The Philippine Preparedness Partnership (PhilPrep), through the Asian Preparedness Partnership program, was able to influence change in various national entities, local partners, and at-risk communities. It is very important that these experiences are not lost with time and are properly accounted for in hopes of using the knowledge accumulated for stronger and more meaningful programming in the future. The video documents and evaluates the gains and learnings throughout the two implementation phases of PhilPrep’s five-year journey with those it served.

The Philippines can be appreciated as a destination country for studies, research, and visits by virtue of its plethora of knowledge, good practices, and lessons learned forged through its extensive experience and resilience in facing disasters. In order to foster good partnership and collective resilience with other neighboring countries, the Philippine Preparedness Partnership (PhilPrep) aims to offer study visits with APP program countries to draw valuable insights and experiences that can be applied to the Philippines. The vast collection of experience and knowledge from APP program countries can also be shared and exchanged with other existing networks in Asia such as the Global Network of Civil Society Organizations for Disaster Risk Reduction (GNDR) and the Asian Disaster Reduction and Response Network (ADRRN). Their existing CBDRRM hubs could allow PhilPrep’s community-level actors to partake in the cross-country platforms. As such, efforts to promote South-South learning were made through the development of PhilPrep learning package booklets on (a) Governance, featuring why and how “good DRR is good governance”; (b) Partnerships, which presents various case studies of public, private, and CSO partnerships whether intra- or inter-sectoral in nature; (c) CBDRRM in the Philippines, highlighting to the visitors a more in-depth knowledge and understanding of DRRM in the Philippines; and (d) Pandemic experience and preparation in the Philippines. Download the booklets here: https://www.cdp.org.ph/product-page/philprep-learning-package-booklets

Witness how our communities get actively involved in a flood simulation exercise simultaneously performed in barangays Lower Usogan, New Village and San Jose in Municipality of Tambulig. The Center for Disaster Preparedness implemented the Project PROSPER Phase 2 (Participation in Resilience Building and Organizing Safe and Progressive communities for Empowerment, Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction) in the Zamboanga Peninsula region through the support of USAID.

It was a week full of fun learning and skills development for the sponsored children of チャイルド・ファンド・ジャパン (ChildFund Japan) from 11 centers nationwide in public awareness and child-centered disaster risk reduction and management. The team from Center for Disaster Preparedness would like to thank all the participants for actively participating in the Youth Convergence 2018, the center staff who helped guide the participants, ChildFund Japan - Philippine Office for the partnership, the artist-mentors from Bacolod, our video and photo documentors, and everyone who made this all possible. Together, we're one step closer to our goal of enabling the children and youth become active actors in reducing their risks by harnessing their creativity and empowering them to become forefronts of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation/mitigation at varying levels—at the barangay, municipal and provincial levels.

The Center for Disaster Preparedness (CDP) Foundation, Inc. took proactive stand in capacitating communities to take preventive measures in times of disaster by holding recently a mock flood drill in barangays Lower Usogan, New Village and San Jose in Tambulig town. The activity was done in cooperation with the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC). The CDP is currently implementing Project PROSPER Phase 2 (Participation in Resilience Building and Organizing Safe and Progressive communities for Empowerment, Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction) in the Zamboanga Peninsula region through the support of USAID. The project hopes to contribute in transforming the lives of the people in the region towards a holistic and inclusive resilience building, empowerment and development so they are more resilient in times of flooding and drought. Source of video description: https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1028273

Zamboanga Del Sur’s abundance in Agri-fishery such as rice, corn, and aqua-marine products serves as the main sources of income of the province. Despite abundance in these products, the effect of climate change in agriculture affects crop production and food security. Significant results coming from initial consultations and risk assessment with affected municipalities in the province shows estimated around 70% Agri-fishery livelihoods are widely affected by flooding. Having this situation, communities face difficulties in restoring and sustaining their economic activities and thus, the urgency to establish Early Warning mechanisms and Agro-met monitoring to protect livelihoods which is necessary for climate-resilient agricultural development. In relation to the actual situation, Local Government Units (LGUs) need to enhance Inter-Municipality Disaster Risk and Climate governance by establishing climate-field school and end-to-end Warning System to address adverse effects of hazards and complement existing initiatives in ecosystem-based management and adaptation towards resilient, inclusive and sustainable development. CDP holds several coordination and partnership meetings with agencies and organizations in the province to gather support on trainings and farming inputs, all necessary for the project operation. Recent meetings conducted are with the Regional Department of Agriculture, Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC), Regional Crop Protection Center (RCPC) and the Diocesan of Pagadian. DA’s regional director Rad Donn Cedeño offers to provide agricultural inputs and assistance to trainings. Same positive feedbacks were also gathered with other concerned agencies. With the Go signals from the local chief executives of Tambulig and Ramon Magsaysay in Zamboanga Del Sur, CDP undertake its baseline data gathering for the farming communities of Lower Tiparak, Tambulig and Barangay Switch, Ramon Magsaysay through Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA). The activity aims to understand local farming initiatives, methodologies and technologies used by farmers including farming issues and challenges. At least twenty-five (25) women and thirty (30) men from Lower Tiparak; and twenty-one (21) women and sixteen (16) men in Switch joined the activity. The PRA revealed significant highlights on the status of agricultural interventions, risks and systems. Being located at the lowland with high exposure to river systems, both areas are at high risk to flooding. Despite noticeable impact of climate change and due to lack of climate related capacity building, both areas still practicing conventional farming, which uses synthetic chemicals for soil nourishment and pest control. Meanwhile, the unavailability of community seed banking for both areas, including capacity buildings on the matter, are key factors to their current external seed dependency. As per MGCQ Guidelines, Social Distancing measures have been followed in the conduct of the activities. Personal Protective Equipments such as masks and sanitary materials were provided to the attendees. Adherence to the social gathering guidelines which is 50% of total venue capacity, were observed. Coordination and preparation for the season long training will be on October 2020. Calendar setting and CRFS enrollment were undertaken for both of the areas. Currently there are twenty-one (21) women and twenty-six (26) men enrolled for the CRFS from Barangay Lower Tiparak; and sixteen (16) women and thirteen (13) men enrolled in Barangay Switch. CRFS modules prepared by Rice Watch Action Network (R1) are already available. Demo Farms The farming association of Lower Tiparak already identified and established a five thousand (5000) square meters demo farm for the Season Long Training. Additionally, local farmers also committed to share a portion of their land as demo farm extension for the Systems of Rice Intensification trial. Demo farms will serve as learning sites for the sustainable and climate-friendly agriculture initiative of the project. Due to the on-going Enhance Community Quarantine restrictions raised by the provincial government of Zamboanga Del Sur, coordination for the Season Long training and demo farm at Barangay Switch has been postponed. CDP is currently preparing organic fertilizers in preparation to the upcoming cropping season.

The neophyte mayor of Quinapondan, Atty. Raffy Asebias, underscores the importance of disaster preparedness in a community's development in this short documentary. Like most communities in the Philippines, the municipality of Quinapondan is high risk to various natural hazards, adversely affecting its economy hence the need for effective community-based disaster risk reduction and management. This video features one of three municipalities covered by the partnership project between CDP and Oxfam - the Municipality of Quinapondan in Eastern Samar - and tackles disaster risk reduction as the cornerstone of resilience and development. The project outcomes focus on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction through ensuring that government plans are responsive to gender-specific needs and capacities and address risks in the locality through assessments, advocacy and campaigns, comprehensive DRR plans, policies, and capacity building. This engagement is under Oxfam's THRIVE Program or Transformation of Haiyan-Affected Regions through Innovation and Economic Empowerment. -- Center for Disaster Preparedness Foundation Promoting the Communities' Rights to Safe, Resilient, & Sustainable Future Telefax: (02) 361-2243; Tel: (02) 361-2191 B31 L19 A. Bonifacio St., New Capitol Estates I Batasan Hills, Quezon City

The Center for Disaster Preparedness, with support from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), has led the two-year implementation of a project entitled “Towards Resilience and Development for Bohol Communities in the Aftermath of Earthquake and Typhoon Haiyan.” The undertaking began in November 2014 as a 6-month project focused on awareness raising and capacity building in Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (CBDRRM) of affected communities in the Municipality of Antequera, Bohol. Since then, the project has elevated its approaches to increasing the resilience and preparedness of the covered communities, Barangays Mag-aso and Sto. Rosario, through capacity development in sustainable livelihood and agricultural practices.

A documentary on the Banaba Disaster Risk Reduction Project implemented by CDP in Brgy. Banaba, San Mateo, Rizal from 2010 to 2012 as part of Christian Aid's Ketsana Rehabilitation project of urban communities. For more info: https://www.christianaid.org.uk/Images/resilient-urban-communities-ketsana-rehabilitation_tcm15-67195.pdf

The Municipality of Mercedes is an agricultural and coastal town located at the southernmost tip of the Province of Camarines Norte. Its economy thrives mainly from farming through large parcels of paddy rice lands to vegetable farm lots, and fishing from the San Miguel Bay leading to the Pacific Ocean. Mercedes is regarded as the “Fishing Bowl” of Camarines Norte for its abundant catch of seafood throughout the years. It is categorized as a second-class municipality. Given its geographical location, whereas most of the 26 Barangays comprise the coastal and upland areas (including 3 island and many upland barangays) , Mercedes is faced with various natural hazards such as Typhoon, Tsunami, Earthquake, Landslide and Storm Surge. And with a large population whose basic livelihood is agriculture, several vulnerabilities follow suit. Based on the town’s history, it was 1995 when Mercedes experienced its worst hit due to Typhoon Rosing. The damages brought about by strong winds and tremendous amounts of rain causing storm surges paralyzed the whole Municipality. Fast forward to 2015, after almost 2 decades, Mercedes is now one of the most sought after Municipalities in Camarines Norte in terms of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management. During the last few years, Mercedes has been a constant awardee of various local disaster response competitions. Its involvement of youth from the schools is also very commendable. And in 2013-2014, after several trainings on Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management or CBDRRM, Mercedes through its Municipal DRRMC has accomplished the following: - CBDRRM Orientation for all its 26 Barangays from the Barangay DRRMC level up to the *Purok Level - Municipal and Barangay DRRM Planning - Early Warning Systems and Contingency Plans for the Municipality and the Barangays - Policy- A Municipal DRRM Code being crafted by the Sangguniang Bayan of the Local Council Rigorous trainings and orientations have been taking place in the Municipality with the help of the Local Government Unit, the Provincial DRRM Office, National Government Agencies and Non-Government Organizations. There are outstanding experiences of counter-parting from funds to manpower has been taking place in Mercedes in order for the abovementioned accomplishments to take place. It is also good to note that at the policy level, the local Municipal Council decided to draft a DRRM Code instead of Resolutions or Ordinances so that even changes in administrations and elections won’t affect the implementation of DRRM-CCA programs in the Municipality. Some barangays have also done several initiatives after the CBDRRM trainings, to date, at least 2 barangays have already crafted ordinances about Pre-emptive evacuation during disasters to achieve the zero casualty target and to raise awareness to their constituents all year round. Recently, after going through trainings on Contingency Planning, Mercedes got an approval from the Regional Office of the Civil Defense for having prepared a Contingency Plan for the whole Municipality which is based on the Community Risk Assessments done by the 26 Barangays. Their hardships are gaining even more fruition because neighboring Municipalities are now seeking their help and support for replication and knowledge exchange. Upcoming Multi-Hazard Simulation drills based on their crafted Early Warning Systems and Contingency Plans are now in the preparation stage and the Municipal and Barangay DRRM manuals are also on the works. (These efforts with the Municipality of Mercedes were done with several NGOs namely the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) through the Sustainable and Resilient Agribusiness Development in Mercedes or the SARAM Project with partners from the different agencies including the Center for Disaster Preparedness focusing on the DRRM component. The SARAM project is funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.)

The Center for Disaster Preparedness was tasked to provide training and capacity-building to the partner communities in community-based disaster risk reduction and management which culminated in this simulation exercise. Information and communication technology (ICT) tools were the main feature of this storm surge and flood simulation exercise facilitated in Padre Burgos, Quezon Province through the 'Applying Space-based Technology and Information and Communication Technology to Strengthen Disaster Resilience' project.

Ka Noli Abinales of Buklod Tao was chosen by Cose Older Persons as one of the Ten Outstanding Older Persons this year. Buklod Tao, is a long-time partner of Center for Disaster Preparedness. For years, they have been helping us gather the views of the community and the local government of San Mateo in Rizal regarding the issues affecting them, and how these could be resolved. Today, we look back at a video we produced in 2015 for the GNDR Frontline research. Watch how Ka Noli candidly spoke to us about their approach and what he thought abour the study. More information about the research could be found at our website: https://www.cdp.org.ph/frontline

Nagkaisa ang mga staff ng Center for Disaster Preparedness na patuloy na nakikipagtulungan sa mga komunidad sa iba’t ibang panig ng bansa upang ihatid sa inyo ang ilang mga tips na makakakapagbigay ng pag-asa sa gitna ng lockdown at krisis dulot ng Covid-19. #mayPAGASA laban sa #covid19

The Center for Disaster Preparedness was tasked to provide training and capacity-building to the partner communities in community-based disaster risk reduction and management which culminated in this simulation exercise. Information and communication technology (ICT) tools were the main feature of this storm surge and flood simulation exercise facilitated in Padre Burgos, Quezon Province through the 'Applying Space-based Technology and Information and Communication Technology to Strengthen Disaster Resilience' project.

Daloy ng Katatagan” (Stream of Resilience) is a documentary produced by the DRRNetwork Philippines as part of its Final Terminal Report for the project ‘Technical Assistance on Securing the Safety of Informal Settler Families in Metro Manila’. The documentary had zoom-in and put focus on Brgy. Sta. Lucia in Quezon City, one of the 115 partner barangays served by the technical assistance. Brgy Sta Lucia is a reflection of the same situation in 115 barangays covered by the project and more likely of a significant number of the 1,706 barangays in Metro Manila. It talks about some of the outcomes and impact of the project; at the same time that they shared what the project meant to the members of the informal settler communities, the barangay captain of Sta. Lucia, the Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, and the Department of Local and Interior Government. The documentary also touched on the technical assistance as an important approach to addressing the situation and need of the informal settler families in the immediate and in the long-run. There is no shortcut to community resilience, empowerment and development but in reducing their vulnerabilities through increasing their capacities and in promoting their rights for safe and sustainable future.

It was a week full of fun learning and skills development for the sponsored children of チャイルド・ファンド・ジャパン (ChildFund Japan) from 11 centers nationwide in public awareness and child-centered disaster risk reduction and management. The team from Center for Disaster Preparedness would like to thank all the participants for actively participating in the Youth Convergence 2018, the center staff who helped guide the participants, ChildFund Japan - Philippine Office for the partnership, the artist-mentors from Bacolod, our video and photo documentors, and everyone who made this all possible. Together, we're one step closer to our goal of enabling the children and youth become active actors in reducing their risks by harnessing their creativity and empowering them to become forefronts of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation/mitigation at varying levels—at the barangay, municipal and provincial levels.

The Center for Disaster Preparedness (CDP) Foundation, Inc. took proactive stand in capacitating communities to take preventive measures in times of disaster by holding recently a mock flood drill in barangays Lower Usogan, New Village and San Jose in Tambulig town. The activity was done in cooperation with the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC). The CDP is currently implementing Project PROSPER Phase 2 (Participation in Resilience Building and Organizing Safe and Progressive communities for Empowerment, Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction) in the Zamboanga Peninsula region through the support of USAID. The project hopes to contribute in transforming the lives of the people in the region towards a holistic and inclusive resilience building, empowerment and development so they are more resilient in times of flooding and drought. Source of video description: https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1028273