UP RI-NOAH holds talks on disaster resilience
The University of the Philippines Resilience Institute – Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (UP RI-NOAH) recently conducted high-level discussions regarding the future of disaster resilience in the Philippines. The meeting was attended by UP RI-NOAH Director Dr. Mahar Lagmay and Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez.
The UP RI-NOAH facility was also visited by multi-sector representatives, including UP College of Fine Arts Dean Toym Imao and former UP Film Institute Director Rob Rownd, who vowed to explore ways in which the arts can elevate climate change narratives.
The visit focused on integrating advanced technology with creative industries to bridge the gap between scientific data and public understanding.
Benitez, who is also chairman of the House Special Committee on Creative Industries, met with Lagmay and representatives from the arts sector.
The wide-ranging dialogue covered flood management, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in disaster resilience, and the potential for global platforms like Netflix to shape awareness of community resilience.
“The exchange highlighted how the arts and creative sectors can help bridge the gap between science, public understanding, and community resilience,” Lagmay said on his Facebook page.
The visit also emphasized that the creative sector is vital in translating complex scientific data into actionable public knowledge.
A key pillar of Rep. Benitez’s climate mitigation strategy is House Bill No. 2577, which seeks to convert the current University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UP RI) into the University of the Philippines National Climate Resilience Institute (UP NCRI).
While the existing UP RI has been instrumental in advancing evidence-based strategies, it currently lacks direct fiscal support from the national budget and permanent plantilla positions.
The proposed bill would elevate the institute to national institute status, similar to the National Institute of Geological Sciences; ensure direct appropriations under the General Appropriations Act; establish permanent research positions to scale its national mandate; and create a centralized Resilience Knowledge Platform to serve as a public repository for disaster data and analytics.
Benitez’s visit also underscored a broader legislative push to address the Philippines’ status as the most at-risk country globally through House Bill No. 694, or the “Department of Climate Resilience Act of 2025,” which proposes a primary national agency to oversee disaster risk reduction and institutionalize a National Climate Resilience Framework.
Additionally, Benitez is a co-author of House Bill No. 4420, the “Climate Accountability (CLIMA) Act,” which aims to protect vulnerable communities from loss and damage by establishing corporate and state accountability for greenhouse gas emissions.
By combining these legislative efforts with the innovative mapping and modeling capabilities discussed at UP RI-NOAH, Benitez aims to foster a “whole-of-society” approach to climate justice and national safety.
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