LOUDIVINA M.

DIONSON April 11,

2024

BSA-1ST YEAR

REACTION PAPER: UN REPORT ON DISASTER 2019

The DRR report on DRR is a wakeup call to the Philippines' DRR progress

which has been done under the Sendai framework and its four priorities.

Conversely, it emphasizes the most important elements of the problem of the

connection between the key global agreements at the country level.

Moreover, it advises developing an efficient policy related to Disaster Risk

Management (DRM) governance.

The government, civil society organizations, and the rest of the state actors at

the national, sub-national and local levels. UN Office for Disaster Risk

Reduction and Asian Disaster Preparedness Center are not the only source of

support for this report; consisting of government agencies, international

organizations as well as other stakeholder representatives, their input is

highly regarded and has provided feedback for this report. This was solely
possible owing to the kind support from the Australian Government,

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, a partner in the Partnership

Framework with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and

‘Support Implementation of the Sendai Framework.’ What you find in this

document are the views from the interviews, consultative meetings and the

literature reviews carried out by the research team. There is no implication

that these terms Despite every effort to achieve perfection, the data may

contain some inaccuracies, notes and additions as to figures, images and

references.

Situation with the Disaster Risk Reduction in the Philippines can be

characterized by its high vulnerability because of the fact that the country is

exposed to different kinds of natural disasters like typhoons, earthquakes and

volcanic eruptions. With the help of various technological tools, such as GIS

and LiDAR, information on risks is gathered extensively and updated.

Meanwhile, the Philippines made risk reduction and climate action central to

all the layers of governance, admitting that the even more disasters and

climate change threaten national security. The nation has carried out major
measures on disaster risk reduction as well as climate change adaptation,

adopted alongside global policy frameworks, e.g., the Sendai Framework for

Disaster Risk Reduction, Sustainable Development Goals, and the Paris

Climate Agreement. The Philippines faces a distinctive set of challenges

including that of high population density especially in urban regions, placing

many people at heightened risk. Alongside this, the country faces a financing

gap for a 1:100 loss event, which implies the need of more funding for

disaster mitigation and management. Alike, the country also has volcanoes

that frequently spew lava within the Ring of Fire, which is a continuous peril

to the population. Concerning the achievements sector, the Philippines has

advanced on improving knowledge about vulnerabilities and adopting

technological instruments such as tools that collect holistic risk data.

Institutionalization of disaster risk management now is a permanent

governance element in the country and it is a proof of a proactive approach to

disaster risking issues.

The report points out that the Philippines has achieved some steps in disaster

risk reduction (DRR) such as exploring risk transfer measures, coming up

Financial Protection Strategy nationally. But there are also some issues that

need attention. Through the report, the enabling conditions for disaster risk

reduction investment are demonstrated, the financial issues are tackled, and

national, local, and personal levels of resilience against disasters and climate

risks are enhanced. Moreover, it also explains that there is a need to address

the physical vulnerability issues, including the problems derived from

industrial development near natural reserves and the insecurity of informal

settlements to earthquakes and floods. Generally, there have been strides but

certainly are holes and places for more improvement of the DRR policies and

strategies that are in effect in the Philippines.

Local communities have the opportunity of participating in planning,

preparedness and response to resolve disaster risk reduction problems

through different channels. At the barangay level, there are Disaster Risk

Reduction and Management Offices in every province, city, and

municipality, as well as Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

Committees. Such agencies have been designated as the bureaucratic arm for
disasters involving horizontal coordination under the DRRM Act of 2010. In

order to reinforce a risk governance framework at the local scale, guidelines

have been issued for the creation of Local Disaster Risk Reduction and

Management Offices or Barangay DRRM Committees in Local Government

Units. The government conducts also capacity building exercises formulating

lists of actions to be taken and supplies to be acquired, which are provided

along with communications and contingency templates for disaster

preparedness. Community engagement at the barangay level is achieved

through the Community-Based Organizations and private sector operators as

stakeholders of the Department of the Interior and Local Government army

joining the training and projects superintended by the Local Government

Academy. Local authorities and leaders occupy a prime position in the

official DRR and CR infrastructure through the permanent presence and

dissemination of contextualized knowledge within their communities and

without a top-down approach in reducing the risk levels. These groups of

actors play a pivotal role so as to make the ambitions true, and the resilience

and sustainability should not be only in recovery but also in preparedness and

mitigation.
The report shows how successful international organizations and partnerships

work in the Philippines to reduce disaster risk through the Disaster Risk

Reduction initiatives. An illustration is the framework of partnership between

the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Government of Australia,

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The partnership has facilitated the

process of implementing the Sendai Framework, and in this regard showed a

fruitful way to make the country more resilient to disasters. Another case is

the Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies, led by the United

Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Through this alliance, the private

sector has collaborated with local governments to share information and take

necessary measures on disaster risk transformation and resilience. These

collaborations exhibited the power of the coordination of international

organizations and partnerships in assisting in the disaster risk reduction

efforts in the Philippines.

The key priorities for advancing disaster risk reduction efforts in the

Philippines includes: Investing in Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience:

This may include the development of new DRR policy frameworks as well as
enhancing the risk-informed spatial planning at the local level. Participation

can be manifested by the creation of LDRRMPs together with the community

and also in providing the necessary resources for DRR activities and projects.

Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance to manage Disaster Risk strengthens

governance systems for disasters risks management. The stakeholders can

lend a hand through backing the technical agencies that are responsible for

conducting risk assessments. These include the PHIVOLCS, PAGASA, and

MGB. Also, stakeholders include risk mapping at sub-national levels.

Stakeholders at the local, national and international levels may help these

efforts by providing financial and technical support, working with local units

of government to generate awareness and achieving impacts on DRR

management and resilience, and pushing for policies and initiatives that stress

DRR and resilience as their top priorities.