DBP Partners with PHIVOLCS to Bolster Natural Hazard Risk Management

State-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) has partnered with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) to integrate geohazard information into the bank’s risk management and lending operations. Under the agreement, DBP will gain access to GeoRiskPH, PHIVOLCS’ science-based hazard information platform, to support evidence-based credit evaluations and data-driven business decisions. “We view this partnership with PHIVOLCS as a tangible manifestation of how government agencies can strengthen their collaboration and leverage shared expertise in advancing a safer, more resilient, and sustainable Philippines,” DBP President and Chief Executive Officer Michael O. de Jesus said in a statement released Friday. The partnership will allow DBP to use GeoRiskPH and its HazardHunterPH Pro application to assess the potential impact of natural hazards on loan collaterals, investments, acquired assets, branch locations, and other bank facilities. GeoRiskPH is a centralized government platform that provides real-time hazard data and risk analysis to support geohazard mapping and vulnerability assessments for disaster preparedness. DBP and PHIVOLCS will also conduct bank-wide capacity-building training on the use of the platform and HazardHunterPH Pro. The training will cover key business areas, including lending, branch banking, special assets, and credit appraisal. Mr. De Jesus said the initiative would strengthen the DBP’s institutional resilience and support financing for projects that generate economic activity, particularly in the countryside. DBP is the country’s ninth-largest bank, with total assets amounting to P1.041 trillion. It provides credit support to priority sectors such as infrastructure and logistics, micro, small and medium enterprises, the environment, and social services and community development. — Edg Adrian A. Eva