DBP, PHIVOLCS forge partnership on enhanced climate risk management

MANILA – State-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) has signed an agreement with the premiere service institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to integrate hazard information into the Bank’s risk management, policies and processes, and optimize its lending and investment operations, a top official said.

DBP President and Chief Executive Officer Michael O. de Jesus said the agreement it signed with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) would allow the Bank to access and harness the agency’s hazard information platform, GeoRiskPH, to ensure evidence-based credit evaluations and enable data-driven business decisions.

“We view this partnership with PHIVOLCS as a tangible manifestation of how government agencies can strengthen their collaboration and leverage shared expertise in advancing a safer, more resilient, and sustainable Philippines,” de Jesus said.

DBP is the ninth largest bank in the country with total assets of P1.041 trillion and provides credit support to four priority sectors of the economy – infrastructure and logistics; micro, small and medium enterprises; the environment; and social services and community development.

GeoRiskPH, a science-based platform led by PHIVOLCS, is a centralized government initiative designed to provide real-time data and risk analysis to support geohazard mapping and vulnerability assessments, helping strengthen disaster preparedness across the country.

De Jesus said under the agreement, PHIVOLCS would provide DBP free access to the GeoRiskPH platform, including its HazardHunterPH Pro application, to enable the Bank to manage the potential impact of natural hazards to its loan collaterals and investments, including acquired assets, as well as branch locations, and other bank facilities.

He said DBP and PHIVOLCS will conduct a bank-wide capacity building training on the use of GeoRiskPH platform and HazardHunterPH Pro, focusing primarily on key business areas such as lending, branch banking, special assets, and credit appraisal.

“We believe that this initiative not only contributes to the broader goal of disaster risk reduction but also strengthens the Bank’s institutional resilience, especially in financing projects that would generate economic activity particularly in the countryside,” de Jesus said.