Road to Resilience. At the National Resilience Council Foundation’s  Resilient Local Government Units Program Colloquium last May, Aboitiz Foods’ partners from the local government of Iligan presented the city’s localized disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation strategies toward building a resilient, empowered, and future-ready city. / Photo Courtesy: National Resilience Council Foundation

ILIGAN CITY, Lanao Del Norte – Fourteen years after the devastation of Typhoon Washi (local name: Sendong), Iligan City is now emerging as a model for resilience not only in Mindanao, but in the whole country, through the Adopt-A-City Program – Aboitiz Foods’ corporate social responsibility initiative through Pilmico Foods Corporation.

Launched in 2022, the Adopt-A-City Program is an ongoing public-private-people partnership among Aboitiz Foods, the local government of Iligan, Aboitiz Foundation, National Resilience Council Foundation, Inc., and Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT). Guided by a three-phase framework, Adopt-A-City strengthens Iligan’s disaster resilience across different sectors and levels by advancing science-based tools and solutions, engaging multiple stakeholders, and promoting inclusive governance systems that help the city prepare for, adapt to, and recover from climate and disaster risks.

“Iligan is more than just a host city for Pilmico’s entire feed and flour operations in the Philippines; it has been our home for over 60 years,” said Alexis Revantad, Aboitiz Foods Vice President for Iligan Site Management and Flour Operations, adding, “By investing in resilience and helping the city adapt to climate risks, we’re protecting more than 368,000 lives—their livelihoods, and their future.”

Reaching across all 44 barangays, the Adopt-A-City Program started with the Prepare phase, which empowers local leaders, the academe, youth, civil society, and communities through people-centered capacity-building interventions—uniting Iligan in a shared journey and responsibility toward resilience.

Since its launch, the program has achieved significant milestones, including a validated Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment, a Local Climate Change Action Plan, the creation of the Iligan City Resilience Committee, the Resilience Local Government System Scorecard baseline for identifying resilience gaps, and the rollout of the Barangay Resilience Bingo Scorecard for grassroots risk planning.

In just three years, Iligan’s resilience score leapt to 84.38% across five program pillars—an extraordinary transformation from a near-zero baseline. In 2024, Iligan City also received a Gawad KALASAG Fully Compliant Award, the country’s highest honor for disaster preparedness, given to local government units, institutions, and individuals for their excellent implementation of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Climate Change Adaptation programs.

Now in its Adapt and Transform phase, the Adopt-A-City Program has helped shift Iligan from reactive response to proactive resilience-building, ensuring that the tragedy of Typhoon Sendong, which claimed hundreds of lives and devastated local industries, will never be repeated.

“Through the Adopt-A-City Program, we are not just responding to risks – we are transforming our city into a model of proactive governance, innovation, and community-driven solutions,” said Iligan City Mayor Frederick Siao.

Anchored on its brand promise, “Together we nourish the future,” Aboitiz Foods embodies the Aboitiz Group’s mission of advancing business and communities through initiatives that build resilient livelihoods, sustainable communities, and inclusive growth. The Adopt-A-City Program directly aligns with the Philippine Development Plan 2023–2028 and contributes to several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Climate Action (SDG 13), Sustainable Cities (SDG 11), and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17).

As climate risks intensify across the country and Southeast Asia, Iligan’s transformation demonstrates the power of public-private-people partnerships. The Adopt-A-City Program offers a replicable model for other cities across the region, proof that by funding resilience, not disasters, big businesses can play a pivotal role in safeguarding communities, lives, and economies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the broader lessons from the Iligan Adopt-A-City experience?
Iligan’s experience demonstrates that public-private-people partnerships can produce measurable, replicable results in disaster risk governance. The initiative aligns with both the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and global climate action goals, showing how corporate investment in community resilience creates shared value – not just goodwill. For companies operating in climate-vulnerable regions, the program illustrates that resilience-building is not a cost but a foundation for long-term stability: communities that are prepared and empowered are better partners, better markets, and better environments for sustained business operations.

What is the Adopt-A-City Program, and what problem does it address?
Launched in 2022, the Adopt-A-City Program is a corporate social responsibility initiative by Aboitiz Foods focused on Iligan City, Mindanao. It is a three-phase, whole-of-society framework designed to reduce the city’s vulnerability to climate shocks and disasters by strengthening governance, deploying science-based tools, and engaging communities at every level. The program addresses a critical gap: many Philippine cities face intensifying climate risks without the institutional capacity, technical tools, or inter-sector coordination needed to prepare for, adapt to, and recover from major disaster events.

Who are the key partners in the Adopt-A-City Program?
The program is built on a public-private-people partnership among Aboitiz Foods, through Pilmico Foods Corporation and Aboitiz Foundation; the local government of Iligan City; the National Resilience Council Foundation; and Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT). This multi-stakeholder model brings together corporate resources, academic expertise, science-based risk tools, and local government authority – recognizing that building genuine city-wide resilience requires all sectors working in alignment rather than any single actor operating in isolation.

Why did Aboitiz Foods choose Iligan City for this program?
Iligan City is home to Pilmico’s entire feed and flour operations in the Philippines – a presence spanning over 60 years. This deep-rooted community connection shaped the company’s decision to invest in Iligan’s long-term resilience. Protecting the city from climate and disaster risks means protecting more than 368,000 residents – their livelihoods, health, and futures. The decision reflects a belief that a company’s responsibility to the communities where it operates extends far beyond production output to the safety and sustainability of those communities themselves.

What are the three phases of the Adopt-A-City framework, and what do they cover?
The program is structured across three phases guided by tracks in Leadership and Governance (L&G) and Science and Technology (S&T). Together, these tracks aim to empower Iligan’s city government and barangay leaders with practical governance mechanisms, equip communities with science-based disaster risk tools, and mainstream climate adaptation into local planning systems. The goal is not just reactive disaster response but proactive governance transformation – building the capacity to anticipate risks, make evidence-based decisions, and recover faster when disasters do occur.