Climate change is affecting the health of Filipinos. In 2024, the Department of Health (DOH) recorded 34 cases and six deaths from heat-related illnesses. As rising temperatures and extreme weather threaten lives and health systems, the Philippines is working with partners to strengthen the climate resilient health systems and secure the resources needed to respond.
The DOH and the World Health Organization (WHO) brought together key stakeholders working to make the Philippine health system more resilient to climate change. Participants joined a workshop on Access to Climate Finance and Investment Tool for Health in the Western Pacific (ACE-FIT) from 30 September to 1 October 2025 in Manila. The workshop enabled stakeholders to identify key priorities and strengthen financing opportunities that support building climate resilience in the health sector in the Philippines.
The Philippines is one of three countries in the WHO Western Pacific Region, together with Kiribati and Cambodia, selected to participate in this initiative. This recognition reflects the country’s continued commitment to protecting health from the impacts of climate change, which can worsen climate-sensitive disease burden, threaten food and water security, and disrupt essential health services.
During the workshop, DOH Assistant Secretary of Health, Dr Gloria Balboa, said “We have a clear path forward, but a roadmap is only as good as the resources available to travel it.” She highlighted the urgent need to map climate-health financing sources and ensure equitable resource allocation.
While the Philippines has laid a solid foundation through national plans such as the Philippine Roadmap on Health and Climate Change and the draft Health National Adaptation Plan (HNAP), financing remains a major challenge. The newly established Health and Climate Change Office (HCCO) of DOH leads efforts to operationalize these plans but continues to seek support to prioritize actions and mobilize resources.
Acting WHO Country Representative, Dr Eunyoung Ko, said “This workshop is a turning point where we bridge policy and practice, linking the Philippine Roadmap on Health and Climate Change with concrete financing strategies, from domestic resource mobilization to global fund access.”
Participants in the workshop included staff from DOH’s central and regional offices and other government agencies, academia, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), development partners, and financial institutions. Working together, they identified priority actions aligned with the Roadmap and the HNAP, as well as potential financing opportunities to support their implementation at the national and local level.
A donor mapping exercise facilitated by experts from the University of Melbourne in Australia enabled participants to link health and climate priorities with existing funding sources and identify opportunities for new partnerships. The exercise served as an important step toward securing sustainable investments for health and climate resilience.
Supported by the WHO Philippine Country Office, the WHO Asia-Pacific Centre for Environment and Health in the Western Pacific Region (WHO-ACE), and the WHO-Western Pacific Regional Office (WHO-WPRO), the workshop brought together diverse partners under a shared vision of building climate resilient health systems. The event reaffirmed the Philippines’ continued commitment to collective action for a healthier and more sustainable future.