A three-year collaboration program with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to enhance the country’s capabilities in geohazards monitoring and information dissemination is currently being implemented.
The nationwide adoption of anticipatory action (AA) for disaster preparedness to enhance the country’s resilience against natural disasters.
A Memorandum of Agreement with 19 organizations, institutions, and government agencies to ensure the deployment of medical personnel from hospitals and medical groups to assist in emergency operations during disasters.
These are among the significant events that were held in the past weeks by various government agencies and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) to strengthen the country’s disaster preparedness. The initiatives also marked the observance of National Disaster Resilience Month which is held every July, as mandated by Executive Order No. 29 signed in 2017.
The three-year program in partnership with JICA was announced by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). It is under the “project for capacity development for monitoring and information dissemination of earthquake, tsunami, and volcano.” The partnership was signed on July 16, 2024, the 34th anniversary of the 1990 7.8-magnitude Luzon earthquake. That earthquake that claimed more than 1,600 lives, injured more than 3,000, and caused millions of pesos in damages is a reminder of the impact of a strong earthquake, or the “Big One,” that is possible due to the movement of the West Valley Fault which starts from the Sierra Madre and through the eastern part of Metro Manila and ends in Cavite.
The program with JICA aims to enhance Phivolcs’ capabilities in earthquake monitoring, tsunami early warning systems, and effective dissemination of critical geohazard information across the Philippines. It will include comprehensive training programs in the Philippines and master’s courses in Japan to facilitate knowledge exchange between experts from both countries.
Another initiative, the nationwide adoption of anticipatory action is led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as a proactive strategy supporting vulnerable populations ahead of disasters.
The program has been established in many pilot areas across the country and have been proven as successful – in Isabela for drought AA, in Surigao del Norte for flood AA in Caraga, and Cotabato for flood AA in Soccsksargen.
The event, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN-FAO) which works with DSWD, especially shows the strong collaboration among government agencies. It also involves the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, and local government units in Cagayan Valley, Bicol, and Eastern Visayas.
The third event this month that worked on another area of disaster resilience was the PRC’s move for a memorandum of agreement with 19 organizations and government agencies to establish a ready “route” for deploying medical personnel and groups from hospitals to disaster areas. The event was held to mark July as National Blood Donor Month.
Last month, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) had successfully tested the efficiency of a harmonized plan to mitigate the impact of the “Big One,” during the conduct of the second quarter National Simultaneous Earthquake Drill.
The dedication of government agencies and a non-profit humanitarian organization to working on strengthening our disaster resilience is worthy of praise.
We are bringing attention to the various initiatives that were conducted in the past days to make citizens aware that there are people working on preparedness to ensure our resilience after disaster strikes.