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This case study examines climate resilience efforts in Valenzuela City, Metro Manila, focusing on its vulnerability to flooding and its participation in the Partners for Resilience (PfR) programme to integrate climate change adaptation and ecosystem management into disaster risk reduction.

This case study examines the application of the Partners for Resilience (PfR) programme in Barangay Potrero, Malabon City, to address severe urban flooding. By combining customised risk communication, localised early warning systems in partnership with the national meteorological agency (PAGASA), and inter-city coordination within the Tullahan River Basin, the project aimed to shift community and leadership mindsets from passive acceptance of flooding to proactive risk management.

This policy brief examines the Philippines' legal and institutional approach to climate resilience, centered on the 2009 Climate Change Act. The Act establishes a centralized governance structure led by the Climate Change Commission to mainstream climate adaptation and mitigation across government sectors and local government units (LGUs). While the framework emphasizes devolved planning and integrated socio-economic objectives, the document notes tensions between these goals and national policies promoting large-scale mining and coal investment.

The Philippines' Climate Change Act of 2009 established a centralized governance framework led by the Climate Change Commission, chaired by the President. The Act aims to mainstream climate resilience across government sectors through a National Framework Strategy (2010) and a National Climate Change Action Plan (2011), which prioritizes seven areas including food security and sustainable energy. Implementation is devolved to local government units (LGUs) via Local Climate Change Action Plans (LCCAPs), supported by various funding mechanisms such as preferential loans and the proposed People’s Survival Fund. While the framework promotes integration of adaptation and mitigation (e.g., through 'ecotowns'), the document notes tensions between these goals and other government policies, such as the promotion of coal and large-scale mining.