by Christine R. Mapa
Manila Observatory kicked off its 160th anniversary celebration on April 25, 2025 at Heyden Hall with the first of a series of lectures featuring conversations on science, service, and society dubbed AmBag.
AmBag or “Agham sa Banig” started as an initiative within the MO community, serving as an avenue for research scientists and staff to discuss various topics ranging from air quality after the New Year celebration to the El Niño phenomenon. But for MO’s anniversary celebration, the institution decided to open this lecture series to the public, providing an avenue to discuss the impacts of science to communities and how it can be better communicated to society.
The inaugural talk in this lecture series featured EnP Alex Czar R. Masiglat, an environmental planner and Program Manager from the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF). He spent the afternoon discussing the role of private sectors in building climate resilience.
The speaker opened his talk with an emphasis on PDRF’s purpose, which is building the disaster management capabilities of the private sector, focusing not only on relief operations but also in prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, rehabilitation, and recovery. He further highlighted PDRF’s expansion to climate resilience, in response to risks also being “structural and systemic” and not just seasonal.
“NO LONGER BUSINESS AS USUAL…”
With the rise of disasters and more extreme impacts of climate change, the speaker expressed that the old system where the government is the leader and the private sector is a passive follower cannot continue.
“The new paradigm is this — shared leadership,” he remarked. He explained that the private sector is not just a funder, but a “strategic actor” that can help in shaping public policies, creating climate-smart jobs, developing sustainable technologies, and influencing consumer behavior.
THE ROLE OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR
“People assume disaster risk management and climate risk management is the job of the government,” EnP Masiglat said, “But the truth is, the private sector has a huge potential to drive change.”
He then highlighted the four roles that the private sector has been undertaking during disasters, namely community building, knowledge management, resource mobilization, and advocacy. He also listed real-life examples such as the aftermath of Yolanda and the COVID pandemic, further demonstrating the impact and importance of the private sector.
STRATEGIES FOR PRIVATE SECTOR ENGAGEMENT
The final part of EnP Masiglat’s lecture featured three strategies for private sector engagement:
The first was building public-private partnerships that “drive resilience at a local and national level”. As he explained, “Disasters don’t care about sector boundaries… Full response must also cut across boundaries.” He then used the case of Marikina City as an example, where local businesses and the government came together to work on flood control systems and emergency response drills.
The second was about the public sector raising the minimum standards in built environment and enabling the private sector to invest in climate resilient infrastructures. The speaker specifically mentioned innovations such as flood-resilient buildings, climate-smart materials, and incorporation of nature-based solutions in urban planning.
Climate resilience in infrastructure, according to him, is not a luxury. Instead, it is an “investment in safety, productivity, and long-term sustainability.”
The last strategy was about having both public and private sectors be resilient-sensitive and lead to resilient societies. “The government sector sets the tone with policies, incentives and plans,” he said, “The private sector responds with innovation, implementation, and also accountability.”
Still, he emphasized that this could also work in reverse, with companies adopting high sustainability standards that could end up pushing the government to improve public policies. “When both sides support each other, the whole ecosystem becomes more adaptive and forward thinking,” he said.
Finally, he introduced the Private Sector Engagement Playbook for Climate Resilience. Launched in November 2024 through the USAID-funded Climate Resilient Cities Project, the key features of this playbook include principles of effective partnerships, case studies and practical tools, and framework for planning, implementing, and monitoring.
RESILIENCE AS A WAY OF LIVING
EnP Masiglat concluded his lecture with a reminder that resilience must be everyone’s business. After all, a climate crisis does not choose its victims — it affects everyone, no matter where you live or what sector you belong in.
There is good news, though, he remarked. “If everyone of us trains, understands, works, and supports our community, we build a culture of preparedness, we build a nation that can stand strong and not just survive.”
