MANDAUE CITY, CEBU—The upcoming climate action program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reaches a significant milestone after hosting the National Safeguards Re-orientation and Operations Manual Consultation Workshop held on April 7-11, 2025.
The Philippine Community Resilience Project (PCRP) – Panahon ng Pagkilos, set to begin in July, emphasizes the implementation of the Environmental and Social (E&S) Framework, which provides guidance for identifying and managing environmental and social risks linked to the subprojects that will be funded under the PCRP.
The PCRP will closely adhere to five E&S project-level instruments: the E&S Commitment Plan, E&S Management Framework, Labor Management Procedure, Land Acquisition and Resettlement Policy Framework, and the Stakeholder Engagement Plan. This includes utilizing mandatory tools and complying with statutory requirements to ensure that the development intervention does not harm communities, including their livelihoods, culture, and the environment.
The proposed loan of Php 56.7 billion from the World Bank for implementing the PCRP meets nine out of the ten E&S standards required by the Bank.
“Our loan covenant with the World Bank is bound by our Environmental and Social Commitment Plan. The role of each sector in the implementation process is crucial,” said National Program Manager Atty. Bernadette Mapue-Joaquin.
Mapue highlighted the mandatory hiring of E&S officers per region in the implementation of PCRP. Another significant development under PCRP is the provision of insurance for project staff and community workers.
PCRP’s development objective is to “Strengthen community capacities for participatory resilience planning and deliver resilience investments in vulnerable areas.”
23 target municipalities in Northern Mindanao will implement the PCRP in two batches until 2030. Each municipality will receive between 50 to 70 million within the project timeline to capacitate communities in resiliency planning and adequate delivery of climate-resilient subprojects.