Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd Diostrict) is pushing for the passage of House Bill 2577, which seeks to establish the University of the Philippines-National Climate Resilience Institute, as part of long-term, science-based solutions to flooding and other climate-related problems confronting the country.
Filed together with Reps. Brian Daniel Poe Llamanzares and Ryan Recto, the bill proposes the transformation of the UP Resilience Institute into a national hub for climate research, innovation, and disaster risk reduction, Benitez said on Sunday, Sept. 14.
Benitez said the measure is designed not only to centralize research but also to create multiple resilience hubs in state universities and colleges (SUCs) nationwide.
“We should be science-based, and we need to put the money where our mouth is,” Benitez said.
The bill seeks to ensure sustainable support for climate research programs, including Project NOAH, which was defunded in 2017 despite its crucial role in hazard mapping and disaster preparedness.
Benitez hopes that the bill would be passed within the year, citing its potential to provide policy research, hazard assessments, and localized climate adaptation strategies.
The lawmaker’s office also hosted a Climate Resiliency Summit at Nature’s Village Resort in Talisay City, Negros Occidental, on Sunday attended by nearly a hundred city and municipal officials from the Third District.
Project NOAH Director Alfredo Mahar Francisco Lagmay led the summit, presenting science-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster mitigation.
Benitez said the insights from the summit will be discussed with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and cascaded down to local government units, including barangays, to ensure that climate adaptation strategies are implemented at the grassroots level.*