28/01/2026
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฐ๐ข๐๐
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its KALAHI-CIDSS Program, is strengthening its efforts to protect vulnerable communities by building new partnerships with the Ateneo de Manila University - Institute of Sustainability and the University of the Philippines- Resilience Institute (UP-RI).
In meetings held this January, representatives from DSWD, Ateneo, and UP explored ways to combine government action and academic expertise to support communities facing increasing climate and disaster risks. The collaboration will support the KALAHI-CIDSSโ recently launched modality, the Panahon ng Pagkilos: Philippine Community Resilience Project (PCRP), which will be implemented from 2026 to 2030 in around 500 municipalities nationwide.
The partnership focuses on practical actions such as training for local governments and communities, joint research and documentation, and the use of science-based tools for disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation. Students and faculty from both universities may also take part in fieldwork, service learning, and community-based research.
A key outcome of the engagement was the agreement to move toward a formal Memorandum of Understanding between DSWD and Ateneo de Manila University alongside identified priority collaboration areas with the UP-RI. These include capacity-building on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, technical assistance for the Panahon ng Pagkilos: PCRP, and the use of risk-informed tools to support local planning and decision-making. The UP-RI also confirmed its participation as a member of the National Steering Committee for the Academe Advisory Council. While formal agreements are being finalized, both partnerships committed to immediate collaborative activities.
The consultation meetings were made possible through the coordination and initiative of DSWD MIMAROPA Region, whose groundwork and facilitation helped bring together national and academic partners for this collaborative effort.
By working together, DSWD, Ateneo, and UP aim to ensure that resilience planning is not only science-driven, but also grounded in community participationโhelping families and local governments prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters more effectively.
