The Climate Change Commission (CCC) on Monday said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s push for predictive governance is already reflected in the country’s climate policies, which emphasize science-based planning and early action against climate risks.
CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje said governance should focus not only on responding to disasters but also on anticipating risks before they become crises.
“Predictive governance recognizes that good governance is increasingly measured not only by how effectively institutions respond after crises occur, but also by how well they anticipate risks and make better public decisions before those risks become disasters,” Borje said in a news release.
During his fifth State of the Nation Address, Marcos said the government has shifted from a reactive approach to one that is “not only proactive, but predictive as well, aided by digital tools.”
The President cited the establishment of a nationwide disaster response network, including disaster resource centers in Luzon and the Visayas, with another being built in Mindanao. The network is supported by 15 hubs, 76 spokes and 919 last-mile facilities to speed up the delivery of relief goods.
Marcos said the system allows assistance to reach affected communities within 24 hours and is backed by mobile power units, an emergency communications system and satellite-to-mobile technology.
“At dahil mayroon na tayong konsepto ng State of Imminent Disaster, hindi na natin hinihintay na mangyari ang sakuna. Aagapan natin ang paghahanda at pagresponde,” he said.
Borje said the President’s remarks are consistent with the National Adaptation Plan 2023–2050, the Nationally Determined Contribution Implementation Plan and the National Climate Risk Management Framework.
According to the CCC, these policies strengthen the government’s ability to assess climate risks and integrate scientific evidence into planning, investments and decision-making.
The National Adaptation Plan serves as the country’s long-term strategy for reducing climate vulnerability by incorporating adaptation into national and local development plans, programs and investments.
The NDC Implementation Plan outlines how the Philippines will meet its climate commitments, while the National Climate Risk Management Framework provides a science-based approach to assessing and managing climate risks.
“These policies are governance instruments,” Borje said.
“They strengthen the government’s capacity to integrate evidence into planning, align investments with long-term national priorities, and improve the quality of public decision-making,” he added.
Borje said the CCC will continue working with government agencies, local government units, the private sector, development partners, academe, civil society organizations and communities to strengthen science-based climate governance.
“As government strengthens its capacity for science-based planning, futures thinking, and multi-risk governance, predictive governance can progressively evolve into a more prescriptive approach to governance—not by prescribing outcomes, but by ensuring that science, evidence, and foresight consistently shape today’s decisions for tomorrow’s Philippines,” he said.
