Ins
stituttiona
alizinng Resili
R
ience
e of
Com
mmun
nities an
nd Na
ation
n:
the
e Phiilippines
s and
d Jap
pan Expe
E erien
nces

by:
MA. ALETHA A. NOGRA

Civil Deffense Officcer III
Officee of Civil Defense-D
D
epartmennt of Natioonal Defen
nse
R
Republico the Philippinesof

4/18/20133

Disclaimer
This report was compiled by an ADRC visiting researcher (VR) from ADRC
member countries.
The views expressed in the report do not necessarily reflect the views of
the ADRC. The boundaries and names shown and the designations usedon the maps in the report also do not imply official endorsement or
acceptance by the ADRC.

Table of Contents
Page

I.

Acknowledgement

4

II.

Background and Significance of the Study

5

III.

Delimitation of the Study

7

IV.

Institutionalizing DRRM in the Philippines

8

A. Republic Act 10121

8

B. NDRRM Framework

11

C. NDRRM Plan

14

D. Recognizing Communities’ DRRM Initiatives

25

o National Disaster Consciousness Month25o Fire Prevention Month26

o Gawad KALASAG

27

o Seal of Disaster Preparedness

34

o Bakas Parangal

38

E. Examples of Good Practices in
Community-based DRRM in thePhilippines

40

o Municipality of San Jose deV.

Buenavista, Province of Antique40

o Chamber Volunteer Fire Brigade

44o Cabasi Sta. Rosa Elementary School

45

Institutionalizing DRRM in Japan47

A. Japan DM System

47

o National DM System

48

o Hyogo Prefectural DM System

63

o Kobe City DM System

65

B. Disaster Welfare Community (BOKOMI)

72

C. Kaeru Caravan:

79

DRR Learning for Children

D. Corporations Commitment on DRRM:

Osaka Gas Company

80
2

Page
E. Protecting Communities from Flood:
The Management of Lake Biwa

84

F. The Role of Learning Institutions inCreating a Culture of Safety in the Community90

o Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution

90o Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park93

G. Disaster Resilient Infrastructure Development
and Transportation System: Hanshin Expressway
Company Limited

94

H. Higher Learning Institutions’ Role in Fostering a
High Level Community Disaster Reduction

96

I. Community Involvement in the Recovery Process:Lessons Learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake
J. A Voice of the Community:

97

Community RadioFMYY and Takatori Community Center

98

VI.

Analysis and Recommendations

100

VII.

References

103

3

I.

Acknowledgement

The author expresses her sincere appreciation to the…

Asian Disaster Reduction Center for the most valuable opportunity to learn about Disaster
Risk Reduction (DRR) in Japan.

ADRC has made possible that learning throughexperience is learning for a lifetime…

Office of Civil Defense-Department of National Defense (OCD-DND) whose relentless
pursuit for excellence in disaster risk reduction and management has prompted me to be inJapan as a visiting researcher…

Co-Visiting Researchers from Thailand, India and Indonesia for the fun and frenzy
exploration of Japan for three and a half months…

Family and friends for the love, support and inspiration…

4

II.

Background and Significance of the Study

The communities are always at the forefront of every disaster or emergency.

If they will be

the backbone of disaster prevention and mitigation as well as preparedness measures, they
will deliver their respective communities to resilience and contribute to the nation’s pursuit
for sustainable development.

Thus, there is a need to empower the communities to beable to cope and manage every disaster that would come along their way and to be able tocontinuously build resilience.

In this aspect, the government plays a very vital role inleading the communities towards resilience.

In the Philippines, there is recently an enabling law to be able to achieve this but so much
efforts with long-term positive impacts have to be done yet and on-going investments oncommunity-based disaster risk reduction (CBDRRM) must be continued.

The Great-Hansin Awaji Earthquake in 1995 was the turning point of resilience for theJapanese community but the lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake
prompted them to continuously and strongly pursue CBDRRM. It is in this light that thispaper will delve into the different good practices in CBDRRM between the Philippines andJapan experiences.

As defined in the Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement Act of 2010, "Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management"or "CBDRRM" is a process of disaster risk reduction and management in which at risk
communities are actively engaged in the identification, analysis, treatment, monitoring andevaluation of disaster risks in order to reduce their vulnerabilities and enhance theircapacities, and where the people are at the heart of decision-making and implementation ofdisaster risk reduction and management activities.

As such, this study will try to explore the participation of the community which includes the
local government units (LGUs) specifically the local disaster risk reduction and management
councils (LDRRMCs) from the city and municipal levels who have a direct coordination withthe barangays or the grassroots level together with the people themselves and the rest of
the key players at the local levels, the schools, the churches, private organizations, businesssectors found in the area, health sectors and the rest of the elements in the area, with thesteering leadership of the national government as a whole.

5Furthermore, this study encompasses the following entities that make up a community: thepeople themselves:men, women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, thegovernment, the non-government, the business sector, private sector, all who are actors in acommunity.

The local government units (LGUs) which may be a city, a municipality and ora barangay. The local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (LDRRMCs) as aleader in the implementation of disaster risk reduction and management programs. The
civil society organizations (CSOs) or non-state actors whose aims are neither to generate
profits nor to seek governing power. CSOs that unite people to advance shared goals andinterests.

They have a presence in public life, expressing the values and interests of theirmembers or others and are based on ethical, cultural, scientific, religious, or philanthropic
considerations.

It also includes non-government organizations (NGOs), professional

associations, foundations, independent research institutes, other community-basedorganizations (CBOs), faith-based organizations, people’s organizations, social movements,and labor unions who are continuously initiating and investing in disaster risk reduction as a
strategy for sustainable development.

6

III.

Delimitation of the Study

This study is limited only to the institutionalization of the disaster risk reduction andmanagement

programs, projects and activities in the Philippines and Japan contexts andhow such process has empowered the communities to become more resilient against any
disaster or emergency.

The first part of the study will focus on the Philippine experience banking on the new law
entitled Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act
of 2010 which transforms the country’s disaster risk reduction and management system intoa more proactive stance.

This paper will try to delve on some of the examples of the goodpractices in DRRM by a number of local disaster risk reduction and management councils
and non-government organizations as well as volunteer groups in the Philippines which playa significant role in creating a disaster resilient communities and leading them towards thepath of sustainable development.

The second part of the study will give an extensive discussion of creating a culture of safety
and resilience in Japan starting from the laws and guidelines issued by the Central
Government, major roles that the government play in promoting and implementing theselaws, the corporate social responsibility and commitment to disaster risk reduction of thebusiness communities and the participation and cooperation of the people themselves.
The discussion is limited only to the accounts of actual experiences and learning that theauthor has encountered in the various study tours all over Japan, seminars and conferenceswith local and international experts, and personal readings of reference materials provided
during the term under the Visiting Researcher Program of the Asian Disaster Reduction
Center on January 15 to April 22, 2013.

Through the ADRC Visiting Researcher Program, the lessons learned from the Great
Hanshin Awaji Earthquake and the Great East Japan Earthquake as well as the goodpractices in disaster risk reduction being undertaken by the government andnon-government entities in Japan would be very useful for the author in carrying out her
duties and responsibilities as Civil Defense Officer and DRR practitioner in the Philippines
given the implementation of the provisions of Republic Act 10121.

7

The Filipino people are our strongest competitive advantage, which is why we continue
to invest heavily in them. –His Excellency, President Benigno C. Aquino, February 5, 2013

IV.

Institutionalizing DRRM in the Philippines

The earliest records of disaster management for the Philippines is traced back before theso-called pre-colonial era as reflected in the earliest religious beliefs of the inhabitants andin their ways of coping with natural phenomena.

It is said that early disaster preparedness

capabilities of the Filipinos can be inferred from the artifacts dated as early as 2000 BCE in
the province of Ifugao wherein the stone wall outlines are traces of an ancient fortress that
also provided protection from natural disasters1. The geographical location and geotectonic
setting of the country makes it prone to all types of natural hazards.

The evolution of the Philippine disaster management had been influenced by the various
natural and human-induced disasters that severely impacted on the lives and properties of
the Filipino people.

A. Republic Act 10121
On 27 May 2010, Republic Act 10121 or the legal basis for the paradigm shift from justdisaster preparedness and response to disaster risk reduction and management in thePhilippines was enacted.

Republic Act 10121 is entitled “An Act Strengthening thePhilippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System, Providing for the National
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Framework and Institutionalizing the National
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan, Appropriating Funds Therefore and for
Other Purposes” otherwise known as the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement Act of 2010.

The law is the revolutionary instrument in institutionalizing disaster risk reduction andmanagement in the Philippines from the national level down to the grassroots level or thebarangaylevel

togetherwithparticipation

andcooperationofprivatesector,non-government organizations, volunteer groups and the communities themselves.

1“The Philippine Disaster Management Story” .Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), October 2001,

8

The law stipulates the policy of the State to uphold people’s constitutional rights to life andproperty by addressing the root causes of vulnerabilities to disasters, strengthening thecountry’s capacity for disaster risk reduction and management, and building the resilience of
local communities to disasters including climate change impacts.

Salient Features of RA 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement Act of 2010
RA 10121 provides for the development of policies and plans and the implementation ofactions and measures pertaining to all aspects of disaster risk reduction and management,
including good governance, risk assessment and early warning, knowledge building andawareness raising, reducing underlying risk factors, and preparedness for effective
response and early recovery.

Section 5 provides for the organization of the National Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement Council. The former National Disaster Coordinating Council or NDCC is
known as the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, hereinafterreferred to as the NDRRMC or the National Council.

The National Council shall be headedby the Secretary of the Department of National Defense (DND) as Chairperson with theSecretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as Vice
Chairperson for Disaster Preparedness, the Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare
and Development (DSWD) as Vice Chairperson for Disaster Response, the Secretary of the
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) as Vice Chairperson for Disaster
Prevention and Mitigation, and the Director General of the National Economic andDevelopment Authority (NEDA) as Vice Chairperson for Disaster Rehabilitation andRecovery.

The members have increased to 38 from 18 member agencies.

The NDRRMC or the National Council plays a very critical role in shaping the country’s
disaster risk reduction and management system as a strategy for sustainable development
and poverty reduction in the Philippines.

The National Council is empowered with

policy-making, coordination, integration, supervision, monitoring and evaluation functions
which will be carried out through the seventeen (17) main responsibilities stipulated in thelaw.

The NDRRMC Chairperson is authorized, as provided for in Section 7 of the law, tocall upon other instrumentalities or entities of the government, including the reserve forces,and non government organizations for assistance in terms of the use of their facilities and9resources for the protection and preservation of life and properties in the whole range ofdisaster risk reduction and management.

The Office of Civil Defense, on the other hand, plays a strategic role, in the implementationof disaster risk reduction and management programs, projects and activities in thePhilippines.

The OCD is mandated to have the primary mission of administering acomprehensive national civil defense and disaster risk reduction and management programby providing leadership in the continuous development of strategic and systematic
approaches as well as measures to reduce the vulnerabilities and risks to hazards andmanage the consequences of disasters. The Administrator of the OCD serves as the
Executive Director of the National Council. The National Council utilizes the services andfacilities of OCD as secretariat of the National Council.

The OCD has nine powers and functions under the law.

These powers and functions playa critical role in creating an enabling environment for the institutionalization of disaster risk
reduction and management in the Philippines down to the community-level.

Among thesenine powers and functions, I would like to highlight the establishment of a Disaster Risk
reduction and Management Training Institutes in suitable locations for the Philippines, inorder to train public and private individuals in DRRM.

Presently, the OCD is taking

concrete steps for the establishment of the Training Institute, particularly in Luzon first, in
collaboration and support with concerned stakeholders.

The Institute shall consolidate

and prepare training materials and publications, books and manuals to assist DRRM
workers in the planning and implementation of DRRM programs and projects. Part of thefunctions of the Institute are to conduct research programs to upgrade knowledge and skills
and document best practices on DRRM and a periodic awareness and education programsto accommodate new elective officials and members of LDRRMCs.

The latter is toparticularly address the constant change in political leadership brought about by regularelections in the Philippines and to continuously educate the new leaders about DRRM.

The next function which I would like to highlight is for OCD to create an enabling
environment for substantial and sustainable participation of CSOs, private groups,
volunteers and communities, and recognize their contributions in the government’s DRR
efforts.

This paper will discuss the institutionalization of Gawad KALASAG, and otherrecognitions which have evolved such as the Seal of Disaster Preparedness, and Bakas
Parangal.

10Section 10 of RA 10121 provides for the organization of the Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement Council (RDRRMC) at the Regional Level which shall coordinate, integrate,
supervise, and evaluate the activities of the LDRRMCs. The RDRRMC is the responsible
body to ensure disaster sensitive regional development plans, and in case of emergencies
shall convene the different regional line agencies and concerned institutions and authorities.
The Chairperson of the RDRRMC is the designated Civil Defense Officer and in the case of
the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the Chairperson is the ARMM
Governor.

A Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center shall beestablished by RDRRMC as an operating facility on a 24-hour basis.

One of the breakthroughs of this law is the organization of Local Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management Council and the establishment of a Local Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement Office at the local levels.

The previous local Disaster Coordinating Councils(DCCs) are now known as local DRRMCs and the Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement functions shall be assumed by the Barangay Development Council (BDC). A
local DRRM Office is mandated to be established permanently in every Province, City,
Municipality and a BDRRM Committee in every Barangay to address the constant change inpolitical leadership of the local government unit after every elections.

The permanent

DRRM Office with permanent staff dedicated to DRRM programs and projects will pave theway for the institutionalization of risk reduction and management programs in all local
governments in the Philippines even if there are changes in political leadership after every
election.

The LDRRM Offices will have permanent staff dedicated for administration andtraining, research and planning and operations and warning.

The LDRRMOs and the

BDRRMCs shall organize, train and directly supervise the local emergency response teams
and the Accredited Community Defense Volunteers (ACDVs).

Aside from these, theLDRRMCs have 25 overpowering tasks of delivering their respective communities toresilience.

B. The NDRRM Framework
On June 16, 2011, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Framework(NDRRMF) was approved by the executive committee of the National Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). The framework is in conformity with andcaptures the essence and priorities of Republic Act 10121.

11

The Framework envisions a country which has a “safer, adaptive and disaster-resilient
Filipino communities toward sustainable development.” The goal is to have a paradigm
shift from reactive to proactive DRRM wherein men and women have increased theirawareness, understanding on DRRM with the end in view of increasing people’s resilienceand decreasing their vulnerabilities. Our aim is to empower leaders and communities and todevelop the “right” mindset and positive behavioral changes towards reducing andmanaging risks and lessening the effects of disasters. This term is about building backbetter or building on from our learnings, good practices, research and experiences, helping
us address the underlying causes of our vulnerability and increasing our ability to adjust to
the situation before us. By being adaptive, we learn to innovate and go to the next level.

Disaster-resilient communities are achieved when the risk reduction efforts have beensuccessful and have made the people stronger (in a positive way and not just in terms of
their coping mechanism), increasing their ability to bounce back after a disaster. It is
important to instill the culture of safety by increasing people’s capacity to bounce back anddecrease disaster losses and impact. In the end, DRRM is all about addressing theunderlying causes of people’s vulnerability; building their individual, collective andinstitutional capacities and building back better within people’s live become sustainably
better.

The country is challenged by increasing disaster and climate risks caused by dynamic
combinations of natural and human-induced hazards, exposure, and people’s vulnerabilities
and capacities. There is an urgent need for the country to work together throughmulti-stakeholder partnerships and robust institutional mechanisms and processes so that
Filipinos will be able to live in safer, adaptive and disaster resilient communities on the path
to developing sustainably.

12This DRRM framework emphasizes that through time, resources invested in disasterprevention, mitigation, preparedness and climate change adaptation will be more effective
towards attaining the goal of adaptive, disaster resilient communities and sustainable
development. The Framework shows that mitigating the potential impacts of existingdisaster and climate risks, preventing hazards and small emergencies from becoming
disasters, and being prepared for disasters, will substantially reduce loss of life and damage
to social, economic and environmental assets. It also highlights the need for effective andcoordinated humanitarian assistance and disaster response to save lives and protect themore vulnerable groups during and immediately after a disaster. Further, building backbetter and building better lives after a disaster will lead to sustainable development after therecovery and reconstruction process.

This NDRRM Framework which serves as the principal guide to disaster risk reduction andmanagement efforts in the Philippines shall be reviewed on a five-year interval or as may bedeemed necessary in order to ensure its relevance to the times.

13

C. The NDRRM Plan
According to the NDRRMC, the National DRRM Plan serves as the national guide on how
sustainable development can be achieved through inclusive growth while building theadaptive capacities of communities; increasing the resilience of vulnerable sectors; andoptimizing disaster mitigation opportunities with the end in view of promoting people’s
welfare and security towards gender-responsive and rights-based sustainable development

The NDRRMP outlines the activities aimed at strengthening the capacity of the national
government and the local government units (LGUs) together with partner stakeholders, tobuild the disaster resilience of communities and to institutionalize arrangements andmeasures for reducing disaster risks, including projected climate risks and enhancing
disaster preparedness and response capabilities at all levels. It highlights, among others,
the importance of mainstream DRRM and CCA in the development processes such aspolicy formulation, socio-economic development planning, budgeting and governanceparticularly in the area of environment, agriculture, water, energy, health, education, poverty
reduction, land-use and urban planning and public infrastructure and housing among others.
Mainstreaming also puts to forth the need to develop common tools to analyze the various
hazards and vulnerability factors which put our communities and people into harm’s way.

The NDRRMP also highlights the need for institutionalizing DRRM policies, structures,
coordination mechanisms and programs with continuing budget appropriation on DRR fromnational down to local levels. Through permanent mechanisms, competency andscience-based capacity building activities can be done, alongside the nurturing ofcontinuous learning through knowledge development and management of good DRRM
practices on the ground.

The NDRRMP adheres to the principles of good governance within the context of poverty
alleviation and environmental protection. It is about partnerships and working together –engaging the participation of CSOs, the private sector and volunteers in the government’s
DRRM programs towards complementation of resources and effective delivery of services tothe citizenry.

In accordance with the NDRRMF, through the NDRRMP, the country will have a “Safer,adaptiveanddevelopment.”

disasterresilient

Filipino

communities

towards

sustainable

This will be achieved through the four distinct yet mutually reinforcing
14priority areas, namely, (a) Disaster Prevention and Mitigation; (b) Disaster Preparedness; (c)Disaster Response; and (d) Disaster Recovery and Rehabilitation. Each priority area has its
own long term goal, which when put together will lead to the attainment of our country’s overgoal/vision in DRRM.

These priority areas are not autonomous from the other nor do they have clear start and end
points. The 4 priority areas are NOT seen as a mere cycle which starts in prevention andmitigation and ends in rehabilitation and recovery. They...

(a) Mutually reinforce each otherand are interoperable; (b) DO NOT, SHOULD NOT and CANNOT stand alone; (c) Have noclear starting nor ending points between each of the aspects and overlaps are to be
expected; (d) Are problem-needs and asset-strengths centered; and (e) All point to one
direction

reduce people’s vulnerabilities and increasing their capacities.

In summary, the NDRRMP has 4 priority areas with 4 long term goals; 14 objectives; 24
outcomes; 56 outputs; and 93 activities.

The priority area on Disaster Prevention and Mitigation provides key strategic actions thatgive importance to activities revolving around hazards evaluation and mitigation,
vulnerability analyses, identification of hazard-prone areas and mainstreaming DRRM intodevelopment plans. It is based on sound and scientific analysis of the different underlying
factors which contribute to the vulnerability of the people and eventually, their risks andexposure to hazards and disasters.

Disaster Preparedness provides for the key strategic actions that give importance toactivities revolving around community awareness and understanding; contingency planning;
conduct of local drills and the development of a national disaster response plan. Risk-related
information coming from the prevention and mitigation aspect is necessary in order for the
preparedness activities to be responsive to the needs of the people and situation on the
ground. Also, the policies, budget and institutional mechanisms established under theprevention and mitigation priority area will be further enhanced through capacity building
activities, development of coordination mechanisms. Through these, coordination,complementation and interoperability of work in DRRM operations and essential services
will be ensured. Behavioral change created by the preparedness aspect is eventually
measured by how well people responded to the disasters. At the frontlines of preparedness
are the local government units, local chief executives and communities.

15

Disaster Response gives importance to activities during the actual disaster response
operations from needs assessment to search and rescue to relief operations to earlyrecovery activities are emphasized. The success and realization of this priority area rely
heavily on the completion of the activities under both the prevention and mitigation andpreparedness aspects, including among others the coordination and communication
mechanisms to be developed. On-the-ground partnerships and the vertical and horizontal
coordination work between and among key stakeholders will contribute to successful
disaster response operations and its smooth transition towards early and long term recovery
work.

The Rehabilitation and Recovery priority area covers employment and livelihoods,
infrastructure and lifeline facilities, housing and resettlement, among others. These arerecovery efforts done when people are already outside of the evacuation centers.

The NDRRMP recognizes that certain concerns cut across the 4 DRRM priority areas.
These include health, human-induced disasters, gender mainstreaming, environmental
protection, cultural sensitivity or indigenous practices, and the rights based approach. They
are a combination of issues and approaches that should be taken into consideration in eachof the priority areas.
Disaster Preparedness

Disaster Response

Establish and strengthen capacities

Provide life preservation and meet theof communities to anticipate, cope

basic subsistence needs of affected

and recover from the negative

population based on acceptable standards

impacts or emergency occurrences

during or immediately after a disasterand disasters
Safer, adaptive andDisaster Prevention anddisaster resilient

Mitigation

Filipino communities
towards sustainable

Avoid hazards and mitigate theirpotential impacts by reducing
vulnerabilities and exposure andenhancing capacities ofcommunities

development

Disaster Rehabilitation andRecovery
Restore and improve facilities,
livelihood and living conditions
and organizational capacities ofaffected communities, andreduced disaster risks inaccordance with the buildingback better principle

16

The NDRRMP was scheduled to commence in 2011, immediately after its approval from themembers of the National DRRM Council members. In general, the set of activities are
divided into three timelines, with the first two having 2 years interval while the last one with
5 years, to wit:
Short term

2011 – 2013

Medium term

2014 – 2016

Long term

2017 – 2028

However, specifically for the priority areas on Response and Rehabilitation and Recovery,
Operational Timelines were used primarily to give an overall guidance on “rapid” timeelement in providing humanitarian activities and recovering from the disasters. Likewise, theoperational timelines will guide the plan’s implementation and monitoring activities for thetwo priority areas.

These operational timelines are as follows:
Immediate Term (IT)within 1 year after the occurrence of the disaster

Short Term (ST)within 1 to 3 years after the occurrence of the disaster

Medium Term (MT)within 3 to 6 years after the occurrence of the disasterLong Term (LT)beyond 6 years after the occurrence of the disasterAll throughout the NDRRMP, various strategies were identified to be used in order toachieve the desired key result areas under each DRRM aspect. These are:•

Advocacy and Information, Education and Communication (IEC)•

Competency-based capability building•

Contingency Planning•

Education on DRRM and CCA for ALL•

Institutionalization of DRRMCs and LDRRMOs•

Mainstreaming of DRR in ALL plans•

Research, Technology Development and Knowledge Management•

Monitoring, evaluation and learning•

Networking and partnership building between and among stakeholders,
media and tiers of government

In each of the activities under the NDRRMP, agency leads and implementing partner
agencies and/or groups were identified. Following RA 10121, the overall lead or focal
agency for each of the four priority areas are the vice-chairpersons of the National DRRM
17

Council.

The NDRRMP also identified areas where resources can be tapped for the implementationof the activities. These are both for the national and local levels. However, because
mainstreaming of DRRM into policies and plans is the primary thrust of the NDRRMP, these
activities will not have separate funding sources but will be mainstreamed into the activitiesof the agencies and offices. Sources identified include the General Appropriations Act(GAA); National and Local DRRM Funds; Internal Revenue Allocation (IRA); Priority
Development Assistance Fund (PDAF); Donor Funds; Adaptation and Risk Financing,among others. Aside from the fund sources, the NDRRMP will also tap into thenon-monetary resources available which can help attain the targets identified in this plan.
These are the community-based good practices for replication and scaling up; indigenous
practices on DRRM; Public-Private-Partnerships; and the different networks (DRR and
CCA) of key stakeholders.

Monitoring and evaluation are essential components of results-based programming in
DRRM as these will ensure that the plan’s on-time implementation and that learnings frompast experiences become input to the plan altogether. Also, through monitoring andevaluation activities, appropriate and needed revisions and/or changes can be identified,from the identified activities to the implementation mechanisms, in case more appropriate
ones are realized. These will be led by the Office of Civil Defense, in close coordination withthe four vice chairpersons of the NDRRMC by focusing on relevance, effectiveness,
efficiency, impact and sustainability. A standard monitoring and evaluation template will be
developed by the OCD together with the members of the Technical Management Group.

As such, the NDRRM Plan will serve as a roadmap on how disaster risk reduction andmanagement will contribute to the attainment of sustainable development through inclusive
growth and build the adaptive capacities of communities, increase the resilience ofvulnerable sectors and optimize disaster management opportunities with the end view ofpromoting people’s welfare and security towards gender-responsive and rights-basedsustainable development.

Implementation Strategies and Mechanisms
All throughout the NDRRMP, various strategies were identified to be used in order toachieve the desired key result areas under each DRRM aspect. These are:18

Advocacy and Information, Education and Communication (IEC)A strong national and local commitment is required to save lives and livelihoods threatenedby natural and human-induced disasters. Achieving this will need increasing visibility andunderstanding of DRRM and CCA issues, mobilize partnerships, encourage actions andgather public support for successful implementation of the different activities. The NDRRMP
will use evidence-based advocacy to influence people, policies, structures and systems inorder to build resilient Filipino communities by raising awareness, working with the media
and key stakeholders. The NDRRM will develop advocacy, IEC and various communication
strategies based on risk assessments and good DRRM practices.

Competency-based capability building
Conducting customized training programs should be developed to ensure that people aretrained based on the needed skills in the different DRRM aspects. Different people havedifferent needs and capacities and developing competency-based capability building
programs ensures that knowledge, skills and attitudes are enhanced and built upon further.

Contingency Planning
More commonly used before as only part of disaster preparedness activities, contingency
planning is now a living document which is updated and used in all the different the priority
areas of DRRM. Learnings from past experiences and complementary actions between andacross areas should be taken into consideration in developing contingency planning at alllevels.

Education on DRRM and CCA for All
Mainstreaming DRRM into formal education through the integration of DRRM and CCA
concepts in the curriculum for basic education, NSTP, and bachelors’ degree programs. This
also includes the conduct of DRRM and CCA training to all public sector employees as
mandated by law.

Institutionalization of DRRMCs and LDRRMOs
The creation of permanent local DRRM offices and functioning councils at the local level aresome of the ways to ensure that all DRRM-related activities, plans and program will be
implemented and sustained, especially at the local level. Having a point of convergence isimportant to ensure that risk reduction measures complement one another and are
institutionalized with the end in view of reducing people and institutional vulnerabilities to19

disasters. This will likewise promote the paradigm shift into local planning by investing intorisk-reduction measures and not just be reactionary and conduct response operations when
the disaster strikes.

Mainstreaming of DRR in All Plans
In all 4 priority areas under the NDRRMP, ensuring the mainstreaming of DRRM and CCA in
the various programs, plans, projects of either national or local government units, including
the private sector groups and other members of the community is a must. This primarilymeans that disaster risks analysis and impacts are integrated and taken into considerationin the development of policies and plans by the different agencies, organizations andsectors.

Research, Technology Development and Knowledge Management
With the changes in the climate and technological advances, regularly conducting researchand technology development will contribute to more innovative and adaptive mechanisms
and approaches towards DRRM and CCA. Along side new information, knowledge
management through database development, documentation, replication and recognition ofgood practices will help achieve the objectives and targets of the NDRRMP through more
efficient use of resources, learnings and experiences.

Monitoring, evaluation and learning
Feedback mechanisms are important aspects of gauging performance targets and learningfrom our experiences on the ground. The NDRRMP, being a long plan which transcends
various administrations and leaderships, need to be constantly looked into in terms of its
relevance and impact on the changing situations on the ground.

Networking and partnership building between and among stakeholders, media andtiers of government
Building resilient communities cannot and should not be done by a single agency ororganization. Its success is highly dependent on the close collaboration and cooperation of
the different stakeholders. Building effective and mutually reinforcing partnerships andevolving networks ensure the multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral participation of thedifferent players in DRRM.

Agency Leads and Implementing Partners
In each of the activities under the NDRRMP, agency leads and implementing partner
20

agencies and/or groups were identified. Their roles will primarily be:

Vice-Chairpersons of the NDRRMC
Following RA 10121, the overall lead or focal agency for each of the four priority areas are
the vice-chairpersons of the National DRRM Council, namely:V-Chairperson for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation

DOST



V-Chairperson for Disaster Preparedness

DILG



V-Chairperson for Disaster Response

DSWD



V-Chairperson for Rehabilitation and Recovery

NEDA

Agency Leads


Takes the lead in initiating the implementation of the activities

Coordinate and collaborate with the different implementing partners to ensurethat the activities are operationalized

Monitor the progress of the activities



Evaluate the implementation development and program efficiency

Consolidate reports from the implementing partners and submit to therespective vice chairperson of the DRRM priority area

Implementing Partners


Perform the activities to achieve the specific outcomesWork with other implementing partners within the context of coordination,
collaboration and partnershipSubmit report to the Agency Leads

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC)
As explicitly stated under Republic Act 10121, the NDRRMC has the overall
responsibility of approving the NDRRMP and ensuring it is consistent with the NDRRMF.
It also has the main responsibility of monitoring the development and enforcement byagencies and organizations of the various laws, guidelines, codes or technicalstandards required by this Act; managing and mobilizing resources for DRRM, including
the National DRRM Fund (NDRRMF); monitoring and providing the necessary
guidelines and procedures on the Local DRRM Fund (LDRRMF) releases as well as
utilization, accounting and auditing thereof.

21

Office of Civil Defense

As prescribed in RA 10121, the Office of Civil Defense has the main responsibility inensuring the implementation and monitoring of the NDRRMP. Specifically, it is tasked
conduct periodic assessments and performance monitoring of the member-agencies of
the NDRRMC and the RDRRMCs as defined in the NDRRMP. The OCD is the agency
responsible for ensuring that the physical framework, social, economic andenvironmental plans of communities, cities, municipalities and provinces are consistent
with the NDRRMP. OCD needs to ensure that all DRR programs, projects and activities
requiring regional and international support shall be in accordance with duly establishednational policies and aligned with international agreements

At the regional and local levels, the OCD needs to review and evaluate the Local DRRM
Plans (LDRRMPs) to facilitate the integration of disaster risk reduction measures into
the local Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) and Comprehensive Land Use Plan
(CLUP)

Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (RDRRMCs)
At the regional level, the RDRRMCs shall be responsible in ensuring that
DRRM-sensitive regional development plans contribute to and are aligned with the
NDRRMP. The RDRRMC chairperson shall be the overall lead.

Provincial, City, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils(P/C/MDRRMCs or Local DRRMCs)
At the local government level, it is the primary duty of the Local DRRM Council toensure that DRRM is mainstreamed into their respective CDP and CLUP and otherlocal plans, programs and budgets as a strategy in sustainable development andpoverty reduction. By doing so, the LGUs will be sure that their respective
DRRM-programs will be included in their local budgets for each fiscal year. But before
DRRM can be mainstreamed into the CDP and CLUP, the local DRRM Plan will have tobe developed by the Local DRRM Office and using the National DRRM Plan as an
overall guide.

Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (LDRRMOs)

The Local DRRM Offices (LDRRMOs) at the provincial, city and municipal levels andthe Barangay Development Councils shall design, program and coordinate DRRM
activities consistent with the NDRRMP and develop the Local DRRM Plan of their22

respective LGUs. The LDRRMPs shall be consistent and aligned with the targets set by
the NDRRMP. Likewise, this office shall take the lead in implementing the LDRRMP.


To do this, the office shall Facilitate and support risk assessments and contingency planning activities atthe local level; Consolidate local disaster risk information which includes natural hazards,
vulnerabilities and climate change risks and maintain a local risk map; Formulate and implement a comprehensive and integrated LDRRMP in
accordance with the national, regional and provincial framework and policies on
DRR in close coordination with the local development councils (LDCs)
 Prepare and submit to the local sanggunian through the LDRRMC and the LDC
the annual LDRRMO Plan and budget, the proposed programming of the
LDRRMF, other dedicated DRRM resources and other regular funding source/sand budgetary support of the LDRRMO/BDRRMC.
 Conduct continuous disaster monitoring Identify, assess and manage the hazards, vulnerabilities and risks that may
occur in their locality
 Disseminate information and raise public awareness Identify and implement cost-effective risk reduction measures/strategies
 Maintain a database of human resource, equipment, directories and local of
critical infrastructures and their capacities such as hospitals and evacuation
centers
 Develop, strengthen and operationalize mechanisms for partnership or
networking with the private sector, CSOs, and volunteer groups

Resource MobilizationAt the National and Local Levels, the following sources can be tapped to fundthe various DRRM programs and projects:
1.

General Appropriations Act (GAA) – through the existing budgets of
the national line and government agencies

2.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF)

3.

Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF)

4.

Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF)

5.

Donor Funds

6.

Adaptation and Risk Financing

7.

Disaster Management Assistance Fund (DMAF)
23



Other Resources aside from the fund sources, the NDRRMP will also tap into
the non-monetary resources available which can help attain the targets
identified in this plan, namely:
1. Community-based good practices for replication and scaling up
2. Indigenous practices on DRRM
3. Public-Private-Partnerships
4. Networks (DRR and CCA) of key stakeholders

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
Monitoring and evaluation are essential components of results-based programming in
DRRM as these will ensure that the plan’s on-time implementation and that learnings frompast experiences become input to the plan altogether. Also, through monitoring andevaluation activities, appropriate and needed revisions and/or changes can be identified,from the identified activities to the implementation mechanisms, in case more appropriate
ones are realized. These will be led by the Office of Civil Defense, in close coordination withthe four vice chairpersons of the NDRRMC by focusing on relevance, effectiveness,
efficiency, impact and sustainability. A standard monitoring and evaluation template will be
developed by the OCD together with the members of the Technical Management Group.

Primarily, monitoring and evaluation will be based on the indicators, targets and activities
identified in each of the four priority areas on DRRM. The indicators set in the NDRRMP will
be applicable to both the national and local levels. The national level targets will bemonitored by the lead and implementing agencies, in close coordination with the regional
and local DRRM councils. Each lead agency will in turn submit reports to the respective vicechairperson of the NDRRMC in charge of the specific priority area.

The local level targets will be operationalized depending on the needs and situation on the
LGU. These will be captured in the respective local DRRM plans which the LGUs need todevelop through their respective local DRRM offices and councils. Customization of thetargets will depend on the risk assessments and analysis done in their respective local
areas. The local DRRM plan will be mainstreamed into the CDP and CLUP and will form partof the LGU mandated plans.

Monitoring and evaluation will also include an audit report on the use and status of the
National DRRM Fund and how the said fund contributed to the attainment of the NDRRMP.
24

Throughout all activities, ensuring “Safer, Adaptive and Disaster-Resilient Filipino
Communities toward Sustainable Development” will be the main focus. It will be essentialthat this learning is captured and shared amongst the various stakeholders, leads andpartners. Relatedly, throughout its implementation, reporting on the progress on the
NDRRMP will be communicated through various media and partners, making sure that weare able to share the learnings effectively. These will then feed-into the NDRRMP, making it
adaptive to the changing environment and needs on the ound. In the Monitoring and
Evaluation activities, it will be essential to link up the learning from this NDRRMP with that of
the NCCAP and other related plans.

RA 10121 requires the National DRRM Council through the OCD to submit to the Office of
the President, Senate and House of Representatives, within the first quarter of thesucceeding year, an annual report relating to the progress of the implementation of the
NDRRMP.

D. Recognizing Communities’ DRRM Initiatives¾ The National Disaster Consciousness Month
The National Disaster Consciousness Month brings to the fore various stakeholders fromthe national to down to the community level through the conduct of several DRR activities.
Proclamation No. 296 dated July 29, 1988 declared the first week of July of every year as
the National Disaster Consciousness Week aimed to increase the awareness of every
Filipino to the ever threatening disaster for a better appreciation of the government’s
disaster preparedness programs.

However, there is a need to lengthen the observance to

one month, to include man-made disasters and other emergencies.

One month ofobservation will provide national government agencies and local government units ample
time to implement disaster awareness campaign with longer focus and on a comprehensive
basis.

It is also imperative to empower and reinforce the capacity of the Disaster Risk

Reduction and Management Councils at all levels to ensure a coherent, integrated,
proficient and responsive emergency management system in the country.

To achieve thisdesired result and to effectively ensure the sustainability of the disaster risk management
program of the government, at the grassroots level, dedicated personnel from local
government units gave to be deputized or designated as focal points of conduits of the
program in keeping with local autonomy.

The President of the Republic of the Philippines,25

on August 10, 1999, declared thewhole month of July as the National
Disaster Consciousness Month to becollectively observed by all Filipinos
throughout the country through theconduct of fitting activities for theoccasion.

Various month-long activities are
conducted in schools, barangays,
cities, municipalities and government
offices for the observance of the
National

Disaster

Consciousness

Month (NDCM) such as hanging ofstreamers bearing the year’s theme,
motorcade,parade,footparade,poster-slogan

fluvialmakingcontests, essay writing contests,
orientations, seminars, fora, drills
and exercises.

¾ The National Fire Prevention Month
Presidential Proclamation No. 115–A dated November 16,
1966 declared the Month of March to be the official
month-long observation of Fire Prevention Month in orderto provide education and awareness to lessen theincidence of fire in the Philippines. March is the start ofsummer season

in the Philippines and temperature

range to 36 to 39 degrees Celsius. Summer can cause about 9,000 – 10,000 fire incidents
nationwide and all types of households can fall victim.

The Bureau of Fire Protection under the Department of the Interior and Local Government,is the lead agency to implement the conduct of month-long observance in coordination with26

various stakeholders especially the local government units, the schools and communities.
Every year, a theme for the observance is formulated where the various organizations canfocus on with their series of activities such as display of streamers, unity walk, fire fighting
drills, fire safety Olympics, fire prevention games and contest, fire safety awarenesscampaign and conduct of symposia, for a and orientations as well as trainings.

The

schools are the most important target stakeholder since kids who can learn at an early age
will bring the learnings as they grow up and share such knowledge to their parents and therest of the members of the family. Berong Bombero sa Paaralan or Advocacy for Fire
Safety in Schools are conducted.
fire stations.

The BFP also conducts a three-day open house on all

School children are invited to the fire stations where a showcase of

equipment and accessories with firemen are held.

The BFP advocates that in creating asafe environment, fire safety must begin at home.

One of the main highlights also of the month-long observance is the house-to-house Fire
Safety Inspection wherein BFP personnel conduct ocular visits inside houses and educate
residents on exit drills and the proper use of fire extinguishers since BFP statistics revealthat most of the affected during structural fires are residential areas¾ Gawad KALASAG
Gawad KALASAG is the highest form of recognition bestowed upon an individual, groups
and organizations who have done exemplary contribution in the field of disaster risk
reduction and management and humanitarian assistance in the Philippines.

Gawad is a Filipino terms which means “award” and KALASAG stands for KALAmidad at
SAkuna Labanan, SAriling Galing ang Kaligtasan. Kalasag is the Filipino term for “shield”
used by early Filipinos as a means of protection from attacks of enemies or harmful animals.
As such, Gawad KALASAG was conceived to protect or shield high risk communities
against hazards by encouraging participation of various stakeholders in designing andimplementing Disaster Risk Management (DRM) programs.

27

Initiated in 1998, Gawad KALASAG is presently NDRRMC’s recognition scheme in its
search for excellence on DRM and humanitarian assistance. It provides the mechanism inobtaining sustained commitment and support from the highest level of government byrecognizing the exceptional contributions of the various DRM practitioners in rebuilding theresilience of nations and communities to disaster. At the same time, Gawad KALASAG
continues

topromote the spiritof volunteerism

among agencies

and individuals

in providing themuchhelp during theneededresponse phaseofPractitioners of

DRM include the

Local

Disaster

DRM.

Coordinating

Councils(LDCCs) at theprovincial, city,

municipal

barangay levels.

The LDCCs serve

as

the

frontliners

inpreparingfor,respondingto,and recovering
disasterandfrom any type oforemergency.

Moreover,

Non-Government

Organizations(NGOs),

Volunteer

Organizations,andEmergency

PrivateGovernment
Managers are theprime contributors and major stakeholders/partners in the implementation of DRM andhumanitarian response programs.

In 2005, at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe, Japan, the international
community signed a 10-year Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategy called the Hyogo
Framework for Action (HFA). The HFA sets out three (3) strategic goals, namely, (a)integration of disaster risk reduction into sustainable development policies and planning; (b)development and strengthening of institutions, mechanisms and capacities to build
resilience to hazards; and, (c) systematic incorporation of risk reduction approaches into theimplementation of emergency preparedness, response and recovery programs.

Moreover,the HFA outlines five priorities for action, which cover the main areas of DRR, as follows: (a)28ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and a local priority with a strong institutional
basis for implementation; (b) identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early
warning advisories; (c) use knowledge, innovation, and education to build a culture of safety
and resilience at all levels; (d) reduce the underlying risk factors; and, (e) strengthen
disaster preparedness for effective response at all levels. The HFA also suggests
important areas for intervention within each priority.

As a signatory to HFA, the Philippine Government, through the National Disaster
Coordinating Council (NDCC) had. adopted the above-mentioned strategic goals bydeveloping and enhancing current plans, programs and activities on DRR. In June 2007,
NDCC initiated, through the Partnership for Disaster Reduction in the South East Asia
Phase 4 Project (PDRSEA 4), the formulation of the Philippine National Strategic Plan on
Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM). The PDRSEA 4 outlined activities,
which laid the foundation in establishing an effective system to promote CBDRM.

As Gawad KALASAG moves toward a decade in celebrating the best practices of
stakeholders in DRM, it will expand its current recognition scheme to include award
categories which will promote awareness and eventual expansion of CBDRM program in thePhilippines. In addition to the above list of DRM practitioners, initiatives from media, donor
agencies, and the community themselves shall also be publicly acknowledged. The
promotion of CBDRM, through Gawad KALASAG, is one advocacy strategy which helps
realize the priorities for action, set by states, organizations and other actors, in implementing
the HFA.

Gawad KALASAG Trophy symbolizes
shieldorprotection

againstany

disaster through proactive disaster risk
reduction.

As of February 2008 data, 42 LDCCs, 17 NGOs, 14 individuals and 49 groups/institutions
have received various recognitions from Gawad KALASAG.

29

Gawad KALASAG Guiding Principles
Gawad KALASAG is guided by a set of principles, to include among others: stakeholders'
participation, transparency, innovativeness, partnership, self-reliance, and the spirit ofvolunteerism. It encourages the active participation of key stakeholders throughout theconceptualization stage to the actual implementation of the program. Through the years,
Gawad KALASAG's selection process is kept transparent and the evaluation result is
consistently reliable.

In the light of the most recent development on DRR at the global community, Gawad
KALASAG expands its award categories in order to be more responsive to the priorities set
in the HFA implementation. Building on the existing scheme, Gawad KALASAG henceforth
gives emphasis on DRR.

Gawad KALASAG Objectives
The Gawad KALASAG aims to recognize outstanding performance of Local Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Councils (LDRRMCs), private/volunteer organizations, local,
national and international NGOs, donor agencies, and the communities as major
stakeholders in implementing significant DRM projects and activities and, in providing
humanitarian response and assistance to affected communities. It also aims to recognize
individuals, groups or institutions that have shown extraordinary courage, heroism,
self-sacrifice, and bravery in times of natural and human-made emergencies and disasters.

Categories of Award
The following are the awards to be given:¾ Gawad KALASAG for Best Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council(LDRRMC)¾

Provinces¾

Cities¾¾①Highly Urbanized Category②

Component/Independent Category

Municipalities①

First to Third Class Category②

Fourth to Sixth Class Category

Barangays
30

①

Urban Category②

Rural Category¾ Gawad KALASAG for Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) on Humanitarian
Assistance¾

NGO (local)¾

NGO (national)¾

NGO (international)¾ Gawad KALASAG for Private Volunteer Organizations, Government Emergency
Managers, Schools and Hospitals¾

Private Volunteer Organizations¾

Government Emergency Managers¾

Schools¾

Hospitals¾ Gawad KALASAG for Heroic Act/Deed of Individuals/Groups during Emergency
Response and Rescue Operations¾

Individuals (surviving and posthumous)¾

Groups¾ Special Recognition Awards¾

Individuals¾

Support Organizations/Institutions (local)¾

Support Organizations/Institutions (international)¾ Gawad KALASAG for Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM)¾

Donor (for sustained contribution on CBDRM program in the country)¾

Media/Institution (for promotion of effective public campaign measures on thedissemination of information on CBDRM)¾

NGO (for sustained contribution on CBDRM program in the country)

Coverage of the Award
The period of assessment for the search of Gawad KALASAG on all categories shall be thepreceding year or from January 1 to December 31 of that year.

For Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (LDRRMCs), all provincial,
municipal, city and barangay local DRRMCs are eligible for recognition subject to theguidelines and criteria set forth by the National Selection Committee (NSC).

For Humanitarian Assistance, local and national NGOs with humanitarian assistance31

program and officially recognized by the Department of Social Welfare and Development(DSWD) and the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) are eligible for recognition subject
to the guidelines and criteria set forth by the NSC.

For Private Volunteer Organizations, Government Emergency Managers, Schools andHospitals, all private/volunteer organizations and government emergency managers who
are not members of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils but officiallyrecognized by NDRRMC, are eligible for recognition subject to the existing criteria set forth
by the NSC. Only those schools and hospitals with official accreditation from the Departmentof Education (DepEd) and Department of Health (DOH), respectively, shall be considered toreceive awards.

For Heroic Act/Deed of Individuals/Groups During Emergency Response and Rescue
Operations, individual/s who exemplifies deed of heroism in saving lives in times of
emergencies and calamities are eligible for the NDRRMC Gawad KALASAG. Any awardee
who risked and lost his/her life in carrying out heroic deeds shall be given a PosthumousAward.

For Special Recognition Awards, international and local organizations/institutions andindividuals that have rendered exemplary support to the country's DRM program are eligible
for recognition subject to the guidelines and criteria set forth by the NSC.

For CBDRM, donor agencies and NGOs which have sustainably implemented CBDRM
projects in the country for a number of years as well as media outfits/institutions that havepromoted effective public campaign measures on CBDRM are eligible for recognition
subject to the guidelines and criteria set forth by the NSC.

Gawad KALASAG Hall of Fame
Those LDRRMCs, organizations, institutions, groups, and individuals that have garnered the
Gawad KALASAG for three (3) consecutive years, since 2001, shall be given the Hall of
Fame Award, provided that the potential awardee has consistently obtained an excellent
rating (91-100%) from the NSC. The Hall of Fame Awardee may again join the Search only
after five (5) years from receipt of their Hall of Fame Award. However, they may be
bestowed with a special citation award every year of the search

32Composition of the National Selection Committee (NSC)
To ensure a smooth conduct of the search, Selection Committees have been organized at
all levels.

The NSC composition is replicated at the regional and all local DRRMCs.

The

NSC shall be composed of the following:
Chair

The Secretary, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)
or Representative

Co-Chair

Administrator, OCD or Representative

Vice Chair

Civil Society Organization (CSO) Representative

MemberSecretary, Department of Health (DOH) or Representative
Secretary, Department of Education (DepEd) or Representative
Secretary, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) or
Representative
Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) or
Representative
Director-General, Philippine Information Agency (PIA) or Representative
Lead Convenor, National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) or
Representative
Secretary-General, Philippine Red Cross (PRC) or Representative
President, Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) or
Representative
President, League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) or
Representative

Secretariat

Office of Civil Defense (OCD)

Assessment Checklist
Assessment Checklist on LDRRMCs Basic Disaster Risk Management Capability will be
one of the bases for evaluation.

On preparedness, LDRRMCs (P/M/CDRRMCs) capability

to “influence” positively their respective lower DRRMCs will be included in this category; howthey were able to exercise their leadership role on the functionality of lower DCCs; and ifthey were able to duplicate their efforts on mitigation, preparedness, response, andrehabilitation at the lower DRRMCs.

The 44 points for preparedness have beenreallocated to give 14 points on the above.

The privilege of receiving the awards in the form of Gawad KALASAG trophy and cash prizein Malacañang Palace to be handed by the President is given only to first prize winners andseparate awarding ceremony for the second and third place winners will be done in the33

region.
¾ Seal of Disaster Preparedness
The Seal of Disaster Preparedness (SDP) is initiated by the Department of the Interior andLocal Government (DILG).

It is conferred to a local government which demonstrates anacceptable level of disaster preparedness and disaster preparedness response before andduring calamities as an official symbol of excellence.

The Seal has two levels of assessment. The first level looks into disaster preparedness
before a calamity occurs. The second level focuses on disaster preparedness-response
during a calamity.

A local government that passes Level 1 Assessment receives a Certificate of Recognition.
This Certificate is to be sent through official correspondence from the Secretary of theInterior and Local Government.

On the other hand, a local government that passes both Level 1 and Level 2 Assessments
receives the Seal and Disaster Management Fund or Disaster Equipage.

Objectives of the Seal of Disaster Preparedness
1.

To recognize and incentivize local government performance in institutionalizing disaster
preparedness.

2.

To assess performance gaps, link gaps to policy or program intervention and monitor
improvement(s) on disaster preparedness.

Assessment Tools
Tools used for this assessment are as follows:1.

Data Capture Form-tool for gathering data requirements for assessment.

2.

User`s Guide-operations guide for key implementers in the conduct of the assessment,
data verification, data processing and reporting.

3.

Disaster Preparedness Index Template- is an automated spreadsheet that is capableofcomputingtheDisasterPreparedness

Index

or

the

DisasterPreparedness-Response Index

Level 1 Assessment Criteria: Disaster Preparedness which is a test of a local
34

government capability to address the potential effects of a disaster to human life, disaster
preparedness implies a window of 6 to 12 hours. However, in the thinking of the Seal, being
prepared for a disaster accords emphasis on the foundational administrative requirements,
i.e., structure, competence and tools, of disaster preparedness.
¾

Leadership Structurez

Organization of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and theDisaster Reduction and Management Office

¾

¾

z

Incident Command Systemz

Disaster Operations or Emergency Centre

Guide to Actionz

Risk Assessment and Mappingz

Institutionalized Planning and Budgeting

Disaster PreparednesszTechnical CompetencyzCommunity Awarenessz

Contingency Planning, Early Warning and Evacuation Alert System, Pre-emptive
Evacuation, Stockpiling and Equipping¾

Partnership, Volunteerism and Innovation or partnering with national government
agencies, other local governments, society and the private Sector, presence oforganized volunteers and the spirit of volunteerism, and local innovation.

Level 2 Assessment Criteria: Disaster Preparedness Response is a test of a local
government capability in ensuring basic survival and subsistence needs of the affected
population based on acceptable standards during a disaster.
1. Search and RescuezTrained Personnelz

Response timez

Equipagez

Zero Casualty

2. Evacuation Centre Managementz Adequate Temporary shelter for evacueesz Powerz Food and Water Supply
z Health and Sanitationz Counsellingz Trained Centre Management Personnel
35

According to the DILG, being the Vice Chair of Disaster Preparedness in the Philippines,
SDP is intended to “establish a benchmark information on disaster preparedness of local
governments from which will evolve government interventions to influence a progressive
capacity build-up among provinces, cities and municipalities, assess post-intervention
disaster preparedness to determine performance gaps that need to be aggressively
addressed, and incentivize institutionalized disaster preparedness as a proof of official
recognition to the valuing by a local government of public safety and welfare.”General Assessment Procedure

Level I Assessment
Step 1.

Initial Assessment - Using the prescribed Data Capture Form, theconcerned MLGOO, CIGOO, City Director or Provincial Director conducts
an initial assessment on disaster preparedness. Required supporting
documents are also assembled during this period, in preparation forverification. The main respondent is the LDRRM Officer.

Step 2.

First Verification - Through cross-posting, the MLGOQ CLGOO, City
Director or Provincial Director stationed in another local government anda CSO representative verify the quality of data through document review,interview and observation, as appropriate

Step 3.

Preparation of Disaster Preparedness Index - After verification, the First
Verification Team prepares the Disaster Preparedness Index using theautomated template, for submission to the Bureau of Local Government
Supervision, as reference for the second round of verification.

Step 4.

Second Verification - the National and Regional Seal of Disaster
Preparedness Teams undertake a second verification for cities,municipalities and provinces which garner an Index of 4 or above.

Step 5.

Distribution of Certificate of Recognition -a local government with aperformance index of 4 or above, after second verification, receives a
Certificate of Recognition.

Level 2 Assessment
Step 1.

Application from the DILG Regional Director -the conduct of Level 2
assessment in a municipality, city or province starts upon application of
the DILG Regional Director. A local government must meet t}re following
requisites as basis for application:. Passer of Level l Assessment36

. Occurrence of a disaster, as declared by PAGASA
Step 2.

Assessment -a National Assessment Team is organized to conduct Level
2 assessment using the prescribed Data Capture Form. Generally, theassessment is based on interview of affected individuals, selected at
random, and should cover at least 596 of the affected individuals.
Interviewees are equally divided among the team members. Aside fromthe interview, observation and document review are to be factored in.

Step 3.

Result Calibration - the members of the Assessment Team convene andcalibrate the results by getting the average of responses.

Step 4.

Preparation of t}re Disaster Preparedness-Response Index - using theautomated template, the Assessment Team prepares the Disaster
Preparedness-Response Index

Step 5.

Nomination for the Seal - the National Assessment Team, uponcompletion of Level 2 assessment, nominates a local government thatpasses the Disaster Preparedness-Response Index to the Bureau of
Local Government Supervision.

Step 6.

Recommendation and Conferment of the Seal - the Bureau of Local
Government Supervision recommends the nominated local government to
the Secretary of Interior and Local Government for the conferment of the
Seal.

Conferment of Certificate and the Seal
A local government that passes Level 1 Assessment receives a Certificate of Recognition.
This Certificate is to be sent through official correspondence from the Secretary of Interiorand Local Government

On the other hand, a local government that passes both Level 1 and Level 2
Assessments receives the Seal and Disaster Management Fund or Disaster Equipage.

Frequency of Assessment
Level 1 Assessment is done annually while Level 2 Assessment is undertaken when an
actual disaster occurs.

Incentivitizing Commitment to Disaster Preparedness
The Seal of Disaster Preparedness is linked to a Disaster Management Fund or Equipage
Support, subject of a separate Guideline.
37

Implementing Mechanism
The Bureau of Local Government Supervision shall create a Seal of Disaster Preparedness
National Team. Likewise each DILG Regional Office shall create a Seal of Disaster
Preparedness Regional Team.
¾

Bakas Parangal

NDRRMC Memorandum Circular No. 11 s, 2012 provides for the institutionalization of
Bakas Parangal to recognize those who exhibited exemplary and extraordinary acts ofbravery and heroism during calamities.

The NDRRMC adopts and institutionalizes the

grant of awards to groups or individuals for their outstanding display of valour andselfishness amidst the great peril brought by a disaster. Bakas Parangal is a Recognition of
Merit and Token of Thanksgiving bestowed by the NDRRMC to individuals or groups who
exerted exemplary and extraordinary acts of selflessness in reaching out to those who are inurgent need of assistance in times of calamities and disasters.

This recognition will also

serve as a reminder to the honouree and to others that their efforts were not done in vain,
and that the Filipino people recognize what they have done and that they did not only saved
lives but also changed lives.

This very act of altruism will serve as an inspiration not only tothe people they saved but also to others proving that heroes do exists in the homeland.
BaKas comes from BAyaning LiKAS and Bayani means a Hero.

Bayan connotes people,

town or community and Likas is defined as inherent or innate to a person or community.
Bakas is also attributed to its literal meaning which is an imprint or remarkable impressionthat an individual leaves to those whom they have saved, rescued or extended help andurgent assistance during calamities and disasters.

Bakas Parangal shall be given by

NDRRMC to eligible honouree/s who manifest exemplary and extraordinary acts of bravery
and heroism after every calamity and disaster.

Categories:
Bakas Parangal has three categories for both individuals and organization namely Parangal
ng Kadakilaan, Parangal ng Kabayanihan and Parangal ng Kagitingan.

Category I – Bakas Parangal ng Kadakilaan is bestowed to honor the noble service of units
or groups and organizations who participated in the rescue efforts despite the obvious
hardships of the situation.

The honouree group will be given a Plaque of Recognition

acknowledging its participation and noble deed during calamity.
38

Category II – Bakas Parangal ng Kabayanihan is granted to the leader of a unit/group thatexhibited exemplary acts of heroism beyond their call of duty, upholding the core values of
their responsibility to reach out to those in need in times of disasters.

The honouree will be

bestowed with a Plaque of Recognition for the leader of a unit/group accompanied by acertificate of recognition for the members of the unit/group.

Category III – Bakas Parangal ng Kagitingan is given to individuals who exhibited
extraordinary acts of bravery by extending assistance to those in need in times of disasterbeyond the call of duty with a full understanding that such a volition has dire consequences
to their person or ultimately their life.

The honouree/s will be bestowed with Bronze

Medalyon ng Kagitingan accompanied by a certificate of recognition.

Basic Qualifications/ Requirements

Any individual or groups/organization is eligible to award provided that the nomination will
include testaments to their acts of bravery and heroism during calamities and disasters.
The candidates should be bonafide participant/s in the search, rescue and relief operation in
response to calamity or disaster.

If the candidates are government officials, a

recommendation should be made by the immediate supervisor and Head of the government
agency, narrating such exemplary or extraordinary act performed in search, rescue or relief
operations.

If the candidates are non-government officials, the recommendation should

then be made by any Local Government Official including Barangay Official.

The

recommendation should be filed a the NDRRMC not later than six months after theoccurrence of a disaster or calamity.

Any identification issued by a government institution

which states the candidate’s full name, address and date of birth.

Investigation should be

conducted by an OCD official on the following 1) candidates’ personal background:and (2)

details narrated on the candidate’s recommendation.

An Assessment/Review Panel composed of representatives from DND, OCD andchurch-based organizations shall be created to assess and review the information submitted
and therefore have the authority to deny or approve the candidate’s merit for the granting of
the award. The Department of National defense will issue the corresponding Department
Order for the creation of the Disaster Awards Committee.

The insignia which will be given as part of the award speaks of the rescuers who go through39tremendous lengths to save lives.

As in the case of flooding, they often have to go throughdarkness, intense rain, and mud with limited rescuers just to reach those who are in need.
It was thus conceived that footprints on mud would best symbolize the extreme hardship
rescuers have to endure, putting their very lives on the line and going barefoot if they haveto, just to save a fellow human being.

The rope which surrounds the circumference of the

medal, represents the many uses of rope in rescue and response operations.

The

footprints are shown as pointing downwards (or outgoing), signifying that it is the footprints
that belong to the awardees.

Furthermore, the footprints symbolize how the heroicoccurrence left an imprint on the lives of those who were rescued, a lasting mark which says
there are those in his world who are willing to risk life and limb to save the lives of others.
For an appurtenance or a device added and attached to the basic decoration to distinguisheach deed and succeeding deeds of achievements falling under the same category of thedecoration.

Instead of awarding the same decoration and service medal, an appurtenanceis substituted for the medal.

The Service Star appurtenance is further categorized into

Bronze, Silver and Gold.

The Bronze Star shall be awarded and affixed on the medal for each succeeding response
mission and/or major disaster operations.

The Silver Star is given instead of the fifth Bonze

Star, and shall be affixed on the medal for every fifth succeeding response mission and/or
major disaster operations. The Gold Star shall be awarded in place of the fifth Silver Star.
The Platinum Star shall be awarded in place of the fifth Gold Star and the Diamond Star
shall be awarded in place of the fifth Platinum Star.

E. Examples of Good Practices in Community-based DRRM in the Philippines¾

Municipality of San Jose de Buenavista, Province of Antique

San Jose de Buenavista, or San Jose, is the provincial capital of the province of Antique. It
is located in the southern part of the province, fronting Sulu Sea and South China Sea. Its
geographic location makes it susceptible to the threats of both natural and human-induced
hazards.

The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) of San Jose
has identified 12 different hazards in the locality and ranked them according to probability ofoccurrence. These are: (1) Typhoon; (2) Earthquake; (3) Storm Surge; (4) Monsoon Rain;(5) Landslide; (6) Drought; (7) Flash Flood; (8) Fire Incident; (9) Tsunami; (10) Vehicular
Incidents; (11) Disease Outbreak; and, (12) Tornado. In the latest risk assessment
40conducted by the MDRRMO, almost all constituent barangays (communities) of San Joseare vulnerable to weather related hazards like typhoons and monsoon rains. Typhoon winds
put 12,966 individuals or 2,161 families at risk, in 26 out of 28 barangays.

With major river systems dissecting the town, San Jose experiences annual bouts with floodand siltation. Forest degradation in upland and watershed areas intensifies the severity ofthese threats. Siltation poses an added problem as it buries natural sources of spring water
for drinking and irrigation. Fifteen barangays have been identified to be susceptible toflooding with 4,830 individuals or 850 families at risk. Storm surge brought about by strong
winds is pronounced in 14 coastal barangays, putting 3,075 individuals or 512 families at
risk.

The municipality also contends with the risk of earthquake, landslide and tsunami because itis sandwiched by an active inland and undersea earthquake generating fault and trench withpotential to trigger high magnitude earthquakes. A total of 13,695 individuals or 2,283
families in 27 barangays have medium to high risk exposure to earthquakes. At least fivebarangays are in jeopardy to landslides that could be earthquake or rain induced, due totheir sloping and elevated topography, exposing 665 individuals or 111 families. Offshore
earthquakes that can trigger tsunamis threaten 19 coastal and the low-lying barangays or a
total 14,428 individuals or 2,405 families.

Processes that accompany urbanization including high population growth rate, rapidly
expanding built environment, in-migration and congestion due to informal settlements are
identified as sources of fire hazards. There are 14 barangays with known impuissance to fire,
most especially in areas that host Cebuano and Moslem migrants where congestion is
rampant. A total of 5,712 persons or 952 families are exposed to fire hazards.

Climate variabilities are expected to affect San Jose as well. Observed precipitation
increases exacerbate flooding concerns which could be further heightened by continues
degradation of watershed areas. Intense flooding events could potentially result to foodinsecurity, heavy siltation, destruction of investments and displacement of communities.
Drought and El Nino events threaten agriculture through decreased yields and reduced
water supply for irrigation.

Mandates coming from the national government, particularly Presidential Decree (PD) 1566
(1978) and Republic Act 10121 (2010) inform DRRM initiatives in San Jose. PD 1566
41

defined the management system for disasters throughout the Philippines from 1978 until
2010 when Republic Act (RA) 10121 was passed into law.

DRRM is an ongoing programof the local government unit (LGU) and its approach has evolved from predominantly
response and relief to one that gives greater emphasis on disaster preparedness,prevention and mitigation. This is reflective of policy changes happening at the national level
and the urgent demand to enhance mechanisms for disaster preparedness. DRRM values
proactivity, multi-sectoral participation and community orientation.

Prior to 2010, the town’s Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council (MDCC) had been avigorous advocate of disaster management, even though its focus was largely on
emergency response. It consistently supported communities and groups affected bydisasters, and was instrumental in organizing the Barangay Disaster Coordinating Councils(BDCCs) in 28 constituent barangays.

The imminent threat of multiple hazards prompted the LGU to invest in DRRM. As early as
2004, a resolution endorsed by the MDCC and passed by the Sangguniang Bayan (SB)declared the municipality in a State of Imminent Danger. This allowed the MDCC to utilize
the Calamity Fund (CF) for pre-disaster activities, like training of barangay officials andvolunteers, and information dissemination to vulnerable sectors. It was a groundbreaking
move as Calamity Funds then were used customarily for post-disaster response activities.
Tropical Depression (TD) Frank in 2008 further pushed the LGU to improve the systems fordisaster preparedness, prevention and mitigation. The experience spurred a reassessmentof the LGU’s capabilities, resulting to a modification in the structure of the MDCC (throughExecutive Order 01 issued by Mayor Rony L. Molina in January 2010) that added the task
units of Occupational Safety and Records and Archives Protection. In July of the same year,
he issued EO 58 to replace MDCC members who lost during the May 2010 elections. While
the MDCC was dynamic and consistently active in providing necessary training andinformation on disaster management, it was constrained by the prevailing response oriented
practice that gave greater weight on emergency response and relief, and inhibited activities
for risk reduction and management. Furthermore, the meagre 5% CF allocation posed
challenge to efforts for pursuing preparedness, prevention and mitigation agendas.

The passage of RA 10121 in 2010 initiated major changes in the management of disasterrisks in San Jose. Foremost, the law was responsible for the organization of the Municipal
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC), which replaced the MDCC.
This was done through EO 186 signed by Mayor Molina in October 2010. The MDRRMC, or
42

the Council, functioned as the platform for DRRM programming in the municipality. Its
creation was predicated by RA 10121 and on the need to strengthen the LGU’s capability forrisk reduction as the changing nature and characteristics of hazards overtake reactive
disaster management systems that do little to enhance preparedness and alleviate
vulnerability.

RA 10121 provided for a more liberal budgetary allocation for DRRM throughthe Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF) which was no longer
limited to the 5% ceiling set by PD 1566. In 2010, PhP 2.5 million was allocated for the
LDRRMF. As mandated by law, 30% of this was earmarked for quick response andemergency related concerns and the remaining 70% was set aside for pre-disaster activities
and programs. The law was also instrumental in reorienting the previously reactive
approach to disasters of the MDCC into the more proactive approach of the MDRRMC. The
incumbent Council now has substantial muscle for pre-disaster activities to enhancedisaster preparedness and risk reduction capabilities.

The participation of private agencies and non-government organizations (NGOs) in theCouncil is enlisted in accordance with the mandates of RA 10121. The provisions of RA 729(Climate Change Act of 2010) are integrated into the plans and programs particularly in the
aspect of the disaster mitigation and prevention.

The Council continues to intensify its efforts to bring DRRM to the communities using theCommunity-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (CBDRRM). CBDRRM
enhances the capability of local communities through capability building. This is done
together with mobilization and training of municipal and community volunteers. The
cultivation of the spirit of volunteerism is one of the badges of success of the Council
because it serves as a venue for different stakeholders to work together harmoniously.

Collaboration and convergence are hallmarks of DRRM programming in San Jose.

From

the multifarious activities that the MDRRMC has carried out since its establishment, fourinterrelated components can be gleaned leading to an integrated, holistic and sustainable
DRRM. These are (1) disaster mitigation and prevention, (2) disaster preparedness, (3)emergency response, and (4) recovery and rehabilitation. At the helm of these activities isthe MDRRMO, the implementing arm for DRRM, together with members of the Council
including civil society organizations, volunteer groups and community organizations. How
the MDRRMC leads in promoting a culture of safety and resiliency in San Jose.

43

¾

Chamber Volunteer Fire Brigade

As the largest volunteer emergency response organization in the most populous city inWestern Visayas, the Bacolod Chamber Volunteer Fire Brigade is in a unique position, bothin terms of expectations and achievements, among private/volunteer organizations in theregion. The “Brigade”, as it is popularly called, is the service delivery arm Bacolod
Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (BFCCCII). Originally conceived
in 1970s as a volunteer group to augment the manpower of the local fire department, it
became a full-fledged firefighting unit that earned distinction (including a Presidential
Citation) and would transition into an accredited organization that offers fire suppression,
search and rescue, emergency medical services and community outreach programs.

The Bacolod Chamber Volunteer Fire Brigade’s key strengths as an organization are: 1)
Multi-level partnerships and, 2) Well-established disaster response practices and protocols.
While it remains essentially private and voluntary in character, the organization has strong
ties with the local community, corporate entities, the City and Provincial Government,
national government agencies up to international level. These strong ties are valuablenetworks of logistics and funding, as well as sources of information, and has enabled theBrigade to grow into a membership of three hundred twenty-eight (328) strong. The
organization also had a clearly-defined and recognized role vis-à-vis government agencies
with analogous functions (Bureau of Fire, Bacolod City Emergency Response Unit etc.).
By virtue of more than three decades of experience of responding to disasters, the Brigade
has established practices and protocols in the conduct of emergency disaster response. The
emergency response protocol directs the flow of personnel and resources and ensures that
services are delivered in timely, orderly and appropriate manner. Its personnel go through athorough recruitment and training process. Between 2008 and 2010 alone, the Brigade wasable to respond to 205 fire calls, 13 rescue operations and 651 emergency medical andtrauma cases. This underscores the importance of the organization’s role in disaster
response in Bacolod City and its surrounding areas.

However, challenges brought about

by climate change necessitate a shift in the role of the Brigade from an organization that is
primarily oriented towards response into an organization that is actively involved with thelocal government and the community in reducing risk and building resiliency.

The Bacolod Chamber Volunteer Fire Brigade was conceived under the slogan of “We Do
Care. We Do Share”. The Brigade envisions itself as a pillar in nation-building by promoting
44

the spirit of volunteerism. As an organization, it seeks to become an internationallyrecognized volunteer organization that: 1) exceeds industry standards in firefighting andrescue; 2) provides timely and technologically advanced pre-hospital care, and 3) engages
in wide-scale Medical Outreach Programs and civic works through committed and highly
competent volunteers.

¾

Cabasi-Sta. Rosa Elementary School

Cabasi-Sta. Rosa Elementary School (CSRES) in Barangay Sta. Rosa-Laguna, in the
Municipality of Guimbal, Province of Iloilo is the country’s Gawad KALASAG’s Best
Educational Institution advocating disaster risk reduction management for the years 2010
and 2011.

The school’s critical resources and development efforts to mitigate the potential impact ofnatural or man-made disasters in the school community are presented in this paper.
Although efforts are primarily schoolchildren-centered and schoolchildren-driven as schools
are mandated to ensure the safety and welfare of schoolchildren, benefits to the larger
school community can be derived as engagement of parents, barangay officials, the Local
Government Unit (LGU) and other stakeholders are elicited. Besides, the school dreams toachieve not only a prepared and resilient school but prepared and resilient neighbouringcommunities as well as a result of an improved school disaster risk reduction management
system.

Apart from the school gym that can be utilized as temporary shelters in any emergency,
CSRES has 12 clean, wall-finished, and well-ventilated school buildings with spacious
corridors, railings/handrails and ramp. The rooms in these buildings have safe electricalconnections as per Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) standard, inspections of which wereconducted in 2009 and 2010. Rooms also have toilet and water facilities that are regularly
maintained by the school community.

The school has five radio cassettes, a mini karaoke,

four units of computer and a printer that can be utilized for monitoring, receiving anddisseminating vital/critical information (e.g., news, weather updates, supply information) to
the school and the CSRES community. Basic health facilities such as two nebulizers, twobody temperature and a sphygmomanometer are also utilized and maintained by the school.

CSRES, like any other primary academic institution, has a Parents-Teachers Association
45

(PTA) organized with special committees, namely finance, audit, election, ways and means,grievance and more importantly, external and community affairs which reflect not only aworking system but also a consistent effort to work with the people in the community.

The

CSRES pupil population is increasing throughout the four years with 593 as the highest
composed of 518 regular classes, 57 preschoolers and 18 special education class for theschool year 2011-2012. The school has 21 faculty and staff that consists of a School
Principal, 17 permanent teachers, one male utility worker and two female teachers paid by
the national government and local school board. For four school years, school
administrators received distinction from the Division of Iloilo as outstanding administrators
while CSRES is considered as the most effective non-central school in the division of Iloilo
for seven school years, a manifestation of the enthusiasm, confidence and growth of theschool community.

46

Our forbears overcame a myriad of challenges and each time, they arose even more robustly
than before. – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, March 11, 2013

V.

Institutionalizing Disaster Risk Reduction in Japan

A. Japan Disaster Management System
Japan has a long history of dealing with disasters way back 416 August on theoccurrence of Yamato-Kochi Earthquake as stated in the first written record of
Earthquake in Japan in “Nihonshoki” or the first official history book of Japan, edited in
8th century. Nihonshoki also
The

Japanesetraditional

drawing “Ukiyoe” 150 years
ago which depicts Edo (old
name

of

Tokyo)

peoplebeating a big monster fish
which was believed to cause
earthquakes under the earth.

shows the first written record of
Earthquake Tsunami on 684 November with the occurrence of Hakuho-Nankai Tonankai
Earthquake with an estimate magnitude of 8.2-3.

Dealing with disasters had become

the subject of their art as depicted in the paintings after the 1855 Ansei-Edo Earthquake.
How the Japanese deal andmanage with risks is also
shown

in

especiallytheduringreconstruction
following
Ansei-Edopainting
theperiodthe1855

Earthquake.

Management of disaster risks was viewed as an opportunity for development.
This painting shows that citizens knew that someone was making profit out of tragedy.

47

The most popular is the story of Ina
mura no hi

about a Japanese man

named Hamaguchi Goryou who saved
his villagers in Hiro-mura (currently
Hirogawa-cho) from a massive tsunami
struck the Kii Peninsula district in 1854
(Ansei 1) after a strong earthquake
occurred.

The story portrays Goryou

who set fire to some ‘inamura’ (ricesheaves) and evacuated the villagers to a high safe place by guiding them using the fireas a landmark.

This story is being used to educate the present generation abouttsunami.
There is also an earliest record of the Japanese bitter encounter of tsunami in 1896
when the Meiji Sanriku Earthquake occurred which resulted to 22,000 deaths.
experience

¾

was

also

depicted

in

one

of

their

traditionalThis

paintings.

National Disaster Management System

Japan is a disaster prone country because of it is located in the circum-Pacific area
where seismic and volcanic activities occur constantly.

The country experience a wide

variety of natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, typhoons
during the months of July to October, heavy monsoon rains from May to July, floods,
48

landslides

andsnow avalanches.
Records show thatwith the number ofearthquakes

withmagnitude 6.0 orlargerfrom

1995-2004, Japan
shares 22% or 210
occurrences out of
945

earthquake

occurrences in theworld.

Japan

Numberofearthquakeswith

212 (20.5%)

Magnitude

6.0

or

(Year

World

greater

2000-2009

1,036

Source:CabinetOffice(DisasterManagement), Japan

The progress of disaster management and system in Japan is defined by the bitter
experiences from the large scale natural disasters and accidents with loss of lives andimmense damage to properties.

Countermeasures against any disaster are taken

according to the Disaster Countermeasure Basic Act in 1961 and other related disasteraccording to the Disaster Countermeasure Basic Act in 1961 and other related disastermanagement laws or basic acts such as Act on Prevention of Marine Pollution andMaritime Disaster (1970), Act on Disaster Prevention in Petroleum Industrial Complexes
and other Petroleum Facilities (1975), Act on Special Measures for Large-scale
Earthquakes (1978), Act on Special Measures for Nuclear Disasters (1999), Act on
Special Measures for Promotion of Tonankai and Nankai Earthquake Disaster
Management (2002), Act on Special Measures for Promotion of Disaster Management
for Trench-type Earthquakes in the Vicinity of the Japan and Chishima Trenches (2004).
Countermeasures taken against a disaster are also guided by the following disaster49

prevention and preparedness related laws: Erosion Control Act (1897), 2. BuildingStandard Law (1950), Forest Act (1951), Act on Temporary Measures for Disaster
Prevention and Development of Special Land Areas (1952), 5. Meteorological Services
Act (1952), 6. Seashore Act (1956), Landslide Prevention Act (1958), Act on Special
Measures for Disaster Prevention in Typhoon-prone Areas (1958), Act on Special
Measures for Heavy Snowfall Areas (1962), River Act (1964), Act on Prevention of
Steep Slope Collapse Disaster (1969), Act on Special Measures for Active Volcanoes(1973), Act on Special Financial Measures for Urgent Earthquake Countermeasure
Improvement Projects in Areas for Intensified Measures (1980), Act on Special
Measures for Earthquake Disaster Countermeasures (1995), Act on Promotion of the
Earthquake-proof Retrofit of Buildings (1995), Act on Promotion of Disaster Resilience
Improvement in Densely Inhabited Areas (1997), Act on Promotion of Sediment
Disaster Countermeasures for Sediment Disaster Prone Areas (2000), Specified Urban
River Inundation Countermeasures Act (2003).

For specific disaster response

countermeasures, disaster emergency response related acts such as Disaster Relief
Act of 1947, Fire Services Act of 1948, and Flood Control Act of 1949 are implored for
guidance and implementation.

For disaster recovery and reconstruction as well as

financial measures, these related laws are abided for implementation:

Forest National

Insurance Act (1937), Agriculture Disaster Compensation Act (1947), Housing Loan
Corporation Act (1950), Act on Interim Measures for Subsidizing Recovery, Projects for
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Facilities Damaged Due to Disasters (1950),
Small-Medium Business Credit Insurance Act (1950), Act on National Treasury Share of
Expenses for Recovery Projects for Public Civil Engineering Facilities Damaged Due toDisasters (1951), Public Housing Act (1951), Fishing Boat Damage Compensation Act(1952), Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Finance Corporation Act (1952), Railway
Improvement Act (1953), Act on National Treasury Share of Expenses for Recovery of
Public School Facilities Damaged Due to Disasters (1953), Act on Interim Measures for
Financing Farmers, Woodsmen and Fishermen Suffering from Natural Disasters (1955),
Airport Improvement Act (1956), Small-scale Business Equipment Installation Financial
Support Act (1956), Act on Special Financial Support to Deal with Extremely Severe
Disasters (1962), Fisheries Disaster Compensation Act (1964), Act on Earthquake
Insurance (1966), Act on Special Financial Measures for Group, Relocation Promotion
Projects for Disaster Mitigation (1972), Act on Payment of Solatia for Disasters (1973),
Act on Special Measures for Reconstruction of Disaster-stricken Urban Areas (1995),
Act on Special Measures for Reconstruction of Jointly Owned Buildings in
Disaster-stricken Areas (1995), Act on Special Measures for Preservation of Rights and50

Profits of the Victims of Specified Disasters (1996), Act on Support for Livelihood
Recovery of Disaster Victims (1998).
The comprehensive disaster management system in Japan is fully established with theenactment of Disaster Countermeasure Basic Act in 1961 prompted two years later
after the occurrence of Ise-wan Typhoon in 1959 which brought immense damage to thecountry.

The Ise-wan Typhoon which claimed 5,098 lives was considered as theturning point for strengthening disaster management system in Japan. The Japan
Disaster management System has been further strengthened following the many
lessons learned from large-scale disasters such as the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake.
During our visit to the Cabinet Office (Disaster Management) on February 26, 2013,
we have learned that important revisions on the Disaster Countermeasure Basic Act will
be finalized soon banking on the lessons learned from the March 11, 2011 Great East
Japan Earthquake which resulted to 20,000 deaths and missing and ¥16.9 trillion ($210
billion) estimated damage to the country’s economy.
Meanwhile, Japan’s disaster management system addresses all the disaster risk
management phases such as prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response andrecovery and reconstruction.

The Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act defines the

responsibilities of key players for disaster management, the organizations, and theplanning system, disaster prevention and preparedness, emergency response, recovery
and rehabilitation, as well as financial measures implored in managing and responding
to disasters and the guidelines on the declaration of a state of emergency.
The institutionalization of an outstanding disaster management system and practice inJapan starts from the national level down to the residents level.

At the national level

starting from the Prime Minister to Central Disaster Management Council anddesignated government organizations and public corporations, formulation of Basic
Disaster Management Plan and Disaster Management Operation Plan and promotion
for their implementation are initiated and institutionalized. At the prefectural level withthe governor to the Prefectural Disaster Management Council, designated local
government organizations and designated public corporations, formulation andpromoting the implementation of Local Disaster Management Plan is institutionalized.
At the municipal level starting from the mayors of cities, towns and villages in Japan,
together with the Municipal Disaster Management Council, the formulation andpromoting of the implementation of Local Disaster Management Plan is institutionalized.
51

The residents are encouraged to be protected in the spirit of mutual help with thedifferent stakeholders.

There are 23 ministries and agencies as designatedgovernment organizations that play an important role in the implementation of theDisaster Countermeasures Basic Act while there are 63 organizations or designatedpublic corporations including independent administrative agencies, Bank of Japan,
Japanese Red Cross Society, Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK), electric and gas companies
and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) that likewise play a significant role.
It was only in 2001 when the post of Minister of State for Disaster Management was
newly established to integrate and coordinate disaster reduction policies and measuresof all ministers and agencies concerned.

The Cabinet Office is responsible forsecuring cooperation and collaboration among related government organizations.

The

Director-General for Disaster Management conducts overall coordination and is
mandated to undertake the planning of basic disaster management policies andresponse to large-scale disasters.

Taking into account the lessons learned from theGreat Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the Cabinet Secretariat System was likewise
strengthened and the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management wasappointed.

A Cabinet Information Collection Center to strengthen risk management

functions to address emergencies, large-scale disasters and serious accidents.

Thecabinet Office has a crucial role in supporting the Cabinet Secretariat in matters of
disaster management.
The Central Disaster Management Council is established in the Cabinet Office basedon the Disaster Countermeasure Basic Act.
Minister and the members consist of

The Council is chaired by the Prime

Minister of State for Disaster Management, allministers, heads of major public institutions and experts.

The council promotes

comprehensive disaster countermeasures and tackle important issues on disaster
reduction upon the request of the Prime Minister or Minister of State for Disastermanagement.

Management Planning System

 Basic Disaster Management Plan: This plan is a basis for disaster reduction
activities and is prepared by the Central Disaster Management Council based on
the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act.
 Disaster Management Operation Plan: This is a plan made by each designated52

government organization and designated public corporation based on the Basic
Disaster Management Plan.
 Local Disaster Management Plan: This is a plan made by each prefectural andmunicipal disaster management council, subject to local circumstances and basedon the Basic Disaster Management Plan.
The national budget for disaster management is approximately 4.5 trillion yen
based on the average annual budget from 1995 to 2004.

The budget is allocated to

Scientific Technology Research with 1.3%; Disaster Prevention and Preparedness with23.6%; National Land Conservation with 48.7%; and Disaster Recovery andRehabilitation with 26.4% of the total budget.

On research and development, the

Science and Technology Plan - Third Term (2006) sets 10 important issues on disaster
reduction for its implementation strategy.

The plan also describes Japan’s basic

scientific technology policies which set a major goal in making Japan a country that cantake pride in being the safest in the world.

The plan also sets an intermediate goal of

ensuring the security of national land, society and people’s livelihoods.

The researchand development on Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) and information has beenpromoted by the Japan Meteorological Agency since 2006 in cooperation with relatedorganizations, and the provision of EEW information to specific entities such as railway
companies. The EEW information announces the estimated hypocenter and magnitudeof an earthquake as well as the estimated arrival time of the S-wave of the earthquakeand seismic intensity in such area. This information is made possible by detecting theP-wave near the epicenter and immediately processing the data since

there is adifference in the speed of the P-wave, which arrives faster, and the S-wave which
arrives later and causes more severely destructive phenomena.

In the case of a large

scale ocean trench-type earthquake, there may be a time lag of several seconds toseveral tens of seconds, between the issuance of the EEW information and the start ofsevere shaking when the S-waves arrives.

This can be a critical time to be used for

mitigating damage by stopping trains and elevators, extinguishing flames or crawlingunder tables.
For disaster prevention and preparedness, the national land conservation projects suchas river improvement, soil erosion control (sabo), and soil and coastline conservation
are carried out strategically for protecting national land, citizen’s lives and property fromvarious disasters.

The “Selective Infrastructure Improvement Plan” was set forth in2002 to promote prioritized effective and efficient infrastructure improvement projects.
53

The “Forest Improvement and Conservation Works Master Plan” was formulated in2003 to promote comprehensive and effective forestry improvement and soil
conservation projects.

Likewise, in observing, forecasting and warning of disasterrisks, observation systems that can accurately detect disaster risks in real-time havebeen progressively improved for establishing early warning systems, supporting theearly evacuation of residents, and response activities of disaster management
organizations thereby reducing disaster damage.

The Japan Meteorological Agency(JMA) carefully monitors various natural phenomena and weather conditions in a
24-hour system.

The JMA also issues a wide range of forecasts, warnings andadvisories regarding earthquake-generated tsunamis and severe weather events suchas heavy rains.

A quick and accurate communication system is essential for effective use of early
warning information thus, the JMA has built an online system linking disastermanagement organizations of the national and local governments and media
organizations.

Radio communications networks exclusively for disasters have beendeveloped through the Central Disaster Management Radio Communications System
which connects national organizations; the Fire Disaster Management Radio
Communications System which connects firefighting organizations all over Japan; andprefectural and municipal disaster management radio communications systems which
54

connect local disaster management organizations and residents.

The Cabinet Officehas developed a Central Disaster Management Radio Communications System so thatdesignated government organizations and public corporations can use telephones or
facsimiles via a hotline.

It has also prepared an image transmission circuit so that

pictures of disaster situations can be transmitted from helicopters in real-time.

As aback-up for terrestrial communications, a satellite communications system has also
been constructed.

Simultaneous wireless communications system using outdoor

loudspeakers and indoor radio receivers are used to disseminate disaster information to
the residents.

Tsunami and severe weather warnings are widely provided to citizens

via TV and radio broadcasts.
An integrated disaster management information system has been developed by the
Cabinet Office in order to help grasp the situation of the disaster early on and promotes
information sharing among relevant organizations for a quick and appropriate
decision-making for emergency response operations.

There is a DIS or Earthquake

Disaster Information System which is automatically activated upon the receipt ofearthquake information with intensity level of 4 or higher from JMA.

This is intended toestimate the approximate distribution of seismic intensity and scale of damage within 30
minutes.

The RAS or Real Damage Analysis System by Artificial Satellite uses satellite

images to assess actual disaster damage when it is otherwise difficult to determine thesituation due to the disruption of transportation and communication networks.

There isalso a common information sharing system with a standardized information format
called PF or Disaster Information Sharing Platform where various disaster information
which are provided by ministries and agencies, local governments, relevantorganizations and residents can be posted and accessed by all.
In order to secure a wide-area collaboration for a quick and smooth response andrecovery and rehabilitation activities in case of a large-scale disaster, disastermanagement bases for information management, operations coordination, and logistics
needs and network are set up.

It is noted that the Cabinet Office is constructing main

wide-area disaster management bases in cooperation with relevant ministries in Tokyoand Kanagawa in Tokyo Bay area to function as core bases for responding to largescale disaster in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area.

Subsidies are likewise provided to local

governments who promote qualitative and quantitative improvements of local disastermanagement bases.

55

When a disaster occurs or is imminent, it is advised that residents may start evacuatingon their own.
instruction.

The mayor of the municipality may also issue n evacuation order or

However, it is effective for municipalities to prepare beforehand, a manualexplaining the criteria regarding disaster situations that require the issuance ofevacuation orders or instructions which would help the mayor to decide quickly in timesof disasters or emergencies.

The Cabinet Office, in cooperation with relevant

ministries, published the “Guidelines for Producing a Decision and Dissemination
Manual for Evacuation Orders and Instructions” in 2005.
Measures for People Requiring Assistance during Disasters have been undertaken by
the Cabinet Office in 2005 with the publication of the “Guidelines for Evacuation Supportof People Requiring Assistance During Disaster” to be implemented at the municipal
level.

This is in view of the aging society and the increasing number of the elderly

being killed or injured by disasters and with considerations for assistance to physically
impaired and to those who require special assistance.
improving the information communication system;

The guidelines contain i)ii) sharing of information concerning

people requiring assistance during disaster; iii) creating a tangible evacuation support
plan for them; iv) assistance at the evacuation centers; and v) collaboration among
related organizations.

Tangible countermeasures include the issuance of information

regarding the early evacuation of people requiring assistance and sharing suchinformation among related disaster management and social welfare organizations.
In order to promote various drills and exercises nationwide, the Central Disaster
Management Council sets forth an annual “Comprehensive Disaster Reduction Drills
Plan,” that stipulates the basic principles for executing the drills and outlines thecomprehensive disaster reduction drills carried out by the national government incooperation with local governments and relevant organizations.

September 1st is theDisaster Reduction Day in Japan and wide-area, large scale disaster reduction drills are
conducted in every region across the country in collaboration with disaster-relatedorganizations.

In recent years, practical method of disaster reduction drill like

impromptu role-playing was introduced but participants are not given any information
beforehand.
On disaster response, the national government collects disaster information at the
Cabinet Information Collection Center 24 hours a day, and at the time of large-scaledisaster, the designated emergency response team comprised of the director-generals
56

of the respective ministries and agencies gather immediately at the Crisis Management
Center in the Prime Minister’s Office to grasp and analyze the disaster situation andreport to the Prime Minister.

Inter-ministerial meetings at the ministerial or

high-ranking senior official level are held to decide basic response policies if necessary.
Depending on the level of the damage, the government may establish a Major Disaster
Management Headquarters, headed by the Minister of State for Disaster Management,or an Extreme Disaster Management Headquarters headed by the Prime Minister.

A

government investigation team headed by the Minister of State for Disaster
Management may be dispatched, or an on-site disaster management headquarters may
be established.
In the case of large-scale disasters that exceed the response capabilities of the affected
local government, various wide-area support mechanisms are mobilized the National
Police Agency (Inter-prefectural Emergency Rescue Unit), Fire and Disaster
Management Agency (Emergency Fire Rescue Team), and Japan Coast Guard.

The

Self-Defense Forces can be dispatched for emergency response activities upon requestfrom the governor of the affected prefectural government.

A wide-area medicaltransportation system for dispatching disaster medical assistance teams (DMAT) andambulance parties for transporting seriously injured people to disaster managementbase hospitals outside the disaster-stricken area is being developed.
The recovery and rehabilitation of disaster-stricken areas focuses on providing support
to help rebuild the normal livelihoods of the affected population as quickly and smoothly
as possible.

Restoring public facilities while giving consideration to mitigating futuredisasters so that affected communities can be made more resilient and havefundamental conditions for sustainable development.
Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995,

In the case of the Great

integrated reconstruction measures withmulti-sectoral collaboration were employed through the establishment of the
Headquarters for Reconstruction of the Hanshin-Awaji Area headed by the Prime
Minister.

This was followed by the establishment of an Inter-Ministerial Committee for

Reconstruction of the Hanshin-Awaji Area in 2000.

The Mt. Usu Eruption in 2000 and

the Niigata-ken Chuetsu Earthquake in 2004 prompted the establishment ofinter-ministerial recovery and rehabilitation committees where ministries and agencies
work together on disaster recovery and rehabilitation, taking into account the opinions of
those in the disaster-stricken areas thus, community participation was highly observed.
Livelihood support system for disaster victims is implemented as guided by the Act on
57

Support for Livelihood Recovery of Disaster Victims in 1998.

According to this Act,

funds of up to one million yen per household, for buying necessary household goods
and belongings are available, subject to given circumstances, to victims whose houses
are severely damaged by a natural disaster and who have great difficulty in restoring
their self supporting livelihoods due to economic and other reasons.

The Act was

further revised in 2004 to include the establishment of a support system for ensuring
stable residences with assistance of up to two million yen to stabilize living conditions
such as tearing down collapsed houses.

The system is later on applied for cases ofdamage assessment of houses inundated by flood.

To a larger extent, there are eight

major areas covered by the disaster recovery and rehabilitation measures.

1) On

disaster recovery project, the recovery of damaged public infrastructure facilities,
educational facilities, welfare facilities, agricultural, forestry, and fishery is either
conducted directly by the national government or put into practice by the local
government with subsidies from the national government; 2) on disaster relief loans,persons engaged in the agriculture, forestry, or fishery industries, small and medium
enterprises and low-income people who incurred damage are eligible for a variety of
low-interest loans and more generous conditions; 3) on disaster compensation andinsurance, affected persons engaged in agriculture, forestry or fishery business canobtain compensation for disaster losses through the earthquake insurance system
which has been established by the national government; 4) on tax reduction measures,
affected persons, there are measures for reduction, exemption, and postponed
collection of income and residential taxes; 5) for affected local governments, there aremeasures for delivery of special tax allocations and permission to issue local bonds; 6)
for extremely severe disasters, there are special measures to be taken for disasterrecovery projects; 7) assistance for the rehabilitation plan of local governments areprovided when necessary; and 8) support for the livelihood recovery of disaster victims
for supporting their self-supporting efforts are provided through disaster condolencemoney, disaster impediment sympathy money, money for support of livelihood recovery
of disaster victims and loans such as disaster relief funds and livelihood welfare funds.
On a more proactive stance, several earthquake countermeasures against large
earthquakes have been formulated such as the Countermeasures against Tokai
earthquake, Tonankai and Nankai Earthquakes, Trench-type Earthquakes in the vicinityof Japan and Chisima Trenches, and Tokyo Inland earthquakes.
The Central Disaster Management Council drafted an Urgent Countermeasures
58

Guidelines for Promoting the Earthquake-proofing of Houses and Buildings in 2005
which states that earthquake-proofing throughout the country should be urgently andstrongly enforced in cooperation with related ministries as a national priority.

Thesubsidy system that provides financial support to promote earthquake proofing
diagnosis and retrofit has been expanded with tax reduction measures to promoteearthquake proofing retrofit of residences and commercial buildings.
Tsunami countermeasures have been established with the JMA to issue tsunami
warning advisory within 2-3 minutes after the quake and follow up with announcement
about the estimated height and arrival time of tsunami.

The information is transmitted

immediately to disaster management organizations and media outlets and further
disseminated to the residents and maritime vessels.

Tsunami countermeasures also

include expediting the announcement or transmission of tsunami forecasts andimproving coastal and tidal embankments and tide prevention gates.

Guidelines forthe creation of a tsunami hazard map, and designation and development of tsunami
evacuation buildings by local governments have been formulated and disseminated by
the Cabinet Office in cooperation with concerned ministries.
There are also countermeasures for active volcanoes with JMA to monitor and observe
volcanic activities through seismometers installed.

A Coordinating Committee for thePrediction of Volcanic Eruptions was created and is composed of scholars and relatedorganizations.

This committee is tasked to make comprehensive decisions during

volcanic eruptions.
predictions.

The committee is also tasked to promote research on volcanic

Further, an Act on Special Measures for Active Volcanoes serves as basis

for designation of areas for urgent improvement to serve as evacuation facilities.
Hazard map on 37 active volcanoes have been prepared and the Mt Usu eruption in2000 experience showed that 16,000 residents were able to evacuate in an orderly
manner with JMA issuing alert two days before the eruption.

Furthermore, the Basic

Framework for Wide-Area Countermeasures against Mt. Fuji Volcano Disaster wasformulated by the Central Disaster Management Council in 2006.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and other relevant organizations install andmaintain seismometers that are used for estimating the location of the epicenter andmagnitude of an earthquake as well as for tsunami forecasts, and seismic intensity
meters that measure the intensity of ground motion in numerous paces nationwide.

Assoon as an earthquake occurs in or around Japan, the JMA analyzes the date from59

various seismometers and seismic intensity meters.

Within about two minutes, it

issues a seismic intensity information report for earthquakes of intensity 3 or greater,
and within about five minutes, an information report indicating the epicenter andmagnitude of the earthquake and the seismic intensity in the municipalities where strong
shaking was observed. For earthquake countermeasures, a Policy Framework or amaster plan of a range of activities from preventive measures to post-disaster response
and recovery.

There is also an Earthquake Disaster Reduction Strategy for damage

mitigation and strategic targets based on damage estimation.

Guidelines for

Emergency Response Activities serve as guide for actions to be taken by relatedorganizations.

The Act on Special Measures for Large-scale Earthquakesisfor intensified measures against the Tokai Earthquake and large-scale earthquakes.
Under this Act, the observation system has been reinforced and the earthquake
response system in the case of prediction report being announced has been developed.
The Central Disaster Management Council also drew up the Earthquake
Countermeasures Basic Plan for basic policies for actions to be taken in response towarning declaration.
out accordingly.

Relevant organizations have their own respective plans to carry

Local governments carry out urgent projects to improve facilities for

mitigating possible damage of Tokai Earthquake based on their respective plans so
there is an increase in national government subsidies and fiscal measures for local
governments based on the Special Financial Measures for Urgent Earthquake
Countermeasure Improvement Projects in Areas for Intensified Measures.
JMA observes meteorological phenomena that cause storm and flood disasters throughthe Automated Meteorological Data Acquisition System (AMeDAS) that automaticallymeasures rainfall, air temperature and wind direction/speed.

There are also weather

radars as well as geostationary meteorological satellites for forecasts and warnings.
On the other hand, the rainfall and water level in the rivers are observed by the Ministryof Land, Infrastructure and Transport together with prefectural governments utilizing
visual observation methods, mechanical observation equipment, and a wirelesstelemeter system that transmits automatically observed data from remote locations.
Flood forecasts and water level information are provided utilizing the internet and mobile
phones.

Improving rivers and sewage system are some of the structural measures

implemented to reduce damage caused by severe weather disasters. Non-structural
measures such as preparing hazard maps and providing disaster information are being
promoted in an integrated manner.

Warning and evacuation system of possible floodinundation areas and landslide prone areas have been developed as non-structural
60

measures also in accordance with the Flood Control Act and the Act on Promotion of
Sediment Disaster Countermeasures for Sediment Disaster Prone Areas.

The

two laws were amended in 2005 to intensify measures and to incorporate in themunicipal disaster management plans including the familiarization of hazard maps andthe identification of methods to disseminate disaster information especially to the areas
and facilities for those who require assistance such as the elderly people. According to
the Flood Control Act the designation and publication of the possible inundation areasin the basins of 248 major rivers and 940 medium to small rivers are a must andmunicipalities concerned must promote the preparation and dissemination of flood
hazard maps.
The Disaster Relief Act application such as supporting relief activities of the local
governments like snow removal from houses, dispatch of Self-Defense Forces,
provision of subsidiaries for removing snow from roads, provision of special local
allocation tax to complement the financial shortage of local government due to
expenses in aiding elderly families in removing snow and for other relief operations.
Based on the Act of Special Measures for Heavy Snowfall Areas, measures have been
introduced to secure traffic and communications, protect agriculture and forestry
industries, and improve living environmental facilities and national land conservation
facilities.
Japan has become the champion of disaster risk reduction as a country because it haslong institutionalized the combination of self-help efforts rooted in the awareness of thepeopleandbusiness

corporations

with

the

mutual-help

effortsofvariouscommunity-based organizations supported by the public-help efforts of the national andlocal governments.

These characteristics of Japan Disaster Management System areextensively discussed in this paper through the various institutions that I have visitedand the learning that I have accumulated in three and a half months of being a Visiting
Research of the Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)
The Central Disaster Management Council played a vital role in this institutionalization
process of creating and promoting a nationwide movement where individuals, families,
communities, corporations and other various groups and entities participate incontinuous activities and investments for mitigating damage.

This movement has

started in 2006 with the publication of the Basic Framework for Promoting a
Nationwide Movement for Disaster Reduction Actions with Added Value to61Security and Safety.
To intensively heighten awareness of people on DRR, the national government has
designated September 1st of every year as Disaster Reduction Day and August 30 to
September 5as Disaster Reduction Week.

Various events such as DRR Fair, seminars,

DRR drills and exercises, and poster contests are being held throughout the country tohighlight these periods.
Disaster education in schools has already been institutionalized starting from childhoodand disaster prevention drills are being held regularly starting from kindergarten schools.
Disaster education is being taught in various school curriculums and social education
with participation of the citizens is realized through the conduct of town-watching andhazard-mapping.
Sustaining the culture of safety is also continuously improving environment for disaster
reduction volunteer activities since community-based disaster reduction organizations,firefighting and flood-fighting teams play a valuable role in disaster reduction in Japan.
In order to institutionalize this efforts, the national government has designated January
17 of each year as Disaster Reduction and Volunteer Day and January 15 to 21 as
Disaster Reduction and Volunteer Week.

The Cabinet Office takes the lead in creating

opportunities to share information among volunteer groups and relevant entities and inproviding useful information to improve the environment for disaster reduction volunteer
activities including the holding of Disaster Reduction and Volunteer Forum every year.
This initiative by the national government is complemented by the publication of theInformation and Hints Handbook

which features information exchange on actual

experiences and challenges of volunteer activities in cooperation with relevant
ministries.
The role of business corporations is well defined in the whole gamut of disastermanagement system in Japan.

Corporations are required to secure the safety of theircustomers and employees as well as to continue their business activities which
contribute to the mitigation of social and economic difficulties during a disaster situation.
Specific examples of such corporations such as the Osaka Gas Company, the Lake
Biwa and the Hanshin Expressway which I had visited will also be discussed in thispaper.

62

The Cabinet Office likewise plays a vital role in the enhancement of disaster reduction
activities of corporations with the publication of the Business Continuity Guide in 2005
which helps companies to develop their respective Business Continuity Plan.

The

Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is a corporate management strategy to continue
prioritized crucial business activities or to resume them as quickly as possible in therecovery time, taking into consideration the possible loss of business transactions taken
by competitors or loss of market share or corporate value due to interruption at a time ofa disaster.

The technical committee of the Central Disaster Management Council

published a checklist for evaluation of the companies that are active in DRR andevaluation is being done by the market and the community where they are located.

In

addition, the Development Bank of Japan launched a new lending mechanism fordisaster reduction rating system wherein incentives are given for companies that
promote corporate disaster reduction activities.
Japan has acquired knowledge and technologies for disaster reduction based on theexperiences and lessons learned from the numerous disasters it has encountered anduses these knowledge and technologies in advancing international cooperation indisaster reduction.

Japan has been supporting the promotion of Hyogo Framework for

Action (HFA) in cooperation with the UN/ISDR through a) taking an “Initiative for DRR
through Official Development Assistance (ODA)”, b) strengthening regional cooperationin collaboration with the Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC), and c) promotinginternational cooperation projects.
¾ The Hyogo Prefecture Disaster Management System
Disaster management in Hyogo Prefecture is pursuing disaster reduction based on theexperience and expertise it has gained through the years especially after the Great
Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.

Lessons of this Earthquake for Hyogo Prefecture and theentire Japan include the importance of preparedness and building a disaster management
system that could respond to any disaster.

Also the importance of initial response systemsince the disaster management officials may be victims themselves or their families in timesof great magnitude disasters and paralyzed telecommunications will be expected. The
importance of cooperation among disaster management organizations together with thecommunity and regional disaster-response capability.

In the case of the Great

Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, about 80 % of the victims who were buried under buildings
during the quake were rescued by their family members or neighbors. This kind of local
63

life-saving activities played a significant role in highlighting the importance ofcommunity-based disaster response.

Likewise, the importance of making cities resilient

where the need for urban planning that takes space and safety into careful consideration.
There is a Hyogo DM Center which was established inAugust 2000 as the first local

government office dedicated to disaster management in Japan, and is capable offunctioning even when lifelines have been disrupted in the aftermath of a major disaster.
The Hyogo DM Center serves as the regional hub for Disaster Management activities. The
DM Center is earthquake resistant and houses administrative office of the emergency relief
headquarters, exclusive well for drinking during disasters, independent power generator,
underground safe and secured pathway for close cooperation between departments of thegovernment, emergency headquarters control room, waiting room, night duty room,
broadcasting room, network control room, and cooperation organization staff room.

The

Center utilizes the Phoenix Disaster Management System where functions for collection ofobservation data, prompt damage forecasts, the collection of damage information, map
information, image information, estimation of supply and demand of personnel goods andothers.

The Hyogo Prefectural Emergency Management Training Center located at Miki General
Disaster Prevention Park serves as a back up center or Hyogo Wide Area Emergency
management Base Network and Prefectural Emergency Management Training Center for
Nishi-Harima, Tajima, Tamba, Hanshin-minami, and Awaji. The areas for athletic stadium,
parking, and indoor tennis court serve as area for accumulation of relief supplies, sortingand delivery or relief goods. The playing field, indoor tennis court and lawn are for training
activities, build up of personnel, accommodation and mobilization.

The stand under theathletics stadium and regional disaster management center are for stockpile of supplies fordisasters.

Presently, it has a stockpile of 66,000 blankets, 100,000 simple food, 1,000

temporary toilets, 22 boats and others like rice, generator sets.
stadium, baseball field serve as helicopter airfield.

The second athletic

As a base for emergency response

activities during disaster, the center functions for provision of stockpiled materials to disasterarea, gathering and accommodating personnel and staff for emergency response,
accumulation and delivery of aid supplies from other areas.

This 400-hectare area

generally functions for disaster prevention activities such as stocking aid for supplies forvictims, working as a heliport, area for camp of working staff and for storing aid supplies.
During normal times, the Prefectural Emergency Management Training Center and Miki

General Disaster Prevention Park serve as facility for nurturing personnel engaged insafety and security of communities, research and studies on disaster prevention, and64

place for sports and recreation.
The construction of 3-D Full-Scale Earthquake Testing Facility, nicknamed "E-Defense" inthe city of Miki began in 1999 and was completed in 2005. The E-Defense houses theworld's largest shaking table, which can simulate high level ground motions. This facility is afocus of full-scale testing of structures due to high-intensity earthquakes. It is a vehicle
through which hope and optimism for improving the behavior of urban regions due toearthquakes will get an added boost. E-defense is open to the world and the Philippine
Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) in the Philippines has carried out anexperiment of standard and non-standard Concrete House Building (CHB) in the Philippines.
Furthermore, such a major facility requires coordination and collaboration of many
participants, including academic institutions, government researchers, general public,
private and industrial organizations¾ The Kobe City DM System
After the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the Kobe City Crisis Management has been
paving the way for a more disaster resilient community and towards becoming theworld’s safest city.

It is their doctrine that developing a safe city starts with disaster

reduction and crime prevention with the following five pillars:

1) Crisis managementand disaster strategies from a long-term viewpoint; 2) enhancing communities’ disasterand crime prevention ability; 3) enhancing ability for crisis management and disaster
response; 4) establishing disaster-resilient urban infrastructure; 5) passing on andcommunicating the lessons learned from disasters.

Kobe City has the number one

goal, and that is community development so that communities will be developed toprotect the most precious things, such as life, from every crisis.
developed in order to minimize damage brought about by

Communities are also

disasters and crimes that

occurred in Japan and foreign countries to include catastrophic floods and the Great
Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.

Kobe City views crisis not only limited to natural disasters,

but crises including health such as outbreak of SARS and influenza, and from crimes
and accident such as the Subway Sarin Gas Incident in 1995. In order to manage thesecrises efficiently and effectively, comprehensive measures are undertaken throughself-help, mutual help and official help in carrying out the prevention, preparation,
response and relief and recovery process.

Tangible and intangible strategies andresults are employed such as the enhancement of community’s ability for managing andresponding to disasters; information dissemination, awareness raising, human resource
65development; and the construction of infrastructure for a safe city.
Crisis management and disaster strategies from a long-term viewpoint are implemented
through the formulation of disaster management plan, national protection plan, andpromoting the implementation measures against Nankai Earthquakes and others.

Inenhancing community’s ability to prevent disasters and crimes, Seismic retrofitting ofhouses are mandated.

However, during our visit to Kobe City Disaster Management

Center on February 18, 2013 together with the participants of JICA Course, we learned
that retrofitting of the houses of Japanese citizens take time and much efforts since thepeople perceive that retrofitting their houses would entail a big amount of budget.

Partof community enhancement to prevent disasters and crimes in Kobe City is thedevelopmentof

BOKOMI

(Kobe

City

Disaster-Social

WelfareCommunity)organizations; development of voluntary crime prevention activities; safety measures toprotect school grounds, sound development of young people; and teaching thecommunity about the value and importance of water and green spaces.

In enhancing

the community’s ability for crisis management and disaster response, volunteer
networks are created; implementation of measures for persons with special needs at thetime of disasters; improving the system for health crisis management; improving theinitial response system through the creation of crisis management room; improving
firefighting and medical systems; and proper storage and maintenance of materials,
water, toilets and other facilities needed especially during disasters. On the goal of
becoming a world’s safest city, Kobe City implements seismic retrofitting of publicbuildings to make them earthquake-proof and this is already 100 percent (%) completed
as of February 18, 2013 visit to the Kobe City Disaster Management Center.

This isimplemented alongside with the project of the improvement of crowded urban areas.
There is guide to land use wherein, in order to prevent natural disasters, forestry
conservation and erosion control projects are implemented as well as measures against
floods and great earthquakes.

The Kobe City is also implementing networks of waterand green spaces in order to improve disaster response, thus the functions of school
grounds and parks as temporary evacuation areas are strengthened and if possible,
these areas are improved and strengthened.

Improved lifeline networks through utility

conduits and water supply and sewerage means resilience in times of disasters andemergencies so these areas are improved and maintained at its best service condition.
Information dissemination and awareness raising are most important strategies ofhuman resource development in Japan so there is a continuous and vibrant provision of
information and implementation of projects for human resource development especially66

for passing on the lessons learned of the past major disasters in Japan to the younger
generation.

This is implemented through the institutionalization of the various disastermuseums in Kobe City.

The challenge indicators serve as a guide for Kobe City

Disaster Management Center in evaluating and understanding their progress inachieving a safe city as follows:9

Number of established BOKOMI organizations

9

Number of drills carried out by BOKOMI organizations

9

Proportion of citizens who participate in community activities for safety, such as
disaster or crime prevention activities

9

Proportion of seismic retrofitting of elementary and junior high school buildings

9

Measures for the seismic retrofitting of bridges

9

Number of emergency water storage systems

9

Progress rate for the implementation of measures against urban floods like theconstruction of rainwater arteries; and9

Progress rate for the implementation of measures against storm surges.

For a better understanding of how Kobe City has been developing its community forresilience, the five pillars on crisis management is expound on the succeeding
paragraphs in this portion.
First is the pillar on crisis management and disaster strategies from a long-term
viewpoint starting from the improvement of community disaster management plan andthe improvement of measures against Tonankai and Nankai earthquakes.
City

DisasterManagement

Plan,

responses

fromdisasterIn the Kobe

prevention-related

departments are integrated especially in responding to earthquake and the disasterprevention plan in the case of Southeastern Sea and Southern Sea Earthquake whereplans to mobilize necessary personnel are considered as well as the areas requiring
tsunami evacuation, and the tsunami evacuation center itself.

Since the promotion ofareas for disaster prevention are based on the Special Measures Law against Tonankai
and Nankai earthquakes.

Plans for wind and water disasters are also enhanced aswell as measures against disasters caused by the release of radioactive substances,accidents at sea, railway accidents, airplane accidents and others.
consideration also is the

One of the major

formulation of Disaster Prevention Support Manual which iseasy to use where a list of disasters by type in chronological order is included.

In theplan to promote city safety, disaster prevention projects are done based on a
mid-to-long forecast.

Disaster prevention database is also in placed to serve as67

reference documents.

The Kobe City Comprehensive Master plan towards developing

a safe city is measured and evaluated for revision every five years to monitor its
compatibility with the rapid demands of time given the complexity of disasters.

On thesecond pillar which is enhancing communities’ disaster/crime prevention ability, Kobe
City is supportive of the activities of BOKOMI organizations through the initiatives ofKobe City Fire Department.

Since the greatest lessons learned from the Great

Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995 are “saving one’s own life or the self-help”; “bandtogether or mutual help”; and “enhance the power of community” for resilience.

Kobe

City highlights the powerful activities of the BOKOMI organizations such as theimportance of mutual help displayed in the initial stage of disaster response activities.
In normal times, BOKOMI organizations conduct various activities such as earthquake
evacuation drills, fire drills and exercises to develop and strengthen ties in thecommunity and at the same time, enhancing their disaster prevention ability.

The 1995

Great Earthquake experience showed that 164,000 persons were confined undercollapsed structures; 129,000 people
escaped on their own or by oneself;
35,000 were rescued but out of these,
only 7,900 persons or 22.5% were
rescued by firefighters while 27,100
persons or 77.5% were rescued by the
citizens themselves.

If every individualis empowered by the knowledge on
disaster prevention, safety and disastermanagement, more lives will be savedin times of disasters or emergencies.

Photo taken from the presentation on Kobe City
Crisis Management Center

PDF File.

Creating community safety maps and conduct of emergency drills or anti-crime activities
are also some of the important activities of the BOKOMI organizations to empower its
citizens.

In the Uozaki District, a best practice on community rescue team specificallyfor Persons Needing Special Assistance during Disasters are conducted regularly.
Each neighborhood resident’s association made a list of PSND and evacuation
supporters such as community rescue team who wanted to appear on the list.

Thus,

evacuation ability and awareness is enhanced through the conduct of this annual drill
while confirmation of the safety of PSND, rescue them, guiding or transporting to theevacuation sites, explaining about the sites, management of the sites, offering meals
and other support activities in the evacuation areas.

These activities contribute to thedeeper familiarization of the environment and the community together.

Disaster68awareness on protecting communities by the communities is being passed on to theyoung generation through the cooperation and participation of elementary and juniorhigh schools in the community.

There is a system of the community rescue team whichis recommended to the whole city as a guide.

There is also the Hyogo prefectural

mutual aid system for housing reconstruction. This is a system for supporting housing
reconstruction by mutual help to cover the limitations of self-help, such as savings andinsurance, and official support (official help).

This aid is limited to buildings forresidenceandusableonly

forhousingreconstructio
n

due

to

damagebyany type ofnaturaldisaster.

In

order to avail
of

this

reconstructio
n

aid,

an

official
certificate forthe partial or complete damages incurred is required. The third pillar is theenhancement of the ability of the community for crisis management and disaster
response. In improving systems for communicating information to citizens and guidingthem for evacuation, amplifier stations (including antennas, radios, speakers) are set up
at 63 places in the coastal areas and at wide area evacuation sites to broadcast disaster
information and earthquake early warnings to citizens all at once.

Individual receivers

are distributed to community representatives and for foreign residents, the receivers are
distributed to the representatives of foreign residents in communities in order tocommunicate the same information.

Various hazard maps especially on the hazards toa particular locality is distributed to the citizens.

We had the experience of learningfrom the hazard maps in our area when we visited Nada Ward.
Crisis management of Kobe City was formulated through cooperation and collaboration
69

with the academia, industry and the government banking on the lessons learned fromthe Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.

What is essential for preventing catastrophic

disasters and other risks is the systematic and continuous crisis management to be
carried out for crisis response involving cross-sectional cooperation amongcommunities and companies regardless of their positions and business categories anddaily and proactive preparation.

A Kobe Safety Network Association was also createdwith 81 member organizations such as companies, governments and universities withhope of cooperation together with communities and citizens.

There are three manuals

for national protection plan for Kobe City namely, Measures Against Bomb Explosion
Terrorism; Measures Against Chemical Terrorism; and Measures Against Biological
Terrorism where information and system for cooperation as well as prevention of
secondary damage, securing citizen’s safety and rescue are included.
Fire and Disaster Management Agency and the Meteorological Agency play a very
critical role in providing official information and disseminating early warning to thecommunities.

J-Alert, flood control information system and prefectural phoenix

information system are established to attain effective relaying of critical information to
the general public for their appropriate and prompt response.

Again, cooperation withthe central and local governments, infrastructure companies, construction businesses
and other stakeholders is necessary to achieve early warning and effective response.
Another important role which the community plays is in the Kobe model of measureagainst new influenza where community cooperation system for early detection isestablished so as to prevent widespread occurrence of such influenza to thecommunities. The fourth pillar is on establishing disaster-resistant urban infrastructure
through the promotion of seismic retrofitting of housing, elementary and junior highschool buildings and improvement of lifelines to resist disasters.

Lessons learned fromthe Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake states that 80% of the deaths were due to thecollapse of housing or the toppling over of furniture 5-15 minutes after the earthquake
occurred.

Since January 2006, Kobe City has carried out free quake resistance testingand provided subsidies for the seismic retrofitting of and fixing furniture in housing
whose construction started in and before May 1981.
upper subsidy is ¥1.3 million.

If the housing is a house, thePrefectural reconstruction subsidies can be usedsimultaneously and the prefectural reconstruction subsidies are provided through Fiscal
Year 2011.

Seismic retrofitting of elementary and junior high school buildings as

mentioned earlier is now 100% completed since these schools serve as community
disaster bases.

One very outstanding effort done in Japan for the resilience of70

communities to disasters is the improvement of lifelines of the communities to resist
disasters.

In their quest to promote the seismic retrofitting of the bridges of emergency

transportation road network, approximately 190 bridges selected as priority bridges toincrease seismic resistance.

Based on their records, the retrofitting of 24 bridges that

had been constructed based on particularly low seismic standards were alreadycompleted at the end of FY 2009.

The number of bridges that will be 50 years old is

projected to triple in number, at about 590, in ten years so a mass rebuilding period has
begun.

Bridge repair management starting from the process of inspection, planning,

and repair was introduced in FY 2008 for the effective and efficient management andrepair especially after a disaster impact.

There are quake-resistant fire tank of 100

tons installed and for Fiscal Year 2009 around 253 tanks were already installed and asof July 2011 total tanks installed reached to 259.

It was noted that before the Great

Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, only 38 tanks were installed.

The emergency tank system

is used so that when earthquake occurs, for example, the Okuhirano Control Centerautomatically issues an order to close the emergency shutoff valve installed in its
distribution reservoir to secure the minimum amount of drinking water and for Japan, it
is 3 liters/day/person X 7 days.

Then the tank wagons distribute stored water to local

residents from the Center, which serves as a water supply station.

The emergency

shutoff valves are installed in either one of the two distribution reservoirs in a set.
Access to water from the other reservoir continues for use in firefighting.

High capacity

tanks will be installed in areas without distribution reservoirs, such as reclaimed grounds,
to serve as water supply stations. Establishment of high capacity waterline is continuous
such as the establishment of a new water route in addition to Mt. Rokko.

Constructionof toilets is strategic also for disaster management and stocks of 800 temporary toilet
units are constructed and 300 units at 60 places are connected to public sewerage. In
establishing a networked sewage plants, disaster-proof sewage system is being used.
The last or fifth pillar is on passing on and communicating lessons learned fromdisasters. This is achieved by first improving disaster learning at elementary and juniorhigh schools.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake brought many lessons learned

such as the significance of people’s lives, helping each other, caring for others, andfamily ties.

All of these important lessons need to be passed on to young generation

so Kobe City has developed and published supplementary reading materials entitled,“Shiawase Hakobo”
students.

(Messenger of Happiness) for elementary and junior high school

With consideration on the importance of psychological care andcharacteristic of each school and area, disaster preparedness trainings are conducted,
emphasizing on earthquake risk reduction in particular at all elementary and junior high71

schools.

The training also covers handing students over to their parents in theevacuation scenario. Kobe City also provides paramedic training for junior high school
students and as of 2009, 5,223 students were certified as city life-saving techniciansfrom 43 schools. The project for supporting disaster education at schools targetingchildren since 2007 are done throughcooperation among schools, fire stations andcommunities.
B. Disaster-Safe Welfare Community (“BOKOMI”)
On January 17, 1995, Hyogo Prefecture experienced the Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake which claimed 6,400 lives with an approximately 10 trillion yen worth ofdamages.

Through the long years of recovery process, Hyogo learned many lessons

and acquired much knowledge on disaster management.

According to the Director

General of Kobe City Fire Bureau, Toshiyuki Onoda, “the greater the disaster, the larger
the damage the local government suffers from.

The deterioration of administration

systems caused by such huge disaster can lead to delays in providing support for
citizens.

Therefore, during the primary stage of a disaster and during the first few days

following a disaster, citizens may also need to respond on their own.”2
As such, preparations for any disaster or emergencies done on a regular basis is greatly
valued and will be very useful in times of disasters or emergencies. As one of thelessons learned from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, Kobe City establishedvoluntary organizations for disaster prevention in communities called “Bokomi” orDisaster-Safe Welfare Communities.

In Kobe City, educational programs on disastermanagement is resident-oriented and involves the entire community in preparing for
and working toward disaster prevention.

The Kobe City Community-Based Disaster

Risk Reduction and Management Program is dubbed as “Bokomi” or Disaster-Safe
Welfare Community.
Specifically, Bokomi is Kobe City’s disaster prevention organizations “Disaster-Safe
Welfare Communities” and an abbreviation of its Japanese name “Bosai Fukushi
Komyunithi”.

The institutionalization of the establishment of Bokomi started from thelessons learned from the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.

According to the

Bokomi Guidebook, model organizations were established in 11 districts in the city2

Onoda, Toshiyuki. Foreword. Bokomi Guidebook. January 2010.

72

starting from 1995.

In 2009, 191 districts in the city have organized their Bokomi,

covering the whole area of Kobe City, and to date, Bokomi have been organized in
100% of the Kobe City districts.3
BOKOMI is Kobe City’s Community-Based Disaster Prevention Organization
Accordingly, BOKOMI is established in every municipal elementary school district by theresidents. The reason why BOKOMI is based on all elementary school districts is that
there is an existing “Welfare Community” organization established for welfare purposesin each elementary school district and a disaster-prevention (bosai) organization
integrated into the existing organization.

Also, elementary schools serve as

evacuation sites for communities in emergencies (such as disasters and crimes) inJapan.

This is another reason why BOKOMI is established in each elementary school

district so that each BOKOMI can operate their evacuation site in case of an emergency.

During the February 6-8, 2013 trip in Sendai City by the ADRC Visiting Researchers
together with JICA to learn on the lessons of the Great East Japan Earthquake, it wasnoted that many success stories of lives saved from the tsunami when the communities
evacuated on the top floor of elementary schools. However, evacuees had to endure thecold temperature and the wet clothes that they wore through the night because they had
nothing with them.
The process of establishing BOKOMI in local areas requires certain criteria such as first,
the establishment of a community-based disaster prevention organization is discussed
and decided on by local government organizations including the local city office (ward
office) and the local fire station, together with leaders of local residents’ associations,
women’s associations, elderly associations, volunteer fire corps, Parents-Teachers
Associations (PTAs), etc.
Once the establishment of BOKOMI is decided on, the equipment and materials needed
for the activities are distributed from the local government (Kobe City) and storehouses
are installed in local parks, usually in elementary school parks which also serve as
evacuation centers, in preparation for emergencies.

3

Bokomi Guidebook. January 2010.

73

During normal times, each BOKOMI conducts various emergency drill programs
including how to use the provided equipment and materials, as part of the activities in
preparation for major disasters.
In order to enable the utilization of people’s networks in case of emergency, BOKOMI
also conduct welfare activities (such as keeping in touch with and holding lunch
gatherings for the elderly who live alone) as an effort to cover both community welfare
activities and community disaster prevention activities.

This is a characteristic featureof the community-based disaster prevention organizations in Kobe City which were
established based on the lessons learned from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.

Kobe Disaster-Safe

Welfare Community (BOKOMI)

Disaster-Prevention Activities

Welfare Activities(Disaster Drills, etc)

(Friendship, visits, etc)

Measures to support people who need assistance
Combination of community disaster-prevention and welfare activities

supportFire station

Resident’s association

Business entities

Elderly association

Youth association

Women’s association

Volunteer fire corps

PTA

Child committees member

supportWard office

OthersCooperation

74

Cooperation between BOKOMI and a School
In Kobe City, local BOKOMI

assists with the conduct of emergency drills in school,

because cooperation between schools and communities has certain advantages.
BOKOMI can give advice and guidance to schools because they conduct emergency
drills in their community regularly and they have the know-how, equipment and material
for the drills.

Then, the community residents experienced the Great Hanshin-Awaji

Earthquake and therefore they can directly pass on lessons learned from theearthquake to children who do not experience it.

In addition, school teachers who did

not experience the earthquake are also increasing in number.

Community residents

who participate in school activities can assist teachers who have not experienced
earthquakes and enable more effective disaster prevention education through whichchildren can really understands its importance.

Another advantage is that, children’s

parents and the Parents-Teachers Association who do not often participate incommunity drills are more likely to participate in emergency drills held at schools.

This

provide a chance for both of them to become interested in participating
community-based disaster prevention activities and this can lead to the revitalization of
the BOKOMI.

The third floor of the Elementary School is usedas the Evacuation Center.

Community Drill at together with the students, parents, teachers, withsupport from Kobe City Fire Bureau and the BOKOMI in the area

Cooperation among Local Government Organizations and their Assistance toCommunities
Kobe City Board of Education and Kobe City Fire Bureau (KCFB), which supports
BOKOMI, jointly developed a disaster prevention education programs which can be75

used at schools mainly elementary schools, and other educational situations.
programs were then compiled in a booklet.

These

The series of disaster prevention

education program used in the BOKOMI Guidebook is taken form the said booklet.
The booklet also includes a host of education programs through which children canobtainknowledge

includingtechniques for disaster prevention
while thinking on their own andenjoying at the same time. In
addition to the series of disasterprevention programs, the booklet
also

explainshowschoolscancooperate with the local BOKOMI
when conducting each program.
The

bookletisdistributed

to

BOKOMI as well as to schools withthe aim of promoting integrated disaster prevention activities by communities andschools.

It is expected that using the same booklet on disaster prevention education

will promote coordinated activities between communities and elementary schools.
KCFB also coordinates schools and communities by deploying a person in charge ofcommunity-based disaster prevention to each fire station, who is responsible for giving
advice on disaster prevention education and drills, renting educational materials andother equipment and materials, as well as dispatching fire station staff to communities
and schools.
Framework for Cooperation among Various Sectors in Hyogo Prefecture and Kobe City
(Local Government Organizations, Universities, Communities, Schools, Private
Companies, NGOs, etc)
Since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake which occurred 15 years ago, people in
Hyogo Prefecture and Kobe City have learned the importance of cooperation among
various sectors (“horizontal” relationship) for improving disaster prevention capabilitiesof the communities and promoting disaster prevention education at schools, rather thaneach sector individually conducting their activities (“vertical” relationship).

Through thefifteen (15) years of experience, the cooperative framework has been developed.
Community-based disaster prevention activities and disaster prevention education at76

schools can lead to both the revitalization of the community activities for disasterprevention and better quality disaster prevention education at schools.
Community
programs

emergencyarevarious

drill
drill

programs which can be conductedby local community residents, bythecommunity-based

disasterprevention organizations.

Thispart also includes the information
about how to develop a drill planand how to conduct emergency
drills when implementing drills in
local communities. In the BOKOMI
Guidebook,theguidelinesin

conducting emergency drills are also provided and can be shared in local communities
who will participate.

If no specific disaster prevention framework exists in the area, one

can utilize the existing districts and different actors in the districts (such as residents’organizations, religious institutions, women’s associations and mutual support groups).
If there are groups which are working on specific issues in the community (such as
welfare, the environment, and healthcare), one could work with these groups and foster
them so that they can work on disaster prevention activities in addition to their current
activities. For example, groups which work on wefare plus disaster prevention; orgroups on the environment plus disaster prevention; and groups on healthcare plus
disaster prevention can be considered.
School Disaster Prevention Education Programs
The BOKOMI also provides guidelines on various disaster prevention education
programs which mainly target elementary schools.

BOKOMI assists in the formulationof a school disaster management plan and annual disaster prevention education plan.
The programs that they have developed are designed to be instructed and utilized
mainly by teachers, but most programs can be conducted in cooperation with local
communities.

The

information

providedcanbeutilizedforimplementing

community-and-school joint educational activities on disaster risk reduction andmanagement.
77

In Kobe, local communities or the BOKOMI assist the schools in conducting emergency
drills which are normally held following evacuation drills at schools.

Local governmentorganizations including fire stations also assist in the emergency drills.
The program being pursued by the BOKOMI is mainly activities involving earthquake
preparedness and the emergency drills and disaster prevention education programs arealso based on the Japan context.

However, all of these can be modified to suit othercountries actual situation and conditions.

In Japan, governmental support for

emergency drills and first aid training is mainly provided by fire stations.

Anygovernmental support suited for the actual condition of each country should be provided
through appropriate frameworks.

The cooperative framework to be used among

government organizations must be reviewed, discussed and agreed upon among
themselves be done on a regular basis.
Cultivating a Culture of Safety at an Early Age:

Disaster Reduction Drill in

Kindergarten School
A culture of safety is institutionalized in Japan starting from an early age as we havewitnessed in Kuwanoki Kindergarted School, Seishin Chuo where the disasterprevention drill is being conducted every month in coordination with the local fire
department, the community leader, the school principal and management, teachers andvolunteer junior high school students in the community.

Kindergarten pupils in Seishin-chuo
during the disaster prevention drill
togetherwithjuniorhighschooldisaster reduction volunteers78

C. Kaeru Caravan:

DRR Learning for Children

Kaeru Caravan is a brand newdisaster prevention art program
launched as part of the ten-year
commemorative

project

fortheGreat Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.
This

programconsistsofaworkshop which allows participants
to learn how to extinguish a fire andrescueandaidpeoplewhile

enjoying game-like activities and“Kaekko Bazaar”, a toy exchange program designed by artist Hiroshi Fuji. As a result of
this program, young families who rarely participated in disaster drills before began toactively participate in the program.
Iza! Kaeru Caravan! is a new type ofdisaster drill program co-developedby plus (+) arts and the artist Hiroshi
Fuji. Based on the toy barter trading
program"Exchange

Bazaar",invented by Fuji in 2000, that can
attracts broader range of audiencesandcreates

atmosphere,bazaar’s

theanenjoyable

program"hands-on

corner"

turns
into

amusing disaster drills such as "fire-fighting", "rescue" and "first-aid". The participants
are able to learn about disaster prevention and acquire related skills while enjoying
themselves. This new attempt has attracted young families who were not necessarily
proactive about disaster drill before and had total of 7,000 family members participatedin the 10th anniversary events for the Great- Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, over 19 days atseven different venues, in Kobe in 2005.
In 2006, in order to expand the program throughout Japan, the program changed its
name from "Kobe Kaeru Caravan 2005" to "Iza! Kaeru Caravan!", and held events in79

Yokohama, Niigata, Osaka and Miyazaki. The program has continued to organize
events in different cities in Japan including Tokyo since 2007 while it starts to launch inthe cities of other Asian countries. With the help of +arts, most of the cities that held theprogram for the first time conducted the second and following events voluntarily.
D. Corporations Commitment on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management:
Osaka Gas Company
Even the private company has the genuine commitment of not only taking care of theneeds of their customers but also in making the environment safe from disasters with its
earthquake-triggered

disasterprevention measures.
Right

after

the

Great

HanshinEarthquake in 1995, up to around
860,000 households were cut off
from the gas supply.

This also

included those whose gas supply
was shut off to prevent a secondary
disaster.

Applying

thelessons

learned on this particular earthquake, Osaka Gas has developed a five-year Disaster
Mitigation Plan which comprises three pillars such as prevention measures, emergency
response and restoration measures.

Based on the plan, Osaka Gas has implemented

various measures including the development and introduction of an earthquake-proof
equipment, establishing gas shut-off systems, providing disaster education and training
to employees and developing temporary gas supply systems.
Osaka Gas has three basic disaster prevention measuresfor earthquakes namely 1) preventive measure by ensuring
a strong facility against earthquake; 2) emergency measureor preventing the occurrence of secondary disaster; and 3)
restoration measure or early resumption of gas supply aftera disaster impact.
This company is an outstanding example where safety is apriority thereby contributing to resilience of communities to80

disasters.

Safety measures at LNG Terminals is also anchored on bolstering

earthquake resistance facilities.

Osaka Gas major LNG facilities including LNG tanks

are earthquake proofed to withstand strong magnitude earthquakes such as magnitude
7 on the seismic intensity scale.

This is one of the most notable information that noneof the Osaka Gas LNG was damaged during the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake.

But

to minimize possible damage in the event of an earthquake, LNG tanks are constructed
on foundations supported by hundreds of steel piles that are driven into solid earth andthe tanks are of double-shell construction.
The central control rooms at LNG terminals carry out around-the-clock monitoring andoperation of all processes from receipt of LNG to production and delivery of gas.
Emergency detectors are installed throughout the LNG terminal. Should a detector
detect an abnormality, an alarm will be sounded in the central control room and staff willrush to the scene and respond to the problem.
To safeguard the tanks against
natural disasters, surrounding dikes
are built around the LNG tanks toprevent LNG from flowing out in caseof an unexpected LNG spill. Even if
LNG spills out inside the dike,high-expansion foam discharge devices and water curtain facilities can prevent LNG
from spreading.
In order to make the gas pipelines
earthquake

proof,

Osaka

Gas

uses

polyethylene (PE) pipes when installing
new low-pressure pipes.

These PE pipes

have high earthquake resistance andcorrosion resistance. PE pipes had almostnodamageduringtheGreat

Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Now over 80%
of Osaka Gas pipeline network has been
earthquake-proofed.
Osaka Gas is currently promoting the widespread use of micro-computer controlled
meters.

With the use of micro-computer controlled meters, gas use is monitored81

around the clock. The microcomputer controlled meter automatically shuts off the gas
supply should it detect an earthquake or large gas leak. One hundred percent ofresidential customers in Osaka Gas supply area are now equipped with the meters. Thisis the best example of preventing secondary hazard such as fire after the occurrence ofa strong earthquake.
The company has installed seismographs and remote monitoring devices throughout its
service areas to enable quick determination of seismic intensity and collection of
information on state of gas supply.

To prevent secondary disaster, the company has

divided its supply area into blocks.

In each block, an automated seismic shutoff

devices and remote shutoff devices are strategically installed.

If a disaster occurs andthe gas supply is temporarily shut off, working on each subdivided block will make itpossible to restore service promptly while ensuring safety.
Osaka Gas Company actively conducts joint disaster drills with local governments andfire departments with the aim of improving security awareness and disaster response
capabilities of all its employees.

The company also conducts education and training

programs to ensure that advanced knowledge and skills regarding safety and disasterprevention are passed on to future generations.

Hyogo Prefecture Comprehensive
Disaster Drill(under the scenario of a fire causedby an oil spill from heavy oil tanks)

The company believes that through safety drills will
response to an emergency.

lead to an effective and efficient

Osaka Gas conducts more that 2,000 disaster drills(including small-scale drills for a few people) yearly at its business bases such as at the
Senboku and Himeji LNG Terminals and Pipeline Business Units.

This is done toensure that all employees can exercise prompt and proper judgment in the event of adisaster such as earthquake and fire.

The company has also concluded certain

disaster risk reduction and management agreements with local governments andcompanies including the conduct of joint disaster response drills.

82

In October 2011, Hyogo Prefecture Comprehensive Disaster Drill for Petrochemical
Complexes, etc., organized by the Hyogo Prefectural Government, was held at the
Himeji LNG Terminal. The comprehensive disaster drill for petrochemical complexes
is held annually. The 2011 drill was conducted under the scenario based on theprobability of major earthquakes, causing damage to land and sea. A total of 140 people
from 13 organizations participated in the drill, including the Maritime Safety Agency, Self
Defense Force, fire departments and police stations, and neighborhood companies. In
the drill, which simulated an oil spill from heavy oil tanks and ensuing fire, our LNG
terminal workers practiced their initial response procedures. This annual drill helps
reinforce collaboration among participating organizations.
The company is also committed to passing on advanced knowledge and skills for safetyand disaster prevention to future generations. Osaka Gas strives to develop humanresources with advanced knowledge and skills in safety and disaster prevention. In
preparation for the retirement of experienced technicians, the Human Resources
Development Center of the Pipeline Business Unit launched a new human resources
development system in fiscal 2008. To establish a system that does not allow anaccident to happen (i.e. safety culture), the Center has been promoting humanresources development in an organized, systematic manner, and "know-why" education
to ensure that employees understand the meaning and theoretical background ofoperational procedures. In an effort to enhance employees' safety awareness andperformance, an experience-based training facility has been established that enables
them to simulate a variety of problems that have occurred in the past, so that lessons
learned from past failures are shared among employees.

Various training courses are also offered by the Human Resources Growth Center,
which provides safety and disaster prevention education to LNG terminal workers, and83

the Human Resources Development Centers of the Residential Energy Business Unit
and the Commercial & Industrial Energy Business Unit, which provide services relating
to gas pipes and gas appliances at customer sites.

E. Protecting Communities from Flood: The Management of Lake Biwa
Lake Biwa is one of the oldest lakes in the world and is a habitat for a diversity ofcreatures. According to the Lake Biwa River Office data, Lake Biwa is one of theoldest lakes in the world which was formed four million years ago in Ueno Basin, Mie
Prefecture, eventually shifting until it reached its current location.

With its rich

ecosystem, Lake Biwa, was designated as a registered wetland under Ramsar
Convention or the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as
Waterfowl Habitat in June 2003.

The lake has an area of 670 square kilometer,

one-sixth of Shiga Prefecture, and a volume of 27.5 billion cubic meters.
The weir in Lake Biwa reduces flood damage and secures water for living and industrialuse.

The lake regulates pond for flood control in the downstream and serves as

reservoir in times of drought. Lake Biwa provides an important source of water for 17
million people in Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe.

About 60% of the flow quantity in thedownstream of Yodo River depends on the discharge water of Lake Biwa.
The Seta River Weir was constructed because of a devastating flood in the late 19th
century.

This was then an important project especially on its set up along with thedredging of Sea river among Yodo River Improvement Construction Works in 1900 to
1908. The improvement of the flow by dredging Seta river causes a flood in thedownstream of Yodo river.

To reconcile the conflicting interests of both communities,

upstream and downstream communities, the Seta River Weir was constructed. The weir
was also designed to control water level of the Lake Biwa, the reduction of flood
discharge, and the upkeep of the normal function and the flow in Uji and Yodo rivers
which are the downstreams of the weir.

The weir likewise strategically controls the

supply of public water, industrial water, and agricultural water.

The weir constructed

through Yodo River Improvement Work was completed in 1905, and is called “Nangoweir”.

The construction the new weir in 1961 complements its ultimate purpose.

However, a part of the Nango weir is still preserved as a historical value which
decorates one page of the flood control history in Seta river.

The present weir consists
84

of the main weir completed in March 1961 and the bypass channel constructed in March
1992 as part of the Lake Biwa Development Project.

In September 1896, a great flood

occurred in Lake Biwa basin inundating almost all the surrounding districts which lasted
to more than 200 days according to records. According to the records of Lake Biwa
River Office, Kinki Regional Development Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism, the great flood which occurred in September 1896 was causedbyheavy rains that continued for ten days from September 3 to 12, with a total rainfallof 1,008 mm or more than half of the annual precipitation of 1,900 mm in Shiga
Prefecture, especially with torrential rains of 597 mm in a single day of September 7.
The heavy precipitation raised the water level of Lake Biwa to pus 3.76 m at the Torii
River Observation Station, near Karahashi, and caused disastrous floods all around theLake Biwa.

To educate the future generations on this disaster, stone monuments werebuilt and traces were preserved to record the flood stage.

In front of the memorials,

visitors can learn how devastating and terrible floods were.
Under rainfall conditions, Lake Biwa, by virtue of its terrain characteristics, is very
vulnerable to flooding which could last for a long period of time.

This characteristics isdue to the fact that as many as 118 Class A rivers such as Ane, Ado, and Yasu rivers are
flowing into Lake Biwa. It was believed that as early 8th century, communities began totackle the problem on flooding themselves with a Buddhist priest who came up with an
idea of dredging the bottom of Seta river to lower down the water level of Lake Biwa.
The then early local rulers named Tairano Kiyomori, and Hideyoshi Toyotomi of the 12thand 16th centuries respectively, tried to drain water from the lake to the Sea of Japan but
failed.

In the 17th to 19th century or from 1603 to 1868, it was said that citizens living

around the lake dredged the river at their own expense but said engineering work did
not prevent the flooding of Lake Biwa.

Suuccessive devastating floodings occurredalong Lake Biwa and in 1889 paddy fields in the area were badly inundated that farmers
could not plant seedlings.

In 1896, the entire country of Japan suffered severe flood

damages which prompted the enactment of the River Law.

The River Law enabled thenational government to carry out large scale river improvement projects but the Yodo
River Improvement Work started 1980 based on the nation’s first river plan.

From

1900 to 2009, the Yodo River improvement work is dredging of Seta River including its
development.

The comprehensive development projects of Lake Biwa is not only fromthe viewpoint of flood prevention and water utilization but also from the perspective ofenvironmental preservation and had been implemented for 25 years from 1972 to 1996.
There are three pillars on the project plan namely, preservation measure to conserve85the water quality of the lake and its affluent environment, the flood control measure toaddress the problem on floods, and the water use measure to utilize effectively thewater of Lake Biwa. The projects carried out by the Water Resources Development
Public Corporation or presently called Japan Water Agency are the lake embankments,
drainage from protected lowland, southern lake dredging, the Seta River dredging,
improvement of the Seta River weir, and management facilities.

The national or

municipal government carry out the construction of dams, Sabo works, erosion control,
afforestation and forest road, sewage works, night soil treatment, making the land publicbelongings for preservation of the national environment, facilities for provision of theenvironment for livestock, facilities for processing drainage in agricultural villages,
garbage processing facilities and facilities for monitoring water quality.

Project

conducted by both Japan Water Agency and the national and municipal government are
construction and management of roads, rivers, water supply,

industrial water supply,

land improvement, fisheries, ports and harbors, fishery ports, urban parks, and facilities
for natural parks.
Heavy rains for long period brings up the water level at the Uji, Kizu, Katsura and Yodorivers.

Increase in Yodo river discharge increases the water level of Lake Biwa.

As

the water level continues to rise, the weir is opened to bring the water level down.

On

August 17, 2007, the decision of the Yodo River System Improvement Basic Policy wasestablished and on March 31, 2009, the Decision of the Yodo River System
Improvement Plan was established.
In the past, the water at Yodo river was mainly used for agricultural water andtransportation services.

In 1890, the first water utilization canal of Lake Biwa wasconstructed which paved the way for the hydroelectric power generation at Uji river,transportation, irrigation and public water usage.

The first term Yodo River Water

Control Work was implemented to cope with the increasing demand of water in line withthe development of industrial economy, and with the control of water level of Lake Biwa,
efficient and effective water utilization and management became possible.

With theenactment of Water Resource Development Promotion Law in 1961, various projects
were conducted under the Yodo River Basin Water Resource Development Basic Planor the so called “Yodo River Full Plan” to cope with the demands of social and economic
recovery.

86

Structure and Function of Seta River Weir
The combination of main weir and bypass channel serves to control both floods anddrought.

The main weir is composed of ten units of two-stage steel roller gates whichis capable of controlling a great amount of discharge mainly to prevent flood.

Itsbypass channel which is a pair of conduits of 15 cm and 5 m wide is equipped withthree-stage steel roller gates, with a flow controlling valve and hydraulic power
generation facilities installed at the end, and is capable of controlling a small amount ofdischarge with great precision, primarily to prevent drought.
The flow controlling valve can discharge up to 8 cubic meter per second.

The mainweir can only control a large discharge of water while the valve works automatically toprevent fluctuations in the discharge and the small changes in the water level of Lake
Biwa.

According to the Lake Biwa Development Project, the available low water levelis -1.5m and the discharge becomes impossible when the water level is less than -1.3m.
The gates are to be opened for discharge but a precise control of flow is difficult in thismethod that is why a bypass channel is installed in order to make a precise control offlow rate even if the water level goes down.

Using a part of the discharge from thebypass channel, the power generation for management by low head is conducted.
The weir controls the amount of water by overflowing the gates.

When the main weirgate is in the mode of touched bottom, both upper and lower gates are attached to thebottom, and the maximum flow in the overflow situation is discharged.
the precise control of flow is impossible.

In this mode,

The fluctuation of water level in the upstreamchanges overflow water depth, which leads to a variation of flow.

Full open mode is thesituation when upper and lower gates are moved up above the water surface, and Seta
river flows naturally in this mode.

The discharge sharing has four components namely

main weir, bypass, controlling valve and power generation facilities which play a rolewith each other.
There are buildings for management, electricity, facility, discharge remote control facility,
alarm facility, observation facility, and communication facility established in order tomanage the Seta River Weir.

The building for management is constructed with Lake

Biwa River Office which is adjacent to Seta River Weir.

The office is consists of abranch operation office and the control building.

87The branch operation office or Aqua Biwa was established in March 1992 as a facility forthe people to learn flood control and water utilization of Lake Biwa and Yodo river, as
well as to promote and spread the related scientific knowledge.
There are various observation facilities for observation and monitoring of the weather
with large differences between the north and south areas because the weather in theLake Biwa area shows a clear difference between the north and the south.

There are anumber of information service facilities providing information of water level at Lake Biwafor its users.

There are three facilities for remote controlling, information processing

and safety confirmation.

The discharge control system functions to remote-control

each gate automatically or manually.

The disaster prevention information systemstores collected data on hydrology and water quality as well as statistics process andvarious simulations.

There are also CCTV facilities installed to confirm safety of weir

operation and monitor moves of each gate.

The alarming facility includes nine stations

with sirens around the weir, at the upstream and downstream areas.

Furthermore, toensure that the water will be discharged safely, patrols go along the river, on foot and in
warning cars, to carry out safety checks and before the discharge operation, a siren will
alarm to give a warning.
There are seven water level gauging stations for monitoring the water level of Lake Biwa
with the oldest station monitoring for 130 years way back 1874 under the guidance of a
Dutch engineer.

Since it is difficult to grasp the water level at only one station, it isdetermined that the water level of Lake Biwa shall be the mean value of the water levelat the five gauging stations according to the River Weir Operation enacted in March
1992.

Standards for the water level control of Lake Biwa are thus set up by theRegulations of the Seta River Weir Operations.

The water level of Lake Biwa is

controlled to maintain to maintain Lake Biwa Surface Level at +0.3m during thenon-flood period, and -0.2m or -0.3m lower than surface level at the flood period in orderto bring the highest water-level down during the flood.

In case of drought, availing thewater level of -1.5m, it supplements public water, industrial water, agricultural water, andriver maintenance discharge, which are needed in the downstream of Yodo river.
During the flood season, the water level of Lake Biwa is lowered by -0.2m or -0.3m inadvance to bring down the highest water level at a flood time under the “Transition
Operation” which is carefully done so that a sharp change of the water level is avoided.
Hence the operation of the Seta River Weir is classified into two:during flood for theprevention of flood around Lake Biwa and reduction of flood discharge in the88downstreams; and the other is during the ordinary low water period like water-level
maintenance of Lake Biwa and supplement of water to the downstream.

During theordinary or low water level, the weir is operated to control dams at Yodo River system
and Lake Biwa so that water will be use efficiently.

The weir is operated daily based on

the intake situation necessary for public water and industrial water consumption in thedownstream of Yodo river.
During the flood, the discharge at the Uji and Yodo rivers is restrained or the weir iscompletely closed, thus the flood control is made in the downstream.

Then the Seta

River Weir is fully opened after the increase of water in Kizu and Katsura rivers is
stopped.

The water level of Lake Biwa is refrained from increasing and is lowered.

the Amagase dam,Ata preliminary discharge is made when a flood is expected in order

to secure the flood storage (pocket to store flood) and for smooth operation of thepreliminary discharge from the weir is restrained.

When the flow rate at the point of

Amagase dam exceeds 840 cubic meter per second, Amagase dam makes flood
prevention for Uji river through flood control.

In this case, the Seta River Weir iscompletely closed from when flow rate into Amagase Dam exceeds 840 cubic meter per
second until when it becomes less than 840 cubic meter per second.

Since the waterlevel at the Hirakata point of the downstream of Yodo river exceeds +3.0m until the
lowering of water level is confirmed, the weir is completely closed.

In order to be readyfor a coming flood, Amagase Dam discharges the water stored for flood control andlowers to the limited water level.
shorten the time for operation.

The discharge from the weir is limited in order toOnce the flow of Kizu and Katsura rivers has ceased

increasing, the Seta River Weir is fully opened to restrain a rise of the water level at
Lake Biwa and then to bring it down.

The Lake Biwa Development Project

designates -1.5m as the usable low water level of Lake Biwa and develops 40 cubic
meter per second of water for use.

During drought and the water level goes down,users of water in the downstream of Yodo river, the Kinki Regional Development Bureau,
Osaka, Hyogo, and Shiga Prefectures convene the “Yodo River Drought Control
Conference” and coordinate measurements against drought.

The Minister of Land,

Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism decides what measures to take after hearing theopinions of the concerned governors.
Development and preservation of river environments.

The operation of Seta River

Weir has also taken into consideration the diverse species living in the river, its impact
on fish in spawning, growth and increase.

The Seta River Weir is operated in such a89

way to prevent death of fishes from failing to escape and drying up river water in lower
reaches.
F. The Role of Learning Institutions in Creating a Culture of Safety in theCommunity:

Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution

One of the major factors in institutionalizing a culture of safety among the citizens is theestablishment of a Disaster Reductions Institute.

The DRI or the Disaster Reductionand Human Renovation Institution is also known as the Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake Memorial.

The DRI was founded by Hyogo Prefecture in April 2002 withthe support of the Japanese government.

It is being supervised by the HyogostEarthquake Memorial 21 Century Research Institute. The DRI aims at cultivating
disaster prevention culture, mitigating social vulnerability, and developing policies fordisaster reduction by transferring experiences of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake
and applying lessons learned from the Earthquake for the better future, thereby
contributing to realizing a safer and more secure civil society along with education
regarding the value of life and the preciousness of co-existing.

Aside from this, theDRI also aims to be an international research and study hub, which contributes todisseminating information on effective measures for all types of disasters.
¾ Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution
Museum Exhibits.

The DRI features actual experiences and lessons learned from theGreat Hanshin Awaji Earthquake.

This is in collaboration with disaster victims

themselves, local citizens and volunteers. The museum is open for the rest of the world
to learn from, especially for the children who are to create a future. The knowledge
gained from this is for the children to consider in every decision they make so as tocontribute in making a resilient society.

Through this institution, DRI motivates citizens

and visitors and visitors to take a sincere interest in, deliberate upon, and understandthe importance of disaster reduction, precious human life, and the value of mutual
dependence of people.
Action Research on Disaster Reduction and Development of Disaster Reduction
Professionals.
As DRI adequately understands the challenge for public entities based on the90experiences of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake as well as on academic researchachievement.

DRI conducts action research that contributes to he formulation andimplementation of disaster reduction policies and management actions by central andlocal governments, communities, and business enterprises.

In addition, DRI takes alead role in promoting and increasing the value of such practical research approaches
within the academic arena.

For a widespread disaster reduction awareness withinsociety, DRI provides practical research for the improvement of disaster reduction
abilities.

There are ten research fields identified as follows:¾

Governmental disaster management¾

Emergency evacuation measures¾

Secondary disaster measures¾

Logistics of material resource¾

Information measures¾

Volunteer¾

Infrastructure¾

Care for victims¾

Local economy

Important areas for research are considered while attempting to plan for the next 30
years, DRI takes on into consideration present social demands along with their overall
mission statement.

This is often done by continuous and systematic updating of theorganizational roadmap every 5 years to reflect important areas for research and theresearch that should be addressed.

Important areas of research are also focused on

the optimization of post disaster response as it relates to individuals and society;improvement of inter-organizational cooperation policies to cover disasters tat spanwide areas; and building strategies for restoration and revitalization of regional
communities.

The Institute has also established “improving Society’s Ability to copewith Large-scale disasters” as the Institute’s core research theme which is to becontinued over a fixed term.

“Special Research Projects” flexible and mobile research

themes established to dig deeper into the development of related areas of the“Important Areas of Research”.
project over fixed terms.

Groups or all full-time researchers are involved in thisIn fostering full-time researchers, the Institutes encouragecandidates with a Master or Ph.D. degree as eligible for employment for 3-5 years as afull-time researcher.

Under the direction of senior researchers, they are then able towork on practical disaster prevention research and participate in the various otherbusinesses of the center which is also a part of their training to become practical91

disaster prevention experts.
Collection and Preservation of Source Documents and Materials.
DRI works in association with local citizens and communities to continuously collectinformation on the Earthquake and disaster reduction, as well as in the development of
its database.

This is primarily aimed to ensure that the profound feelings of disastervictims and the lessons of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake do not fade from ourmemory.

DRI in turn displays and disseminates this information in a manner which is alot easier to understand especially for ordinary citizens.
Headquarters Assistance in Disaster Response.
DRI also dispatches experts with practical and systematic knowledge in disaster
response especially in case of large scale disasters.

These dispatched experts will

provide appropriate information and advice to headquarters managers, thereby
contributing to mitigation of further damage as well as in preparation for recovery andreconstruction.
Training of Disaster Managers and Practitioners.
DRI likewise conducts training of local government practitioners who play central roles
in disaster management.

In these training programs, DRI share the experience of theGreat Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.

DRI has a systematic and comprehensive programon practical knowledge and skills in disaster reduction with reference to the latest
research result.

Through this training program, DRI aims to contribute to theupgrading of emergency management capacity of the local governments.

DRI hastwo kinds of training programs being offered namely, Intensive Course and International
Training Course.

Intensive Course is focused on specific theme and central purpose.

This is being conducted several times a year and is specifically designed to improve theability of individuals to deal with disaster situations.

The International Training Course

is a course wherein participants learn knowledge on disaster management using
Japanese system as a practical model and know-how learnt from the Great Hanshin
Awaji Earthquake.

It is entrusted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA) targeting various countries and regions in the world.
courses being offered.

There are four types of

The first course is entitled Top Forum.

Based on the latest
92

research results and information on national disaster prevention measures, the heads of
local governments discuss the required responses for future major disasters and review
how local government crisis management ought to be.

This course is specificallydesigned for governors and directors of local governments.
entitled Management Course, Basic.

The second course is

Focusing on disaster mechanisms and theexperiences of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the course provides systematiclearning of basic disaster countermeasures and the like for each department.

Thetarget participants are personnel of regional public entities responsible for disastermanagement with less experience.

The third course is Management Course, Expert

which is conducted through exercise and concrete examples of disaster reduction.
This course strengthens the capability to understand ways to cope with large scaledisasters comprehensively where various countermeasures should be taken.

Thiscourse is designed specifically for personnel of regional pubic entities responsible fordisaster management.
Advanced.

The fourth course being offered is Management Course,

Based on the experiences and lessons learnt from the Great

Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, DRI hopes to teach courses about policy oriented
decision-making issues that may arise when future large scale disasters strike. This
course is aimed at improving the ability of individuals to assist managers of regional
public entities.

The target participants for this course are personnel of regional public

entities responsible for disaster management and who are expected to maintain theeffective management of their divisions.
Exchange and Networking.

DRI considers itself as an institution which functions as across-road of government practitioners, researchers, citizens and business enterprises
with experiences and interest in the Earthquake and disaster reduction. DRI provides
a venue for encounters of various disciplines and people, as well as for domestic andinternational cooperation, so as to promote diverse initiatives for mitigating social
vulnerability.
¾

The Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention ParkThe visit to the Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park was the reinforcement of what
the Cabinet Office (Disaster Management) talked about regarding the institutionalizationof the countermeasures for Tokyo Inland Earthquake in terms of making individuals
prepare for such disaster.

The Park has a high technology experience for people

through the E-Learning Facility.

One can learn how to survive for the next 72 hours
93right after a disaster occurs since discussions and examples of what to do, what to bring
and where to go are being taught.
This high technology or E-Learning Facility is the most appropriate way of educating
communities in a mega city about Disaster Prevention, specifically on how to survive for
72 hours before the government emergency response can reach you.

This way,

individuals become self sufficient on their own during a few hours or even a few days
after a disaster strikes.
G. Disaster Resilient Infrastructure Development and Transportation System:
Hanshin Expressway Company Limited
One excellent example of mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in infrastructuredevelopment and transportation system is tremendously displayed in the build up andoperation of Japan Expressways.

The Hanshin Expressway Company Limited aims toachieve more advanced expressway management and services especially after theGreat Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.

First and foremost, the Hanshin Expressways are a

network of high- speed motorways in the Osaka, Hyogo and Kyoto areas of Japan.
With a total of extension of 245.7 kilometers and daily traffic of 860,000 vehicles,
Hanshin Expressways serve as main arteries for transportation in the Kansai
metropolitan area.

Hanshin Expressways make one of the key components of Kansaisocio-economic infrastructure, indispensable to the people’s daily life and mostessential to the region’s economic development.
operations and activities.

The company has three core

One is providing safe and secure road services by carryingout maintenance, management; traffic safety measures; prevention of toll violation; andcomprehensive disaster preparedness measures.
network of expressways.

Second is creating a comfortable

While developing new expressways, Hanshin Expressway

implements various measures to alleviate congestion, improve traveler information
provision, and develop more attractive rest areas in order to realize comfortable network
expressways through expressway network development; shift of toll charge system;
congestion

mitigation;

flatness

improvement

of

road

surface;provisionofeasier-to-understand information; rest area improvement; and development of off-roadrest areas. Third is engaging with customers and communities by placing importanceon communicating with customers and local communities as well as implements avariety of social responsibility activities, including environmental and aesthetic
measures.

To achieve this, the company puts emphasis on communication with94

customers and local communities; environmental and aesthetic considerations; active
promotion of international activities; incorporation of customer views; and conducting
diverse services deriving from expressway operations.

With greater efforts on

ensuring safe and secure travel, roadway maintenance and management is rigorously
implemented.

Hanshin expressway carries out daily traffic patrol and maintenanceactivities to keep the expressways in good condition and to ensure the safety, security,and comfort for expressway users and roadside residents.

An information

management system is utilized to ascertain current expressway structural conditions
prior to preparing maintenance and repair plans to ensure maximum efficiency.

Fortraffic safety measures, Hanshin Expressway formulated the Traffic Safety Measure
Action Program in 2007 and carried out traffic safety measures to year 2009.

As aresult, traffic accidents decreased by 1,220 in 2009 which exceeded the target reductionof 1,000.

There is a new action program being prepared in order to achieve further

reductions in traffic accidents and in the future, measures focused on routecomprehension and driver behavior will also be introduced in addition to traditional
measures on safety devices for accident-prone sites.

On comprehensive disaster

preparedness measures, lessons learned from the damages caused by South Hyogo
Prefecture earthquake, the Hanshin Expressway has retrofitted Expressway bridges toensure their resistance to earthquakes and prevent their collapse.

Two types ofearthquake movements-a large scale earthquake associated with plate boundaries(such as earthquakes projected to occur in the Tokai and Tonankai areas in the near
future) and an inland crustal earthquake such as the South Hyogo Prefecture
Earthquake)-were assumed for the retrofitting.

Using the lessons learned in 1995

Great Earthquake, Hanshin Expressways Management is fully prepared to carry out
post-quake emergency recovery operations to enable speedy recovery of bridge androad functions.

Hanshin Expressway likewise monitors earthquakes, typhoons, andother weather conditions on a 24-hour basis and provides necessary information todrivers so that they can use expressways without worry.

Part of their disaster

preparedness activities is aimed at imparting to future generations the experience thatHanshin Expressway underwent during the 1995 Great Earthquake, including damages
incurred and recovery operations carried out.
Hanshin Expressway has actively adopted seismic isolation and vibration dampening
technologies that are best suited to the structural properties of individual bridges toachieve earthquake resistance in an economic and efficient manner.

The Minato

Ohashi bridge, is an example of a bridge structure that uses seismic isolation sliding95

bearings instead of metal bearings supporting the bridge deck on which vehicles run todecrease the effect of earthquakes and thus protect the main truss, which constitutes
the bridge’s framework, from damage.

Further on disaster preparedness systems andprocedures for disaster preparedness while taking structural anti-seismic measures.

It

has formulated a Business Continuity Plan to be put into effect in the event of a major
earthquake with seismic intensity of 5 or stronger (according to the Japanese
Meteorological Agency).

The plan includes guidelines on post-disaster actions to takein order to ensure safety, including rescue work, and to facilitate disaster recovery
operations by establishing emergency transport routes.

The Traffic Control Center is

responsible for investigating post-disaster damage levels and weather conditions on a
24-hour basis to provide relevant information to customers and provide other support.
The Hanshin Expressway Museum plays a key institution in informing the present andfuture generations about the lessons learned during the 1995 Great Earthquake.
Structures of Hanshin Expressway that were damaged during that time are on display
so that the experiences of post-earthquake disaster and recovery operations will bepassed on to future generations.
H. Higher Learning Institutions’ Role in Fostering a High Level Community
Disaster Risk Reduction
The Kobe University Office for the Reconstruction Support and the Research of Disaster
Science plays a very vital role in fostering a high level of disaster reduction especiallyafter the unprecedented earthquake on March 11, 2011 which has brought greatest griefand sorrow ever to the Japanese people as described by the President of the University
in one of his messages.

Further, according to him, due to the accident at Fukushima

nuclear power plant, many people are still forced to live inconvenient lives even afteralmost more than a year and a half has passed since the disaster.

Kobe University

had greatly suffered itself during the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in January 17,
1995 and warm support came from people all over Japan to include people in the
Tohoku and Kanto regions.
at the time.

As such, Kobe University is indebted to the warm support

In the wave of Tohoku Earthquake, Kobe University immediately began tosend relief supplies and technical staff to Tohoku University in he spirit of its experiencebased onlessons leaned from Kobe Earthquake in 1995.

has been actively engaged inSince then, the University

various activities including organization of the disasterprevention symposia and publication of the Kobe University’s Proposals for
Reconstruction t support the suffered people and the recovery of the region.

Kobe
96

University, together with Tohoku University, also engaged in collaborative support
activities which initially began by signing a memorandum for broader framework tocooperate in disaster science.

As such, Kobe University has launched the Office for

Reconstruction Support and the Research of Disaster Science, in order to promoteacademic research, cultivate human resources in the fields of disaster science, andcontribute to the society.

The missions of this newly created Office include

supporting reconstruction activities and research groups, and organizing disaster
related symposia.
Although the scale and impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake was far beyond theGreat Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, Kobe University is determined to bring all theknowledge and insights through the strong connection with other universities, research
institutions, and government bodies, and continue to support the afflicted people andthe reconstruction of the disaster-hit area.

These efforts hope to find solutions ofcommon issues surrounding the disaster reconstruction in the world. All in all, the Officeaims to support recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake in the suffered areas,
conduct research in the field of disaster science and contribute to solve the common
issues for all human beings during disaster restoration, including expert education andsocial contribution.

As the Office operational policies, the collaboration agreement

between Kobe University and Tohoku University states that a continued support tovarious groups engaged in reconstruction activities at the suffered areas with the help ofother universities and municipal governments in the Tohoku region and at the same time,
continue to investigate what are needed in the suffered areas especially until thepresent times and offer support based on the lessons learned through the recovery fromthe Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.
I.

Community Involvement in the Recovery Process:Lessons Learned fromthe Great East Japan Earthquake
Community involvement in the recovery
processishighlighted

inthe various

presentations on lessons learned from theGreat East Japan Earthquake.

On our trip

to Higashimatsushima City, we visited the
area

for

Seaweedgovernment-funded(Nori)

Farming,arecoveryprojectto97

address the provision of livelihood for thecommunities affected by the tsunami during
the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Accordingto our guide, before the March 11, 2011
earthquake, each family has seaweed farming
as their livelihood.

Now, they have adopted a

new system which is a collaboration of 12
families affected by the tsunami.

With thenew technology provided to them, they can
produce 80,000 products per day as compared to before the earthquake which is only
40-50,000 products/day from the said area.

In another area, there are different flavored

Nori and well-packaged ready for distribution to the consumers. In the nearby area, there
are also people who are engaged in debris-collection and processing as part of the recovery
project.

Relocation sites and resettlement
areas have been identified and thefilling of land for elevation has alreadystarted.

In one of the resettlementsites, about 600 houses will be built
but the government has not decided
yet as who will be the respective
owners of the houses. We had also
the opportunity to see the temporary
shelters of 30 families.

We werebrought to the temporary community
center designed by a famous Japanese architecture.

A 75-year old grandmother shared

her experienced during the earthquake and tsunami.

As translated by Prof. Rudyante, she

still cannot sleep properly in the nights because of what happened and she is taking
medicines to keep her sleep every night.

The only problem she mentioned about thetemporary shelter is that the noise which comes from children of the affected families.

J. A Voice of the Community:

Community Radio FMYY and Takatori

Community Center
Radio FMYY in Nagata was established after the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake in98

1995 by two Korean nationals living in Nagata during that time.

This was initiallyintended to offer consolation to the victims of the earthquake who have lost their families.
Hearing a familiar voice and music alleviate the suffering of the minorities after theearthquake.

Eventually, the radio has become an outlet for the local and foreign

people in Nagata to get information after the disaster occurred like as to where to getrelief supplies or official information about the situation.

Now, FMYY broadcasts in 10

different languages to the local community and is one of many NGOs that joined
together in a single community structure named Takatori Community Center.
After the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011, twenty-two new community
radios were set up and being utilized as an avenue where the communities can get thelatest information about the updates of the recovery plan and status done by thegovernment.

Government officials talk about the recovery process on air and thepeople get to be informed and they also monitor the progress of the recovery efforts.
The community radio has provided a two-way mode of communication from thegovernment officials to the communities and vice versa.
A community radio station has a low output frequency that covers relatively a small area
where the signal can be received.

The radio is resilient during disasters whencommunications infrastructure and disaster wireless system are destroyed and themeans to pass on information to disaster victims is lost.

The radio is not affected bylarge scale blackouts during disasters because and even if the equipment getsdamaged, it is relatively easy to put it back into operation.

Low output radio station canplay a major role in providing detailed disaster information needed by victims inparticular areas because the information is collected by the residents themselves to beshared with their local listeners.

99

VI.

Analysis and Recommendations

The Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 is paving the wayfor every stakeholder in the Philippines to pursue disaster risk reduction andmanagement , integrate them in the local and national development process and build aresilient communities for the country’s sustainable development.

Although thecountry’s DRR efforts have gained a lot of recognition in the past until the present, agreat number of development projects with mainstreamed disaster risk reduction are yet
to be realized.

Government agencies whose roles are equally important in shaping thecountry’s resilience are already identified as provided for by the Republic Act 10121.
The Climate Change Commission is the lead agency in promoting the country’s climatechange adaptation measures with emphasis on the importance of the locally orcommunity-driven DRRM programs.

The Department of Science and Technology has

continually developed the hydro-meteorological hazard maps in the country which
serves as a critical tool in preventing flood-related incidents.

The Department ofEnvironment and Natural Resources-Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB)
takes the lead in the geo-hazard mapping of the country which serves as a basis forpreventing and mitigating the impacts of rain-induced landslides and floods.

The

DOST-PHIVOLCS or Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology takes the leadin seismological hazard-mapping in the country which serves as a tool in preparing forand mitigating the impacts of earthquakes, volcanic eruption and tsunami.
agencies continuously perform their respective mandates under RA 10121.

These

However,these tools need to be constantly communicated with and understood by thecommunities.

In doing this, the cooperation and support of local disaster risk reduction

and management councils play an important role.

This will pave the way for theconstruction of resilient infrastructures such as roads, bridges, dams, buildings, schools,
hospitals, and also for the business community to prepare for their business continuity
plan.

The Office of Civil Defense has an equally important and critical role in achieving

the goal of resilience.

Since the OCD has the primary mission of administering acomprehensive national civil defense national civil defense and disaster risk reduction
and management program by providing leadership in the continuous development ofstrategic and systematic approaches and measures to reduce the vulnerabilities andrisks to hazards and manage the consequences of disasters shall continue to embark
on its programs, projects and activities in collaboration with various stakeholders fromthe national down to the grassroots level.

Everyone has a role to play in creating aresilient community and eventually a resilient nation.
100

Japan and Philippines both have a long history of dealing with risks and hazards.

In

Japan, DRR is mainstreamed in their education system, infrastructure development,
business sector, and in their way of life as a result of the past disasters which brought
severe devastation in the lives and properties of the Japanese.

After every disaster,

Japanese authorities, organizations and communities sit down, discuss lessons learned,
document them, and make revisions and amendments in their plans, laws and system
for further improvement.
The Philippines disaster management system was also shaped by the impacts ofnatural and human-made disasters which created havoc in the country, but the present
law, RA 10121 will pave the way for the mainstreaming of DRR in all aspects of theFilipino way of life.

Implementing the provisions of RA 10121 poses a challenge for all

Filipinos in our pursuit of safer, adaptive and disaster-resilient communities with ashared experience of national development.

However, the role of the business

community, the private sector and corporations must be actively engaged in the
country’s pursuit for resilience and development.
Philippines has yet to deal with the issue on poverty since the poor are considered to be
the most vulnerable especially when disaster strikes. Section 3, letter (f) of the
Implementing Rules and regulations (IRR) of RA 10121 posits a challenge

for thegovernment to adopt and implement a coherent, comprehensive, integrated, efficientand responsive disaster risk reduction program incorporated in the development plan atvarious levels adhering to the principles of good governance within the context ofpoverty alleviation and environmental protection.
In doing so, we need to reach out to more communities, strengthen their organizations
and institutionalize DRR agenda in their respective thrusts.

Japan’s many jichikai or

community-based organizations help their community members cope with the stressesof coping with long stay in the temporary or transition shelters after the March 11, 2011
disaster.

These organizations play a major role even in the pre-disaster, during

disaster and post-disaster situations.
As I have elaborated earlier, Japan has become the champion of disaster risk reduction
as a country because it has long institutionalized the combination of self-help efforts
rooted in the awareness of the people and business corporations with the mutual-help101efforts of various community-based organizations supported by the public-help efforts of
the national and local governments.

When the Great East Japan earthquake hit on

March 11, 2011 with a magnitude 9, all train system including the bullet trains stopped
safely all over Japan.

Millions of commuters were stranded on that day and as a result,the government is working on a system where all business sector will be responsible for
their own personnel and clientele when such situation will occur again in the future.
But to top it all, the government is advocating for a 72-hour survival and self sufficiencyof every individual after a disaster strikes

one of their proactive disaster risk reduction

measures.
In creating a resilient communities and nation, government policies, laws andregulations play a major role, coupled with business corporate engagement, continuous
learning and education and active support and cooperation from individuals, groups andother related organizations.

Making a disaster resilient nation starts with nurturingcommunities to make them resilient against any disaster or emergency.

102

VII.

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