The Philippines faces significant climate risks, including frequent typhoons, rising sea levels, and extreme weather patterns, making climate resiliency crucial for safeguarding communities and infrastructure. With its unique geographic location, the country is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which threatens livelihoods and economic stability. Strengthening climate resilience is not only about building stronger infrastructure but also about educating the next generation of engineers and leaders to develop sustainable solutions. By prioritizing climate education and capacity building, we can empower local communities to gain the knowledge and tools needed to effectively mitigate risks and adapt to an ever-changing environment.
Capacity building plays a pivotal role in driving change. This initiative isn’t just about infrastructure; it’s about empowering local talent to address pressing challenges head-on. By integrating climate resilience into our projects, we’re not only advancing towards a more sustainable future but also contributing to the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals.
 
Knowledge Sharing to Empower the Next Generation 

Earlier this year, AnyWay and De La Salle University (DLSU) – Gokonwei College of Engineering partnered to exchange knowledge and collaborate on climate-adaptive transportation infrastructure over the next five years. The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that was signed, aims to establish knowledge exchange and collaboration programs on climate-resilient transportation infrastructure that benefit both parties over the next five years. The MOA provides a framework for us to collectively understand, collaborate, and discuss specific programs to:   

• Identify opportunities for the exchange of faculty and research staff  
• Identify other areas of possible research interest and collaboration  
• Make faculty and students aware of the educational resources offered 

 Realizing the benefits of the partnership 

As part of implementing the program associated with the MOA, AnyWay led a workshop for the engineering students at DLSU  on slope stability, analysis, and design provided by AnyWay’s Director of engineering Solutions, Alex Campbell. The workshop was facilitated virtually from Canada to students at DLSU Gokongwei College of Engineering.  

The course emphasized the importance of understanding and analyzing slope stability to prevent landslides and ensure infrastructure safety, particularly regarding changing climate events in the region. AnyWay shared experience and lessons learned in implementing pavement engineering and climate resiliency for other projects. The workshop participants discussed the impact of changing climate on infrastructure and the need for engineers to adapt and come up with solutions. The workshop also covered slope stability and infrastructure design options and slope stabilization techniques including risk assessment, management options, and protection measures. The program will continue throughout the school year to enhance the students’ knowledge on various aspects of climate resiliency for transport infrastructure, including pavement design, pavement rehabilitation, low-volume roads engineering and rehabilitation and upgrading of road pavement structures through implementing techniques and technologies of soil stabilization to develop graduate research projects. A mentorship program will also be established to continue research into these topics.  

Knowledge sharing to enable resiliency for the next generation 

By building local capabilities and introducing cutting-edge technologies to the next wave of engineers, this partnership is poised to play a pivotal role in crafting a sustainable transportation network for the Philippines that will serve future generations well. Such partnerships are instrumental in transferring knowledge and expertise to those who will continue to develop and maintain the nation’s transportation infrastructure, while also fostering research and the adoption of innovative technologies to climate resilience.  

More information on AnyWay and De La Salle University’s partnership can be found here.