Amid recurring floods and other disasters facing the country, it has become more pronounced and urgent that resilience is everyone’s business. Building resilient systems and communities at different levels of engagements has become an imperative. These stories, often left untold, need to be shared and recognized.

Dr Emma Porio of the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and Engr Dexter Lo of Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan (XU) document some of these stories of resilience across the country. Dr Porio, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at ADMU, currently serves as Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Climate Change and Cities. Engr Lo, Vice President for Social Development at XU, also contributes his expertise through the UNESCO Chair in Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience Engineering. Porio and Lo serve as members of the Field Validation Committee for the Philippine Resilience Awards, an initiative led by the Climate Change Commission of the Philippine Government, where they help identify and document inspiring examples of resilience in action.

(L-R) Engr Lo and Dr Porio during the field validation for the Philippine Resilience Awards

Both Porio and Lo are Science Resilience Fellows of the National Resilience Council, one of the key convenors of the PRA. Their academic institutions, ADMU and XU, likewise reflect this commitment to resilience and sustainable development through their pioneering graduate programs: the Master in Disaster Risk and Resilience at ADMU and the Master of Geomatics for Disaster Risk Reduction at XU.

Through their leadership and advocacy, Dr Porio and Engr Lo underscore the importance of amplifying local stories of resilience, reminding us that these lived experiences hold valuable lessons in shaping a sustainable and resilient future for the nation.