World Bank Approves $700 Million Loan to Strengthen Philippine Disaster Resilience
MANILA — The World Bank announced a $700 million loan to the Philippine government on July 31, 2025, as part of the “Panahon ng Pagkilos: Philippine Community Resilience Project” (PCRP), part of a broader $874.35 million initiative known locally as “Pagkilos,” meaning “Time of Action” in Filipino.
The comprehensive five-year program aims to strengthen disaster preparedness and climate resilience for approximately 4.13 million Filipino households, equivalent to about 18 million individuals, across 500 climate-vulnerable municipalities in 49 provinces and 16 regions nationwide. The project explicitly excludes the National Capital Region (NCR) and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The project prioritizes municipalities based on poverty incidence, exposure to climate hazards, child stunting rates, and Indigenous Peoples’ presence.
Community-Led Approach to Disaster Risk
The Pagkilos project focuses on enhancing community-led planning and investments for resilient infrastructure. Planned improvements include flood and drought mitigation systems, landslide and slope protection, surge protection and breakwaters, windbreakers, and retrofitting of existing infrastructure to withstand extreme weather events.
Beyond physical infrastructure, the program will scale up community training programs and provide technical support to volunteer groups, working in coordination with local governments. Training will emphasize evacuation procedures, resource management, and emergency response protocols.
Nature-Based Solutions
The project champions nature-based solutions, including agroforestry and ecosystem conservation, to build sustainable and resilient livelihoods. These environmental approaches are designed to work alongside traditional infrastructure improvements.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will implement the program using a community-driven development approach, emphasizing local participation in planning and execution.
Alignment with National Development Goals
The initiative aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s broader development plan, emphasizing climate resilience. The program seeks to reduce the risk and impact of natural disasters such as typhoons, floods, landslides, and storm surges, which frequently affect the archipelago nation.
The World Bank described the project as part of a longer-term commitment to empower local communities and foster proactive engagement in disaster preparedness. Implementation will involve coordination between government agencies, non-government organizations, and international partners.
The Philippines, which experiences an average of 20 typhoons annually, ranks among the world’s most disaster-prone nations. The Pagkilos project represents a shift from reactive disaster response to proactive community resilience, to reduce both human casualties and economic losses when natural disasters strike the archipelago.
