The Climate Risk Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) team from the DA – National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI), visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) on January 28, 2026, to benchmark the “Ten-Day Forecast Application and Visualization Tool” needed for the establishment of the Climate Information Service (CIS) project.

Implemented under Philippine Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency (FISHCORE) project, CIS aims to translate technical weather and climate forecasts into practical, fisheries-relevant advisories, tailored to the needs of fisheries and aquaculture stakeholders within Fisheries Management Areas (FMAs) 6 and 9.

Dr. Mudjekeewis Santos, Scientist V and CRVA project leader, emphasized the value of IRRI’s experience and how its long-term partnership with DOST-PAGASA can inform the project’s design. With plans to develop a web-based platform, mobile app, and SMS-based system, the team sought to understand IRRI’s approach in utilizing Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to support decision-making for rice farmers. To support this, Vanessa Mae Escaño, Senior Science Research Specialist, discussed the CIS project’s methodology, expected outputs, and long-term benefits to the fisheries sector.

IRRI representatives presented their climate advisory tools. Rowena Castillo, project manager, together with technical staff, Jerome Vila and Airene Claire Baradas, introduced the Rice Crop Manager Advisory Service (RCMAS) Climate + and discussed its API development and decision-making logic.

The CIS project is anchored on CRVA Phase I findings that showed that fishing communities remain highly exposed to climate hazards including, typhoons, flooding, and storm surge, yet lack access to Early Warning Systems (EWS) and CIS. Addressing this gap is essential to strengthening the climate resilience and livelihoods of coastal communities. ### (Janabless Tejada)