IN a disaster-prone country like the Philippines, disaster-risk reduction (DRR) and climate-change adaptation (CCA) practices should start at the community level.
Such is the objective of a national conference initiated by the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), in partnership with the Finnish Red Cross, Netherlands Red Cross, Spanish Red Cross and the German Red Cross, through a fund from the European Union.
The conference brought together representatives from national government agencies, local governments units (LGUs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil-society organizations, academe and other key stakeholders to formulate strategies that will mainstream DRR and CCA good practices in local development plans.
The conference, titled “Listening to Local Leaders in Mainstreaming DRR/CCA in the Local Development Plans,” which was held late last week, became a venue for showcasing successful DRR mainstreaming approaches and outcomes of the PRC, NGOs and local governments.
Whereas before, DRR and CCA plans are simply cascaded from government agencies or in the national level to the community level, the conference gave representatives from various municipalities fresh inputs and recommendations that could help them formulate their own DRR and CCA approaches that are in agreement with the government’s comprehensive development plan.
“This gathering brings together people who can effect change to help communities that were affected by disasters to get back on their feet,” said Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the PRC.
“We, at the Philippine Red Cross, have incorporated preparedness into the DNA of our organization. We see disasters as a learning opportunity, and we are constantly learning from our past experiences,” Pang added.
An important aim of the conference is for LGU leaders to learn from the success of other LGUs in mainstreaming DRR and CCA approaches in the community level.
Colin Fernandes, DRR delegate from the Netherlands Red Cross, addressed the challenge of mainstreaming in the community level for many LGUs.
“Mainstreaming is difficult, especially in the community level. But there have been many successful mainstreaming in the Philippines. The objective of the conference is to identify those who have been successful in mainstreaming in local communities and learn from them,” he said.
Fernandes added that an important output of the conference would be to identify and increase the role of the Red Cross in terms of mainstreaming DRR and CCA in local development planning.
“Let us demystify or simplify mainstreaming, so everyone in the community level can do it,” Fernandes said.
Red Cross’s approach
THE PRC, which is very active in disaster response and relief in the country, plays a big role in the mainstreaming of DRR and CCA initiatives in local communities. One major accomplishment of the PRC in this regard is the Red Cross 143 Program, which empowers communities to respond to any disaster.
“Red Cross 143 means one leader plus 43 members in every organization or community to mobilize the power of humanity,” PRC Chairman Richard Gordon said.
“In the Philippine Red Cross, we have devised the four Ps: predict, plan, prepare and practice. The 44 volunteers of Red Cross 143 were trained to perform the four Ps in case of disasters or mass casualty incidents,” Gordon said.
Red Cross 143 aims to create a network of volunteers that can provide important information and can be mobilized for immediate response to any disasters or incidents. These volunteers were trained in three aspects—disaster preparedness and response; health and welfare; and voluntary blood donation.
Red Cross volunteers were trained to predict hazards in the community; plan to lessen vulnerability; prepare the community and their needs in case a disaster arises; practice the community for disaster response; like first aid and emergency evacuation drill; report to the PRC important information regarding the emergency or disaster; and respond to possible needs, such as administration of first aid, health and hygiene promotion, voluntary blood donation, psychological support, tracing and relief operation.
Stakeholders’ role
THE government, in the past decade has given much importance to disaster risk-reduction management, which gave way to the creation of Republic Act (RA)10121, or the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management [DRRM] Act of 2010.
Edgar Ollet, head of National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Operations Center, presented salient features of RA 10121, which include an “integrated, coordinated, multi-sectoral, interagency and community-based approach to disaster risk reduction.” The DRRM Act empowers LGUs and CSOs as key partners in disaster risk reduction.
Ollet said the government provides the impetus for the implementation of in the LGUs, but the NDRRM and the LGUs are in charge of the execution. “NDRRM is executed at the local level, not at the national level,” Ollet said. He, likewise, revealed that, this year, the NDRRMC will be reviewing the NDRRM framework in view of the recent natural disasters that besieged the country.
Climate Change Commission (CCC) Vice Chairman Mary Anne Lucile Sering assured everyone of the national government’s support in terms of climate-change projects. “Climate appropriations have been increasing, relative to overall government budget. From 2003 to 2013, we have seen an increase in government budget for climate-change projects, which are mostly for rehabilitation initiatives,” Sering said.
Sering presented the CCC’s climate-change initiatives, which, she revealed, was heavily grounded on science-based initiatives, like the Project Noah. “We recommend the use of science-based approaches in the planning process. There are local governments, which have already been successful in this,” Sering said.
She, likewise, mentioned the availability of funding for LGUs for their DRR-CCA projects through the People’s Survival Fund, which helps finance climate change adaptation programs and projects. “Funding climate-change and disaster-risk reduction is not hard. What is hard is the political will to implement it,” said Sering, who encouraged localleaders to avail themselves of the said funding for their climate change initiatives.
“We encourage especially those from the fourth, fifth, and sixth class municipalities to avail of the fund,” she added.
LGUs are considered as first responders in every disaster, which is why local initiatives are very important in the mainstreaming of DRR and CCA.
“Local governments should beef up their ecological profile, enhance their existing database. They should have hazard maps, and their planning team should be organized to ensure climate and disaster risk are integrated in the planning,” said Maria Monica Angela Salud Mamuyac, local government officer of the BLGD.
Mamuyac laid out DILG’s mainstreaming approaches and assured LGU delegates of the agency’s support. “We will have a composite team at the regional level to help local governments in local planning. We are also partnering with other CSOs, and we will be developing a menu of technical packages that will be made available to local governments,” said Mamuyac.