PREPARATION IS THE KEY
According to UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center;
the Philippines is number 4 of countries most affected by extreme weather events.
(source: UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction)
In terms of disaster risk, Philippines ranked third among all of the countries with the highest risks worldwide according to the World Risk Report 2018, with index value of 25.14% (World Economic Forum, 2018). At least 60% of the country’s total land area is exposed to multiple hazards, and 74% of the population is susceptible to their impact.
This is largely due to the location and geographical context as the risk involving coastal hazards such as typhoons, storm surges and rising sea levels is high. Also, as the islands are located within the “Ring of Fire” between the Eurasian and Pacific tectonic plates, earthquakes and volcanoes are posing serious risks to the safety of the populace. Flooding, landslides, droughts and tsunamis further contribute to the exposure to natural hazards. Of these, hydro-meteorological events including typhoons and floods, accounted for over 80% of the natural disasters in the country during the last half-century.
The geographical location of the Philippines makes the country uniquely exposed to a plethora of hazards, including recurrent typhoons, earthquakes and 53 active volcanoes, eruptions of which are classified as the most deadly and costly globally. The subduction zone between the two tectonic plates (Eurasian and Pacific) creating the seismic activity in the region are predicted to have the capacity to generate major earthquakes in the near future, and in the vicinity of metropolitan cities. Other hazards include floods, landslides, tsunamis and wildfires, all of which are occurring in a frequency which has fundamentally changed the perception of hazards in the country.
Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate: Action Interventions
Disaster risk reduction and climate action have been embraced as compulsory functions of all levels of governance required to sustain productivity, and to shelter development gains in the Philippines. DRR and institutionalization of disaster risk management have become permanent elements of the official governance, in recognition of the fact that disasters and climate change are increasingly threatening the national security.
The Philippines has made significant progress in collecting comprehensive and updated risk information using different technological tools including GIS, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR), computer simulations, and fault mapping. Country’s assessments of hydro-meteorological, geological, and seismic hazards as well as community vulnerabilities, especially in the urban context, cover the parameters of hazards, exposure and vulnerability contributing to risks. However, enhanced cross-agency collaboration will be required to optimize the use of existing databases, managed by different government offices to generate finer scale of risk information.
Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance to Manage Disaster Risk. Since 1970s, Philippines has updated legal foundations for disaster risk reduction an management, emphasizing response-centric interventions, along with disaster prevention preparedness, and mitigation activities. This has been complemented by local risk governance legislation since 2003 to enable the use of local calamity funds for disaster preparedness and mitigation. However, these were considered insufficient to support change at the local level. This acknowledgement led to the enactment of the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 (or Republic Act 10121), as the country’s foremost legal instrument and guiding policy framework driving DRRM momentum across various governance levels.
In terms of institutional arrangements, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) serves as the highest decision-making body, comprising member from different departments, government agencies, LGUs, Civil Society Organizations and private sector. The architecture of DRM consists of multi-tiered bodies down to the Barangay (community) level, comprising Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) in every province, city and municipality, and a Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committee (BDRRMC), which are responsible for operations requiring vertical coordination, as mandated by the DRRM Act.
In the attempt to strengthen risk governance at the local level, the Guidelines for the Establishment of Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (LDRRMOs) or Barangay DRRM Committees (BDRRMCS) in Local Government Units (LGUs) have been issued in 2014 through a Joint Memorandum Circular between the NDRRMC, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Budget and Management, and Civil Service Commission (JMC No. 2014-1).
The government is also contributing significantly to capacitating local government units (LGUs) by developing a checklist of actions to be taken and supplies to be procured together with providing communication an contingency templates for disaster preparedness.
Community involvement in local DRRM (at the Barangay level) taking place through CBOs and private sector operators who are key stakeholders of the DILG in joint trainings and projects under the auspices of the Local Government Academy (LGA).
This website and related sites is an attempt to help discuss, inform and help City and Municipal LGUs become aware of technologies related to disaster & emergency communications & monitoring systems, solution, program, tools and equipment.
The manual Local Government Unit Disaster Preparedness Manual for City and Municipal LGUs has three parts which all mayors must adhere to observe and comply, to wit:
Part 1:
The Checklist of Early Preparedness Actions for Mayors(EPA) contains minimum and proactive early preparedness
protocols and actions. They are to be undertaken as preparatory and necessary measures prior to carrying out functions during the critical period.
Part 2:
The Checklist of Minimum Critical Preparedness Actions for Mayors is a series of progressive actions that LGUs
must undertake during the critical period, that is, during the weather disturbance. The series of actions varies depending on the alert level in the LGUs (i.e., alert levels Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie).
Part 3:
The Checklist for City and Municipal Local Government Operations Officers, Chiefs of Police, and Fire
Marshals contains a set of minimum actions to be undertaken by local government officials to complement the actions listed on the Checklist of Minimum Critical Preparedness Actions for Mayors.
The task, function, responsibilities and mandate given to Local Chief Executives (Mayors) in Philippine Cities and Municipalities is no mean task. "LGUs have the mandate to be the frontliners in responding to natural disasters in local communities. LGUs are most knowledgeable about their own locality–its terrain, resources, and its people–they are best positioned to lead the people in preparing, anticipating, and mitigating the impact of disasters".
Said, DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Ano.
Mayors are called to observe Three General Actions for early preparation:
• Create and institutionalize structures, systems, policies and plans
• Build competencies
• Mobilize resources
This site seek to discuss among others available tools, technology and approaches to effectively prepare LGUs respond to disaster & calamities. Among those to be tackled in this site are, to wit:
and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center;
the Philippines is number 4 of countries most affected by extreme weather events.
(source: UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction)
In terms of disaster risk, Philippines ranked third among all of the countries with the highest risks worldwide according to the World Risk Report 2018, with index value of 25.14% (World Economic Forum, 2018). At least 60% of the country’s total land area is exposed to multiple hazards, and 74% of the population is susceptible to their impact.
This is largely due to the location and geographical context as the risk involving coastal hazards such as typhoons, storm surges and rising sea levels is high. Also, as the islands are located within the “Ring of Fire” between the Eurasian and Pacific tectonic plates, earthquakes and volcanoes are posing serious risks to the safety of the populace. Flooding, landslides, droughts and tsunamis further contribute to the exposure to natural hazards. Of these, hydro-meteorological events including typhoons and floods, accounted for over 80% of the natural disasters in the country during the last half-century.
The geographical location of the Philippines makes the country uniquely exposed to a plethora of hazards, including recurrent typhoons, earthquakes and 53 active volcanoes, eruptions of which are classified as the most deadly and costly globally. The subduction zone between the two tectonic plates (Eurasian and Pacific) creating the seismic activity in the region are predicted to have the capacity to generate major earthquakes in the near future, and in the vicinity of metropolitan cities. Other hazards include floods, landslides, tsunamis and wildfires, all of which are occurring in a frequency which has fundamentally changed the perception of hazards in the country.
Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate: Action Interventions
Disaster risk reduction and climate action have been embraced as compulsory functions of all levels of governance required to sustain productivity, and to shelter development gains in the Philippines. DRR and institutionalization of disaster risk management have become permanent elements of the official governance, in recognition of the fact that disasters and climate change are increasingly threatening the national security.
The Philippines has made significant progress in collecting comprehensive and updated risk information using different technological tools including GIS, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR), computer simulations, and fault mapping. Country’s assessments of hydro-meteorological, geological, and seismic hazards as well as community vulnerabilities, especially in the urban context, cover the parameters of hazards, exposure and vulnerability contributing to risks. However, enhanced cross-agency collaboration will be required to optimize the use of existing databases, managed by different government offices to generate finer scale of risk information.
Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance to Manage Disaster Risk. Since 1970s, Philippines has updated legal foundations for disaster risk reduction an management, emphasizing response-centric interventions, along with disaster prevention preparedness, and mitigation activities. This has been complemented by local risk governance legislation since 2003 to enable the use of local calamity funds for disaster preparedness and mitigation. However, these were considered insufficient to support change at the local level. This acknowledgement led to the enactment of the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 (or Republic Act 10121), as the country’s foremost legal instrument and guiding policy framework driving DRRM momentum across various governance levels.
In terms of institutional arrangements, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) serves as the highest decision-making body, comprising member from different departments, government agencies, LGUs, Civil Society Organizations and private sector. The architecture of DRM consists of multi-tiered bodies down to the Barangay (community) level, comprising Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) in every province, city and municipality, and a Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committee (BDRRMC), which are responsible for operations requiring vertical coordination, as mandated by the DRRM Act.
In the attempt to strengthen risk governance at the local level, the Guidelines for the Establishment of Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (LDRRMOs) or Barangay DRRM Committees (BDRRMCS) in Local Government Units (LGUs) have been issued in 2014 through a Joint Memorandum Circular between the NDRRMC, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Budget and Management, and Civil Service Commission (JMC No. 2014-1).
The government is also contributing significantly to capacitating local government units (LGUs) by developing a checklist of actions to be taken and supplies to be procured together with providing communication an contingency templates for disaster preparedness.
Community involvement in local DRRM (at the Barangay level) taking place through CBOs and private sector operators who are key stakeholders of the DILG in joint trainings and projects under the auspices of the Local Government Academy (LGA).
This website and related sites is an attempt to help discuss, inform and help City and Municipal LGUs become aware of technologies related to disaster & emergency communications & monitoring systems, solution, program, tools and equipment.
The manual Local Government Unit Disaster Preparedness Manual for City and Municipal LGUs has three parts which all mayors must adhere to observe and comply, to wit:
Part 1:
The Checklist of Early Preparedness Actions for Mayors(EPA) contains minimum and proactive early preparedness
protocols and actions. They are to be undertaken as preparatory and necessary measures prior to carrying out functions during the critical period.
Part 2:
The Checklist of Minimum Critical Preparedness Actions for Mayors is a series of progressive actions that LGUs
must undertake during the critical period, that is, during the weather disturbance. The series of actions varies depending on the alert level in the LGUs (i.e., alert levels Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie).
Part 3:
The Checklist for City and Municipal Local Government Operations Officers, Chiefs of Police, and Fire
Marshals contains a set of minimum actions to be undertaken by local government officials to complement the actions listed on the Checklist of Minimum Critical Preparedness Actions for Mayors.
The task, function, responsibilities and mandate given to Local Chief Executives (Mayors) in Philippine Cities and Municipalities is no mean task. "LGUs have the mandate to be the frontliners in responding to natural disasters in local communities. LGUs are most knowledgeable about their own locality–its terrain, resources, and its people–they are best positioned to lead the people in preparing, anticipating, and mitigating the impact of disasters".
Said, DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Ano.
Mayors are called to observe Three General Actions for early preparation:
• Create and institutionalize structures, systems, policies and plans
• Build competencies
• Mobilize resources
This site seek to discuss among others available tools, technology and approaches to effectively prepare LGUs respond to disaster & calamities. Among those to be tackled in this site are, to wit:
- How to design and build LGU Emergency Operation Center (EOC);
- Utilizing/leveraging on emerging and mature ICT technologies for disaster-preparedness communication and monitoring
- Adopting LGU Mobile Command Vehicle in relation to Incident Command System and Operation Center
- Disaster Early Warning, Monitoring and Alarm/Communication System
- others to be discussed later...