On 27 March 2003, the Board of Regents of the University of the Philippines (UP) approved the creation of the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology (IESM) as an academic unit of the College of Science of UP Diliman, merging the erstwhile Environmental Science Program (ESP) and the Department of Meteorology and Oceanography (DMO). The Institute is envisioned to serve as a center of excellence in the environmental and atmospheric sciences in Asia-Pacific, investigating natural phenomena (including human interactions with nature), contributing to major decisions towards sustainable development in the country and the region.