LANDBANK, PAGASA launch $22-M climate adaptation project

The Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) have joined hands to lead the establishment of an impact-based forecasting and early warning system, to enable communities take better pre-emptive measures against natural calamities.

The “Multi-Hazard Impact-Based Forecasting and Early Warning System for the Philippines” or the “IBF-Ph Project” is supported by a $10-million grant from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and $12 million in co-financing from PAGASA, under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

The IBF-Ph Project aims to address the challenges related to climate hazards by communicating what the weather “will do” rather than what the weather “will be.” It will combine the best available science and local knowledge on forecasting and risk assessment, instead of generating standardized information based on thresholds and lead times.

The IBF-Ph Project will run until 2027, with the end goal of institutionalizing impact-based forecasting and integrating early warnings into investment and policy decisions. It will be piloted in the disaster-prone areas of Palo, Leyte; New Bataan, Davao de Oro; Tuguegarao City, Cagayan; and Legazpi City, Albay.

“LANDBANK welcomes the opportunity of working with PAGASA and other development partners to advance sustainable finance and contribute to addressing the challenges of climate change. We look forward to the successful implementation of the IBF-Ph Project, as part of our broader thrust of promoting sustainable development,” said LANDBANK President and CEO Cecilia Cayosa Borromeo.

GCF Mitigation and Adaptation Division Director Dr. German Velasquez, along with Science and Technology Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. and PAGASA Administrator Dr. Vicente B. Malano, led the national launch of the IBF-Ph Project on 26 April 2023 at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria Hotel in Ortigas Center, Quezon City.

They were joined by Interior and Local Government Director Edgar Allan B. Tabell, Climate Change Commission Assistant Secretary Romell Antonio O. Cuenca, Office of Civil Defense Administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, PAGASA Deputy Administrator Dr. Esperanza O. Cayanan, and LANDBANK Vice President Esperanza N. Martinez.

Also present were World Food Programme Country Director Brenda Barton, Tuguegarao City Mayor Maila Rosario Ting-Que, Legazpi City Mayor Carmen Geraldine B. Rosal, Palo Mayor Remedios L. Petilla, and other local development partners.

The IBF-Ph Project is the very first GCF-approved project in the country, with PAGASA as the lead executing entity and LANDBANK serving as a Direct Access Entity (DAE) to ensure that the project is compliant with GCF policies and standards.

Other project implementors are the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB), the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP), and the local government units of Tuguegarao City, Legazpi

City, Palo in Leyte, and New Bataan in Davao de Oro.

Project collaborators include the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Finance (DOF), Climate Change Commission (CCC), and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW).