This paper provides a qualitative assessment of the impacts of climate variability and
extremes to local communities in the Pantabangan-Carranglan Watershed located in Northern
Philippines. It also analyzes the local adaptation practices and their effectiveness in mitigating
adverse impacts based on the experiences and perceptions of the local community themselves.
The study revealed that strong typhoons, droughts (associated with El Niño) and delay onset
of rainy season tend to have more harmful impacts to a greater number of farmers compared to
other climate-related stressors. Impacts vary among different socio-economic groups with the
poor farmers being the most adversely affected, and hence, more vulnerable. Similarly, adaptation
practices and their effectiveness vary across socio-economic groups and geographic location. In
general, while various local adaptation practices exist, these are either limited or ineffective to
minimize adverse impacts especially among the poorer sector of the community. The paper
concludes by discussing the implications of the study to development planning and future
research on adaptation.