Turning local action into national resilience in the Philippines

As one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, the Philippines is experiencing escalating climate risks that continue to affect and displace millions each year. Farmers and rural communities face increasing threats from floods, droughts, typhoons and other climate-related hazards.

To strengthen community resilience and protect agrifood systems, the Government of the Philippines has launched the Philippines Community Resilience Project – Pagkilos (from the Filipino word for “action”). Co-financed by the World Bank and designed with the support of the FAO Investment Centre, the project will help vulnerable communities respond to and strengthen their resilience to climate and disaster risks, while enhancing livelihoods, food security and local infrastructure.

“The launch comes soon after Typhoon Tino caused severe flooding and landslides in Cebu and across the Visayas — a reminder of the urgency of empowering communities to plan for and respond to climate risks,” said Mohamed Manssouri, Director of the FAO Investment Centre. “While immediate recovery efforts remain the priority on the ground, this project supports the Government of the Philippines in building longer-term, community driven systems that can better withstand future climate shocks.”

Building resilience from the ground up

Pagkilos plans to reach an estimated 4.1 million households - 18 million people across - 500 municipalities, including 177 with significant Indigenous Peoples’ populations, and focuses on locally led investments in flood control, slope protection, agroforestry and other climate-smart practices.

Implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development through the long-standing Kalahi-CIDSS community development platform, Pagkilos builds on two decades of experience in participatory local governance.

The FAO Investment Centre supported the design of Pagkilos by developing its climate resilience livelihoods approach and investment framework and by facilitating greater coordination and a coherent framework for collaboration between the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Agriculture.

With a total investment of USD 874 million from the Government of the Philippines and the World Bank, and technical support from FAO, the project aims to strengthen local institutions and support community-led initiatives that improve climate preparedness and long-term rural development.

“The recent natural disasters in the Philippines underscore why investing in resilience cannot wait,” said Ingo Wiederhofer, Practice Manager, World Bank. “Through Pagkilos, the Government of the Philippines and its partners are empowering communities and local governments to take the lead in protecting their lives, livelihoods and environment, turning recovery into an opportunity to build lasting resilience.”

Pagkilos is anchored in three priority areas:

• Community-led resilience planning and investments, including flood and drought protection, nature-based solutions and resilient livelihoods such as climate-smart agriculture.
• Institutional strengthening, supporting local governments and national agencies to integrate community resilience plans into development strategies, backed by a new resilience knowledge platform.
• Accountability and learning, with strengthened monitoring, evaluation and grievance mechanisms ensuring transparent and effective implementation.
  

FAO’s work focused particularly on resilient livelihoods, ensuring the project promotes climate-smart agriculture practices, and improved post-harvest and market systems so farmers and rural households can better withstand and recover from climate shocks.

By aligning financial investment with human capacity development and locally led governance, the Government of the Philippines, together with the World Bank and FAO, aim to make resilience planning a foundation for sustainable rural development.