Rep. Javi Benitez, UP RI-NOAH Team Up to Use AI and Arts in Nationwide Climate Resilience Push

February 25, 2026

To turn complex climate data into compelling national narratives, Negros Occidental Third District Representative Javier Miguel Benitez visited the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UP RI) – NOAH Center to build creative solutions to disaster risks yesterday, February 25. The meeting signaled a shift from traditional disaster reporting to resilience storytelling, exploring how the Philippine creative industry can bridge the gap between technical flood models and public action. By involving the country’s premier artists and filmmakers, Rep. Benitez, who chairs the House Special Committee on Creative Industries, seeks to make disaster preparedness a cultural priority rather than just a technical one. Together with Rep. Benitez were UP RI Executive Director Dr. Mahar Lagmay, Dean Toym Imao of UP College of Fine Arts, and former Director of the UP Film Institute Rob Rownd. The discussion focused on leveraging global platforms and international stages to elevate climate awareness through cinema and the arts. “The exchange highlighted how the arts and creative sectors can help bridge the gap between science, public understanding, and community resilience,” Dr. Lagmay said, noting that the discussion also delved into the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in flood management. This "science-meets-art" strategy is the latest step in Rep. Benitez’s legislative push for a disaster-ready Philippines. It follows his filing of House Bill No. 2577 alongside Reps. Brian Poe and Ryan Recto, which seeks to institutionalize the UP RI into a permanent, government-funded "University of the Philippines National Climate Resilience Institute" (UP NCRI). The proposed institute is designed to lead research and provide data toolkits to help local government units (LGUs) build future-ready infrastructure. The lawmaker has been a consistent advocate for science-based governance, previously convening the first-ever Climate Resiliency Summit in Talisay City, Negros Occidental. During that summit, Rep. Benitez challenged local engineers and planners to move beyond guesswork and instead use the probabilistic hazard maps and geospatial data developed by Dr. Lagmay’s team to save lives and livelihoods. *

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