicycle
government centers, and to the metro loans for city employees, lending of government
railway system. bicycles, and holding annual cycling competitions
and bicycle advocacy events.

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Action in the Philippines 21
 EMERGING VICTORIOUS:
EMERGING VICTORIOUS: ZERO CASUALTY BATANES IN
THE AFTERMATH OF TYPHOON FERDIE

Communities for Resilience (CORE)

Program

The Communities for Resilience

or CORE Program is a flagship
capacity-building program of the
Climate Change Commission
(CCC) for local governments
launched in 2016. CORE aims to
help local communities adapt to
climate change, reduce disaster risk,
and acquire enduring resilience.

Batanes Photo from Oxfam Documentary

B
atanes is the smallest, northernmost province in the
Philippines, composed of ten islands facing the Pacific
and the West Philippine Sea.

On September 13, 2016, Super Typhoon Ferdie (Meranti) ravaged

the province of Batanes. Ferdie brought one-minute sustained
winds of 315 km/hr – making it one of the most intense tropical
cyclones on record, with enough force to rip off Batan Island’s
weather station. Despite being in the direct path of the super
typhoon, Batanes emerged victorious with zero casualty.

Preparedness Saves Lives

Photo by Rappler The people of Batanes or the Ivatans credit their ancestors with
indigenous knowledge and ability to adapt to extreme weather.
As they have endured typhoons through generations, tradition
appears to have systematically converged with current good
practices in disaster risk reduction such as pre-disaster risk
assessments, pre-emptive evacuations, and early warning and
speedy coordination of Local Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Councils (LDRRMCs).

Forward Thinking Enduring Resilience Measures

The CCC has a Communities for Resilience (CORE) program to

promote a risk- and science-based approach to climate change
adaptation and mitigation planning among LGUs. This is a flagship
capacity-building program launched in 2016 that helps local
communities adapt to climate change, reduce disaster risk, and
Photo by Rappler
acquire enduring resilience.
Stories of Resilience : A Compendium of Local Climate
22 Action in the Philippines
GREEN IN THE HEART OF THE METRO:
INTEGRATING THE CLIMATE LENS IN POLICYMAKING IN PASIG CITY

Continuous rehabilitation in the Pasig River including the use of water hyacinth for livelihood program as part of the comprehensive
program of Pasig Green City Program. Photo from Pasig River Coordinating Management Office (PRCMO) facebook page.

P
asig City, a highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Water Hyacinth: From Problematic to Source of Livelihood
Philippines, is bustling with urban life and infrastructure.
It is home to huge malls, office towers, and residential The proliferation of water hyacinth, a free-floating perennial
condominiums bringing in a huge number of residents, visitors, aquatic plant, considered pesky because of its broad, thick,
and vehicles in the city. This, however, brings a number of glossy ovate leaves, used to cover Pasig River. It indicates that
problems in the city, such as solid waste management, flooding, the water level in Laguna Lake is getting higher than Manila Bay’s
pollution, health problems, and environmental degradation. mean sea level. Given the abundance of water hyacinth during
rainy seasons, the community used its stems as raw materials
Policy Integration as Climate Change Adaptation Measure for a handloom weaving livelihood program. The material is then
converted into table runners, fans, slippers, bracelets, and other
The city enacted several regulations, including the requirement products. The local government, on the other hand, trained
of an Environmental Permit to Operate and installation of anti- women in crafting products from water hyacinth. These women
pollution devices. Green police volunteers numbering 500 were also hired in government-supported livelihood projects.
were also trained and authorized to apprehend violators of
environmentalaws and ordinances. Commercial and business Other Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives
establishments also have their own environmental policies and
green management principles. All these, partnered with strict True to its vision, the city installed solar-powered lights in
and consistent implementation of the policies, resulted in Pasig the streets of Barangay Kapitolyo and within the Pasig City
City’s air being classified as one of the cleanest in Metro Manila. compound. Incandescent bulbs in the Pasig Mega market were
also replaced with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) as part of
the Palit-Ilaw Project. Lastly, 81 government-owned gasoline
vehicles were converted into LPG-powered vehicles to contribute
to cleaner air and sustainable urban transport.

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Action in the Philippines 23
 A DRAGON FRUIT IN EVERY HOME:
ADAPTING TO DROUGHT AND WATER SCARCITY IN
CANDON CITY, ILOCOS SUR

Dragon fruit farming thrives in Ilocos Norte with farmers using adaptation measures.
Photos from Candon City’s Office on Public Information

C
andon City is a 4th class component city in the northern The Farmer-Adopters
province of Ilocos Sur. It is dubbed the “Tobacco Capital of
the Philippines” as it is the country’s the largest producer of The project started as a challenge to farmer-adopters to invest
Virginia-type tobacco. Its climate is generally dry from October to in a drought-resistant crop, the dragon fruit. Farmers were also
May. The city is the center of trade and commerce in southern Ilocos advised to use vermicast, also called worm castings, worm humus,
Sur with industries such as manufacturing, agro-industry, and worm manure, or worm feces, which is the end-product of the
cottage industry. It also has a number of commercial infrastructure breakdown of organic matter by earthworms. The use of vermicast
and service establishments. results in reduced levels of contaminants and a higher saturation
of nutrients. With additional knowledge from the Farmers Field
With the city’s steadfast growth and urbanization, the city’s School and the guidance of agricultural technicians, the farmers
population is growing, and with it, the increasing problem on water also learned different aspects of organic dragon fruit production.
supply. To address this, the local government of Candon established The sloping agricultural landscape technology (SALT) was also
a 130-hectare agroforestry reserve in Barangays Palacapac, San adopted to address soil erosion concerns. The process successfully
Andres, and Amguid. An inter-agency group was also formed with rehabilitated the project area, converting the grassland into
the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of Environment productive land.
and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of Public Works and
Highways (DPWH), the Department of Education (DepEd), and state Rain Water Storage
universities and colleges to develop the area into a water reserve
with people empowered to make a living despite water scarcity. Aside from potential organic farming for greenhouse gas reduction,
organic agriculture increases the soil’s water holding capacity,
Solid Mapping of Barangay Palacapac thus reducing the impacts of water scarcity. Various technologies
for water use efficiency were developed and promoted in the
The inter-agency group looked into the soil profile of Barangay uplands. To directly address water shortage, rainwater storage
Palacapac, which is primarily composed of agricultural land. Its was constructed to prepare for the summer or dry season. The
soil has low fertility levels and is severely eroded, which leads to infrastructure was also used as storage for harvested cogon. The
an inadequate supply of water and groundwater during the dry strategy has been replicated in neighboring barangays which
seasons. indicates its sustainability as adaptation practice.

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24 Action in the Philippines
 THE EVER-GROWING CITY:
HOW COMPREHENSIVE URBAN PLANNING CONTINUES TO BUILD A MODEL
CITY IN NAGA

Aerial shot of Naga City highlighting Penafrancia Avenue.

Photo courtesy of CEPPIO, LGU-Naga.

N
aga City is a 2nd class independent component city located Naga City continues to lay its plans for a climate-resilient locality,
at the heart of the Bicol region in Luzon island. Considered ensuring the safety of lifeline facilities (communication, electricity,
the center of commerce and industry, it serves as a trade hospitals/clinics, airports, evacuation centers, and warehouses)
center of goods from the Visayas and Manila with a number of and lifeline infrastructure (roads leading to facilities, levees, water
business districts, banking and finance institutions, shopping malls, systems, and waste disposal systems).
and IT-business process outsourcing centers. It is also becoming a
tourism sports hub among local and foreign sports enthusiasts. The Geographic Information System (GIS)

The city became the first model city in the Philippines to embrace The City of Naga utilizes the GIS as a tool to determine parts of
disaster management, primarily aimed at measures to reduce the city that are most likely to get flooded together with other
risks to typhoons and flooding. It incorporated climate change flood maps of other member municipalities, stitched together
adaptation and disaster risk reduction in all potential hazards in city to holistically address the flooding within Metro Naga. It has the
planning. capacity to forecast flood levels with relative accuracy, which helps
target the most vulnerable populations for evacuation. The GIS is
Inter-local Initiatives also used in land use planning.

Through Naga City’s creation of the Metro Naga Development Shifting the Center of Economic Activity
Council, a collaboration among 19 neighboring municipalities
defining the downstream Bicol River basin and most of the A long-term strategy deployed by Naga is to shift the center of
municipalities at the foothills of Mt. Isarog, localities are able to find economic activity from lowlands to more elevated areas. The city
solutions to support climate-resilient communities, solid waste created growth centers and gave incentives to attract people and
management, and tourism development. These municipalities are: investors alike. The Kaantabay sa Kauswagan Program also
Bombon, Bula, Cabusao, Calabanga, Camaligan, Canaman, Gainza, provided socialized housing for informal settlers in high-risk areas
Libmanan, Magarao, Milaor, Minalabac, Ocampo, Pili, Pamplona, and residents in flood-prone areas to elevated relocation sites with
Pasacao, Siruma, San Pascual (Masbate), San Fernando, and provisions for basic amenIties. The abandoned properties are
Tinambac. Another initiative is the development of the integrated acquired by the government, elevated, and transformed into
emergency management system, which comprehensively defines commercial and recreational facilities.
activities before, during, and after emergency situations.

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Action in the Philippines 25
 SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES:
BUILDING RESILIENCE THROUGH INCLUSIVE AND TRANSFORMATIVE CLIMATE ACTION
IN QUEZON CITY

Representatives of Quezon City Government’s Environmental Policy Management Council (QG-EPMC) convene to formulate the city’s climate
action plan. Photo from ICLEAS Website.

Q
uezon City is home to three million Filipinos and is the largest city in Metro Manila by land area. Harnessing its vast area
and resources, the city has opened up boundless opportunities for climate action through an inclusive and transformative
approach. Its Environment Policy Management Council developed a strategic appraisal of the city’s Climate Action Plan
baseline with support from C40 and the ICLEI Southeast Asia Secretariat. Its disaster risk reduction initiatives—from community-led
work to address flood risk and solar power installations for better disaster risk management, to inclusive solutions addressing the
problem of plastic waste—embody the same approach.

Communities Take the Lead

Sitio Kislap is a flood-prone settlement at the northern tip of the city, home to 528 families living along a creek. The community
assessed its own households based on risks and evacuation priority with aid from Damayan ng Maralitang Pilipinong Api Inc. (DAMPA),
a network of 245 urban and rural poor communities and grassroots women leaders across the Philippines. The risk mapping helped
identify three urgent strategies: better waste management, stronger early warning systems, and the reinforcement of structures.
The community convinced the local government to reduce flood risk through canal dredging and creek riprapping.

Solar-Powered Disaster Risk Management

Quezon City also initiated the Solarization of Public Schools Project to lower consumption and help reduce emissions. A pilot was
implemented in Commonwealth High School, with 380 panels, 20 inverters, and 160 batteries installed in five buildings within
the school compound, which also serves as an evacuation area during disasters. The Solar Power Facility is projected to produce
146,000kWh per year—which would remove 88.07 tonnes of CO2 per year from the city’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

Inclusion and innovation in tackling plastic waste

Being the most populous city in the country, it is not surprising that Quezon City also produces the most garbage daily. Knowing
that a simple ban will not be enough to stem the tide of plastic waste, the city launched the innovative “Trash to Cashback” program
with Basic Environmental Systems and Technologies, where recyclables can be traded into “environmental points,” which can then
be exchanged for basic commodities or used to pay for food deliveries through the bXTRA.com.ph platform. It also coordinated with
foreign and local partners to implement the Social Inclusion and Alternative Livelihood for the Informal Waste Sector project as it
moves to modernize its waste management system.

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26 Action in the Philippines
LEARNING FOR LIFE:
DRIVING RESILIENCE WITH CLIMATE-SMART FARMING
IN COTABATO

Woman farmer tends to a bitter gourd plant at the FAO Climate-Smart Farmer Field School.
She is one of the more than 10,000 beneficiaries of the program. Photo from FAO.

C
otabato, its name derived from a Maguindanao phrase Life-long Learning for Cotabato Farmers
which means stone fort, is a 9000 sq. km. of land at the
center of Mindanao. While provinces with the highest As part of the program, climate-smart farmer field schools are
poverty rates in the country and among the most vulnerable to made available for the farmers to learn new ways to produce rice,
climate change. Local adaptation to climate change is essential corn, and vegetables, understand innovative methods in fighting
for vulnerable coastal and farming communities faced with pests, and resolve other farming issues. More importantly, the
increasing threats to livelihood and safety. Farming and fishing field schools create a culture of knowledge-sharing within the
families in Mindanao, including in the province of Cotabato, are no community.
stranger to both natural and human-induced threats. Aside from
typhoons, drought, and flooding, these families are repeatedly Climate Resilient Farming
displaced as a result of armed conflict. However, in recent years,
the natural threats have worsened with stronger typhoons, The local government, together with the Department of
widespread drought, and expansive flooding devastating crops Agriculture and FAO, work on inputs on rice, corn, and vegetable
and farm produce. seeds, fruit tree seedlings, fertilizer, drying nets, small farm
machinery, post-harvest equipment, livestock and poultry,
Through a US$ 3 million grant from the Government of New tilapia fingerlings, and gillnets. Since 2015, the stakeholders have
Zealand, farmers and fishermen from five municipalities of been working on promoting inclusive, equitable, and sustainable
Cotabato, namely, Aleosan, Kabacan, Midsayap, Pigkawayan and growth by lifting smallholders out of subsistence, linking lagging
Pikit, were assisted by the Food and Agriculture Organization areas to more progressive cities, and improving the resilience of
of the United Nations to restart their livelihoods and build their agricultural livelihoods to crises and climate impacts.
resilience to the effects of extreme weather events and armed
conflict.

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Action in the Philippines 27
 PROJECT SHINE:
HYDROLOGICAL OBSERVATION FOR DISASTER
PREPAREDNESS IN BULACAN

Climate Financing

National Government
As a center of PAGASA, PRFFWC
receives funds from the National
Government to implement its
projects and initiatives.

LGU Support
The local government units of
Bulacan have been supporting the
initiatives of Project SHINe.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office in collaboration with the Bulacan
State University - Extension Office conducts a three-day training dubbed as the Climate and
Disaster Risk Assessment Training of Trainers (CDRA-TOT), attended by Provincial, City and
Municipal DRRM Officers and PDRRMC Technical Working Group on February 19-21, 2020
at the Bulacan State University. Photo courtesy of Bulacan Provincial Public Affairs Office.

B
ulacan, lying on the northeastern shores of Manila Bay, Awareness, Coordination, and Sustainability
is home to 3.3 million Filipinos and is part of the rice
granary of the Philippines. While numerous industries Project SHINe enhances the awareness of schools on climate-
have already developed in the province due to its proximity to related hazards through weather monitoring and coordination, in
Metro Manila, the majority of the rural areas still depend on support of the local government unit’s flood warning systems and
agriculture and aquaculture. With this, monitoring of the river long-term strategies at the local and provincial levels. To date, there
systems is of paramount importance for towns in Bulacan. are 37 SHINe school beneficiaries in its 11th year of implementation.
In 2004, the Pampanga River Flood Forecasting and Warning Yearly, SHINe visits reorientation and SHINe conferences are held.
Center (PRFFWC), a pilot river basin flood forecasting and
warning center of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Growing the Network: Expanding Resilience
Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), launched the
Community-based Flood Mitigation and Management Program In the early part of 2013, the Provincial Government of Bulacan
(CBFMMP). Two years later, a parallel program, known as SHINe partnered with Save the Children’s Project “ENCORE” (Enhancing
or School Hydrological Information Network was launched, Community Resilience to Disasters). More and more schools have
which aimed to address the issues on the effects of climate become part of SHINe. The initiative was also replicated in 11
change, focusing on raising awareness on hydrometeorological- schools located in the Municipality of Baggao, Cagayan through the
related hazards. DILG’s Good Practices in Local Governance: Facility for Adaptation
and Replication (GO-FAR) program.

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BRINGING BACK “MANINGNING”:
YOUTH-LED CREEK REHABILITATION AND CLIMATE-RESILIENT FARMING IN
TAYTAY, RIZAL

Before and after images of Maningning Creek. Photos from Angat Kabataan.

M
aningning is the Filipino term for shining. However, Soon, bigger institutions took part in the initiative. The
the Maningning Creek located in Taytay, Rizal was Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the
anything but shining seven years ago. The 3-km creek Philippine National Police sent hundreds of volunteers for
was polluted, clogged by garbage and water lilies, and reeking clean-up drives of the creek. The Laguna Lake Development
of sewage sludge. The rehabilitation project was initiated by Authority (LLDA) also donated 100 bamboo seedlings.
Angat Kabataan, a youth group composed of residents of the
municipality. More than a year after their first clean up, Maningning Creek
has regained its clear waters and lost its foul odor. Tilapia,
A rehabilitation project was initiated by Angat Kabataan, martiniko, mudfish, and other marine life also now thrive in
composed of youth from the municipality, after the the creek. Another positive result is the lowered incidence of
devastating experience of Typhoon Ondoy in 2009. The group dengue in the areas surrounding the creek.
was awakened to address the problems of their hometown’s
waterways. From weekly clean-up activities and bamboo Climate Resilient Farming
planting, the efforts of the group evolved to the use of Bokashi
Balls, a Japanese technology using fermented organic batter Angat Kabataan was awarded as one of the Ten Accomplished
filled with microorganisms to breakdown toxins and food Young Organizations for this project. The ASEAN also took
waste in the water. notice of their effort. Their project has become a model for
waterways rehabilitation, and has now been replicated in other
A Community Effort waterways in different parts of Southeast Asia through a US
$10,000 grant from the Link, Engage, Activate and Develop
Local residents, the private sector, non-governmental (LEAD) ASEAN Youth Summit.
organizations, and the local government helped in the
rehabilitation project.

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Action in the Philippines 29
 FROM BENEFICIARIES TO CLIMATE
Climate Financing
LEADERS:
COMMUNITY-LED FLOOD RESILIENCE IN
SITIO PULO, NAVOTAS CITY
ADB Pilot Project

The Asian Development Bank

provides funding for Water Pilot
and Demonstration activities

Water pilot and demonstration

activities (PDAs) are small-scale,
short-term projects that test and
validate innovative approaches,
methodologies, and technologies for
replication or scaling up.

The US$ 50,000 grant was introduced

as a program under the Cooperation
Fund for the Water Sector (CFWS)
in 2002 with the aim of promoting
effective water management policies
and practices.

Isla Pulo is seen as a possible eco-tourism site, with its own unique beauty, birding sites,
and flood resilience measures undertaken by the community and local government.
Sitio Pulo Navotas Photo from Ebonph.Wordpress

S
itio Pulo is a small fishing community off the shores of
Navotas City, one of Metro Manila’s cities. It is a low-lying
island teeming with migratory birds and mangrove trees.

A narrow strip of land along the eastern shores of Manila Bay,

Sitio Pulo is submerged in waist-deep water during high tide
and heavy rains. As a recipient of the Asian Development Bank
pilot project in 2013, locally designed innovations were tested
to build the community’s resilience to floods.

Working with the Community Sitio Pulo Navotas Photo from Ebonph.Wordpress
Perennial recipients of aid during times of disaster, the residents
The project originally focused on helping the community increase were able to pool their available resources to provide aid to
their flood preparedness through workshops on disaster risk those devastated by Typhoon Yolanda in spite of the challenges
reduction and assistance to construct a livelihood center on they faced due to poverty. During the span of the project, the
stilts, including a two-storey multipurpose center. Working with community was able to develop a disaster risk assessment
the community meant listening to the priorities identified by manual and toolkit for developing disaster-resilient construction
the residents themselves–constructing a 500-meter bamboo materials and technologies in the local language.
bridge and repairing a 13-meter long wooden bridge. The
residents of Sitio Pulo helped in building the structures. Recently, the local government of Navotas assessed the risks
in Sitio Pulo, declaring it as a danger zone. The residents were
The elevated livelihood center provided storage for rice relocated and Sitio Pulo is now cleared of all structures and
and fishing nets, while the multipurpose center houses the inhabitants. At present, the island is being monitored by DENR
community library, workshop and tutorial center venue, and which is conducting an assessment to determine the island’s
more importantly, an evacuation center in times of flood. ecological integrity.

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30 Action in the Philippines
AHEAD OF THE CURVE:
MANAGING UNPREDICTABLE WEATHER AND CLIMATE HAZARDS
THROUGH EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS IN ZAMBOANGA CITY

Zamboanga City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (ZCDRRMO) in partnership with the City Engineer’s Office
has initiated the installation of early warning signages in barangays. Photos from ZCDRRMO

S
ituated at the southwestern tip of the Zamboanga The city’s government also established its own Text Message
Peninsula, Zamboanga City is exposed to coastal storm Alert System (TMAS) which aims to send out appropriate and
surges and flooding from heavy rains draining off direct information to the residents during disasters. The TMAS
nearby mountains and obstructing agricultural productivity is capable of generating text messages within a radius of 3-5
and livelihood. These impacts of climate change are some of kilometers and can send 1,000 to 1,500 messages per hour.
the major problems of that city’s local government units need It can also operate and send out messages even when all
to address. They need to come up with plans to build up the communication systems are down during the disaster.
city’s resilience to resist, accommodate, and recover from
these impacts. And its efforts to adapt and mitigate climate ALeRTO Protocol
change, the city’s LGU has partnered with different sectors
and with community to implement various projects, activities, The Automated Water-Level and Rain Monitoring Using Near-
and programs. Real Time Observation (ALeRTO) is an early warning system
device developed by Ateneo de Zamboanga University. It was
Working with a Plan programmed to monitor the critical water level and rain data
from DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute, and the
With unpredictable weather, Zamboanga City needs to stay status of the hydrometeorological data, specifically in CARAGA,
alert to make sure they will not be heavily impacted by the from the PAGASA. The device determines the threshold
climate change hazards. To ensure the preparedness of the category of a river where it is installed, which is represented
community, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management by the different color warnings. Once the device determines
Office (CDRRMO) in partnership with the City Engineer’s Office that a particular river has reached a certain threshold, it will
has installed early warning signages in various areas of the automatically send out alert messages via SMS to registered
city such as in landslide, flood and storm surge prone areas. users, specifically to LGUs. Fortunately, Zamboanga City is one
These signages are installed in strategic locations in different of the LGUs wherein project was been piloted. Through ALeRTO,
barangays to help prepare and protect people and property as the city government of Zamboanga and its community can be
well as to take proactive measures in responding to calamities. more prepared for the rains and floods. Local authorities can
decide more quickly on the course of action to save lives and
properties. More importantly, the local authorities can be able
to decide what course of action to take to reduce the risk of
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Action in the Philippines 31
 WORKING WITH NATURE:
ECOTOURISM AND ECO-CONSERVATION IN PANDAN,
ANTIQUE

Climate Financing

Partnership with the Department

of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR)

The ₱30-million pesos Pandan

Arboretum and Eco park is funded
by the DENR and supported by the
Municipal government of Pandan,
Antique.

The Pandan Arboretum and Eco Park protects and conserves species of trees that are considered
endangered, while promoting biodiversiy-friendly tourism activities and developing sustainable livelihood
enterprises. Photo from Pandan Arboretum and Eco Park facebook page.

Ecotourism and Eco-Conservation in Pandan, Antique

The municipality of Pandan in Antique Province, just

23 miles away from world-famous Boracay Island,
boasts of its own white sand beaches along Pandan Bay
in addition to other tourist attractions, like the Bugang River and
Malumpati Cold Spring.

With the increasing number of tourists visiting the area, it recognizes

the need to develop an ecotourism model that will attract more
tourists and enthusiasts, maximize its ecotourism potentials, while
protecting its rich natural resources and biodiversity.
Pandan Antique Ecotourism from Municipality of Pandan

Pandan Arboretum and Eco park

The Pandan Arboretum and Eco Park in Barangay Sto. Rosario

is an ecotourism area aiming to protect and conserve species of
trees that are considered endangered.

It also aims to promote biodiversity-friendly tourism activities and

develop sustainable livelihood enterprises. It has a total of 108,925
hectares where trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants have been
cultivated for scientific and educational purposes. The arboretum
includes 82.38 hectares for old-growth trees, 9.28 hectares for a
bambusetum (bamboo garden), 3.87 hectares for a palmetum This facility is considered the largest ecotourism site in Panay
(palm garden), 0.79 hectares for an orchidarium, 0.59 hectares for Island and was turned over to the municipal government of
an herbarium, and 2.012 hectares for government buildings and Pandan and Santo Rosario Multipurpose Cooperative, the
other infrastructures. People’s Organization in the area.
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32 Action in the Philippines
BREAKING THE WAVE OF PLASTIC:
INNOVATING AND COLLABORATING TOWARDS A PLASTIC-FREE
SAN FERNANDO

The Clean Coasts Project, together with the DENR, Philippine National Police (PNP), Jaime V. Ongpin Foundation, Inc. and Philippine Coast
Guard conducts Orientation and Coastal Clean-up in La Union. Photo from Clean Coasts Project Facebook Page

S
an Fernando is a component city of La Union, a province Communities working together
known for its beaches and surfing spots. San Fernando
relies mainly on agricultural production, with fishing in Communities in San Fernando are also working together to
coastal and seashore areas as secondary means of livelihood. address growing plastics pollution. The “Recycler’s Fair:
With plastic pollution threatening San Fernando and its coasts Palit-Basura Project” is an innovative community-led initiative
like many other parts of the country, the city turned to innovative promoting proper waste segregation. Under a barter system,
and collaborative solutions to the problem of plastic. recyclable items are exchanged for grocery items, rice, and
mobile phone load. The project targets the source of waste
One such initiative is the two-year Plastic Recovery and Recycling starting from the household level.
for Clean Coasts Project funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation
and implemented by the Jaime V. Ongpin Foundation. The
project is run by a broad range of partners including the
Environmental Bureau Region 1, the San Fernando local
government, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of
the Department of Agriculture, Don Mariano Marcos Memorial
State University, Saint Louis College, Lupon ng mga Indibidwal
na Nangangalaga sa Kalikasan, San Juan Resorts, Restaurant
and Hotel Association, and the Bauang Tourism Council, among
others. All partners commit to promote sustainable waste
management through recycling and livelihood, increasing public
awareness on waste management issues, and strengthening
multi-stakeholder alliances. The project aims to promote
plastic waste management along coastal barangays, ultimately
benefiting the tourism sector, fisherfolk, residents and the
public that partake of the bounty of the sea.

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Action in the Philippines 33
 DMMMSU implements Recycler’s Fair: Palit Basura Project and recovers recyclable materials from various offices and
facilities within the campus in exchange for goods. Photo from Clean Coasts Project Facebook Page

S
ustainable Palengke: “Plastic-Free Palengke Drive”
was first implemented in March 2018 in the city’s
Public Wet Market. To ease the transition after a city
ordinance regulated and fined plastics and Styrofoam, a
group of students, out-of-school youth, and concerned
citizens collaborated for an awareness drive that seeks to
study single-use plastics usage, and educate market-goers
on the positive impact of bringing reusable bags.

Working in groups, all volunteers were given specific roles.

One group interviewed sellers to educate and convince
them to follow the ordinance. Others put up posters
around the market to convey how plastics make their
way into the sea—and ultimately on our plates. Another Youth leaders and volunteers raise awareness about their local ASUP
group documented the number of plastics going out of ordinance and educate market-goers on the positive impact of bringing
the market while others took over stalls and sold products reusable bags. Photo from feed.org.ph and spot.ph
while educating buyers about why they should use
reusable bags instead. Volunteers gave away eco-bags for
free to buyers who opted to exchange their plastic bags.
Plastic is deeply entrenched in our ways of life, but San
Fernando’s experience proves the shift away from plastic
is possible—and easier when communities work together.

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34 Action in the Philippines
REVIVING RIVERS AND COMMUNITIES:
CASH-FOR-WORK INITIATIVES TO CLEAN RIVERS WITH KATURAY
IN BULAKAN

Women leaders cut katuray branches that will be transferred and planted in the Katuray Nursery in Barangay Balubad, Bulakan.
Photo from DSWD Region 3 Website.

R
ivers are the lifeblood of humanity—a truth that is more Reviving More Than Rivers
apparent in provinces like Bulacan, which is irrigated
by many different rivers that once washed into fertile, The Katuray Project is an initiative of the municipality in
thickly tree-lined banks. But the province faced a problem: partnership with the Municipal Social Welfare and Development
its rivers were in critical condition because of heavy metal Office of Bulakan, the Solo Parents Federation, and Pag-asa
contamination. Youth Association of the Philippines of Bulakan. The program
is anchored on the Risk Resiliency Program - Climate Change
Partnering with the Academe Adaptation and Mitigation (RRP-CCAM) of the Department of
Social Welfare and Development Region 3.
The state of the province’s rivers came to light from a study
by the Bulacan State University, which indicated worsening Notably, Bulakan’s Katuray efforts helped revive more than
contamination as seen in water and soil samples. This has rivers. The financial assistance program through a cash-for-work
adverse effects especially on the province’s coastal communities scheme has also provided an additional source of income for the
that depend on fishing for their livelihood. To address this, the residents of Bulakan. According to Municipal Social Welfare and
study recommended the planting of Katuray trees (Sesbania Development Officer Maria Victoria Morelos, the project has also
grandiflora L.) for their phytoremediation properties that have revitalized their community by giving an opportunity to bond,
the capacity to absorb pollutants in bodies of water. engage, and be more aware of the importance of sustainable
practices and environmental restoration.
The planting of Katuray cuttings near river banks became part of
the community outreach of the university, an effort which also
gained support from local groups and civil society organizations.
Learnings from the BSU study led to the Phytoremediation
and Ecosystem Restoration Ordinance issued in 2015 by the
Municipality of Bulakan—a first class municipality that served
as the province’s first capital and which is among the oldest
in the country. The following year, the municipal government
worked on several Katuray planting projects with the help of the
university.
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Action in the Philippines 35
 PLANTING SEEDS OF EMPOWERMENT:
PLANTING SEEDS OF EMPOWERMENT THROUGH
CASH-FOR-WORK INITIATIVES

Mandaya Tribe Leaders conduct training on farming for indigenous farmer-beneficiaries.

Photo from Mandaya Tribe Farming Association Facebook Group

M
onkayo is a first-class municipality in Davao de Oro. It is among the largest towns of the province, serving as home to
over 94,000 people and comprising 15% of Davao de Oro’s total land area. An agricultural town, Monkayo’s land is mostly
devoted to coconut, followed by corn and rice. Other major crops include rubber, banana, cacao, and oil palm. Gold-rich
Mt. Diwata—popularly known as Diwalwal—is also officially a barangay of the municipality. Extensive mountain ranges, which are
naturally endowed with rich forests, define Monkayo’s topography.

Of the municipality’s land, 55% or close to 37,000 hectares is classified as forestland. Around 39% comprising 27,070.49 hectares
is also recognized as the ancestral domain of the Mandaya, Manobo, Mangguangan, and Dibabawon tribes. Called in 19th century
anthropology as “the aristocracy of the Mindanao tribes,” the Mandaya is regarded as an “elite tribe,” and is among the “oldest and
most illustrious of peoples” in the Davao region.

The few species of indigenous plants and wildlife that remain in Monkayo can only be found within these ancestral domains.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) inventories, conducted with the assistance of tribal leaders, found
only 49 known species and three lesser known species of trees; abaca and other fibrous plants, rattan, and native palms are now
endangered, and can only be found in forested areas within the ancestral domain.

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36 Action in the Philippines
 Monkayo LGU distributes wages of farmer-beneficiaries who participated in the Cash-for-Work Program. Photo from www.nnc.gov.ph

Empowering Tribes, Establishing Farming Models

In December 2020, under a joint Cash-for-Work Program, the Department of Agriculture and Department of Social Welfare and
Development, together with the Monkayo local government, released wages for 186 farmer-beneficiaries from the Mandaya Tribe
Natural Farmers Association after they planted materials received from DA Region XI.

Rosalinda McDowell, who heads the association, calls the initiative “a great blessing.” As many of the indigenous farmer-beneficiaries
have not been able to finish formal education, McDowell believes the initiative can help them stay in their communities and earn
a livelihood. More than just providing livelihood and generating income for the indigenous Mandaya community, however, the
program also maximizes otherwise unutilized and unproductive land. At the same time, it equips farmers through trainings and
empowers them to develop their ancestral domain sustainably.

The training provided by the project is enriched by the local and indigenous knowledge of the farmer-beneficiaries—and they hope
all this will culminate in the creation of a model farm that will showcase the work of the indigenous peoples and farmers involved.
With emerging evidence on the importance of indigenous knowledge for climate change adaptation, this partnership may plant so
much more than trees in Monkayo—it may even plant the seeds of greater resilience and sustainability elsewhere in the country
and beyond.

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Action in the Philippines 37
 BEYOND THE BOUNTY OF THE SEA:
BUILDING NOT JUST CLIMATE BUT PANDEMIC RESILIENCE THROUGH
MANGROVE REFORESTATION IN KABASALAN

Tourists and locals cruise the Siay-Kabasalan Wetlands surrounded by mangrove forest (left). KGMC leader Roberto Ballon educates
communities on mangrove and marine life conservation (right). Photo from Forest Foundation Philippines and taraletsanywhere.com.

R
oberto “Ka Dodoy” Ballon remembers when the waters of Kabasalan—a coastal town in Zamboanga Sibugay—teemed with
fish. He recalls how fisherfolk used to catch so much fish in the 1960s and ‘70s that they did not know how to sell them anymore.

When fish population began to decline, Kapunungan sa mga Gagmay ng Mangingisda sa Concepcion (KGMC)—organized by Ka Dodoy
and fellow fisherfolk in 1986—quickly saw the problem: mangrove destruction and illegal fishing. They saw that the fish disappeared
when the mangroves did; but as people became desperate, they resorted to illegal fishing practices, which caused fish population and
livelihoods to suffer even more. As a result, children were not able to go to school, poverty increased, and many families went hungry.

To remedy this, the group harnessed bayanihan for mangrove reforestation—and by 1994, they had already planted around 50
hectares. As the mangroves returned, so did the fish—but they brought back more than the bounty of the sea. The reforested mangrove
has protected their communities especially during typhoons. Mangroves also have immense carbon sequestration capacity. Beyond
climate resilience, as local communities found, they also brought pandemic resilience—the impact of the steep economic downturn on
communities was cushioned by the livelihoods and resources they built in the course of protecting the environment.

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38 Action in the Philippines
 KGMC members conduct an assessment and monitoring of mangroves in Zamboanga Sibugay (left) and Ka Dodoy convenes the Coalition of
Municipal Fisherfolk Associations of Zamboanga Sibugay (right). Photo from Peace and Equity Foundation and
Ramon Magsaysay Foundation.

Growing resilience from within Reaching outward and to the future

KGMC’s initiative, however, was volunteer-driven from the But as one barangay did well, it attracted others who went in to
start—and this meant members shouldered the costs. Their cut mangroves and illegally catch fish. And yet instead of having
numbers dwindled: from 36 members, at one point they were them imprisoned, KGMC reached out to educate them. It also
down to just five. But their group kept looking for ways forward, started reaching out to other communities in Kabasalan—starting
bringing seedlings whenever they went to sea. In time, agencies from just one barangay, and eventually reaching all others in the
noticed their efforts, which also meant funding. Their numbers municipality. In 2013, the group created the Coalition of Municipal
grew tenfold to 300; guided by the mindset of not just taking but Fisherfolk Associations of Zamboanga Sibugay to replicate what
giving back to nature, their plans and programs expanded as they accomplished in the thirteen coastal municipalities of
well. Recognition and awards poured in even from outside the Zamboanga Sibugay. With the original members of the group
country—including, most recently, the 2021 Ramon Magsaysay already growing old, Ka Dodoy hopes to reach not just even more
Award for Ka Dodoy. parts of the Philippines that can build on what they have achieved
accomplishments, but generations of Filipinos of the future to
continue tomorrow what they started today.

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Action in the Philippines 39
 CONTACT US
Climate Change Commission
info@climate.gov.ph
www.climate.gov.ph
www. niccdies.climate.gov.ph

@cccphl

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40 Action in the Philippines