Collaboration fosters resilience, as demonstrated by the National Resilience Council’s colloquium

In order to further the interrelated goals of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Climate Agreement, New Urban Agenda, and other international commitments, the Philippines’ National Resilience Council (NRC), a science and technology-driven public-private partnership, brought together national and local governments, academia, civil society, and the private sector for the event “From Surviving to Thriving: Transformative Strategies through Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Innovations.”

As part of the NRC’s Adopt a City (AAC) Initiative, the 2025 Resilient Local Government Unit Program (RGLUP) Colloquium featured updates and developments from participating cities and municipalities. Through preparedness funding, prevention, pre-disaster recovery planning, and long-term resilience programs, this strategy allows firms to participate in risk reduction rather than just catastrophe relief. AAC encourages teamwork to create safer, more resilient communities by giving local governments more authority.

The colloquium also welcomed NRC’s private and public sector partners, with notable participation from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of National Defense, and the United Nations ARISE Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies – Philippine network. The event opened with inspiring messages from NRC Co-Chairman for the private sector and SM Prime Holdings Chairman of the Executive Committee Hans Sy, NRC Vice Chairman for civil service organizations and Zuellig Family Foundation President Austere Panadero, and NRC Vice Chairman for the scientific organizations and academe and Director of the Manila Observatory Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ.

Cities in the AAC’s Prepare phase—Baguio, Iligan, Mandaue, and Tiwi, Albay—presented their innovative disaster resilience strategies. Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong emphasized, “Baguio’s resilience journey highlights the power of collaboration and national support.” Meanwhile, cities in the Adapt and Transform phase, the initiative’s next stages —Naga, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo, Bataan, Manila, and Ormoc—highlighted their advanced strides. Ormoc City Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez shared, “I am very proud to say that because of Project Transform, together with our esteemed partners, Ormoc City is always on track in terms of environmental stewardship and resilience.”

The introduction of the Resilience Competency Assessment (CompAss), a tool intended to improve local government capacities in disaster resilience, was one of the event’s highlights. The colloquium emphasized the value of multi-stakeholder collaboration in bringing about transformative change, drawing on the NRC’s mandate. The NRC and its partners are creating a resilient Philippines by fostering innovation and linking sectors.