BUILDING BACK A BETTER NATION:DISASTER REHABILITATION AND RECOVERY IN THE PHILIPPINES

Ebinezer R. Florano, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

National College of Public Administration and Governance

University of the Philippines

and

Joe-Mar S. Perez

Training Specialist

Office of Civil Defense

Department of National Defense

Abstract

The paper explores the operationalization of Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery (DRRE) in the Philippines context. It is divided into four sections. The first section discusses the origins and development of DRRE as a thematic area. It highlights the paradigm shift in the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System which was brought about by the enactment of Republic Act 10121 as its legal framework. The second section discusses the design principles of DRRE. It explains how it is carried out through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan. It explains the involvement of the communities in rehabilitation and recovery programs. It also discusses the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) as a specific DRRE tool. To further illustrate the use of PDNA, the third section presents the case of Davao Oriental, a province in the Mindanao region, which was heavily devastated by Typhoon “Pablo” (International Name: “Bopha”) in December 2012. It also explains how civil property rights serve as among the major considerations in the aftermath of a disaster and how the PDNA takes into account the civil property rights of the victims.

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Presented in the panel on “The Role of Law and Legal Services in DisasterResponse” of the XVIII ISA (InternationalSociology Association) World Congress of Sociology held on 13 July 2014,Pacifico Yokohama, Yokahama, Japan.  

Local Leadership in Disaster Management: The Philippine Setting

Leadership approach can be a crucial factor for climate change adaptation/disaster risk reduction (CCA/DRR). Perhaps, leadership failed during the recent disaster that hit southern Mindanao early in December 2012. Many were killed, injured, gone missing. The "star paper" of Mr. Emil Rex Santos, a master's degree student of the University of the Philippines-National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG), may offer explanations and provide guideposts for local leaders in CCA/DRR.

Title: "Local Leadership in Disaster Management: The Philippine Setting"

Abstract:

The Philippines, situated in a disaster-prone region and in a highly seismic area along the Pacific Ring of Fire, is visited by at least 20 typhoons a year, and home to 300 volcanoes, 22 of which are active which necessitates the need or adoption of a disaster risk reduction management plan.  Such a plan entails action not just by national leaders, but more importantly by local actors.  The author proposes the utilization of a Disaster Management Cycle that incorporates leadership types that were culled from case studies in the Philippine setting.  He suggests that specific leadership types (i.e. strategic, charismatic, transformational, collaborative, emergent, situational and meta-leadership) be considered in the various phases of a holistic disaster management program at the local level.

To read the paper, e-mail the author at rexsantos95@yahoo.com for a copy or visit the library of UP-NCPAG. 

Philippine Climate Change Negotiator Sheds Tears for Typhoon Victims

"An important backdrop for my delegation is the profound impacts of climate change that we are already confronting. As we sit here, every single hour, even as we vacillate and procrastinate here, the death toll is rising. There is massive and widespread devastation. Hundreds of thousands of people have been rendered without homes. And the ordeal is far from over, as Typhoon Bopha has regained some strength as it approaches another populated area in the western part of the Philippines. Madam Chair, we have never had a typhoon like Bopha, which has wreaked havoc in a part of the country that has never seen a storm like this in half a century. And heartbreaking tragedies like this is not unique to the Philippines, because the whole world, especially developing countries struggling to address poverty and achieve social and human development, confront these same realities.
Finally, Madam Chair, I speak on behalf of 100 million Filipinos, a quarter of a million of whom are eking out a living working here in Qatar. And I am making an urgent appeal, not as a negotiator, not as a leader of my delegation, but as a Filipino.
I appeal to the whole world, I appeal to leaders from all over the world, to open our eyes to the stark reality that we face. I appeal to ministers. The outcome of our work is not about what our political masters want. It is about what is demanded of us by 7 billion people.
I appeal to all, please, no more delays, no more excuses. Please, let Doha be remembered as the place where we found the political will to turn things around. Please, let 2012 be remembered as the year the world found the courage to find the will to take responsibility for the future we want.
I ask of all of us here, if not us, then who ? If not now, then when ? If not here, then where ?"