From survivors to leaders: How indigenous voices are shaping climate resilience
Metro Manila, Philippines - Every monsoon season, the Philippines braces for a relentless cycle of typhoons, bringing destruction to coastal communities. But in the small seaside village of Amontay, San Francisco, Surigao del Norte, the tides are shifting—not just with the storms, but with a bold, people-led approach to disaster resilience.
Home to over a thousand residents, including the indigenous Mamanua tribe—the oldest known tribe in the Philippines—this community has long endured the wrath of nature. Yet, instead of merely surviving, they are now leading the charge in shaping a disaster resilience plan rooted in their own knowledge, experience, and priorities.
"We used to wait for help. Now, we are part of the solution," said one Mamanua elder during a recent community-led planning session.
In the eye of the storm, how are the Mamanua Tribe and coastal communities redefining disaster preparedness and climate resilience through community engagement?
Turning the tide: from relief to resilience
Disaster response has often been dictated from the top down, with external aid organizations and government agencies delivering relief efforts that don’t always align with a community’s real needs. Resources go unused, plans fail to take root, and the cycle of vulnerability continues.
This is what the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), together with the local government and various NGOs, aims to change.
The Amontay Resilience Plan, a groundbreaking people's plan or initiative, puts the voices of the people—especially the Mamanua—at the forefront of disaster and climate adaptation strategies. San Francisco’s Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) has already seen the power of this shift.
The Enhancing Resilient Communities (ERC) Flagship Initiative aims to guide different organizations, sectors, LGUs and stakeholders in engaging with communities, drawing invaluable insights from their perspectives, and fostering holistic coordination to ensure that every process in the community is impactful and inclusive.
At its core, the Philippines leverages the ocean of expertise from Filipino institutions and organizations to transform the humanitarian system. It aims to look for a new paradigm in humanitarian work, with people and communities at the heart of the decision-making process.
It bridges the often-siloed worlds of humanitarian aid and development work, breaking barriers that limited the potential of aid structures.
“Na-attain naman naming yung zero casualty. We’re very lucky din kasi yung community pag sinabi naming na pre-emptive evacuation, na-explain naman naming sa kanila, yung maaaring mangyari, yung storm surge gaya ng Yolanda, hindi na natin yung hihintayin na mangyari,” said Aladin Sumampong, MDRRMO officer.
[TRANSLATION: We were able to achieve zero casualties. We're also very lucky because when we announce a pre-emptive evacuation, we explain to the community what could happen, like a storm surge similar to Yolanda. We don’t wait for that kind of disaster to happen again.]
“Days before landfall, evacuations were already in motion.”
By harnessing the collective strength of organizations, this initiative streamlines expertise and operations, shaping the future of humanitarian action not only in the Philippines but across the globe.
The strength of indigenous wisdom
For generations, the Mamanua have survived typhoons not by chance, but through deep-rooted knowledge of nature. They read the wind patterns, interpret shifts in the sky, and prepare their food stores long before disaster strikes.
“Halimbawa may darating na masama ang panahon, malalaman din yun sa matatanda namin, saka pa yung matanda namin magsabi na maggawa tayo ng bahay dahil mamayang gabi darating ang masamang panahon, ngayong umaga palang magagawa na ng bahay,” shared a Mamanua community member.
[TRANSLATION: "For example, if bad weather is approaching, our elders will sense it. Then, they will tell us to build a shelter because the bad weather will arrive by nightfall. So, as early as the morning, we start building shelter.]
This indigenous knowledge, once dismissed as folklore, is now being integrated into scientific disaster preparedness frameworks. Community consultations have identified assets that indigenous groups bring to resilience planning: access to freshwater springs, carpentry skills for rebuilding homes, traditional evacuation strategies, and food preservation techniques.
A future built on inclusion
The resilience plan doesn’t just stop at disaster preparedness—it aims to break the cycle of marginalization. The Mamanua community has outlined key priorities: secure land tenure, sustainable livelihoods, medical support, savings programs, education, housing, and digital connectivity. More than the needs of people, the flagship initiative focuses on people's assets, situations and capacities. It empowers people as it visualizes the strength and role of people in the community before, during and after the occurrence of a hazard. It's really more on empowering people, inclusion and community engagement.
“Masaya kami lahat kasi nakasama kasi namin yung aming mga hinanakit at problema. Nailabas namin doon yung mga problema,” another Mamanua community member shared.
[TRANSLATION: We are all happy because we were able to share our concerns and problems. We were able to express them there.]
For the first time, their voices are heard. They shared their struggles as well as solutions.
With these priorities documented, the local government is drafting an Executive Order that will institutionalize community-driven resilience strategies. The goal: a sustainable, long-term framework where indigenous knowledge and modern disaster response work hand in hand.
Disasters will continue to come. But in Amontay, resilience is no longer just about surviving the next storm—it’s about rewriting the narrative, where the people most affected by climate change are no longer seen as victims, but as leaders shaping their own future.
