Fifteen municipalities in Northern Mindanao will implement the Panahon ng Pagkilos: Philippine Community Resilience Project (PCRP), a climate adaptation initiative designed to enhance community resilience in vulnerable areas.

Region X has been allocated a total of PHP 279 million in indicative grants for 2026 to support resilience planning at the community and municipal levels.

PCRP aims to strengthen the participation and inclusion of poor and marginalized communities in climate and disaster risk planning as foundation of investments in infrastructure and nature-based solutions.

The first batch of municipalities includes Baungon, Malitbog, Sumilao, Damulog, Lantapan, and Impasug-ong in Bukidnon; Nunungan, Tangcal, Tagoloan, and Poona Piagapo in Lanao del Norte; and Concepcion, Don Victoriano, Sapang Dalaga, Lopez Jaena, and Plaridel in Misamis Occidental.

Each municipality will receive between PHP 50 million and PHP 70 million in grants to support the implementation of a three-year local resilience plan.

The second batch of eight municipalities is expected to begin implementation no later than the first quarter of 2027. Participating municipalities are selected based on poverty incidence, exposure to environmental and natural hazards, stunting rates, and the proportion of Indigenous Peoples in the population.

“We are excited to continue our work using the Community-Driven Development (CDD) approach, which has already made a positive impact on Filipino communities,” said Atty. Bernadette A. Mapue-Joaquin, National Program Manager of the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS).

PCRP is the newest modality under the KALAHI-CIDSS program— a CDD initiative in the Philippines since 2002— and has completed over 92,000 subprojects across 15 regions, with a total funding of PHP 104.8 billion.

The project will continue to employ the CDD approach, which builds community capacity to take part in local planning and investment decisions. This includes participatory risk and vulnerability assessments, community-managed project implementation, community-based monitoring, and ensuring long-term sustainability of funded projects.

PCRP is financed by the World Bank, prioritizing 500 municipalities nationwide based on vulnerability, development needs, and experience with the CDD approach.