MANILA — Senator Loren Legarda urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to integrate nature-based solutions into public infrastructure planning and costing during plenary deliberations on the proposed 2026 budget.

Legarda emphasized that ecological and hybrid infrastructure designs—such as constructed wetlands, vegetated floodplains, detention parks, bioswales, permeable surfaces, urban forests, and mangrove restoration—are not only climate-resilient but may also be more cost-effective over their lifecycle compared to conventional civil works.

“Nurturing nature is our strongest flood defense,” Legarda said, calling for a Nature-Based Solutions Costing Framework to be established alongside DPWH’s Construction Materials Price Data (CMPD) and Detailed Unit Price Analysis (DUPA). This framework would standardize unit costs, design templates, and material benchmarks for ecological and hybrid infrastructure.

Legarda highlighted that, without standardized costing, these solutions are often excluded from formal programming and remain undervalued compared with traditional flood control structures like roads, bridges, floodwalls, and pumping stations. She stressed the importance of conducting comparative cost–benefit and lifecycle analyses between conventional projects and nature-based alternatives, particularly hybrid models.

The senator also called for a formal study on integrating indigenous and locally sourced materials—such as bamboo, coconut lumber, volcanic aggregates, local stone, and native plant species—into national standards. She proposed a pilot program with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of Economic and Development (DEPDev), and academic institutions to generate localized cost data for these sustainable infrastructure projects.

Legarda underscored that the Philippines’ ecological diversity provides a unique opportunity to lead in climate-conscious, resilient infrastructure design, and that infrastructure value should not be measured solely in cement but in resilience, sustainability, and long-term benefits.

“We have the resources, knowledge, and urgency. What we need is the institutional will to mainstream these solutions into our infrastructure program,” she said.

Through her advocacy, Legarda continues to push for an all-government approach that embeds environmental stewardship into fiscal planning, ensuring infrastructure modernization aligns with climate resilience and sustainable development.