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.

1

Factors Contributing to the High Resiliency and Capacityof Japan to Natural Hazards in the Context
of Social Institutions

A PaperPresented to the
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)
Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
under the Visiting Researcher Program(Term: FY 2016 A)

by

Ms. Lorene Sia-Catedral
Civil Defense Officer III
Office of Civil Defense-Department of National Defense
Republic of the Philippines

November 16, 2016

2

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The researcher wishes to acknowledge wholeheartedly, everyone who
contributed to the successful completion of this research paper.
First of all, the researcher would like to thank the Almighty Father for His
unconditional love, wisdom and blessings He showered in her life;
The Asian Disaster Reduction Center and the Government of Japan forthe opportunity to learn and experience the best practices and exceptionalinnovations in the field of DRR in Japan and to personally get a glimpse ofJapan’s incredible resilience;
The Office of Civil Defense-Department of National Defense (OCD-DND)
whosecommitment

toprovideleadershipandadministrationofacomprehensive civil defense and DRRM Program in the country allowed to be
in Japan as a Visiting Researcher;
The colleagues of OCD Caraga Regional Office and ADRC for theirunflinching support;
The DRR experts of various institutions she visited for sharing their valuable
time and expertise;
Co-Visiting Researchers from Armenia and Indonesia, her Japanese
Teacher, Mr. Kawahara Sensei for the gift of friendship which made her threemonth journey in Japan more enjoyable; andFamily and friends for their prayers, love and inspiration;
To all of you, the researcher can never say thank you enough.

LSC

3

DEDICATIONThis study is dedicated to:
My dearest husband and prayer partner, Bong, and my children Malikh,Gaya, Keane, Tobey and Zip who are the cause of my smiles and joys;
My Mama Lolit & Mommy Madeline;
My sisters, Ethel and Cookie;
My Tatay Natong, who is my angel in heaven; andAbove all, to my Almighty Father.

LSC

4

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE
TITLE PAGE

1

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

2

DEDICATION

3TABLE OF CONTENTS

4

LIST OF FIGURES

6

CHAPTER
1

THE PROBLEM
Background of the Study

8Statement of the Problem

10

Significance of the Study

11

Scope and Limitation of the Study

11

Definition of Terms

12

2

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

143RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

4

Research Design17

Research Locale

17

Data Gathering Procedure

19

PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

20

5

5

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary

122

Findings

122

Conclusions and Recommendations

125

BIBLIOGRAPHY

6

LIST OF FIGURESFIGURE NUMBER

PAGE

1

18

Map showing the location of examples of DM-related
Social Institutions in Kansai Region

2

Organizational Chart of the National Government of Japan(simplified from the real)

21

3Structure of Basic Disaster Management Plan

23

4

Outline of Disaster Management System

24

5Organizational Chart of NDRRMC

28

6DRRM Network

32

7

Diagram showing the National DRRM Framework (NDRRMF) 35

8Four DRRM Thematic Areas

38

9

Organizational Structure of HITS

63

10

Schematic diagram of Mental Health Training of HITS

65

11

Characteristic Feature of the Community-based voluntary

68

organizations for disaster risk reduction
12

13

Organizational Structure of the Union of Kansai
Governments

84

Map showing the Location of the Union of Kansai

87

Governments and disaster affected area

714

Map showing the Combination of the supported and88

supporting Prefectures
15

Diagram showing the concept of “Self-help, Mutual help
and Public help”

16

Organizational Structure of the Regional Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Council

17

18

96

97

RDRRMOC Information Flow (Communication Flow andWarning Dissemination)

99

Summary of the Paradigm Shift from Reactive to

121

Proactive DRRM

8

CHAPTER 1
THE PROBLEM

Background of the StudyJapan and the Philippines are highly vulnerable to a variety of natural
hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruption, typhoons, storm
surges, floods, landslides and others because of their geographic location.
Climate change further exacerbating the frequency and magnitude ofclimate/weather-related hazards that may continue to rise for the foreseeable
future.
Although Japan has suffered enormous damages due to repeated megadisasters since ancient times, at present the country is considered to be theleader in disaster management because it has increased its resilience every
time a large-scale disaster is experienced. With this, countermeasures against
disasters have been strengthened based on lessons learned. “DRR is our DNA”,
is important precept in Japan shared with the international community during
the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) which washeld in Sendai in March 2015 (White Paper on Disaster Management in Japan
2015 – Summary).
Typhoon Ise-wan in 1959 was the turning point for strengthening the disastermanagement

system

and

led

to

the

enactmentoftheDisasterCountermeasures Basic Act in 1961, which formulates a comprehensive andstrategic disaster management system. Likewise, the Great-Hansin Awaji
Earthquake in January 1995 and the Great East Japan Earthquake in March2011 prompted the nation to continuously review and revise its Disaster
Management (DM) system and strongly pursue building national resilience.
On the other hand, Philippines similar to Japan, has a long history of dealing
with risks and hazards. The impacts of natural as well as human-induced

9disasters created havoc in the country. According to the study by the United
Nations (UN) University Institute for Environment and Human Security, thePhilippines is currently the 3rd country at risk to disasters worldwide based on theWorld Risk Index Report 2015. It is based on the Philippine’s risk profile that thecountry took the paradigm shift to disaster risk reduction and management or
DRRM.

The paradigm shift to DRRM is brought about by the enactment of

Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Act of 2010.
Resilience of Filipino communities has been the framework of the Philippines
in the implementation of the PDRRM Law. However, the country is confronted
with various challenges when it comes to implementing DRRM. First, there is aneed for the cooperation and buy-in of the stakeholders.

Sapirstein (2006)

states that one can efficiently and cost-effectively enhance the ability ofcommunities to “bounce forward” after a potentially devastating event as longas there is buy-in from organizations in the community – employers, businesses,
faith-based organizations, community groups, and other stakeholders. Further,
there is a need to correct the notion that DRRM is only a government concern.
Rather, it requires the whole-of-society approach because the safety of thenation is not solely the job of the government but rather it is a shared
responsibility. Increasing the strength of a society is about increasing the strengthand scope of the internal connections between the people, organizations andenvironment which form that society (Sapirstein, 2006).

It is also important toconsider DRRM as a way of life. DRRM must be part of day to day living anddecision-making. The national and local officials have to prioritize DRRM. Lastly,
there is a need for continuous development, review and improvement of thecountry’s DRRM policies, plans and programs in view of the “new normal.” This
new normal is the acknowledgement of the fact that disasters nowadays are
increasing in terms of scope, magnitude, frequency and complexities.
As defined in the Republic Act 10121, "Resilience" is the ability of the system,
community or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate andrecover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner, including
through the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures andfunctions; while “Capacity” is a combination of all strengths and resources
available within a community, society or organization that can reduce the level10of risk, or effects of a disaster. Capacity may include infrastructure and physicalmeans, institutions, societal coping abilities, as well as human knowledge, skills,
tools, systems, processes, appropriate technologies and collective attributes
such as social relationships, leadership and management. Capacity may also
be described as capability.
Hence, the researcher believes that a study on the factors contributing
to the high resiliency and capacity of Japan to natural hazards in the context
of social institution would be useful information to improve the institutional
mechanisms, plans and approaches in the various DRRM-related institutions (i.e.
government institutions, educational/learning institutions, health care institutions
and community/volunteer organizations) in the Philippines especially in Caraga
Region as the area of concern of the researcher.

Statement of the Problem
This study aimed to examine the factors contributing to the high resiliency
and capacity of Japan to natural hazards in the context of social institutions.
Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions:
1. What is the Disaster Management System in Japan and thePhilippines?
2. What are the examples of DM-related social institutions that promoteresiliency and enhance capacity to natural hazards in Japan particularly in
Kansai Region and the Philippines particularly in Caraga Region as theresearcher’s area of concern, in terms of:
2.1

Government Institutions;

2.2

Educational/Learning Institutions;

2.3

Health Care Institutions; and2.4

Community/Volunteer Organizations?

3. What are the institutional factors that contribute to resiliency andcapacity of Kansai Region and Caraga Region as lessons learned from the pastdisasters as well as good practices and innovations, in terms of the following:

11

3.1

Institutional Mechanisms;

3.2

DRRM-related Plans; and3.3

Approaches

Significance of the Study
The result of this study provides a better understanding on the institutional
factors that influence Japan’s resiliency and capacity against natural hazards
as lessons from past major disasters.

Further, the findings may give clear viewof the disaster management system of Japan and Philippines.

Likewise, theresult of the study will enable better appreciation of the institutional factors interms of mechanisms, plans and approaches as lessons from past disasters, aswell as good practices and innovations in DRRM in Japan for possible
replication/adoption in the Philippines especially in Caraga Region to further
promote resiliency and enhance capacity. The information is not only valuablefor the researcher in performing her duties and responsibilities as Civil Defense
Officer and DRR practitioner/advocate but also to partner-stakeholders in thePhilippines.

Scope and Limitation of the Study
This study is focused on the factors contributing to the high resiliency andcapacity of Japan to natural hazards in the context of social institutions. The
primary sources of data are the actual experiences and learning that the
researcher has gained and accumulated through the various field visits to DMrelated institutions/offices across Japan, orientations/briefings/lectures withlocal and international experts and interview with key officials in the period of
three (3) months as a Visiting Researcher.

Likewise, secondary data include

online/electronic sources and personal readings of reference materials
provided during the term under the Visiting Researcher Program of the Asian
Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) on August 23-November 18, 2016. The study
does

not

includeother

factors

motivational/attitudinal aspects.

such

as

physical,social,economic,

12

Definition of Terms
To facilitate a better understanding of the study, the following terms aredefined:Resilience. This term refers to the ability of the system, community or society
exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate and recover from theeffects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner, including through thepreservation and restoration of its essential basic structures and functions.
Capacity.

This term is defined as a combination of all strengths andresources available within a community, society or organization that can
reduce the level of risk, or effects of a disaster.

Capacity may include

infrastructure and physical means, institutions, societal coping abilities, as wellas human knowledge, skills, tools, systems, processes, appropriate technologies
andcollective

attributes

such

as

socialrelationships,

leadershipandmanagement. Capacity may also be described as capability.
Social Institution.

This consists of a group of people who have cometogether for a common purpose. These institutions are a part of the social orderof society and they govern behavior and expectations of individuals.
Institutional Mechanism. This term refers to the procedures laid down in theconstitution for a particular task. The procedure (as per law) by which aparticular task is undertaken is its institutional mechanism. It also refers to thetechnical aspects of doing something incorporated into a structured andusually well-established system.
DRRM-related Plans. These refer to plans which serve as guide on theactivities aimed at strengthening the capacity of the national government
and/or the local government units (LGUs) together with partner stakeholders, tobuild the disaster resilience of communities and to institutionalize arrangements
and measures for reducing disaster risks, including projected climate risks andenhancing disaster preparedness and response capabilities at all levels. These13

plans include National/Regional/Local DRRM Plans, Contingency Plan, Disaster
Mitigation/Prevention Plan, Disaster Preparedness Plan, Disaster Response Plan,
Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan, Pre-Disaster Recovery Plan, andothers.
Approach. This refers to the method used or steps taken in setting about atask, problem, and others.

14

CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
This chapter presents a review of the literature related to the study. The
purpose is to give the researcher a good frame of reference in topic area.

Related Literature
Japan’s Basic Act for National Resilience Contributing to Preventing and
Mitigating Disasters for Developing Resilience in the Lives of the Citizenry(abbreviated to the Basic Act for National Resilience) was enacted on
December 11, 2013. It aims to build national resilience, which means to build acountry that has the toughness and flexibility to survive large-scale natural
disasters in the future, with four goals: protect human lives; avoid criticaldamage to important functions of the nation and society; minimize damage tothe property of the citizenry and public facilities; and contribute to swift
recovery and reconstruction.
Based on Article 10 of the Basic Act for National Resilience, theFundamental Plan to Promote Measures for National Resilience (abbreviated to
the Fundamental Plan for National Resilience) was adopted by the Cabinet on
June 3, 2014. It provides for policies to promote measures in each of 15 sectors,
such as administrative functions/police and fire services, housing and cities, andenergy.
The supplementary provision of the Basic Act for National Resilience
includes the following: "It is indispensable that not only the national and local
governments but also other entities including local residents, business entities,
and relevant parties share information on the status of damage and others,

15

prepare for large-scale disasters even in ordinary times, and utilize leadingedge technology and devices based on new technology innovation,"
indicating that public and private partnership and companies' cooperation areimportant.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030 as the
successor to the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 was adopted on
March 18, 2015 at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction(WCDRR) in Sendai, Japan. This framework is a call to action of the next fifteen
years to make the world a safer place and to reduce the risk of human-madeand natural hazards.

It is designed specifically to achieve the substantial

reduction of disaster risks and losses in lives, livelihoods and health. Among thefour (4) priorities under the first goal on preventing new and emerging risk andreducing existing risk include Priority 2: strengthening disaster risk governancewhich means having a clear strategy, strong institutions, laws and budget toensure the efficient management of disaster risk; and Priority 3: investing indisaster risk reduction for resilience which includes public and private
investment and measures which would prevent and reduce disaster losses.

Winderl (2014) cited UNDP’s definition of building resilience as a“transformative process of strengthening the capacity of men, women,
communities, institutions, and countries to anticipate, prevent, recover fromand transform in the aftermath of shocks, stresses and change.”
Resilience is frequently described as a ‘system’ or a ‘system of systems’.
A systems approach usually refers to a view of resilience as a self-regulating
system or cluster of systems that are self-correcting through feedback. Suchcomplex adaptive systems create resilience share synergies, linkages andinteractions across spatial and temporal scales (Gall 2013, p.18).
Likewise, Cutter, et. al. (2008) defined resilience as the ability of a social
system to respond and recover from disasters and includes those inherent
conditions that allow the system to absorb impacts and cope with an event, as16

well as post-event, adaptive processes that facilitate the ability of the social
system to re-organize, change, and learn in response to a threat.
In an article of JICA’s Cooperation on Disaster Management, entitled
Building Disaster Resilient Societies, it was emphasized that controlling natural
hazards is difficult and, thus, enhancing social capacity to cope with disasters is
one of the most effective ways to manage and reduce disaster risks. Further,enhancing the capacity to cope with disasters and reduce damage causedby disasters requires capacity to take adequate actions in the phases ofdisaster prevention (mitigation and preparedness), response, and recovery andreconstruction.
Ross (2015) explained that disasters are reminders of the constant need forcommunities, cities, and nations to enhance prevention and preparedness, toensure that response systems are efficient, and communities should build theirresilience to withstand and cope with any future disaster.

17

CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGYThis chapter discusses the research design used in this study, theresearch locale and data gathering procedure.

Research Design
This study used the descriptive research design utilizing the list of guidequestions to collect the relevant data for the study. Interviews were conducted
to validate and further expound the data gathered. This method is preferred
for this kind of research because the expected responses and results are best
presented by descriptions.

Research Locale
The Kansai region or Kinki region is one of the eight (8) regions in Japansituated at the heart of the Japanese archipelago, between the Sea of Japanin the north and the Pacific Ocean in the south as it lies in the southern-central
region of the country’s main island Honshū.

The region is consists of six (6)prefectures, namely: Hyogo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Wakayama and Shiga.
However, in larger classification Mie and Fukui are also included. The region
comprises of eight (8) major cities, namely: Osaka City and Sakai City in Osaka
Prefecture, Kobe City in Hyōgo Prefecture, Kyoto City in Kyoto Prefecture, Tsu
City in Mie Prefecture, Wakayama City in Wakayama Prefecture, Nara City in
Nara Prefecture, and Ostia City in Shiga Prefecture.
This research was conducted in the various disaster managementrelated institutions in Kansai Region.

18

Figure 1. Map showing th
he locationn of examp
ples of DM--related So
ocial Institu
utionsin Kansai
K
Reg
gion

19

Data Gathering Procedure
In the gathering of the data, the researcher visited the various DRRM-related
institutions in the identified prefectures and attended briefings/orientations.

Thequestions were raised during the field visits/orientations/lectures to further to clarify andextract more relevant issues and information relative to the research topic. The data is
described based on the observation and perception of the researcher andsubstantiated by related literature and studies.

20

CHAPTER 4
PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION OF DATAThis chapter presents and interprets the data gathered. The presentationof results corresponds to the problems this study identifies.
1.

What is the Disaster Management System in Japan and thePhilippines?
•

Disaster Management System in Japan

A. Disaster Countermeasures Laws and Acts
The Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act is the legal basis for theestablishment of a comprehensive and strategic Disaster Management System
in Japan which addresses all of the disaster phases of prevention, mitigationand preparedness, emergency response as well as recovery and reconstruction,clearly defines the roles and responsibilities among the national and local
governments, and cooperation of the relevant entities of the public and private
sectors in implementing various disaster countermeasures.
Furthermore, the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act has been constantly
reviewed and amended since its first enactment and from the lessons of Great
East Japan Earthquake additional provisions are included as follows:• Enhancement of the measures concerning support activities mutually
done by the local governments in 2012;• Measures for ensuring smooth and safe evacuation of residents

andimproving protection of affected people in 2013; and• Strengthening measures against unattended cars in order to promptly
clear them from the roads for emergency vehicles in 2014.

21

B.

M
Missionof the Cabineet Office
The Ministter of Statee for Disasster Manag
gement was
w establisshed in 200
01 to

integ
grate and coordinatte disasterr risk mana
agement policiespan
nd measures ofminisstries andd agencie
es. The Cabinet
C
OfficeO
is responsiblere for securingcoop
peration andacollabboration amongarelaated gove
ernment oorganizations inwide
e-rangingissues,theDirecttor-Genera
alfor

DisasterMa
anagemen
nt

is

man
ndated to undertakee the plannning of ba
asic disaster management pooliciesand response to large-sc
cale disastters, as we
ell as cond
duct overall coordina
ation.
Furth
hermore, th
he Cabineet Office is engaged in the collection andd dissemina
ationof accurateainnformationn, reportingg to the PrimeP
Miniister as thee Chair of theCentral Disaste
er Managgement Co
ouncil, thee establishm
ment of thhe emergency
activ
vitiessysttem

Headquarters,

inclu
uding

overallarea

theGoverrnment’s

cooordinationnDisasterconcerrning

Managem
ment

disa
aster

resp
ponse

mea
asures in the event off large-scale disaster..
The

Cen
ntral

Disa
aster

Man
nagement

Councildecidesthenattional

gove
ernment’s disaster managemement policie
es which are
a implemmented byy therespective minnistries and agencies..

Figuree 2: Organnizational ChartCof thee National Government of Japaan(ssimplified fromm the real)

22

C. Central Disaster Management Council
Pursuant to the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act, the Central Disaster
Management Council is one of the councils that deal with crucial policies of
the Cabinet Office.

The council is established in the Cabinet Office andconsists of the Prime Minister as the chairperson, all members of the Cabinet,head of major public corporations and experts.
The council develops the Basic Disaster Management Plan and establishedbasic disaster management policies, and plays a role of promoting
comprehensive disaster countermeasures including deliberating important
issues on disaster management upon request from the Prime Minister or Ministerof State for Disaster Management.
D. Disaster Management Plans
The disaster management planning system in Japan includes thedevelopment of the following:• Basic Disaster Management Plan. This plan is the highest level of planand constitutes the basis for disaster management activities prepared by
the Central Disaster Management Council based on the Disaster
Countermeasures Act. This is a comprehensive and long-term disastermanagement plan forming a foundation for the Disaster Management
Operations Plan and Local Disaster Management Plan. It also provides
for the establishment of the disaster management system, promotion ofdisaster management measures, and promotion of scientific andtechnological research on disaster management;23

Natural Disasters
Earthquakes

Tsunamis

Flood (s)Volcanic Eruption

Heavy Snow

Accidents Disasters
Maritime Disasters

Aviation Disasters

Railroad Disasters

Road Disasters

Nuclear Disasters

Hazardous Materials D.

Large-scale Fires Disasters

Forest Fires Disasters

Presented according to the order of disaster management phases
Prevention/Preparedness

Disaster Recovery

Emergency Response

Stipulated concrete countermeasures by each stakeholder
National Gov’t.

Residents

Local Gov’t.

Figure 3: Structure of Basic Disaster Management Plan
• Disaster Management Operation Plan. This is a plan prepared by every
designated government organization and public corporation based on
the Basic Disaster Management Plan;• Local Disaster Management Plan.

This is a plan prepared by every

Prefectural and Municipal Disaster Management Council, subject tolocal circumstances and based on the Basic Disaster Management Plan;• Community Disaster Management Plan.

This plan contains disastermanagement activities at the community level jointly established byresidents and businesses on a voluntarily basis.

24

Figurre 4: Outlin
ne of Disasster Manag
gement Sysstem
E.

E
Emergencyy Response
e to DisasterI the eveIn
ent of a disaster,dth
he nationa
al and loc
cal govern
nments quuicklycolle
ect and shhare disasster and in
nformationn, and sec
cure commmunication
ns to
carry
y out effe
ective em
mergency activities such as emergencecy rescue andmeddical opera
ations.
B
Basedon suchs
informmation, loc
cal governm
ments set up
u disasterr managem
ment
head
dquarters

and

rela
ated

organizations establish
h

their

o
own

opera
ation

mec
chanisms.
TThe
nationnal goverrnment coollects disa
aster inforrmation at the Cabinet
Inforrmation Co
ollection CenterC
24 hours a day.
dWheen a largee scale disasterstrikees, an em
mergency team coomposed of the director-gedenerals of therespectivemministries

a
and

agen
ncies

gatther

immediately

at

the

CrisisMannagement Center in the Primee Minister’ss Official ResidenceRe to grasp andanalyze the disasterdsituation, an
nd report the resultts to the Prime Min
nister.
Disaster Management meetingsmat the minissterial or high-ranking
g senior offficial

25level are held, as necessary.

Depending on the level of damage, thegovernment may establish the Headquarters for Major Disaster Management(headed by the Minister of state for Disaster Management) or the Extreme
Disaster Management Headquarters (headed by the Prime Minister), toestablish the policies for the disaster countermeasures, and to coordinate
various emergency measures to be taken by various organizations.
Further, in order to grasp the situation on the disaster-affected area, agovernment investigation team headed by the Minister of the State for Disaster
Management may be dispatched, or if quick and swift actions are needed tobe taken with overall coordination of emergency activities on site, thegovernment may establish the onsite headquarters for disaster management.
In case of large scale disasters that exceed the response capabilities of theaffected local government, various wide-area support mechanisms aremobilized by the National Police Agency (Disaster Response Units), Fire andDisaster Management Agency (Emergency Fire Rescue Team), and Japan
Coast Guard.
Furthermore, the Self-Defense forces can be dispatched for emergency
response activities upon request from the governor of the affected prefecture.
Also, the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMATs) are dispatched to provide
wide-area medical services. These teams transport severely injured persons via
Self-Defense Forces vehicles and aircrafts to hospitals outside the disaster
stricken zone.
In the event of disaster, municipalities will primarily be engaged inemergency countermeasures as they are the closest to residents. Prefecturaladministration will get involved when the comprehensive wider-area measures
are necessary.

A disaster-affected local government may initially facedifficulties in promptly procuring the necessary supplies by itself, since it takes
time to gather accurate information and private logistics facilities will have
limited capacity.

Accordingly, in a system called “push-type support,” thecentral government takes responsibility for the procurement and emergency
transportation of necessities, mainly for supporting shelters and evacuees,
without waiting for requests from the local governments of disaster-affected26

areas.

In the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, the cost of emergency

transportation to the disaster-affected areas was approximately 2,340 million
yen.
In the event of a large-scale disaster beyond the capability of local public
entities, the national government will intervene and step in to support the local
entity and coordinate mutual support among local entities.
At the national level, the Extreme Disaster Management Headquarters or
the Major Disaster Management Headquarters is set up to promptly collect thedisaster information from relevant ministries and local public entities struck by
the disaster, and overall coordination is provided for rescue, first aid, medical
and emergency supplies as necessary and appropriate.

Also, an on-site

disaster management headquarters may be set up to coordinate promptly
among the affected local entities and collect information and request fromrelevant prefectures and to properly conduct the emergency response
activities in consideration of the needs of the affected people.
F.

Main Elements of Japan’s DRM System
As cited by Ranghieri and Ishiwatari (2014), in coping with the Great East Japan

Earthquake (GEJE), Japan’s advanced DRM system, built up during nearly 2,000
years of weathering natural risks and hazards, proved its worth. As mentioned theloss of life and property could have been far greater if the country’s policies andpractices had been less effective.
The main elements of the country’s DRM system include: 1) Investments instructural measures (such as reinforced buildings and seawalls), cutting edge
risk assessments, early- warning systems, and hazard mapping— all supported
by sophisticated technology for data collection, simulation, information, andcommunication, and by scenario building to assess risks and to plan responses(such as evacuations) to hazards; 2) A culture of preparedness, where training
and evacuation drills are systematically practiced at the local and community
levels and in schools and workplaces; 3) Stakeholder involvement, where thenational and local government, communities, NGOs, and the private sector are
all aware of their roles; 4) Effective legislation, regulation, and enforcement—

27

for example, of building codes that have been kept current; and 5) The use ofsophisticated technology to underpin planning and assessment operations.
•

Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) System

A. Salient Features of PDRRM Law
Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction

andManagement Act of 2010 is entitled, “An act strengthening the Philippine
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
therefor and for other purposes”. This was signed into law on May 27, 2010 and
the Implementing Rules and Regulation (IRR) was approved three months lateron September 27, 2010.

This revolutionary law defines the disastermanagement system in the Philippines.

Salient features of the PDRRM Law

include:• The creation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council (NDRRMC) formerly known as the National Disaster Coordinating
Council as provided for in Section 5.

NDRRMC’s membership andfunctions have increased to cope with complexities of disasters atpresent times.

28

The NDRRMC is heade
ed by the Secretaryy of the D
Departmen
nt ofNationaal Defensee (DND) asa Chairperson withh the Seccretary off the
Departm
ment of thetInterioor and Lo
ocal Gove
ernment (DDILG) as Vice
Chairpeerson for Disaster
D
Preparednesss, the Secrretary of th
he Departm
mentof Sociaal Welfare
e and Dev
velopmentt (DSWD) as Vice C
Chairperson for
Disasterr Responsee, the Sec
cretary of the Depa
artment off Science andTechnollogy (DOSST) as Vice Chairpeerson for Disaster P
Prevention and
Mitigatio
on,the

Director-G
General

of
o

the

Na
ationalconomic
EcandDeveloppment Au
uthority (NNEDA) ass Vice ChairpersonCn for Dissaster
Rehabiliitation andd Recoverry, and Office of Civ
vil Defensee (OCD) as the
Executiv
ve Directorr, and 39 membersmasa shown in Figure 8.

F
Figure5. Organization
nal Chart ofo NDRRMCC
The memberss of the NDRRMC are com
mposed of fourteen line
departm
ments (DA,, DBM, DEN
NR, DEP ED
D, DOE, DO
OLE, DFA, D
DOF, DOH, DOJ,
DPWH, DOT, DTI, DOTC),D
Offfice of thee Executive
e Secretaryy, Office ofo thePresidenntial Advisser on Pe
eace Process (OPA
APP), Cha
airman of theCommisssion on Higher
H
Education (CHED), Chie
ef of Staff of the Arrmed
Forces of the Philippines (AAFP), Chieff, Philippin
ne Nationa
al Police (PPNP),
The Press Secreta
ary, the Se
ecretary General of the Philipp
pine Red Cross
C29(PRC), CommissioCner of the National Anti-Poverrty Commisssion-Victim
ms ofSector (NDisasterrs and Calamities
C
NAPC-VDCC), Chairp
person of the
Nationaal Commisssion on thee Role of FilipinoFWoomen, Cha
airperson ofo theHousingg and Urbban Deve
elopment Coordina
ating Council (HUD
DCC),
Executiv
ve Director of the Cliimate Chaange Officee of the Climate Cha
ange
Commisssion, two governme
ent fundingg institution
n namely P
PHILHEALTH
H andGovernment Serv
vice Insurrance System (GSISS) togethe
er with Social
Securityy System (SSSS) which
h is a priva
ate insurance entityy, five (5) local
leaguess such as Union of Legal Authorities ofo the Philippines (ULAP),
Leaguee of Provinnces of the Philippinnes (LPP), League oof Cities off thePhilippinnes (LCP), League ofo Municipa
alities of th
he Philippiines (LMP) and
Leaguee of Barang
gays (LMB
B), four rep
presentativ
ves from th
he Civil Society
Organizzations whoo will focuss on Prepa
aredness, Response,
R
P
Prevention
n andMitigatio
on and Re
ehabilitatio
on and Rec
covery. Th
here is alsoo one memmber
who will representt the privatte sector.
The NDRRMC being em
mpowered with polic
cy-making, coordina
ation,
integrattion, superrvision, mo
onitoring an
nd evalua
ation functions shall carryin the law.. The NDR
out seve
enteen (177) responsibilities as stipulateds
RRMC
Chairpeerson mayy call upo
on other instrumenti
alities or entities off thegovernmment and nongoverrnment andd civic org
ganizationss for assista
ance
in termss of the use
e of their fa
acilities annd resource
es for the pprotectionn andpreserva
ation of liffe and pro
operties inn the who
ole range of DRRM.

This

authoritty includess the poweer to call ono the resserve force
e as define
ed in
Republic Act No.. 7077 to assistain relief and reescue duriing disaste
ers orcalamitties.
• The Officce of Civil Defense (OOCD) as sttipulated inn Section 8 shall havee theprimary mission
mof administe
ering a ccomprehensive
nationaal civil defe
ense and disasterdrisk reductionn andmanagement program byy providing
g leadersh
hip inthe coontinuous developm
ment of strategic andsystematic approacches as we
ell as meassures to red
duce
the vuln
nerabilities and risks too hazards and mana
age the coonsequenc
ces ofdisasterss.

30

The Administrator of the OCD serves as the Executive Director of the
National Council and, as such, shall have the same duties and privilegesof a department undersecretary.

All appointees shall be universallyacknowledged experts in the field of disaster preparedness andmanagement and of proven honesty and integrity. The National Council
shall utilize the services and facilities of the OCD as the Secretariat of the
National Council.

The OCD has nineteen (19) functions, duties andresponsibilities as stipulated in the law.
It is further provided for in the law that the NDRRMC shall establish an
Operations Center. This is the 24/7 facility for monitoring and coordination.
It is where situation reports, alerts and communications are disseminatedto all Council members and various stakeholders. It is also a venue tofacilitate effective management of the consequences of disasters.

• The creation of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council (RDRRMC), formerly known as Regional Disaster Coordinating
Council (RDCC) is provided for in Section 10 of RA 10121.

RDRRMC

coordinates, integrates, supervises, and evaluates the activities of thelocal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (LDRRMCs).
The RDRRMC is responsible for ensuring disaster sensitive regional
development plans, and in case of emergencies, RDRRMC shall31

convene the different regional line agencies and concerned institutions
and authorities.
Under the law, the RDRRMC shall establish an operating facility
known as the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Operations Center (RDRRMC OpCen) whenever necessary.
The civil defense officers of the OCD who are or may be designatedas Regional Directors of OCD serves as chairpersons of the RDRRMCs. Its
Vice Chairpersons shall be the Regional Directors of DSWD, the DILG, theDOST, and the NEDA. The existing regional offices of the OCD shall serve
as secretariat of the RDRRMCs.

The RDRRMCs are composed of theexecutives of regional offices and field stations at the regional level ofthe government agencies.
• The organization at the Local Government Level is stipulated in Section
11.

The Provincial, City, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement Councils are mandated to be organized at the local levels.
In the case of the Barangays, a Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement Committee shall be organized and shall operate underthe Barangay Development Council (BDC).
The local chief executives chairs the Local DRRMCs, the Governor
for the provincial level, the mayor for the city and municipal levels andthe barangay captain for the barangay level. The members are theheads of various offices assigned at the local levels together with thefour (4) members from the CSOs and one (1) private sector
representative.
The LDRRMCs have the following tasks to fulfill: 1) approve, monitor
and evaluate the implementation of the local DRRM Plans and regularly
review and test the plan consistent with other national and local
planning programs; 2) ensure the integration of disaster risk reduction
and climate change adaptation into local development plans,
programs and budgets strategy in sustainable development and poverty
reduction; 3) recommend the implementation of forced or preemptive

32

evacuaation of loc
cal residents, if nec
cessary; annd 4) conv
vene the local
council once every three (3) months oro as necesssary.
National Disasterr Risk Reductiion and Man
nagement Co
ouncil
18 Reegional Disasster Risk Redu
uction and Management
Mt Councils
81 Provincial
P
Disa
aster Risk Red
duction and Managemen
nt Councils
14
45 City Disastter Risk Reducction and Ma
anagement Councils
1, 489 Municipal
M
Dissaster Risk Re
eduction andd Manageme
ent Councils
42,029 Bara
angay Disastter Risk Reducction and Ma
anagement Committees
C

F
Figure6. DRRM
D
Netw
work
Hen
nce, to brring DRRM
M down too the grasssroots, RA
A 10121 fu
urtherprovides for the establishme
ent of the “DRRM“
Ne
etwork”, or the replica
ationof the NDRRMC
N
frrom the na
ational dow
wn to the regional, pprovincial, city,
municip
pal and barangay lev
vels as show
wn in Figurre 6.
• The Loc
cal Disaster Risk Reduction andd Manageement Officce (LDRRM
MO) isalso proovided forr in Sectio
on 12.

It is also mandatedmthat the local

governmment units shall establish a LDRRMO in everyeprov
vince, city, andmunicip
pality, and a Baranga
ay Disaster Risk Redu
uction andd Managem
mentCommitttee in th
he case ofo the baarangay.

The LDRR
RMOs shall be

responsible for settting the direction,ddevelopmedent, implem
mentation andcoordination of disaster risk managem
ment progrrams withinn their territorial
jurisdictiion. The LD
DRRMOs area permannent officees under th
he office ofo thegovernoor, mayor and the punongpbaarangay (bbarangay captain). The
LDRRMOOs have twenty-fivete (25) fun
nctions, duuties and responsib
bilities
under thhis law giv
ven that th
he local goovernmentt units are the first lin
ne ofdefensee in every
y disaster oro emergeency.

Thuus, they shhall be att thefrontline
e of all disa
aster risk reeduction andamanaggement pllans, progrrams,
projectss and activ
vities.
• Coordin
nation durring emergencies iss stipulate
ed in Secction 15.

TheLDRRMCCs are manndated to take the leead in preeparing for, respondin
ng to

33

and recovering from the effects of any disaster based on the following
criteria: (a) The BDC, if a barangay is affected; (b) The city/municipal
DRRMC, if two (2) or more barangays are affected; (c) The provincial
DRRMC, if two (2) or more cities/municipalities are affected; (d) The
regional DRRMC, if two (2) or more provinces are affected; and (e) The
NDRRMC, if two (2) or more regions are affected.
• The Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF) as
provided for in Section 21 is not less than five percent (5%) of theestimated revenue from regular sources shall be set aside as the LDRRMF
to support disaster risk management activities such as, but not limited to,
pre disaster preparedness programs including training, purchasing lifesaving rescue equipment, supplies and medicines, for post-disaster
activities, and for the payment of premiums on calamity insurance. The
LDRRMC shall monitor and evaluate the use and disbursement of the
LDRRMF based on the LDRRMP as incorporated in the local development
plans and annual work and financial plan. Upon the recommendation of
the LDRRMO and approval of the sanggunian or council concerned, theLDRRMC may transfer the said fund to support disaster risk reduction workof other LDRRMCs which are declared under state of calamity.
Of the amount appropriated for LDRRMF, thirty percent (30%) shallbe allocated as Quick Response Fund (QRF) or stand-by fund for relief
and recovery programs in order that situation and living conditions ofpeople in communities or areas stricken by disasters, calamities,
epidemics, or complex emergencies, may be normalized as quickly as
possible. Unexpended LDRRMF shall accrue to a special trust fund solely
for the purpose of supporting disaster risk reduction and management
activities of the LDRRMCs within the next five (5) years. Any such amountstill not fully utilized after five (5) years shall revert back to the generalfund and will be available for other social services to be identified by the
local sanggunian.
• The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMFund) is also stipulated in Section 22.

The present Calamity Fundappropriated under the annual General Appropriations Act shall34

henceforth be known as the National Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement Fund (NDRRM Fund) and it shall be used for disaster risk
reduction or mitigation, prevention and preparedness activities such as,
but not limited to, training of personnel, procurement of equipment, andcapital expenditures. It can also be utilized for relief, recovery,
reconstruction and other work or services in connection with natural or
human-induced calamities which may occur during the budget year or
those that occurred in the past two (2) years from the budget year. The
specific amount of the NDRRM Fund and the appropriate recipient
agencies and/or LGUs shall be determined upon approval of the
PresidentofthePhilippinesinaccordance

with

the

favorable

recommendation of the NDRRMC. Of the amount appropriated for the
NDRRM Fund, thirty percent (30%) shall be allocated as Quick Response
Fund (QRF) or stand-by fund for relief and recovery programs in orderthat situation and living conditions of people in communities or areas
stricken by disasters, calamities, epidemics, or complex emergencies,
may be normalized as quickly as possible.
All departments/agencies and LGUs that are allocated with DRRM
fund shall submit to the NDRRMC their monthly statements on theutilization of DRRM funds and make an accounting thereof inaccordance with existing accounting and auditing rules.
All departments, bureaus, offices and agencies of the government
are authorized ·to use a portion of their appropriations to implement
projects designed to address DRRM activities in accordance with theguidelines to be issued by the NDRRMC in coordination with the DBM.
• The funding of the OCD as lead agency to carry out the provisions the
PDRRM Law is specified in Section 23. The OCD shall be allocated abudget of one billion pesos (PhP1,000,000,000.00) revolving fundstarting from the effectivity of this Act.
Likewise, as stated in Section 24, the National Council, through the
OCD, shall submit to the Office of the President, the Senate and theHouse of Representatives, within the first quarter of the succeeding year,

35

an annual report relating to the progress of the implementation of the
NDRRMP.
B.

The National DRRM Framework (NDRRMF)
On June 16, 2011, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

Framework (NDRRMF) as shown in Figure 7, was approved by the executive
committee of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council(NDRRMC). The framework is in conformity with and captures the essence andpriorities of Republic Act 10121.

Figure 7. Diagram showing the National DRRM Framework (NDRRMF)

The Framework envisions a country which have “safer, adaptive anddisaster-resilient Filipino communities toward sustainable development.” Thegoal is to have a paradigm shift from reactive to proactive DRRM wherein men
and women have increased their awareness, understanding on DRRM with theend in view of increasing people’s resilience and decreasing their vulnerabilities.
The country aims to empower leaders and communities and to develop the“right” mindset and positive behavioral changes towards reducing andmanaging risks and lessening the effects of disasters. This term is about buildingback better or building on from the learning, good practices, research andexperiences to address the underlying causes of people’s vulnerability and36

increasing their ability to adjust to the situation before them. By being adaptive,
Filipinos learn to innovate and go to the next level.
Disaster-resilient communities are achieved when the risk reduction
efforts have been successful and have made the people stronger (in a positive
way and not just in terms of their coping mechanism), increasing their ability tobounce back after a disaster. It is important to instill the culture of safety byincreasing people’s capacity to bounce back and decrease disaster losses
and impact. In the end, DRRM is all about addressing the underlying causes ofpeople’s vulnerability; building their individual, collective and institutional
capacities and building back better wherein people’s lives become sustainably
better.
The country is challenged by increasing disaster and climate risks causedby dynamic combinations of natural and human-induced hazards, exposure,and people’s vulnerabilities and capacities. There is an urgent need for thecountry to work together through multi-stakeholder partnerships and robust
institutional mechanisms and processes so that Filipinos will be able to live insafer, adaptive and disaster resilient communities on the path to developing
sustainably.
This DRRM framework emphasizes that through time, resources invested
indisasterprevention,

mitigation,

preparedness

andclimatechangeadaptation will be more effective towards attaining the goal of adaptive,
disaster resilient communities and sustainable development. The Frameworkshows that mitigating the potential impacts of existing disaster 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. Likewise, it highlights the need for
effective and coordinated humanitarian assistance and disaster response tosave lives and protect the more vulnerable groups during and immediately
after a disaster. Further, building back better and building better lives after adisaster will lead to sustainable development after the recovery andreconstruction process.

37

C. TheT
NDRRM
M PlanT implemToment all thee country’ss DRRM tarrgets, the NDRRMC fformulatedd the
NDRRM Plan, ap
pproved oon February 7,
2012. TheT
NDRR
RM Plan enumerate
es 4
priority areas withh 4 long tterm goals, 14
objectivves, 24 outcomes, 556 outputs and
93 activ
vities.
The plan adh
heres to th
he principle
es ofgood governanc
ge within tthe context ofpoverty

alleviatio
onprotectiion.
working

It

is

and

environme
ental

abouttpartnersships,

togetheranndgovernmment/community

all

of

approach–engaginng the pa
articipationn of CSOs, theprivatesector

a
and

volun
nteers

in

the

gove
ernment’s DRRM programs toowards coomplementation of resources andeffec
ctive delivery of services to thee citizenry.
•

F
Four
(4) DRRRM Thema
atic Areas
I accorda
In
ance with the NDRRM
MF, throug
gh the NDRRRMP, the ccountry’s visionv

of “Safer,“addaptive andadisastter resilient Filipino
o commu
unities tow
wards
susta
ainable deevelopment” will beb achieve
ed througgh the four distinctt yetmutu
ually reinfforcing prriority areeas, nameely, (a) DisasterD
Prrevention and
Mitig
gation; (b) Disaster Preparedn
P
ness; (c) Disaster
D
Ressponse; annd (d) DisasterReco
overy andd Rehabilita
ation. As showns
on Figure 8, eachepriorrity area has its
own long term
m goal, which when put
p togethe
er will leadd to the atttainment of
o the
coun
ntry’s overall goal/vission in DRR
RM.

38

Figure 8. Four DRRM Thematic Areas
These priority areas are not autonomous from the other nor do they haveclear start and end points. The 4 priority areas are NOT seen as a mere cycle
which starts in prevention and mitigation and ends in rehabilitation andrecovery. They...
(a) Mutually reinforce each other and are interoperable. This means thatwhatever is done in one aspect will have a direct or indirect effect on
the activities identified under the other aspects. Furthermore, thismeans that it is assumed that the level of preparedness and intensity of
response activities conducted are lessened because proper prevention
and mitigation activities have been done already.
(b) DO NOT, SHOULD NOT and CANNOT stand alone. Because they areinter-linked, one cannot just focus on one aspect without considering
the others aspects.
(c) Have no clear starting nor ending points between each of the aspects
and overlaps are to be expected. There are some areas which are
divided very thinly by gray areas. These are activities which need to besmoothly integrated into two aspects.

The overlapping activities were39

put into the specific aspect which could better capture its essence
using the lens of that specific DRRM area and to correspond to thegiven parameters within which these aspects focus on.
There are significant activities under the four (4) thematic areas. For
Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, the activities include early warning
systems, flood forecasting and monitoring, hazard and risk mappingsand structural and non-structural interventions.

Likewise, for Disaster

Preparedness include contingency planning, prepositioning and stockpiling, capacitating and organizing responders, training, drills andexercises and Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment (PDRA). In terms of Disaster
Response, the activities include Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs
Analysis(RDANA), issuanceofadvisories

andsituation

reports,

activation of Response Clusters and Incident Command System (ICS),
mobilizationofresponders,

humanitarianassistance(e.g.

reliefdistribution), provision of financial assistance and management ofevacuation centers.

For Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery, theactivities

Post-DisasterincludeNeeds

Assessment(PDNA),

enhancement of policies and plans, reconstruction using “build backbetter” approach, resettlement, provision of new sources of livelihood.
2. What are the examples of DRRM-related social institutions that
promote resiliency and enhance capacity to natural hazards in Japan
particularly in Kansai Region and the Philippines particularly in Caraga Region
as the researcher’s area of concern, in terms of government institutions,educational/learning institutions, and community/volunteer organizations?
In Kansai Region, there are excellent examples of DM-related social
institution in terms of government institutions. These include the following:•

Hyogo Prefecture Disaster Management Center
The Hyogo Prefecture Disaster Management Center established in August

2000 is the first local government office dedicated to disaster management inJapan. This facility serves as the central base for the preparedness andinformation collection and the regional hub/headquarters for Disaster40

Management activities. It is capable of functioning even when lifelines havebeen disrupted in the aftermath of a major disaster. The facility is earthquake
resistant, equipped with backup functions with various lifelines and houses
administrative office of the emergency relief headquarters, exclusive well for
drinking during disasters, independent power generator, underground safe andsecured pathway for close cooperation between departments of thegovernment,

emergency

headquarters

controlroom,

waiting room, night duty room,
broadcastingroom,

network

control room, and cooperation
organization staff room.

As thebase for rescue activities, theVisit to Hyogo DM Center on September 14, 2016

CenterutilizestheDisasterManagement

Phoenix
Systemwhere functions for collection of observation data, prompt damage forecasts,
the collection of damage information, map information, image information,
estimation of supply and demand of personnel goods and others. Likewise, thecenter cooperates with the Hyogo Prefectural Emergency Management andTraining Center and other related organizations.
Hyogo’s Disaster Management focuses on seven priorities. The first priority is
the Improvement of an Initial Response System.
Headquarters

ControlRoom

servesasthe

The Emergency Relief

centralbase

fordisastermanagement activities and is where disaster relief-related organizations would
gather and hold conferences whenever a large-scale disaster occurs. The roomlayout is functional and highly flexible with spacious desks to ensure efficient
emergency activities.

Likewise, the Administrative Office of the Emergency

Relief Headquarters is used as the office of the Disaster Management Division inpeacetime or under normal circumstances to collect disaster managementrelated information when a disaster strikes.

Further, the Cooperative

Organization Staff Room has enough working spaces for disaster-relief
organizations, members of the press and an increased number of staff incharge of keeping the headquarters operational.

Press Conference

Room/Broadcasting Room conveys information directly to residents during
disasters. The center provides Night Duty Room for night duty-staff to render 24-

41hour surveillance and full readiness. The Phoenix DM System works at the coresoftware in the center which is a comprehensive disaster information systemthat responds promptly not only to earthquakes but also to various otherdisasters. The Network Control Room is where information and communication
devises are being installed including the server, the heart of the Phoenix, andradio communication devices that utilize satellite communication networks.
The second priority focuses on Improvement of Disaster Management
Infrastructure. In Hyogo Prefecture, disaster management facilities have been
prepared to

cover

the

entire prefecture.

The Regional

Emergency

Management Bases include Tajima Airport, Harima Science Garden City, Awaji
Fureai

Park,

Hyogo

Prefectural

Office,KaibaraBranch,Management Park and Koshienhama Seaside Park.

Miki

Disaster

The Emergency

Management and Training Center functions as a core facility. Each facility has
a stock of materials for the victims and equipment for the rescue teams. It is
located in Miki Disaster Management Park. Normally, the park is used for sports
and recreation as well as education and training for DRR. In the event of largescale disaster, it supports the affected area as the Regional Emergency
Management Base for the whole prefecture.
The third priority is Strengthening the cooperation with disaster-relatedorganizations. In Hyogo Prefecture, Police, Fire, Self-Defense Forces, Medical
Institutions

and

other

disaster-relief

organizations

holdregulardisasterdiscussions and joint disaster relief training exercises such as cooperative
trainings,

Civil

Protection

Training

tohelp

strengthen

theirabilitytocommunicate. In addition, the Kobe based Air Rescue Team saves lives by
responding to over 200 incidents a year including forest fires. Disaster
assessment committees have been established to compile proposals on how to
prepare for various disasters such as typhoons and new strain of flu in the future.
Each time a disaster occurs that could not be dealt with the existing local
disaster prevention plan, the plan is being reviewed to help strengthen thedisaster management schemes.

Regional Disaster Management Plans areprepared not only for natural disasters such as earthquakes or typhoons but
also for epidemics, serious accidents and arm strikes against Japan. Hyogo
Prefecture performs joint training along with national and other relatedorganizations to protect its citizens.

42

The

fourthpriorityisfocusedonCountermeasuresagainstTonankai/Nankai Earthquake, ground corrosion and flooding. The probability ofa Tonankai/Nankai Earthquake within thirty (30) years is predicted at about 60%
to 70%.

Hyogo Prefecture has created a map showing areas likely to beaffected by a Tsunami.

In such areas, a computer-generated (CG) movie

simulating the tsunami has been made to educate citizens on how to prepare
for this type of disaster. Also, Research and promotion of DRR and buildingssuch as the 3-D Full Scale Earthquake Testing Facilities (E-defense) have been
established.
The fifth priority is the Improvement of Community Disaster Management
Capabilities. Immediately after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake many of
the survivors were rescued by their neighbors or local voluntary disastermanagement organizations. Hyogo Prefecture in cooperation with cities andtowns comprehensively support the projects to improve and strengthen
voluntary disaster management activities. As of 2010, about 95.9% ofhouseholds are covered by voluntary disaster management organizations in
Hyogo Prefecture.

Furthermore, the campaign is run by Hyogo Disaster

Management actions through its citizens, schools and companies voluntarily
enhance their ability to deal with disasters. Lectures are held to people incharge of local disaster management such leaders of voluntary disastermanagement organizations so that they can acquire systematic and practicalknowledge and techniques related to disaster management.
Hyogo Prefecture has established the Hyogo Disaster Information Network
to announce emergency information quickly during disasters and provides
citizens

disaster-related

information.

Duringthe

Great-Hanshin

Awaji

Earthquake, about 80% of the victims were crashed to death by destroyedhouses. Thus, Hyogo Prefecture is trying to promote thorough in-house safety
countermeasures such as seismic retrofitting of houses and mechanisms toprevent furniture from toppling. Besides, Hyogo Prefecture established the firstever Mutual Aid System for Housing Reconstruction (Phoenix Mutual Aid) toassist victims in purchasing and rebuilding their homes damaged during thedisaster.

43

The sixth priority focuses on the Promotion of Region-wide Disaster Risk
Reduction Cooperation. The Union of Kansai Governments was created to work
on issues across the Prefectures within Kansai Area. In Hyogo Prefecture, theRegion-wide Disaster Preparedness Office has been set up and plays animportant role in considering how disaster management policies should be
implemented in the future. The agenda include the establishment of a RegionWide Emergency Medical System using medical helicopters and disastermanagement system in preparation for the possibility of Tonankai/Nankai
Earthquake. Also, during the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred in March
2011, an emergency statement was issued two (2) days after the disaster andstarted to support the affected areas immediately. The GEJE Minamisanriku
Town supported headquarters of the Union of Kansai Governments.

In theevent of a large-scale disaster anywhere in the world Hyogo Prefecture
cooperates for recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction by sending relief aid
and expert staff to affected areas. The Hyogo Prefecture was able to extend
donation during the Haiti Earthquake.
Finally, the seventh priority is focused on Inheritance and development ofEarthquake Lessons.

The Hyogo Prefecture promotes the improvement of

infrastructure as part of disaster risk reduction as well as the local community’s
capability to deal with disasters. Disaster management in Hyogo Prefecture ispursuing disaster reduction based on the experience and expertise it has
gained through the years especially after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.
Lessons of this Earthquake for Hyogo Prefecture and the entire Japan include
the importance of preparedness and building a disaster management systemthat could respond to any disaster.

This emphasizes the importance ofcooperation among disaster management organizations together with thecommunity and regional disaster-response capability as well as the importanceof making cities resilient where the need for urban planning takes space andsafety into careful consideration.

•

Kobe City Hall Crisis Management Center
Another good example of a government institution at the city level is the

Kobe City Hall Crisis Management Center located in Kobe City, Hyogo
Prefecture. The establishment of Crisis Management Office in April 2002 is one

44of the policy measures that build upon the history of earthquakes in the city.
The Kobe Crisis Management Center is dedicated as a central facility incoordinating a range of emergency response systems and procedures thatenable the city to respond to all forms of disaster including wind, flood andearthquakes. The key operational objectives of the center are the following: 1)
Better initial response; 2) More sharing of emergency information; and 3)
Improved disaster prevention at the regional level.
One of key principles of facility design is the central crisis management
facility with high level of disaster protection. The Crisis Management Centerfeatures seismic reinforcement which is a baseisolated structure designed to prevent disruption
to operations in the event of a major earthquakeand ensure an uninterrupted initial emergency
response.

The

anti-earthquake

structure,designed to reduce the seismic force of a major
earthquake by about one-third compared toconventional

seismic

dampingprevents

any

impact on computer systems and other systems.
Another feature is the emergency power supply
and others.

The center is equipped with adedicated emergency power generator on the
ninth floor that operates for a period of three days.
This generator complements the power source forthe municipal offices to create a reliable power
supply networkforcomputersystems

and

other

systems.

Separate

underground tanks hold drinking water and well water (non-drinking purposes)
and also provide emergency wastewater storage. Emergency food and watersupplies for three (3) days and other emergency supplies for employees arealso stored in the building. The Disaster Prevention Exhibit and Training Room(press corner) located at the first floor is based on two key concepts:

1)

earthquake and tsunami protection; and 2) wind and flood damage mitigation.
It is dedicated to raising public awareness and disaster prevention, improving
disaster preparedness at the local level, and providing earthquake training drills
and programs.
namely:The permanent exhibit is divided into seven (7) sections,

1) disaster prevention games and teaching materials; 2) disaster45

prevention goods; 3) liaison structures and first aid in a disaster; 4) ways tominimize the impact of an earthquake and keep furniture from shifting; 5) floor
hazard maps, 6) disaster prevention training manuals and publications; and 7)
panel displays and information.
The Operations Center located at the second floor performs a variety ofroles in a disaster including gathering information, formulating and directing
response strategies, liaising with relevant authorities and providing updates tothe public. The Operations Center also collaborates with agencies such as fire
and police services as the need arises. It also houses the Crisis Management
System, a tool for assessing damage reports and formulating response strategies,
as well as large screen for displaying video from fire service monitoring cameras,
televisions used to source information and telephones, fax machines andwireless devices for liaising with relevant authorities.
The Radio Control Room is designed for the Emergency Services Digital
Radio Service, a vital service that provides the public with evacuation warnings
and other important disaster information.

The Fire Services Control Roomhandles emergency 119 calls and coordinates on the dispatches ofambulances and fire trucks.
All 119 calls made within the
Kobe City are directed to
the

Fire

Room.

Services

control

The Fires Services

Control Room is a large
space with high ceilings. It isequipped with large video
screens that provide good
Visit to Kobe Crisis Mgt. Center on September 1, 2016visibility
information,ofimportant
and

also

features the New Fire Services Management System which is designed to help
fire-fighters to perform more efficiently.
The Offices of the Waterworks Bureau is responsible for the water supply
network which constitutes a key piece of infrastructure in the city considered asvital to everyday life as well as industrial and commercial operations. The officefloors feature a long-span design with fewer columns to provide an expansive

46

office space with extra flexibility in layout configurations of desks, shelves andother elements. External vertical louvers help to block the afternoon sun toensure a pleasant working environment.
Another key principle of facility design is environment friendly and people
friendly design.

The building features a number of people-friendly design

elements including wide stairways with gentle inclination, elevators suitable forpeople with physical disabilities, barrier-free flow paths, naturally intuitive
signage, and Kobe Universal Toilets. The building also features a number ofenergy-saving initiatives including maximum usage of natural light andventilation, thermal insulation incorporated into the building structure, highefficiency heating and cooling systems, and LED lighting.

The Operations

Center, Fire Services Operations Center, meeting room and office floors aredesigned to maximize the flexibility of the layout configuration and also
facilitate replacement of equipment and fittings. Alternative emergency andenergy-saving initiatives are employed at the Crisis Management Center which
include solar power system, water-saving toilets, sensor-operated taps, well
water, high-efficiency transformers movement sensors, maximum use of naturallight, high-efficiency LED lighting, rooftop landscaping, sunlight eco-louvers andexternal intake heating/cooling systems.
The last key principle of facility design is Urban design consistent with Design
City Kobe philosophy.

The building is located within the former foreign

settlement area of Kobe, which is subject to special regulations on design
aesthetics. As such, the building exterior acknowledges the historical nature of
the area while at the same time imparting a modern and artistic sensibility
commensurate with the commercial heart of the city. Meiji-era brick structures
discovered during initial excavation on the site have been used to create amonument. This exemplifies the city’s commitment to provide an appealing
and functional space in the heart of the city in line with the Design City Kobe
philosophy. The main square facing the roadway successfully fuses the interior
and exterior of the glass-clad first floor by creating a busy and popular publicarea. The glass wall features a deformation-style graphic design of street andblock names. It is lit up at night to form an attractive display.
The Crisis Management Council as the supreme decision-making body47

when a disaster countermeasures committee has been established is
responsible for determining the response taken by the Kobe City. The council
has around forty (40) members including the Chairman who is the City Mayorand Vice Chairman who is the Deputy Mayor, the Crisis Management Monitor
and heads of relevant departments and agencies. The Crisis Management
Council Room is equipped with a large video screen used to display damage
reports and other information.
The Kobe City Government has developed a system to ensure a prompt
and appropriate response to large scale disasters and other crises, based on
the experiences and lessons learned from the Kobe Earthquake. Currently, theKobe City Crisis Management Basic Policy classifies emergency cases that
require the city’s prompt response as 1) a natural disaster, including anearthquake or typhoon, 2) a large-scale accident, or 3) another type of crisis
such as a health crisis or major terrorist incident.

This policy outlines themeasures and procedures to be taken in the case of each of these emergency
situations.
The Kobe Crisis Management Structure is composed of Chief Officer for
Crisis Management and Crisis Management Office. In case of large-scaledisaster, initial response is vital. The government is required to obtain andanalyze the disaster situation promptly and distribute information to citizens andrelated organizations accurately.
When a large scale disaster occurs, in the absence of the Mayor, theChief Officer for Crisis Management will direct and supervise all the
departments of the government in behalf of the Mayor. In ordinary times, theChief Officer works in the Crisis Management Office to reinforce the disastermanagement system within the local government and to build partnership withother disaster-related organizations to ensure prompt and accurate response tovarious crises may threaten the safety of citizens.
In addition, the city government concurrently appointed executive
officers in the departments that will take key roles in emergency response
activities including operations at the devastated sites (Public Relations Division,
Public Health and Welfare Bureau, Public Construction Projects Bureau, Port

48

and Urban Projects Bureau, Fire Bureau, Ward Offices, etc.) as staff members of
the Crisis Management Office in order to achieve a concerted and united
emergency response.
•

Tsunami/Storm Surge Disaster Prevention Station, Osaka City
Another, good example of government institution is the Tsunami/Storm

Surge Disaster Prevention Station completed in June 2007.

Osaka is known to

be a city with high risk to flooding as it lies on land which is below sea level
during high tide.
The

Tsunami/Storm

Surge

DisasterPrevention

Station is considered to be a disaster prevention baseresponsible for the Osaka area. Flood barriers are
installed inside the Disaster Prevention Station. The
mechanism of these flood barriers is vital to prevent
flooding.

The station displays exhibits regarding

tsunami and storm surges in Osaka. The booths
primarily educate the audience of the causes oftsunami and storm surge, history of flooding in Osaka,and disaster preparedness and risk management in
the event of a tsunami and storm surge. A movie
theatre is also set up to show simulation of a highmagnitude earthquake.
The station comprises the Disaster Prevention Building and Display Building.
The Disaster Prevention Building provides collective control for tsunami and tidal
surge protection facilities such as seawalls and gates, administered by the Nishi
Osaka Flood Control Office. The Display Building seeks to enhance awarenessof disaster prevention among Osaka residents.

This building is open to the

public to help people gain right knowledge of tidal surges that struck Osaka inthe past as well as the Tonankai/Nankai Earthquakes and tsunamis which are
anticipated to hit Osaka in the near future. The building also enables the visitors
to learn about how to react when an earthquake or tsunami occurs.
During the researcher’s visit, a short documentary film was shown as areminder that people need to look, learn and prepare. By “looking, listening

49

and touching,” people will learn and realize the importance of preparing fordisasters. The film conveys a powerful message that it is of vital importance thatpeople learned from past disasters and that natural disasters have a habit ofexceeding people’s predictions.

Learning from the past major disasteroccurrences in Japan particularly in Osaka also known as the City of Water
where many residents are living below sea level, it was emphasized that people
need to prepare for waterrelated

contingencies.

While

the station’s Director General,
Engr.

Koichiexplained

Yamamoto

intensivelythedifferent photos, replicas ofcenotaph as memories of thepast
Visit to Tsunami/Storm Surge Disaster Prevention
Station on September 12, 2016

disasters

as

well

the

structural and non-structuralcountermeasuresagainsttsunami/storm

surgesshowcased in the station, the researcher was impressed by how the institution
preserved and displayed aesthetically these items to educate people.
Osaka Prefecture is developing a collective management (remotemonitoring, control motorization, etc.) of tide gates and (iron) tide protection
gates for opening/shutting operations.

As a disaster prevention center inwestern Osaka for such a sophisticated development, the Tsunami/Storm Surge
Disaster Prevention Station seeks to further enhance public awareness oftsunami and tidal surge disasters. Considering countermeasures against
tsunamis due to Tonankai/Nankai Earthquake, the station systematicallymanages western Osaka’s flood control, disaster prevention and water
environment development.

The Observation and Operation Room of thebuilding is a central control room for tide gates and iron gates.

Duringemergencies, the room serves a flood prevention center for liaison with relevantorganizations.
The station features the different sections. One is the Osaka below Sea
Level Section which helps the audience realize the characteristics of Osaka
Prefecture, where some downtown areas lie below sea level, posing potential

50

tsunami, tidal surge and other water damage risks.

This model exhibition

section, with the floor regarded as sea level enables one to keenly realize that
Osaka is a city below sea level potential risks. Integrated use of film, sound andillumination stirs one’s imagination on what would happen when a typhoon hits
the city. Using a model of Osaka Prefecture, a film offers a visible explanationon the prefecture’s characteristics, where people and properties areconcentrated in coastal areas below sea level.
Another feature is Overcoming Disasters, Reliable Countermeasuresagainst Tidal Surges. The Tidal Surge Disaster Tunnel provides information on
Osaka’s three largest typhoons to date. Displayed in the tunnel are typhoon
pictures and news films, as well as a diorama of submerged city. The tunnel is asymbolic space allowing one to feel as if he/she is lost in a disaster area, stirring
up anxieties. The functions of Tidal Surge Protection facilities is also showcasedat the station. Tidal surge disasters due to large typhoons, such as the Muroto
Typhoon, Jane

TyphoonandSecondMurotoTyphoon, claimed

anddevastated the lives of many people. Based on the lessons from past disasters,
tidal surge protection facilities are now established along seashores, onriversides and in other areas below sea level, in order to prevent the areas frombeing submerged. As a symbol of facilities to protect people in Osaka fromtidal surge disasters, a real iron gate is set up inside the building, helping people
to learn about reliable countermeasures against tidal surges with an
explanation of the functions and mechanisms of various disaster protection
facilities. Using a movable model, explanation is also offered on an archedflood gate, which is rare in the world. Most of the gates are actually shut by
Flood Prevention Teams.

To deal with such emergencies, flood prevention

teams work very hard to protect community’s daily life.
Likewise, another enriching feature is showcased as Tsunami Dangers
Different from Tidal Surge Dangers. Tidal surges and tsunamis are quite different
in terms of how they occur, their cycles and characteristics. While it is possible
to predict in advance the occurrence of tidal surges, it is impossible to makedetailed predictions of tsunamis. Large tsunamis often strike disastrously whenpeople forget how terrifying previous disasters were. The Dynacube (Tsunami
Disaster Experience Theater) is where dynamic images are displayed seamlesslyon the front, right and left sides, even on the floor. The use of sound effects

51

generated by a floor vibro-acoustic speaker further make the audience feels as
if they are caught by a real tsunami. This facility helps the audience experience
the fear of tsunamis in an overwhelming, dynamic atmosphere. Preparation for
Tonankai/Nankai earthquakes:
feature of the station.

Tsunamis and Shakes is another remarkable

Tsunamis generated by the Tonankai/Nankai

Earthquakes are believed to hit Osaka coastal areas in the near future. Thissection provides information on recent research results, such as earthquake
and tsunami occurrence mechanisms and expected disaster scales and areas.
A wide variety of exhibits aerial photographs are displayed on the section floor
along with a 3-D hazard map, films, and panels depicting actual tsunami height.
The 3-D Hazard Map is a disaster prevention map created based on aerial
photographs. By touching the map monitor panel and choosing an area, theaudience can view a focused and enlarged image of the area with disasterprevention information for the area (such as evacuation sites and expectedsubmersion depths). In 2003, Osaka Prefecture conducted a tsunami simulationon the assumption that the largest-scale Nankai Earthquake would occur (alsoexamining tsunamis expected to hit coastal areas in terms of height, arrival timeand current speed.)

The tsunami heights indicated here are expected

maximum heights based on the assumption that earthquakes occur at hightide. (Earthquake Scale: M8.4; Epicenter: Shikoku – Wakayama Offshore)
Hence, the Tsunami/Storm Surge Disaster Prevention Station in Osaka is an
institution that helps to remind people the importance of preparedness inminimizing the casualties caused by disasters. It is also important for people torealize that the occurrence of these natural phenomena cannot be controled,
but the devastating effects through research and education can be minimized.

52

On the other hand, the following institutions are outstanding examples interms of educational/learning institutions.
•

Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI)The Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI) also known
as

the

Great

Hanshin-Awaji

Earthquake

Memorial was founded by Hyogo Prefecturein April 2002 with the support of the Japanese
government. It is located in Kobe City andbeing supervised by the Hyogo Earthquake
Memorial 21st Century Research Institute.
Hyogo co-manages the DRI in cooperation
with the national government as a base forsharing the experiences and lessons learned
from the earthquake.
The DRI aims at cultivating disaster prevention culture, mitigating social
vulnerability, and developing policies for disaster reduction by transferring
experiences of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and applying lessons
learned from the Earthquake for a better future, thereby contributing torealizing a safer and more secure civil society along with education regarding
the value of life and the preciousness of co-existing. Likewise, the DRI also aims
to be an international research and study hub, which contributes todisseminating information on effective measures for all types of disasters.

It

receives many visitors, both domestic and international. Along with its role ofan earthquake museum by collecting, preserving, and exhibiting earthquakerelated resources, DRI conducts practical research on DRR using its uniqueresearch and survey functions.

The institution trains DRR practitioners anddeploys specialists to disaster-affected areas both at home and abroad toprovide advice on disaster response activities.

DRI takes advantage of theexperiences and lessons learned from the earthquake in on-site disastermanagement and acts as an international hub for DRR activities.

53

The DR
RI establisshed the Museum Exhibits which fe
eatures ac
ctual
expe
eriences and lessons learned frrom the Grreat Hansh
hin Awaji Eaarthquake. This
is in collaborattion with disaster victtims themselves, loca
al citizens aand voluntteers.
The muse
eum is op
pen for thee rest
of

the

world

to
o

learn

from,
f

especiallly for the children who
are to crreate a sa
afer future. The
knowledg
ge gainedd from this is forthe childdren to coonsider in everyedecision they ma
ake so asa tocontributte in makking a ressilient
society.

Visit tot DRI on Aug
gust 30, 2016
6

Through this institu
ution,DRI motiv
vates citize
ens and viisitors

ake a since
ere interesst in, delibe
erate uponn, and undderstand the importa
ance
to ta
of disasterdreeduction, precious human life, and the valu
ue of mutual
dependence ofo people.
D adequDRI
uately understands th
he challen
nge for pub
blic entitiess based on
n the
expe
eriences ofo the Grea
at Hanshin
n-Awaji Earthquake asa well as on academic
research achie
evement. DRI cond
ducts Actioon Researc
ch on Disa
aster Reducction
and Developm
ment of Disaster Red
duction Prrofessionalss that con
ntributes to
o the
form
mulationaand

implementatio
onofdisasterdreeductionpoliciesandmannagement actions byb central and loca
al governm
ments, com
mmunities, andbusin
ness enterrprises.

Inn addition, DRI takees a lead role in p
promoting andresearch approachincreeasing thee value ofo such practicalphes within theacademic areena. Furthe
er, DRI prov
vides prac
ctical reseaarch for thee improvem
mentof disasterd
red
duction abbilities for a widesprread disaster reducttion aware
enesswithiin society,Amongg the reseaarch fieldss identified
d include: Governme
ental

disasster mana
agement, Emergenc
Ey evacuation meassures, Seco
ondary disastermea
asures, Log
gistics of material resource,r
Informatio
on measures, Volunnteer,
Infra
astructure, CareC
for anda
Local economy.
e
The DRI considers importantt areas for research while attempting to plantnext 30
3 years. The institu
ution takess into acc
count the present social
for thedem
mands alon
ng with itts overall mission sttatement.

This is ooften done
e byconttinuous and systema
atic updating of the organizatio
onal roadm
map everyy five54(5) years to reflect important areas for research and the research that should
be addressed.

Significant 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 thatspan wide areas, and building strategies for restoration and revitalization ofregional communities. The Institute has also established “improving Society’s
Ability to cope with Large-scale disasters” as the Institute’s core research theme
which is to be continued over a fixed term. “Special Research Projects” flexible
and mobile research themes established to dig deeper into the developmentof related areas of the “Important Areas of Research”. Groups or all full-time
researchers are involved in this project over fixed terms. In fostering full-time
researchers, the institution encourages candidates with a Masters or Doctors
degree as eligible for employment for 3-5 years as full-time researchers. Under
the direction of senior researchers, they are then able to work on practicaldisaster prevention research and participate in the various other businesses of
the center which is also a part of their training to become practical disasterprevention experts.
DRI works in association with local citizens and communities for thecontinuous Collection and Preservation of Source Documents and Materials. It
collects information on the Earthquake and disaster reduction, as well as in thedevelopment of its database.

This is primarily aimed to ensure that the

profound feelings of disaster victims and the lessons of the Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake do not fade from people’s memory.

DRI in turn displays anddisseminates this information in a manner which is a lot easier to understandespecially for ordinary citizens.
With respect to the provision of 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 toheadquarters managers, thereby contributing to mitigation of further damage
as well as in preparation for recovery and reconstruction.
The DRI also provides Training of Disaster Managers and Practitioners. It
conducts training of local government practitioners who play central roles in55disaster management. In these training programs, DRI share the experience of
the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. It has a systematic and comprehensive
program on practical knowledge and skills in disaster reduction with reference
to the latest research result.

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

There are two kinds of training programs being offered namely,

Intensive Course and International Training Course. Intensive Course is focusedon specific theme and central purpose. This is being conducted several times ayear and is specifically designed to improve the ability 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. There are four (4)types of courses being offered, namely Top Forum, Management Course, Basic,
Management Course, Expert, and Management Course, Advanced. The Top
Forum Course is specifically designed for governors and directors of local
governments. The heads of local governments discuss the required responses
for future major disasters and review how local government crisis management
ought to be based on the latest research results and information on national
disaster prevention measures. The Management Course, Basic is designed for
personnel of regional public entities responsible for disaster management withless experience.

This course provides systematic learning of basic disastercountermeasures and the like for each department focusing on disastermechanisms and the experiences of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. The
Management Course, Expert is designed specifically for personnel of regional
public entities responsible for disaster management. This course is conducted
through exercise and concrete examples of disaster reduction to strengthen
the capability to understand ways to cope with large scale disasters
comprehensively where various countermeasures should be taken.

The

Management Course, Advanced is designed for personnel of regional public
entities responsible for disaster management and who are expected tomaintain the effective management of their divisions. This course is aimed at
improving the ability of individuals to assist managers of regional public entities.
Based on the experiences and lessons learnt from the Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake, DRI hopes to teach courses about policy oriented decision-making

56

issues that may arise when future large-scale disasters strike.
DRI considers itself as an institution which functions as a cross-road ofgovernment practitioners, researchers, citizens and business enterprises withexperiences and interest in the Earthquake and disaster reduction. In its effort
on Exchange and Networking, DRI provides a venue for encounters of various
disciplines and people, as well as for domestic and international cooperation,
so as to promote diverse initiatives for mitigating social vulnerability.
International DRR organizations such as the united Nations Office for thecoordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United National International
Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), the International Recovery Platform(IRP), the Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC), the Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA) and other were invited by Hyogo to form theDisaster Reduction Alliance (DRA) to strengthen the relationships between
these organizations. Furthermore, Hyogo supported the establishment of the
Bursa Disaster Learning and Training Center, which is modeled after the DRI, in
the Bursa Province of Turkey. With these, the lessons that Hyogo learned fromthe earthquake and subsequent reconstruction activities are being widely
applied internationally (White Paper on Disaster Management in Japan 2015 –Summary).
•

Osaka City Abeno Life Safety Learning Center
The Osaka City Abeno Life Safety Learning Center is another remarkableeducational institution established by the City Government of Osaka.
the

1995

Great

Since

Hanshin-Awaji

earthquake and the 2011 Great EastJapan

earthquake,moreearthquakes have been predicted
for Kansai as well as the southeastand south seas.

This center helps

peopleagainstpreparenaturaldisasters such as earthquakes, urban flooding and severe rainstorms bysimulation.

57

The facility provides realistic experience of terrible shaking and destruction
as it recreates earthquakes with intense videos and shaking motion. People canalso learn and practice what to do after an earthquake, both indoors and on
the streets, including how to put out fires, evacuate, rescue others, and a seriesof other necessary disaster preparedness training activities.
The center provides two (2) training areas, namely:

Practical Disaster

Training Area and Safety Training and Practice Area.
The Practical Disaster Training Area has different corners as follows: 1)
Virtual Earthquake Corner provides an introduction to the Earthquake Disaster
Experience Zone wherein the earthquake information through a newscast is
shown in a clear big-screen video with full vibration realistically recreating amajor earthquake around a person; 2) Fire Prevention Corner is where visitors
are taught on what to do right after an earthquake since several things cancause fires; 3) Smoke Corner where visitors are taught on how to evacuate
properly when there is smoke; 4) Early Extinguishing Corner where visitors aretaught how to properly extinguish fire; 4) 119 Practice Call Corner provides
important instructions on how to call 119 and provide details in case of fire or
emergency situations; 5) Fire Extinguisher Corner where visitors can learn all thesteps involved in using a portable pump to put out fires; 6) Rescue Corner
where visitors are taught how to rescue using a jack if somebody is trapped
under a toppled furniture of a damaged house; 7) First Aid Corner where
someone can learn useful skills on basic bandaging to stop bleeding and set
broken bones in case someone needs first aid; 8) Hazards Corner is wherevisitors can learn how to avoid dangers of fallen sign, exposed gas pipes, andbroken electrical wires; 9) Learn to Media Deck wherea certificate ofcompletion is given to visitors after the experience; 10) Experience a Magnitude
7 Earthquake Simulator is a room equipped with technology to recreate an
actual earthquake as intense as the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake; 11)
Multimedia Learning Center provides the use of computers and graphic panels
to look up all sorts of information about earthquakes, fires, wind and flood
damage; 12) Multipurpose Safety Training Room is where many potential uses,
such as showing disaster-related films and holding lectures, orientations andfirst–aid training; 13) Life Safety Merchandise Shop is where emergency kits andtip-resistant furniture plating, various goods that might be needed someday are

58

available.
On the other hand, the Safety Training and Practice Area has three (3)designated rooms as follows: 1) General Training
Room where simulations can be held covering thenecessary actions during an emergency andwhere can realistically practice putting out fires
and leading evacuations; 2) Safety Training Roomprovides practical learning on the basics of fireand disaster prevention, and reducing damage
and preventing fires from spreading; 3) Life Safety
Equipment Room is where safety equipment of
every type is displayed to be used in actual
buildings. The visitors can learn about thesestructures and how to run them. Also, sprinklers and
Osaka

City

Abeno

Life

SafetyLearning Center on September 12,

other fire prevention systems are set up sothat visitors can easily understand how theywork.
The researcher who personally experienced the training was impressedwith such innovation not only because of its state of the art technology but
because it provides invaluable learning and practical skills to young and oldpeople alike on saving lives and property as well as minimizing damage during
an emergency and disaster. What made her more impressed is the fact that agroup of senior citizens, youth and children willingly participated andexperienced the various practical disaster training areas during the visit.
•

Inamura-no-Hi no Yakata Tsunami Educational Center, Hirogawa Town,
Wakayama
In order to enhance education on disaster prevention for children

Inamura-no-Hi no Yakata located in Hiro Hirogawa-cho Arida-gun, Wakayama
was established by the Association of Inamura-no-hi.

This consists of the

Hamaguchi Goryo Archives and the Tsunami Educational Center.

The

construction process commenced when Hamaguchi Fund was established in591988. The facility was opened in April 2007 where the virtues of the great local
pioneer of “Hamaguchi Goryo” and the danger of tsunamis could be handed
down for posterity and for visitors to also learn about the mechanism of andbest response to tsunamis. Inamura-no-Hi no Yakata is positioned as a central
base facility for the nationwide PR activities of Hirogawa-cho as the “town of
the fire of rice sheaves” in the future.
The history of Hirogawa-cho reveals the importance of fostering daily
preparation while handing down
the inspiration of Goryo Hamaguchi,a village headman who set fire
to inamura (rice sheaves) as a markto help villagers escape to a safe
place

when

a

caused

by

the

huge

tsunamiAnsei-Nankai

Eathquake hit Hiro-mura in the Kishu
Domain (presently Hirogawa-cho, Wakayama) on November 5, 1854.
The Tsunami Educational Center provides learning on how to protect lives
and livelihoods from any future tsunami disasters on the basis of Hamaguchi
Goryo’s spirit of disaster prevention and the respect for human life shown in “thefire of rice sheaves”.
The center has different facilities as follows: 1) Disaster Simulation Roomwhere the three piece of wisdom, namely “emergency action”, “recovery”
and “prevention” provides information to protect lives from tsunami. Several
senryu (witty poems) on disaster prevention, explanatory graphic, simulation
videos

and

the

game

are

displayedtoprovideimportant

information/knowledge on disaster preparedness; 2) 3D Tsunami Video Theater
where a short film is shown to provide the viewers the information on thedanger of earthquake and tsunami. 3) Tsunami Simulation is set up to show the
propagation mechanism of tsunamis with the 16-meter long tank used fortsunami experiments; 4) “The Fire of Inamura” Gallery where the history oftsunami disaster prevention in Hirogawa-cho is displayed. Goryo’s “fire of rice
sheaves” as a model of emergency action, recovery and prevention, the basisof modern disaster prevention can be found in this area; 5) Path of Inheritance60shows how people inherited the spirit of tsunami disaster prevention using thehistory of repeated tsunami attacks on Hirogawa-cho from the Keicho
earthquake in 1605 up to the present;

6) Tsunami Library is the corner forstudying earthquake-tsunamis and learning about evacuation from a tsunami
with the tsunami evacuation simulation and 3D hazard map; 7) Special
Exhibition Gallery where special exhibitions such as event-related displays,
research presentations and up-to-date information are displayed. This roomand the guidance room serve as temporary shelters in times of disaster; 8)
Guidance Room where a guidance video is shown prior to the tour. The room
can be used as a site for lectures and events. It also functions as a temporary
shelter and stockpiling site in times of disaster.
In 2011, the year of the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tsunami
Preparedness Day was enacted based on law, and training exercises andeducation initiatives were launched throughout the country in order to raise
public interest and understanding of tsunami countermeasures. Furthermore,
the United Nations General Assembly established November 5 as the World
Tsunami Awareness Day in December 2015. It is emphasized that early warning
systems can save lives. Community and individual understanding about how
and where to evacuate before a wave strikes are equally important.
•

Emergency And Rescue Team by School Staff in Hyogo (EARTH)
The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake was the turning point in the history ofschool disaster education and school disaster management in Japan. Many
good practices on school disaster education have been developed. Shiwaku
et.al (2016) cited the Emergency And Rescue Team by school staff in Hyogo(EARTH), which is the system led by Hyogo Prefecture Government in order topromote school disaster education and improve school disaster management
through training professional teachers and staff. EARTH is a knowledge sharing

platform to enhance disaster preparedness in Hyogo. According to Ito (2002),
the establishment EARTH aims to make the best use of Hyogo’s experience andto reciprocate the vast amount of assistance it received from other prefecturesduring the earthquake. It is also an organization with the purpose of supporting
education recovery in disaster-stricken areas. With this, it is recognized thatefforts by local government contributed to enhancing school disaster education

61

and disaster maanagemennt.
ard of Educcation established thee EARTH in ordero
In April 1, 2000, the Hyogo Boa
ducation Bo
oard of Hy
yogo Prefecture
to promote school disastter management (Ed6). EARTH consistscof fivef(5) grooups, nameely: Schooll Educationn, Psycholo
ogical2006
Caree, Evacuatiion Place ManagemeMent, Schooll Meals, and Researchh and Plan
nning.
The members ofo four groups other thantresearch and planning gro
oup are traainedchers. As ofo 2011, thee team is comprisedcof 150 schhool personnel and other
o
teac

mem
mbers.
There aree three (3) principles of disaste
er educatioon adopte
ed by EARTTH asemp
phasized on the lectu
ure presen
ntation by Dr. Michiko Banba, Education andReseearch Cennter, Unive
ersity of Hyogo atte
ended by the resea
archer.

These
T

princ
ciples are:: 1) Know
wledge about mechhanism of hazard and disasteer; 2)
Disaster reducttion action
ns and eva
acuation after the oc
ccurrence of hazard;; and3) Fooundationss of Wellbe
eing and syymbiosis.

Basedd on the EARTH Handbook, thereta four (4) pillars of disaster eareeducation. Oneo these isof
i the fouundations of well-b
being
w
which
inclu
ude respe
ect for live
es, compa
assionfoor people and volunteerism. Another is theuunderstandding of na
atural and social factorsbboth
the natural phenomenpna and socialpphenomen
na.

The
e

third

pillaristheddevelopme
ent of syste
ems for disa
aster reduction
w
which
focu
uses on thee regional characterristics
o disaster and systeofem develo
opment. Lastly,
the prepa
aration annd reactio
on to redduceddisasterem
mphasizes disasterd
red
duction ac
ctions.

Memberss of EARTH
H have pro
ovided suppport to th
he school shelters in
n the
area
a damage
ed by the eruption ofo Mount Usu
U in Hokk
kaido andd psychologicalcare
e for the chhildren in thetquake--stricken sc
chools in westernw
Totttori Prefec
cture.

62

They have also participated in seminars for school faculty and local disasterprevention drills to share what they have learned from the Earthquake. Likewise,in response to a request from Miyagi Prefecture Board of Education in theaftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, EARTH
members were sent three times between March and April and between Julythrough August. The first group worked to support for schools that have beenused as shelters in the town of Minamisanriku, five (5) days after the earthquake
occurred. During that period, EARTH generated a checklist of necessary tasks
for the resumption of school following the earthquake in cooperation with the
Miyagi Prefecture Board of Education.

EARTH members including school

counselors sought to provide training about the mental health care of children
for

local

schoolpersonnel

who

were

preparingtoresumeschool.

The EARTH members were presented various questions/challenges, such as
helping to determine the trade-off between efforts to resume school andcontinuing support in operating the shelters, the best way to conduct delayed
graduation ceremonies, the best way to interact verbally with children and theway to carryout future evacuation drills. The members shared what theyexperienced and learned through the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake, andprovided EARTH handbooks and mental health care materials. The teachers ofschools being used as shelters were also evacuees themselves; however they
focused on shelter operations and preparing for the resumption of school. The
Hyogo Prefecture of Board of Education will continue their support activities,
responding to requests from the damaged area their highest priority.
•

Health Care Institutions
In terms of health care institutions, one commendable example is theestablishment of Hyogo Institute for Traumatic Stress (HITS).
HITS was opened on April 1, 2004 in order to address mental health issuesof trauma survivors and those who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD), a type of mental illness that was not yet well known to the public before.
Since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995, Hyogo Prefecture has been
paying special attention to issues faced by victims of disasters and crimes. This
3-storey building with a construction cost of 1.8 billion yen funded by thenational government and operated by the Hyogo Prefectural Government, is63

the first research institute
everestablished

Japan

which

focusesprimarilyontraumatic

stress and PTSD.

in

The

institutehasmulti-

functionsuchasresearch,training,

andconsultation/counseling.

Figure 9: Organizational Structure of HITS
HITS multi-functioned facility includes the following:
1) Research Department. Both psychiatrists and clinical psychologists
conduct practical research on mental health. There are four (4) Divisions,
namely: Division 1 focuses on Research on trauma and PTSD amonggroups of survivors who experienced disasters and traumatic incidents;
Division 2 is the Research on trauma and PTSD among groups of survivors
who experienced one-time traumatic incidents; Division 3 is concernedon Research on trauma and PTSD among individuals who experienced
repetitive traumatic incidents; and Division 4 is focused on Research on
prevention of stress-induced mental disorders.

642) Clinic & Counseling. This facility offers specialized counseling for mental
health, and also operates a treatment clinic. In Counseling, PsychiatricSocial Workers and Clinical Psychologists are on staff to listen to patients.
The counseling office works closely with the clinic, and coordinates withmedical and other related institutions in the region according tonecessity.

In 2015, the facility recorded a total of 1,445 persons who

sought for counseling.

Likewise, in Clinic, Clinical Psychologists areavailable to see those who need psychological counseling. Psychiatrists
will provide consultation, and run tests when necessary.

The clinic

conducts treatment such as psychological therapy and drug therapy
once an appropriate treatment method has been determined.

The

facility recorded a total of 2,746 cases based on the latest data.
3) Liaison & Networking. Liaison with other organizations involved in mental
health in order to create a broad network. The activities include holdingof research promotion conference, holding of training coordination
meetings and setting up community support activities. With regards tocommunity support efforts, in the event of disasters and accidents
requiring urgent and intensive intervention, HITS will provide appropriate
advice and guidance on trauma and PTSD, and will dispatch a support
team when deemed necessary.
4) Training and Lectures. Training seminars for individuals active in the fieldof health, medicine, and social welfare are conducted. Basic Training
seminars are designed to deepen knowledge and understanding of
mental health issues, while Specialty Training focuses on specific areas
treatment methods.

65

Figure 10: Schematic diagram of Mental Health Training of HITS
According to Mr. Hirata, In-charge of Training and Lectures HITS
became well-known all over Japan since this facility has been offering
training programs on mental health. In 2015, there were fourteen (14)training courses conducted to a total of 632 participants.
5) Information on Traumatic Stress. HITS collects the latest information on
traumatic stress both domestically and internationally and disseminates
this information along with its own research results to the public. Other
activities include holding of symposia, exhibiting panels on traumaticstress, webpage operation and publishing brochures, pamphlets, andothers.
•Community/Volunteer Organizations
In terms of community/volunteer organizations, an excellent example is theDisaster-Safe Welfare Communities or “BOKOMI”.
BOKOMI is Kobe City’s Community-based voluntary organizations fordisaster risk reduction “Disaster-Safe Welfare Communities which also an
abbreviation

of

its

Japaneseterm“Bosai

Fukushi

Komyunithi”.

Theestablishment of Bokomi was promoted from the lessons learned from the 1995

66

Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. According to the Bokomi Guidebook, modelorganizations were established in 11 districts in the city starting from 1995. The
total number of municipal elementary schools is 191. The number of BOKOMI
steadily increased and reached 100 % coverage in 2008.
BOKOMI is established in every municipal elementary school district by theresidents. The reason why BOKOMI is based on all elementary school districts isthat there is an existing “Welfare Community” organization established forwelfare purposes in 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) in Japan.

This is another reason why BOKOMI isestablished in each elementary school district so that each BOKOMI can
operate their evacuation site in case of an emergency.
The process of establishing BOKOMI in a district is based on multistakeholder consultation in the district. Firstly, the establishment of a BOKOMI isdiscussed and agreed by local government organizations, including the local
city office (ward office) and local fire station, together with leaders of local
residents’ associations, women’s association, elderly associations, volunteer fire
corps, PTAs and other local stakeholders. Once the establishment of BOKOMI isdecided on, the equipment and materials needed for the activities are
distributed from local government (Kobe City) and storehouses are installed inlocal parks, in preparation for emergencies.
BOKOMI is a community-based organization comprised of local residents’associations, women’s associations, elderly associations, child committee
member, youth associations, PTA, local fire station, and local business entities. In
order to sustain activities of BOKOMIs, the Kobe City Government provides
various support measures like small funding, materials for community activities,
rescue tools, training by fire professionals, etc.
During normal times, each BOKOMI conducts various emergency drill
programs including how to use the provided equipment and materials, as partof the activities in preparation for major disasters. Shaw (2014) cited that themain activities by BOKOMIs have two perspectives: disaster prevention and risk

67

reduction activities and welfare related activities. These activities are combined
and carried out together. Disaster-prevention and risk reduction activities by
BOKOMI include Disaster drills and training, DRR education program withschools, BOKOMI junior team (fostering children’s teams to lead and work on
DRR activities), Public awareness event, First-aid seminar, checking emergency
materials and equipment, Town watching and preparation of community
safety map, risk reduction activities with rescue workers and fire fighters(identification evacuation root, removal of object blocking these roots, fixing
furniture etc.)
To enable the utilization of people’s networks in case of emergency,
BOKOMI also conduct welfare activities (such as keeping in touch with andholding lunch gatherings for the elderly who live alone) as an effort to coverboth community welfare activities and community disaster risk reduction
activities. Shaw (2014) also cited that combining with welfare activity include
regular communication within communities to form their unity, so that they cantake action, when emergency/disaster happens, considering needs ofvulnerable groups such as elderly and disabled people, as well as learning how
to support the people with special needs during disasters (elderly people andhandicapped people).
Figure 11 shows the characteristic feature of the community-based
disaster prevention organizations in Kobe City which were established based on
the lessons learned from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.

68

Figure 11: Characteristic Feature of the Community-based voluntaryorganizations for disaster risk reduction
According to the Kobe Mayor Tatsuo Yada in the book entitled,“Comprehensive

Strategy

for

Recovery

from

the

Great

Hanshin-Awaji

Earthquake” (March 2010), BOKOMI also plays an important role in passing on
the experiences of the earthquake disaster to the next generation. In this sense,
BOKOMI’s active involvement in disaster education helps develop disastereducation programs that make an impression on those children who will one
day be responsible for the future of Kobe.
In chapter five of the Kobe City Disaster Management Plan entitled“Awareness-raising and Human Resources Cultivation on Development of Safeand Secure Communities,” enhancement of local capabilities for disaster
reduction through activities such as ones led by BOKOMI is advocated.
Accordingly, BOKOMI is promoted in cooperation with parents and local
communities. Various disaster drills such as fire drills, evacuation drills, soup-run
drills, and handover drills are conducted jointly with parents and local BOKOMI
at many elementary and junior-high schools. With regards to the method of the

69

drills, more and more schools conduct drills for emergency response without
notifying the participants in advance.
The researcher who personally witnessed and participated in the Bosai
Tsunagari Fiesta at Kobe Gakuin University held on August 28, 2016 believes that
“Bokomi” is a commendable
practice in Japan because
thepeoplethemselves

especially school children,
teachers, parents, etc. aregiven the right training suchas fire suppression, basic life
support,evacuation,andBosai Tsunagari Fiesta at Kobe Gakuin University onother skills, as well as the use ofAugust 28, 2016

equipment and other materials

to respond immediately to disasters that might occur in their community.
The city government also has created a training course on communitybased disaster management jointly with JICA Hyogo as a means of conveying
its knowledge overseas and accepts participants from foreign countries tointroduce BOKOMI and other efforts in Kobe. The city government will continue
this activity, expecting that the training will contribute to disaster reduction inother countries.
If another large-scale earthquake may hit Kobe in the future, the city
government has high hopes that children who received disaster education led
by BOKOMI will become disaster-reduction leaders in the next 10 to 20 years.

70

Government Institutions
In Caraga Region, there are good examples of DM-related social
institution in terms of government institutions. These include the following:•

Provincial DRRM Council/Office of Province of Dinagat Islands
The Province of Dinagat Islands (PDI) located along eastern seaboard of

the Philippine archipelago facing the Pacific Ocean is the 81st province of thePhilippines by virtue of Republic Act 9355 last October 2, 2006 and one of thefive (5) provinces of Caraga Region. The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement Council (PDRRMC) through its Provincial DRRM Office focuses its
efforts in disaster resilience from governance, administration, leadership from
top to bottom, and community-based Disaster Risk Reduction-Climate Change
Adaptation.
PDRRMC Dinagat Islands is consistent in sustaining DRRM programs, projects
and activities making it excellent beyond the standard. To highlight its initiatives
in the aspect of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, the Sangguniang
Panlalawigan adopted and passed an Ordinance for Public Safety Measuresfor Public Road in the Territorial Jurisdiction of Dinagat Islands and Providing
Penalties for Violation Thereof. Likewise, PDRRMC initiated a Response Sectoral
Conference with Maritime Industry Authority and Boat Operators in the Province
to ensure safe and sound maritime commerce anchored to protecting the lives
of seafarers and tourists while preserving the maritime environment in theprovince, thereby crafted the Local Maritime Safety Protocol passed through a
Sangguniang Panlalawigan Ordinance No. BBE-101. Furthermore, information
awareness was conducted by the PDRRMC Team for the Management ofCommunities Subject for Resettlement composed of Provincial Social Welfare
and Development, Provincial Veterinary, Provincial Agriculture, Provincial Labor
Employment and Management, Provincial Cooperative and Development,
TESDA, DTI and DSWD.

Relocation Livelihood Project was also provided tomigrants and affected families of past disasters like Super Typhoon Yolanda andTropical Depression Agaton. Also, the PDRRMC in its continuing strong support
to the National Greening Program of the government recently launched its
Verde Dinagat Highway Project and Luntiang Paaralan, a component of Verde

71

Dinagat Program of PENRO-LGU. Around 325,037 industrial and indigenous tree
seedlings are cultured at the PENRO-LGU Plant Nursery. To date PDI
stakeholders have planted and grown up 231,694 seedlings in various areas.
Another innovation of the Province is the launching of TAMING Dinagatnon
Project that will lead to household DRR-CCA identification and resiliency
profiling while gaining communities commitment towards DRRM-CCA. TAMING
stands for Tahanang Alisto Malayo sa Insedente’t Namumuhay na may Galing.
This is a PDRRMC program for sustainable and inclusive DRRM mechanisms.
One of the mechanisms of the project is an hour TAMING Dinagatnon Radio
Program every Mondays and Wednesdays at 100.9 DXDI Mystical FM.
In the aspect of Disaster Preparedness, the PDRRMC has adopted Local
Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP). Also, the PDRRMC conceptualized a
new dynamics in the implementation of Gawad KALASAG Search for DRRM
Excellence and Humanitarian Assistance in the province through the provisionof Gawad KALASAG DRRM Excellence Seal. It is aimed at assessing the level ofcapacity of the Local Government Units and other DRRM stakeholders
encouraging them to be more innovative and result-oriented based on thecriteria and standard set by the PDRRMC. There are three (3) different seals as
follows: 1) Bronze Marker for ratings ranging from 85% to 90%; 2) Silver Marker for
ratings ranging above 90% to 95%; 3) Gold Marker for ratings ranging above
95% to 100%.

The province through its Dinagat Islands Search and Rescue(DISAR) Pool of Instructors continues to cascade various response skills at thecommunity level. To professionalize competencies of trained responders andvolunteers as basis in categorizing level of capacities towards local and evenoverseas employment, a resolution was endorsed requesting the Technical Skills
and Development Authority (TESDA) National Board through the RDRRMC andRegional Development Council to Initiate effort for the creation/opening of
National Competency II for Emergency Response Skills Competencies. Further,through the Office of the Civil Defense and Philippine Air Force – 505th Searchand Rescue Squadron, a 15-day Water Search and Rescue Training was
conducted to DISAR. DISAR’s membership has increased over the past eight (8)years. Thus, the PDRRMO initiated to categorize its response skill competency
as DISAR Specialized Team. Specialized Team includes DISAR Basic SAR Unit,
DISAR Medical First Response Unit, DISAR Scuba Unit and DISAR Water SAR Unit.
Likewise, since 2012, Annual Rescue Summit is done to highlight the DISAR

72

Anniversary.

The Incident Command System (ICS) was applied to the 2015

Rescue Summit and Response Exercises. This activity involved the National Line
Response Agencies in the Simulation of Response from different scenarios. The
four components of Operation LISTO of the Department of Interior and Local
Government (DILG) were launched in the province in 2015.

The sharing oflearning agenda on Operation LISTO during the Local Government Agency(LGA) Learning Conferences and the sharing in the Galing Pook 2015 have
paved the way for LGA’s intervention on the Community-Based DRRM activities
such as tsunami drill in the different municipalities of the province.

PDI is thepilot province of the Alert Ready Communities Project of DILG-LGA-Save theChildren Philippines and International Humanitarian Academy. ARC is a qualitydriven project for inclusive CBDRRM. Also, the Provincial Mental Health andPsychosocial Support Services Team (PMHPSST) was capacitated on Expressive
Arts in Psychosocial Processing (an advance psychosocial support) skill. The
Province of Dinagat Islands is the first province in the Caraga Region withorganized Municipal MHPSSTs. Another capacity development of province isthe provision of proper camp management and trained camp managers. The
province is the first in Caraga to organize Barangay-based Camp Coordinators
and Camp Managers.
In the aspect of Disaster Response, PDRRMC Operations Center provides
24/7 Monitoring and Response Operations to various emergencies and threats.
The PDRRMC applied the ICS during Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in November
2013 resulting to zero casualty. PDRRMC extended financial and humanitarian
aid as well as voluntary response services to the Province of Northern Samardevastated by Typhoon Nona to augment the recovery effort to the affectedschools, and to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Tandag City, Provinceof Surigao del Sur through its PMHPSST.
Finally, in the aspect of Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery, theimmediate restoration of the horizontal infrastructure damaged by intermittent
heavy rain through build-back-better principle was addressed by the
Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

73•

Municipal DRRM Council/Office of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur
The MDRRMC of HInatuan in Surigao del Sur is banking on planning andpolitical will to keep its constituents safe during extreme weather events. The
MDRRM Office was established in 2011 as mandated by Republic Act 10121.
The

42,000-hectare

municipality

facingthePacific

Ocean

in

the

southeastern part of the country is composed of 24 barangays, withapproximately 40,000 residents. Agriculture and fishery are the primary sourcesof livelihood in the municipality whose name comes from “hato,” a pre-colonial
practice of fish preservation. It is exposed to natural hazards such as storm
surges, tsunamis, floods, landslides, earthquakes, and liquefaction.
When Tropical Storm Sendong (Washi) struck the municipality in 2011, atleast P56 million worth of property, agriculture, and infrastructure was damaged.
Preemptive evacuation was done incorrectly. The barangay disaster risk
reduction and management offices were not functional. The residents did notknow how to react. The relief distribution was chaotic.

However, the local

government took Sendong as its teacher. Since then, every tropical cyclonethat visited the municipality served as lessons that spurred the government todevelop more effective ways to prepare for disasters.

The MDRRMC had

institutionalized a number of good practices on DRRM that contributed to azero-casualty when Typhoon Pablo struck in 2012. With this, MDRRMC Hinatuan
was the 2015 national winner of the NDRRMC’s Gawad KALASAG Search for
Excellence in DRRM and Humanitarian Assistance which recognizes outstanding
accomplishment of Local DRRMCs and other stakeholders.
In 2012, the MDRRMC through its MDRRMO launched a competition torecognize the most compliant, disaster-resilient barangay. The barangays are
judged according to two (2) categories which include documents and drills.
Under the documents category, each barangay should have the following: aspot map and hazard map that would enable officials to identify areas at risk
from certain natural hazards, signage of evacuation routes to the evacuation
areas; and data banking specifically list of members of family to include thechildren, senior citizens, or pregnant women. Such lists are usually requested by
non-governmental organizations in conducting relief operations.

74

Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) are forged between the local
government and stakeholders such as the following: 1) transport groups foravailability of private vehicles for the government’s use in times of emergency;
2) business groups allowing the government to have an inventory of goods andprevent

priceincreases

duringdisasters;3)

homeowners

groupsforaccreditation of structurally sound houses as inspected by building officials to
be used as evacuation centers during typhoons; and 4) chainsaw operatorsand chainsaw owners to facilitate clearing of roads after disasters.
Under the drills category, each barangay had to do an earthquake drill, afire drill, and a third drill depending on the type of hazard the barangay is
exposed to. Likewise, firefighter volunteers were trained.
When Typhoon Pablo struck the municipality, the municipality was able toproperly conduct preemptive evacuation. The barangay DRRM offices werefunctional and were the first to serve food to the evacuees. All groups coveredby the MOA provided support in disaster response. Although the damage was
pegged at Php 39 Million, there was no casualty. Further, when Super Typhoon
Yolanda hit the Philippines in 2013, although Hinatuan was not in its path, being
aware of its impact on other areas, the MDRRM officials realized the urgency to
do more.
Such scenario prompted the Hinatuan MDRRM to come up with a Family
Disaster Plan. As emphasized by the MDRRM Office, the family has to work
together as a team. Their knowledge on what to do is their best protection andprimary responsibility. The government cannot do everything except to provide
guidance. The family disaster plan, written in the local dialect, contains
information such as the name of head of family and their address, names of therest of the family members and their contact details, the children’s educational
level, and the places they frequently visit. Each family member is assigned
specific tasks such as preparing for a medical kit, updating of information in theplan, among others. Livestock was also taken into consideration. The family
disaster plan also contains relatives whom they can contact outside the town,
province and region. The plan also acquaints residents with the hotlines they
can call.
The MDRRMO also conducts orientations and coordination efforts toschools regarding the identified safe area where the school can take their75

students during
g a specific disasterr. It is work
king closely with thee schools in
n the
prep
paration off their disaster plans since thesee are usua
ally utilized as evacua
ation
centters.
Every timme storm siignal no. 1 is raised, the mun
nicipality hhas a standard
operating pro
ocedure whichw
inclu
udes the evacuatio
on of resid
dents from
m the
Hina
atuan’s islaand. As soo
on as a low-pressure
e area is fo
orecasted, the MDR
RRMC
immediately convenes fo
or a meetinng.
The goveernment ha
as installed early warn
ning devic
ces, plante
ed 695 hectaresof heealthy mangrove forests mana
aged by variousv
peo
ople’s orga
anizations, andinsta
alled solar bulbsbin un
nventilatedd residentia
al houses too conserve
e energy. It hasa soolid waste managem
ment program, and placespa hugehchun
nk of its budget
into disaster prreparedne
ess. Accord
ding to thee Municipal Mayor Ca
andelario Viola,
he wouldw
ratther spend
d millions of pesoss for prev
vention, mmitigation, andprepparedness to ensuree the safety and prrogress of his peoplle, rather thanspen
nd it for sea
arch and rescue.

Educcational/Le
earning Insstitutions
I
In
Caraga Regionn, as of this reseearch, theere is ye
et no exxistingeduccational/leearning in
nstitution solelysdeddicated too DRRM that is beingbesta
ablished an
nd operate
ed by the local
goovernment unlike Jap
pan. However,thee Departm
ment of Ed
ducation isssued
Deepartment Order 37,, s. 2015 dated
Au
ugust

12,

2015

Co
omprehenssive

rregarding

DRR
RM

Education Framework
F
k.

in

the
Basic

This isi toguuide DRRM
M efforts in the basicbedducation se
ector towa
ards resilie
encebuilding in offfices and sschools, an
nd toensurethatt

qualityeducatiooniscoontinuously provided and prioriitized
even

durin
ng

disasters

an
nd/or

em
mergenciess.

This Frramework shallinsttitutionalize
e

DRRM
M

structtures,

76

systems, protocols and practices in DepEd offices and schools. Further, this shallprovide common understanding and language in the implementation of DRRM
in basic education at all levels. DepEd has created the Comprehensive DRRM
in Basic Education Framework, which underscores the following three pillars or
areas of focus: 1) Safe Learning Facilities; 2) School Disaster Management; and
3) DRR in Education.
According to Assistant Secretary Reynaldo D. Laguda as he addressed
participants of the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in thecity of Sendai, Japan on March 14, 2015 that the Philippines, through theDepEd recognizes that schools are at the heart of Filipino communities,
therefore the agency commit to keep its schools safe. DepEd now uses
Comprehensive Framework for DRRM in Basic Education to guide schoolbased DRRM planning and preparation. It was also stressed that education
helps achieve DRR outcomes and conversely, DRR helps achieve its education
outcomes of access, quality and governance.

Partnerships with different

stakeholders are crucial in achieving the common goal of safer schools andresilient communities.
Recognizing the need for inclusivity and noting the importance ofcommunity-led efforts at building resilience, DepEd stressed the need toengage with host communities in ensuring the success of projects.
Infrastructure alone does not guarantee strength or safety.
The School Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Manual has
been developed by the DepEd to serve as a common template for localization,
contextualization, and adaptation at the sub-national context. It is expectedthat the content will be reviewed by education and disaster management
authorities, and education sector partners working on disaster and risk
reduction and who have adapted policy and practices for the school
environment.

This manual provides guidance to division coordinators andschools in the implementation of the Comprehensive DRRM in Basic Education
Framework.

77

To enable focused, effective and strategic implementation, DepEd has
established the office of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service(DRRMS), with regular full time staff in its central, regional and division offices.
The division offices are responsible for ensuring that schools have a functioning
disaster management team.
The School DRRM Team has core functions as it facilitates the harmonizationof various efforts of DRRM in Education, externally and internally. The Teamshould ensure the following:

the engagement of various DepEd offices,

relevant government agencies, and education partners in building resilienceand coordination among stakeholders; the availability of validated education
information and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) results which would expand
the analysis on various vulnerabilities of DepEd schools, personnel and students
and how DepEd programmatically responds to DRRM issues and concerns; andweather advisories and emergency updates are communicated to and fromfield offices and that immediate and appropriate feedback is provided. This
Monitoring and Evaluation (M & E) also tracks the actions taken, support
services provided to affected areas and interventions from other government
agencies and education partners.
Furthermore, the School DRRM Team also focuses on systems, standards,
and processes that should be established to improve the implementation of
DRRM in Education and ensure education in emergency interventions areappropriately implemented (e.g. psycho-social support, temporary learningspaces, ensuring protected and safe spaces for children, reunification).
Likewise, it ensures the availability of resources and/or interventions to support
affected areas and establish the mechanism to guide education partners inchanneling their assistance during disaster response and recovery.
The researcher would like to cite the Agusan National High School DRRM
Committee in Butuan City that is dedicated in the implementation of DRRM
Program in School.

The school established its DRRM Office and Operations

Center, and designated a School DRRM Coordinator. It has been providing
capacity-building activities to its students, faculty and staff to be better
equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills along with DRRM. It has
been consistently earning national and regional recognition during the Annual

78

Gawad KALASAG Search for Excellence in DRRM and Humanitarian Assistancefor Public School Category as well as for Heroic Act on Humanitarian AssistanceGroup Category due to its invaluable acts of service in Camp Coordination inCamp Management during disasters. The school has been used as evacuation
facility of flood victims in urban barangays almost every year.
Likewise, for higher education, the Caraga State University organized its
DRRM Unit.

Apart from the conduct of yearly fire and earthquake drills,

capability development activities on DRRM are initiated by the University’s
DRRM Focal Officer.

Recently, the 5-day DRRM seminar training has beenrolled-out/cascaded with its Campus Emergency Management Group. Since
the establishment of the unit, it has spearheaded several trainings on BasicBandaging, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Basic Life Support (BLS).
The university organized a response team among its National Service Training
Program (NSTP) students. Furthermore, a research program on DRRM is also led
by the Focal Officer and research projects are done by the students along
disaster preparedness of flood vulnerable households.
Saving lives and properties is a challenge accepted by all stakeholders inprivate and governmental entities. As such, aside from the business of providing
basic education, the DepED is responsible for providing safe teaching-learningfacilities and hazard-free environment to the schoolchildren.
According to Vanessa J. Tobin, Representative of the United Nations
Children’s Fund Philippines Country Office, schools, however, should not onlyoffer safety after a disaster has struck. School should also be ready even before
any disaster strikes. Teachers, school officials, and school children should learn
basic life-saving tips. Schools should be a beacon of safety, and should be an
example to the communities which they serve.
b.3 Health Care Institutions
In the case of Caraga Region, the Health Emergency Management Staff(HEMS) under the Department of Health (DOH) of Caraga is cited as an
example. HEMS as the health emergency management arm of the DOH had a79

long history of institutionalization. Executive Order 102 of 1999 marked thecreation of HEMS with its mission to ensure a comprehensive and integrated
Health Sector Management System to prevent or minimize the loss of lives
during emergencies and disasters in collaboration with government, businessand civil society groups.
Thefunctions

of

HEMS

are

as

follows: 1) Act as the DOH coordinating
unit and Operations Center for all healthemergencies and disasters, as well as
incidents with the potential of becominganemergency,

andcoordinate

themobilization and sharing of resources; 2)Providethecommunication

linkageamong DOH Regional Offices and otherconcerned
hospitals

agencies,
andtheincludingregions,theduringemergencies and disasters; 3) Maintain
updatedinformation

emergencies

and

of

all

disasters

health(except

epidemiological investigation reports) andprovide such information to other offices and agencies in accordance withexisting protocols; 4) Maintain a database of all health emergency personnel,
technical experts, and resource speakers, and maintains a database ofcapabilities of health facilities; 5) Lead in the development of Regional Health
Emergency Preparedness and Response Plans, and the development ofprotocols, guidelines and standards for health emergency management; 6)Provide technical assistance in the development of programs and planning
activities for HEM for other government and nongovernment organizations; 7)
Lead advocacy activities, including simulation exercises; 8) Develop andimplement an Integrated Human Resource Training Agenda for the Health
Sector for emergencies and disasters; 9) Lead in the networking of hospitals andhealth sector organizations responding to emergencies and disasters; and 10)
Monitor and evaluate the enforcement of and compliance to policies, andrecommend the formulation or amendment of policies related to healthemergency management.

80

Since HEMS operates on a 24-hour basis, the facility closely coordinateswith the OCD Regional Office and RDRRM Operations Center, and concerned
agencies of the health sector such as PAGASA, Philippine Institute ofVolcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS); Department of Social Welfare andDevelopment (DSWD), Philippine Red Cross (PRC) among others.
HEMS has been providing services on Health, Water, Sanitation andHygiene (WASH), Nutrition, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS),
Medical Consultation & Rapid Assessment in and outside the region during the
emergencies/disasters.

These include the Zamboanga Siege in September

2013, Earthquake in Central Visayas (Bohol) Earthquake in October 2013, Super
Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013 in Region 8, Maritime Incident involving MV
Maharlika in 2014, and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)/Mass Evacuation in
Tandag due to arm conflict in 2015.
b.4 Community/Volunteer Organizations
In Caraga, a good example of volunteer organization is the Rescue andEmergency Service Provider On Disaster (RESPOND), Incorporated. RESPOND,
Inc. is identified as the only active and sustaining community volunteer group in
Caraga in the line of DRRM and CCA programs. It was founded on August 16, 2003
which aims to help the community to be prepared and resilient by providing
disaster risk reduction and response services as well as humanitarian assistance. It
started among friends and called “Respond 366”catering local rescue in Nasipit &adjacent zones.

The organization operates 24/7assiting road emergency andnatural and human-induced disasters in cooperation with Philippine Red Cross,
Local Government Units, local hospitals, concerned national government agencies
and significant authorities like Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Philippine National
Police (PNP) and Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB) Caraga.
RESPOND, Inc. has increased the number of its members which was opened
to other professionals, youth and various workers in the government and privateorganizations. Since its existence, it continues to enhance and increase related
skills of members which are shared to other groups and offices as to demands.
Regular community services and activities like medical missions, environmental or

81

ecology protection, support to local events, health information drive, school-based
endeavours, and trainings have been institutionalized by the group. It have been
actively involved and engaged training of trainers and policy making especiallywith Local Government Units and National Government Agencies in and outside
the area of responsibility. Building partnership and networking has become theasset of the organization which provided opportunities for other members to be
hired and employed in DRRM related agencies.
The organization’s operational objectives are as follows: 1) Increase awarenessof the community on disaster & emergency preparedness & response through local
schools, youth organizations and key sectors; 2) Substantial services and assistanceto particular vulnerable groups, institutions, as well as to enablers (eg, teachers,
parents associations, barangay youth councils, BSP) at the same time to market
DRRM-CCA programs; 3) Build and expand new committed members or
stakeholders, and train; 4) Network with other existing potential individuals andenjoined them to be a member; 5) Increase & maintain environmental protection/CCA actions by initiating locally-inherent and doable activities that can be easily
followed by the community.
The strategies and processes of the group include: 1) Acquired more new skills
from the different, right and appropriate sources /partners in the region; 2)Partnership is its main ingredient to success, so continued investment and active on
partnership/networking style set by stakeholders; 3) Started participating in policy,
standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and plan formulation conducted by key
agencies; 4) Visibility by attending to all calls & invitations by all means; 5) Reachingout the community through and by joining the DRRM councils; 6) Act as anagent/catalyst to aid the government in delivering services during response as wellas preparedness programs to attain resiliency right at the bottom; and 7) Help train
local rescuers and first responders especially at the municipal and barangay level;
The organization is one of the active pool for human resources in training andother capability development in the region like drills and first aid. It brings members
and youth to be trainers and future leaders in emergencies and disastermanagement and set as a model group in the locality on CCA activities and inseriously addressing gaps in environmental protection undertakings. Its commitment
to provide voluntary services has given them the opportunity to join in the response

82

efforts to other areas in Caraga and outside the region like Tropical Storm Seniang,
Super Typhoon Yolands and Tropical Storm Ruby.

It is known in the local as

champion in mitigation information drive by consistently providing locally drivensocial services in order to market DRRM awareness. It has earned the Hall of FameAward in Regional Gawad KALASAG 2015 and Second Place National GK in 2013.
The group continues to encourage potential volunteers including local
professionals that can help fill important gaps both for preparedness and response
and other social endeavors of the group. It also creates plan and proposal for fundacquisition from established partners like DRRM offices/councils, projects and others
to sustain activities as well as mainstreams or fund inclusion of activities during
DRRM planning that has attended by the group.
In terms of motivation and philosophy, its members seek to adhere to its
branding message, “Volunteering, A Genuine Service through Community-BasedDRRM Approach”. With this, the group strongly upholds and continually lives with its
dictum, “RESPOND in the name of service”.

2)

What are the institutional factors that contribute to resiliency and capacityof Kansai Region and Caraga Region as lessons learned from the pastdisasters as well as good practices and innovations, in terms of thefollowing:
2.2 Institutional Mechanisms;
2.3 DRRM-related Plans; and2.4 Approaches
In Kansai Region, one exceptional example of institutional mechanism is theUnion of Kansai Government (UKG).
According to Japan’s Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act, municipalities
have the primary obligation to deal with disasters.

With this, affectedmunicipalities are expected to perform many tasks in emergency response. Incase of serious disasters, local governments provide support at the request of
the affected municipality (partly reformed in 2013).

Smooth coordination

between the affected municipality and other local governments is essential for83

the effective emergency response. However, there is no explicit mechanism of
support coordination among local governments.

To reduce uncertainty

concerning cooperation, many mutual aid agreements are arranged among
local governments on their own initiative.
Region-wide Union is stipulated in Article 284 of the Local Autonomy Act.
The union is a special local public entity with an assembly and administrative
commissions. The union can meet multiple cross-prefectural, region-wide,
administrative needs flexibly. The central government can delegate authority
as well as administrative and clerical tasks under the law to the Union.
The Union of Kansai Governments is a local public entity established in
December 1, 2010. As Japan’s first cross-prefectural union of local governments,
the union was founded jointly by Kansai's seven prefectures, namely: Shiga,
Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Wakayama, Tottori and Tokushima with common
intention to create a new Kansai-based era. The present Governor of Hyogo
Prefecture, Toshizo Ido is the concurrent President of the union and theGovernor of Wakayama Prefecture, Yoshinobu Nisaka is the Vice President. The
Committee of the Union of Kansai Governments comprises the governors of all
member prefectures, was established to properly reflect the diverse range ofviews of all members. The Assembly comprises 20 members elected from eachmember’s prefectural assembly. The assembly establishes and abolishes
ordinances, and approves budgets.

The Council of the Union of Kansai

Governments seeks a wide range of opinions from stakeholders including local
residents. The Council will discuss not only the Union’s projects, but also the
future direction of the Union. The Secretariat has the primary responsibility of
performing administrative and clerical tasks in member prefectures. The Main
Office takes charge of general affairs and planning, as well as administrativeand clerical tasks related to certification exams, licensing, and others. Field
Offices are located in the prefectures of the committee members in charge,
and perform administrative and clerical tasks in each specialized subject
matter.

84

Figure 12
2: Organiza
ational Struccture of thee Union of KansaiKGovvernments

TThe
UKG aimsato adddress issuess such as reegional dissaster prev
vention tha
at aredifficcult for one
e prefectu
ure alone tot deal with. The Unnion aims to tackle interprefe
ecturalaarea-wideissues,makingabrea
akthrough

for

gre
eater

dece
entralizatio
on, as we
ell as to transfer Ja
apan into a multi-polar structtured
coun
ntry. Initia
ally, the Unnion commmenced itts operatio
on with sev
ven area--wideadm
ministration items coomprising disaster prevention
n, tourism
m and cu
ulturedeve
elopment,

industria
alpromo
otion,

medicalsservices,

environme
ental

consservation, certificatioon exams and licenses, etc., and staff training. In
n thefuturre, as a groowing exte
ended asso
ociation, th
he Union in
ntends to w
widen its sc
copeof business to integrated
d bay areaa manageement, as well as unnified planning,
imprrovement, administraation and other proc
cedures cooncerning national roadsr
and rivers.
As of Oc
ctober 10, 2016, the UKG is composed of eight ((8) Prefecttures,nam
mely: Shiga, Kyoto, Ossaka, Hyog
go, Nara, WakayamWa, Tottori a
and Tokush
hima.
The response ofo the Unio
on of Kanssai Govern
nments attracts atten
ntion as a newway
y of cooperration to deal with widew
area disasters.
d85

The administrative matters relating to wide-area disaster prevention(including the administrative work regarding emergency involving the spread of
infection and other non-natural disaster) include disaster prevention drills
stipulated in the Paragraph 1 of Article 48 in the Basic Act on Disaster Control
Measures, stockpile of materials and supplies necessary for disaster prevention
stipulated in Article 49 in the Act, support and arrangement to conduct
administrative work relating to disaster management at the time of disasteroutbreak, training of personnel contributing to disaster prevention, cooperationand coordination of the affiliated body in emergency involving the spread of
infection and other non-natural disaster, and research and investigation related
to disaster prevention.
The methods of the Union of Kansai Governments are the following:1) One to One Support. This method is assigning each member of the Union
the role of support to a specific affected local government. This is taking
a balance of support among affected regions and reducing the numberofcommunicationroutesandsecuring

counterpartforsmoothcommunication between the supporting side and the supported side.
2) Grouping local governments on the supporting side. This features the
allocation of two or three prefectures for the support to one prefecture.
Prefectures on the supporting side coordinated the support frommunicipalities in their area, taking into consideration of their ability toextend support.

This promotes in improving the supporting side’s

capacity and helping them to conduct continuous support. For instance,
when some supporters have to withdraw support for some reasons,shortfalls will be covered by other members. Small municipalities wereable to participate in the support more easily because they did not need
to bear the burden alone.
3) On-site contact centers and Active Support. This method is establishingon-site contact centers in affected areas and using them as bases for
directly collecting information and communicating it to the supporting

86

side.

Without detailed request from affected local governments,

providing support and advice along the judgment of the supporting side.
The supporting side got timely information even when affected local
governments were overwhelmed by serious damages. The supportingside could provide effective support suited to situations of affected areas
though the affected local governments sometimes could not determine
what they needed in the confusion.
In the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, the cooperationof local governments played an important role in emergency response.
However, there were problems revealed with respect to cooperation. Heavily
damagedmunicipality

had

difficulties

ingrasping

situations

communicating the need of support to other local governments.

andFurther,mutual aid agreements were sometimes nullified when all the concerned weredamaged by the disaster. It took time for the national government or nationwide associations to start coordination systems among local governments.
Ranghieri and Ishiwatari (2014) stated that the weakness of coordination
observed on the ground during the GEJE demonstrates that coordination
mechanisms should be established through advance agreements and clear
definitions of responsibility.
Although there is no explicit mechanism of support coordination among
local governments as far as Disaster Management System in Japan isconcerned, to reduce uncertainty concerning cooperation, many mutual aid
agreements are agreed among local governments on their own initiative. One
good example is the Union of Kansai Government (UKG).
During the earthquake the Union of Kansai Governments rapidly andvoluntarily arranged support to affected areas on the basis of the “counterpart
method”. In March 13, two (2) days after the disaster, the “First Emergency
Statement” regarding supporting measure was issued. The Kansai region was infull force to support the affected areas and victims in response to the on-siteneed through countermeasures for affected areas, provision relief materials,
dispatching of supporting personnel and accepting the evacuees. The Union
decided to establish the framework for supporting on the basis of the87counterpart method on-site contact center. On-site contact centers were set
out in Iwate and Miyagi Prefecture. The “counterpart method” is devised withreference to “Pairing Support” method that has been adopted in China for
purposes of including the recovery from disasters. As defined by Science
Council of Japan, “Pairing Method” is a specified local government that is notaffected by the disaster establishes a cooperative relationship with a specified
local governments in a disaster affected area and conducts continuous andpersonalized support of that local government. Features of the method are“One to One” Support, Grouping local governments on the supporting side andOn-site contact centers and Active Support.
In March 29, the “Second Emergency Statement” regarding supporting
measure was issued. The Union provided proactive and continuous support,
and expected the network of aid spread nationwide.

It also dispatchedsupporting personnel to affected prefectures and municipalities, provided
advice and direction based on the lessons and experiences from the Great
Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and improved systems to accept disaster victims.

Figure13: Map showing the Location of the Union of Kansai Governments anddisaster affected area

88

Figure 14: Map showing the Combination of the supported and supporting
Prefectures
The UKG’s support on the basis of the “counterpart method” hasadvantages as a good alternative when prepared mutual aid systems fail towork. One advantage is to avoid the confusion with respect to support
coordination. Another is to take the balance of support among affected areas,
and to reduce the burden on the supporting side. Each affiliated body was
assigned to an affected area under the coordination of the Union of Kansai
Governments.

The affiliated body immediately performed continuous andagile support in a responsible manner.

89

The supporting prefectures of Osaka and Wakayama supported Iwate
Prefecture.

Likewise, Hyogo, Tottori, Tokushima supported Miyagi. Further, Shigaand Kyoto supported Fukushima. Among the supported extended by the Union
include the sending of goods (as of March 2012) such as Alpha rice (about 260,000cups), drinking water (about 460,000 bottles), blankets (about 64,000), and portable
toilets (about 21,000 units), and others, dispatch of staff (as of May. 2) with a total of
183,900 people, 210 people a day (387 people a day at the peak) excluding police,
fire, DMAT, and municipal personnel, and acceptance of evacuees (As of May 2)
with around 3,748 people through Municipal housing, and others.
One of UKG’s major targets in the area of disaster prevention is thedevelopment of a region-wide disaster contingency scheme to prepare forearthquakes and establish a cross-prefectural emergency medical service systemusing helicopters. The Union is planning to bring all transportation and logistics
infrastructure in the Kansai region under the single management in the future.
DRRM-related Plans

The Kansai Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan stipulates responses andprocedures to be taken by the Union of Kansai Governments (UKG) at the time ofthe occurrence of massive wide-areadisasters such as Tonankai and Nankai
earthquakes.

The

policiesforestablishment of the Plan are as follows:
1) Plan should be based on the lessons
and problems in the past disasters
including

the

Great

Hanshin-Awaji

Earthquake and the Great East Japan
Earthquake; 2) Plan should be easily
understandable

toresidentsinprefectures; and 3) Plan should besubstantially developed with potential
development.
The main operations for wide-area disaster prevention planning of the Unionof Kansai Governments from FY2014 to 2016 entail priority policies, to wit:

90•

Create a scenario of specific countermeasures against possible disasters
such as the Nankai Trough Gigantic Earthquake•

Conduct extensive evacuation drills, and develop the necessary structure
for nuclear disaster•

Review the measurement guideline for whole Kansai region, the Kansai
Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan and the Implementation Outline ofProviding/Receiving Extensive Support in the Kansai Region•

Develop extensive and essential infrastructure for stockpile, collection, anddistribution of emergency supplies•

Promote companies’ individual approach for disaster prevention andmeasures for people with difficulty returning home•

Continuously conduct extensive drills to provide support in the Kansai region•

Conduct trainings for personnel related to disaster prevention, and researchand investigation regarding wide-area disaster prevention

The planning committee on Kansai Wide-area Disaster Prevention
Measures was firstly organized by the Union of Kansai Governments and thesaid committee formulated the plan. The planning committee is composed ofexperts, representative of NGO and private sector. The national governmentalorganization including

DefenseForceformulation of the plan as observers.

andCoastal Guard

joined the

Further, the working group is organizedunder the planning committee that gathers the directors in charge of disasterrisk reduction of the respective member-organizations. The working groupconsiders the contents of the plan.
The Plan is the nation’s first full-scale plan for large-scale disasterprevention and mitigation.

Another feature of the plan is that it steps into theappropriate ways of receiving support. The Plan contains a scenario of theprocess of “recovery and reconstruction”, in addition to “the initial response”
and “emergency response”.

It covers the measures of both organizations

relating to disaster prevention and the Union of Kansai Governments, andclarifies overall operational structure to respond disaster. It also promotes
cooperation and mutual support not only among the affiliated body andmunicipalities, but also among companies, voluntary organizations, residents ofprefectures.

Likewise,itincorporates

unprecedented earthquakes.

thelessons

obtained

from

two

91

In order to manage a massive wide-area disaster, the Union of Kansai
Governments institutionalized systematic disaster countermeasure guidelines
and measures for disaster prevention and mitigation in cooperation with theaffiliated body and the aligned organizations.
In 2012, the implementation Outline of Providing/Receiving Extensive
Support in the Kansai Region was created. In order to strengthen the widearea support systems in the event of a massive wide-area disaster, the Outline
standardizes specific procedures for the wide-area support based on the
countermeasure formation and operation in the “Disaster Prevention and
Mitigation Plan”. The Outline will be created by category such as the supply of
goods, dispatch of personnel, evacuation, and temporary housing construction.
The effectiveness was verified in Kansai wide-area support drills conducted in
February and December, 2013.
The Kansai Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan includes measuresconcerning earthquake and tsunami disaster. In preparation for massive widearea disaster, preparedness measures involve cooperation with related bodyand organizations at normal time. This promotes the agreements for support toengage immediate disaster response. Another measure is the development ofdisaster prevention and mitigation operations. This comprehensively facilitates
the system improvement, training, personnel management, promotion toresidents.

Furthermore, disaster response measures involve three (3) phases.

First is the initial response which is roughly 3 days after a disaster occurs. The
activities include information gathering, dispatch of emergency response team,establishmentofdisastercountermeasure(support)

establishment of on-site support headquarters.

headquarters

andSecond is the emergency

response or the evacuation period. This phase involves support disaster victims,
arrangement of demand and supply of relief goods, coordination to accept
and dispatch supporting personnel and arrangement of an extensive
evacuation. The last phase is the recovery and reconstruction which is themedium- and long-term temporary housing period.

This involves the provisionof support to construct emergency temporary housing and assistance toaffected municipalities for reconstruction. The use of Operation Map is vital in
all of these phases. The map shows actions by item to be taken by affected

92

municipalities, affected prefectures, prefectures supporting the Union of Kansai
Governments, other prefectures, the national government, an outpost agency
and an actual wide-area operating agency in a mutual cooperation at thetime of a massive wide-area disaster.
Kansai Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan also includes measuresconcerning wind and flood disaster. Based on the lessons and experiencesfrom the recent major wind and flood disasters in the Kansai region, the plan
aims to share the integrated philosophy of erosion and flood control amongwatersheds

asawhole, promote

the

town

development

tocreatemunicipalities that are resistant to the wind and flood disasters, improve theeffectiveness of resident evacuation, and strengthen the disaster response
system, as well as establish the initial response system at the time of disaster,and summarize the common response system policies in the Kansai region tosmoothly conduct providing and receiving support. Possible wind and flood
disasters include flood of main reservoirs such as the Yodo River, storm surge
along Osaka Bay caused by an approach of massive typhoons and a largescale sediment disaster caused by record rainfall.

Disaster Preparedness

Measures during normal time involves the following: First is strengthening thecooperation with related organizations. Cooperate with experts, and conclude
agreements with related organizations and private business operators toenable immediate disaster response. Another measure is the development ofsystem for providing and receiving support. This is done through the following:1) develop information systems for wide-area disaster prevention which
contributes for smooth information gathering/sharing; 2) facilitate conclusion ofagreements for mutual support among municipalities over prefectures; 3)
establish an emergency goods smooth supply system and a stockpile system inwhole Kansai region; 4) Develop an extensive evacuation system; 5) Analyze
preliminary response plans (Timeline); 6) Conduct wide-area support drills andjoint employee training. Furthermore, preparedness measures also focus on thedevelopment of water and flood resistant town.

This encourages thewatershed areas to take integrated actions together for erosion and flood
control by providing leading examples. Improving the effectiveness of resident
evacuation is another important measure. This is done through the provision of
support to create a well-developed hazard map, distribution of information to
support issuing an evacuation order, etc., setting/improving the standard of

93

issuing and lifting an evacuation order, etc., effective distribution of information
to residents and dissemination of information on countermeasure actions toensure safety in the event of anomalous weather such as tornado and local
heavy rain. Another important measure is the improvement of local structures
for disaster prevention. The activities include the development of a structure forflood prevention activity, improvement of disaster prevention systems forunderground mall and other areas, establishment supporting systems for people
requiring support for evacuation and development of supporting systems forpeople with difficulty returning home.
With regards to the emergency response during disaster, the measuresinvolve the establishment of systems Preparation system (for information
gatheringfrom

Disaster

preparedness

officetoDisastersurveillance

headquarters, as well as system for providing and receiving support which
emanate from coordination office for support to Disaster countermeasure
headquarters.

Themeasuresbeforedisasterincludeinformation

gathering/sharing on weather, actions based on the preliminary response plan,issuance of an evacuation order at the early stage, taking actions to ensure theresidents’ safety and encouraging business operators to take actions to ensure
safety at an early stage. Finally, the measure also focuses on the provision andreceipt of support by dispatching supporting personnel, conducting medical
activity,

conducting

extensive

evacuation,

supplying

water

and

daily

commodity, supporting disaster victims to maintain their health, arranging
emergency temporary housing, emergency measure and reconstruction ofsocial infrastructure and disposal of disaster waste, among others.
The Kansai Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan also include measuresconcerning nuclear disaster, infectious disease such as new strain of influenza,
bird flu and foot-and-mouth disease and others.
The disaster reduction drill is conducted every year.

Based on theassessment, the plan is subject for revision when deemed necessary. The
majority of prevention plan, namely constructional countermeasures is
implemented by individual member organization. Accordingly, the UKG
formulates the actual wide-area’s plan and guidelines and makes wide-areaarrangement during the occurrence of disaster.

Hence, the number value

94

goals are not established. The individual edition of the plan such as General
Rule, Earthquake, Wind-Water related disaster and Nuclear will be revised thisyear. That reconsideration work will be done by the aforementioned working
group. The committee will make an assessment about the initiatives of national
government after the Great East Japan Earthquake and the response to
Kumamoto Earthquake. Further, as suggested the reconsideration of plan shallbe made based on evaluation.
Approaches•

Self-Help, Mutual Help and Public Help
One of the lessons of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake is theimportance of combination of public help (i.e., government help), mutual help,
and self-help.
“Self-help’ refers to safeguarding one’s own life. People should take careof their own affairs.

This occurs between friends and families. Preparing

emergency kits or making suitable arrangements to ensure their family
members’ safety in times of disaster, stockpiling of supplies in anticipation ofdisasters and taking the appropriate action for evacuation by one’s personal
judgment are examples of self-help.
“Mutual help” refers to helping each other and protecting theircommunity.
other.

Workplace or community members should mutually help each

The core idea of the mutual help principle saved many people’s lives

during the Great East Japan Earthquake. People urged their next-door
neighbors to rapidly evacuate to higher ground for safety. Lessons from theearthquake are being transmitted through the concept of “kizuna” (humanbonds). Mutual help is considered a humanitarian or philanthropic aid which
can be in a form of volunteering such as rescue activities, as well as charitable
activities which include supervising the evacuation of children and people withspecial needs, or other kinds of mutual assistance within a regional community.
The importance of mutual help has the needed social-based contents
and approach in education. As pointed out by Shaw (2015) education had

95changed from engineering to social-based solutions. Disasters cannot be
prevented only by tangible measures such as the construction andimprovement of facilities.

During the Great East Japan Earthquake,

preparedness of residents in their own daily affairs as well as mutual support
between members of the community played an important role in minimizing
damage brought about by the earthquake. This underscores the importanceof consensus in a society and implementation of disaster measures at thecommunity level since it is difficult for government to undertake all thenecessarymeasures.

Strongties

orconnectivity

amongcommunities

developed in ordinary times were particularly useful in times of disaster and indisaster drills in communities have fundamentally changed.
“Public help” refers to public support at the hands of administrative
bodies, as seen in education, preparation and maintenance in anticipation ofa disaster occurring, as well as disaster response measures such as information
provision and operating evacuation centers. Public help is mostly provided bygovernments,

andtypically

includesinstitutionalarrangements

andinfrastructure. The government should protect people’s lives and property. The
services provided by fire fighters and police officers on duty in disaster stricken
areas as examples of public help.
Citizens play a leading role in the other two: self-help is for citizens toprotect themselves and their families, while mutual help is for people to help
each other in a community or to help others as volunteers.

96

Figure 15: Diagram showing the concept of “Self-help, Mutual help andPublic help”
These

three

major

factorsareconsideredessentialtodisastermanagement in Japan to ensure that damage from natural disasters is kept toa minimum. As the stated in the 2014 White Paper on Disaster Management inJapan, “The disaster of the Great East Japan Earthquake revealed that the

government’s capacity was limited in reaching out to each victim and alsothat the public’s help was insufficient. In order to reduce the resulting damage
from similar massive disasters, such as the earthquake anticipated to occur
directly beneath the Tokyo Metropolitan Area or Nankai Trough that lies widely
under the coast of Tokai areas, it is essential to increase manpower which inturn encourages self-help and mutual-help by local communities.” Accordingly,
the Minister of State for Disaster Management of Japan, Eriko Yamataniproactively requested all citizens of Japan to maintain a reasonable awarenessof natural threats, be well prepared in advance for the hazards they face,refuse to react to false alarm, and take actions to protect themselves fromdisasters (Foreword, White Paper, Disaster Management in Japan 2015,
Summary).

97

Nogra (20012) affirms that Japan has become the championn of disaste
er risk
redu
uction as a country becauseb
it has long institutionaialized the ccombinatio
on ofself-hhelp efforrts rooted
d in the awarenesss of thee people and bussinesscorp
porations with the mutual-h
help efforrts of va
arious com
mmunity-basedorga
anizations supportedd by the public-helppp efforts off the natio
onal and local
gove
ernments.
Cara
aga Regionn•RRegional
D
Disaster
Risk Reductio
on and Managementt Council (RDRRMC)
I Caraga
In
a Region, Regional Disaster RiskR
Reducction and Managem
mentCouncil (RDRRMC) is insttitutional mechanismm
ms establish
hed as mandated byy thePhilipppine DRRM
M Law.

Figu
ure 16: Org
ganization
nal Structurre of the Reegional Dissaster Risk Reduction andManaagement Council
C

98

The RDRRMC coordinates, integrates, supervises, and evaluates theactivities of the local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils(LDRRMCs). It is composed of fifty (50) members from national-line agencies,
civil society organizations and Local DRRM Officers in the region. Likewise, it
constitutes a technical working group composed of representatives of themember-agencies that coordinates and meet as often as necessary toeffectively manage and sustain regional efforts on DRRM. Regular Quarterly Fullcouncil meeting are held in a year. The Chairperson of the Council also calls
for a special meeting as the need arises. OCD serves as secretariat of the
RDRRMC. The RDRRMC is Chaired by the Regional Director of OCD with four (4)Vice Chairs for the DRRM Standing Committees, namely: Regional Director of
the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for Disaster Prevention and
Mitigation; Regional Director of the Department of the Interior and Local
Government (DILG) for Disaster Preparedness;

Regional Director of the

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for Disaster Response;and Regional Director of the National Economic and Development Authority(NEDA) for Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery. The RDRRMC Chairman may
also tap the facilities and resources of other government agencies and private
sectors, for the protection of life and properties in pursuit of disaster risk
reduction and management.
Aside from the regular quarterly RDRRMC Full Council Meeting, the four(4) Standing Committees also hold regular quarterly Committee Meetingseffective as per RDRRMC Memorandum No. 4 series of 2016. The committee
meetings are held prior to the schedule of the Quarterly RDRRMC Full Council
Meeting and are convened simultaneously or separately depending on theconcerned committee as the need arises. A regular technical sharing/update
on DRRM and CCA is done during Quarterly RDRRMC Full Council Meetings inpursuit of enriching the level of awareness on DRRM and Climate Change
Adaptation (CCA) among RDRRMC members and Local DRRMCs. This is alsodone to promote knowledge sharing especially on the prevailing topic relative
to DRRM and CCA.
Further the RDRRMC Caraga has established an operating facility on a 24hour basis, known as the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Operations Center (RDRRMOC). Likewise, every member of the RDRRMC is also

99

mandated to establish its respective Emergency Operations Center (EOC) andto designate a focal officer for DRRM.

The RDRRMOC is operated andmaintained by OCD personnel during normal situation and with Detailed Duty
Officers (DDOs) from concerned member-agencies of the council during
Emergency Condition (Blue or Red Alert). The RDRRMOC serves as the nerve
center for alert and monitoring, multi-agency and multi-level operational
coordination,

responseandresource

mobilization

andinformation

management. It utilizes support systems such as early warning and emergency
broadcast system, geographic information system and other space-based
technologies, incident command system, rapid damage assessment and needs
analysis, emergency logistics management, public-private partnerships for
emergency response, and humanitarian assistance coordination mechanisms.
The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) brings together the vital aspect ofSituation Monitoring, Dissemination of warning, Situation assessment andmonitoring, Activation of responders, Coordination and communication,
Information collection and analysis, Resource dispatch, tracking and request
Task allocation, Action priorities, Media/public information among other related
functions.
President of thePhilippines

CHAIRPERSON, NDRRMCDOST PAGASAGEOPHYSICALDOST - PHIVOLCS
DENR - MGB

TERRORISM

AFP/PNP

HUMAN EPIDEMICSDOH

ANIMAL EPIDEMICS

DA BAI

CIVIL DISTURBANCEPNP

INFESTATIONDARADIOLOGICAL &SOCIALDOST - PNRINDRRMOC (24/7)

CHAIRPERSON, RDRRMC

RDRRMOC (24/7)

RDRRMC MemberAgencies(Opn Ctrs)

PDRRMOCs

C/MDRRMOCs

BDRRMOCs

LOCAL DRRMOs

HYDRO
METEOROLOGICALSURVEILLANCE AGENCIESHAZARDSEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NDRRMCMEDIA /Other
Stakeholders

Communities(Front line
responders)

PUBLIC

Figure 17: RDRRMOC Information Flow
(Communication Flow and Warning Dissemination)

100

The warning dissemination is takes place upon the receipt of any
information from warning/surveillance agencies or NDRRMOC of which
RDRRMOC shall process and issue warning advisories to all stakeholders. As aprotocol, dissemination should be done using all available means ofcommunication such as Short Messaging System (SMS), facsimile, electronic
mail, phone call, social media and the official website.

Advisories can beaccessed through NDRRMC and RDRRMC websites. These advisories receivefrom surveillance agencies include 24-hour Public Weather Forecast, Weather
Advisory, Gale Warning, Rainfall Advisory, General Flood Advisory Bulletin,
Thunderstorm Advisory, Weather Outlook, El Nino/La Nina Advisory, Dam
Monitoring, Tsunami Alert/Warning, Volcano Bulletin, Earthquake Information.
The RDRRMOC is the repository of all disaster information as far as disaster
reporting system is concerned. These data are coming from the RDRRMC
member-agencies and Local DRRMCs in the region. Any data/information
received from other sources is subject for verification and validation from Local
DRRMCs and/or RDRRMC member agencies concerned. Once data arevalidated and verified, said data are processed by the RDRRMOC into an
Official RDRRMC Situational Report for submission to NDRRMC and informationof concerned stakeholders.
The reporting system is necessary to ensure proper monitoring anddocumentation of disaster occurrence and its effects on the population,
properties, and environment. The objectives include:•

To process information received from various sources and provide ananalysis so that stakeholders get a clear picture of the magnitude of
the situation as well as identify the gaps and emergency needs inaddressing the requirements of the affected population;•

To reduce the risks and effectively manage the consequences ofdisasters and ensure “near/real-time reporting”;•

To recommend appropriate actions to be undertaken in order to
expedite the decision-making process;•To capture and store useful and valuable data/information in various
forms for statistical purposes and to serve as a basis for decision-making
byresponsible

authorities,

readily-availableforsharingand101

dissemination to all concerned.
In other to further strengthen collaboration and support system, andrecognize initiatives pertaining to DRRM efforts in the region, the RDRRMC is also
reinforced by the organizations of the following:
1) Regional Selection Committee (RSC) for Gawad KALASAG Search for
Excellence in DRRM and Humanitarian Assistance in adherence to thenational guidelines.
The Search for Gawad KALASAG is a yearly activity of the National
DRRM Council in recognition of the outstanding performance andcontributions of qualified local government units (LGUs), non-governmentorganizations (NGOs), private organizations, and other stakeholders in thearea of DRRM and Humanitarian Assistance. This recognition scheme isguided by a set of principles, to include among others: stakeholders’participation, transparency, innovativeness partnership, self-reliance andthe spirit of volunteerism.
Gawad is a Filipino term for “award”, while KALASAG is an acronym
for KALAmidad at Sakuna Labanan, SAriling Galing ang Kaligtasan andanother Filipino term for “shield” USED BY EARLY Filipino as a means ofprotection from attacks of enemies or harmful animals. It was designed toencourage the participation of various stakeholders in crafting andimplementing DRRM-related policies, strategies and programs to protect
or shield the hazard prone communities from the adverse impacts ofnatural and human-induced hazards.
In order to facilitate the conduct of search for the Gawad KALASAG
at the provincial, municipal and barangay level, the Provincial Selection
Committee (PSC) is also created in every province to institutionalize therecognition and award system and to integrate the allocation for
incentives in the local DRRM Fund.

102

This

mechanism

institutionalizedisthrough

RDRRMC Resolution No. 2–
2014 entitled, “A Resolution
Enjoining the Provinces in
Caraga Region to Create
theProvincial

Selection

Committee

(PSC)

for

the

Conductof

Gawad

KALASAG

Searchfor

Excellence in Disaster Risk
Reduction

andManagement (DRRM) and Humanitarian
Assistance at the Provincial Level”.
The composition of the PSC is in conformity with the National andRegional Selection Committees. The PSC is composed of the Provincial
Heads of Offices/Agencies such as the DILG as Chair, PDRRMO as theVice-Chair and PHO, DepEd, PSWDO, DOST, PPDO, PIA, PRC and Civil
Society Organization.
The local search conforms to the guidelines and criteria set forth by
the National and Regional Selection Committees and the Assessment
Checklists for the following categories of award:a) Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (LDRRMCs)• Provincial• Highly Urbanized City (HUC)• Component/Independent Chartered Component Cities• Municipalities – 1st to 3rd class LGUs and 4th and 6th class LGUsb) Barangay DRRMCs – urban and ruralc) Schools – public and privated) Hospitals – government, private and specialtye) Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)f) People’s Organizations (POs)103g) Volunteer Organizationsh) Government Emergency Response Managements – Basic SAR and
Urban SARi) Early Learning Center – Urban and Ruralj) Heroic Act in providing humanitarian assistance – Individual and Group(living/posthumous)k) Special Recognition Awards – Individual and Group

2) Caraga Regional Alliance of Local DRRM Officers (CADRRMOs).
The Philippine DRRM Law provides an institutional mechanism for theestablishment of a Local DRRM Office in every province, city andmunicipality to be headed by a Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Officer.

The organization of the

League of Local DRRM Officers in
Caraga Region composed of 78
Provincial,

City

and

Municipal

DRRM Officers in the region wasagreedduringtheRegional

Convention of Local DRRMOs in
Caraga held on April 18-19, 2013.

The Regional DRRM Council of
Caraga issued RDRRMC Resolution
No.1 – 2014 , entitled “A Resolution
Creating the Alliance of the Regional Disaster Risk
Reduction

andManagement

Officers(DRRMOs)for

PurposesofStrengthening Collaboration and Support System/Mechanism pertaining toDisaster Risk Reduction and Management Efforts in Caraga Region”.
The alliance serves a mechanism to effectively collaborate, harmonize
and sustain regional efforts on disaster risk reduction and management. It is
responsible for holding a periodic convention of all Local DRRM Officers in
the region to provide the platform for common understanding of the DRRM

104

issues, policies and interventions at the national, regional and local levels. It
is also under close supervision and monitoring of the DILG and the OCD
Regional Offices.
The alliance is composed of committed LDRRM Officers in the region.
This general membership constitutes the General Assembly.
3) Technical

Working

Group

for

the

HarmonizationofVulnerability

Assessment Tools
The RDRRMC also created a Technical Working Group for the
Harmonization of Vulnerability Assessment Tools through the issuance ofRDRRMC Resolution No. 3 – 2015 entitled “A Resolution Creating the
RDRRMC Technical Working Group for the Harmonization of Vulnerability
Assessment Tools and Methodologies in Mainstreaming Disaster Risk
Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) In Local
Development Planning Processes”
Theharmonizationofvulnerability

assessment

tools

providescommonandcomprehensive analyses of the
Risk

Profileasplanning

environment of the local plans.
Thedevelopment

customizedofaVulnerability

Assessment Tool is initiated to
conduct of one (1) vulnerability
assessment for the region which
will

be

integrated

to

the

physical/landuseplans,

socioeconomic

development

plans, Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP) and Regional DRRM
Plan (RDRRMP), and identification of areas for cooperation on DRR and
CCA. To carry-out the recommendations, there is a need for the RDRRMC

105

to create a Technical Working Group (TWG) with DILG as Chairperson
being the lead agency for Disaster Preparedness, OCD as Secretariat and
DENR, DOST, HLURB, PAGASA, PHIVOLCS, MGB, NEDA, PDRRMOs, CDRRMOs,
SIKAP, Inc. and CarSU as members.
4) Regional Disaster Response Teams
The RDRRMC has also organized its Regional Disaster Response Teams
such as Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) Team,
Post

Disaster

Needs

Assessment(PDNA)

Team,

Regional

Incident

Management Team (RIMT) and Rapid Emergency Telecommunications
Team (RETT) of Caraga.

The Regional IMT together with the Provincial

Response Teams was deployed to Region 8 (Eastern Visayas Region) to
provide humanitarian response services during Typhoon Yolanda in
November 2013 and Typhoon Ruby in November 2014.
5) Disaster Preparedness Committee’s Disaster Capability Preparedness
Assessment
The Disaster Preparedness Committee of the RDRRMC headed by the
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) initiated a selfassessment checklist tool to evaluate the disaster preparedness capabilityof all RDRRMC member-agencies, associations and organizations.
The capability Assessment checklist is a form of pre-emptive measure to
identify vulnerabilities and gaps to enhance the capabilities of eachstakeholder. Basic yet substantial tool that covers most of the important
aspects in preparing a community against the impact of a calamity will be
used in this endeavor.

The result will serve as input in crafting policies,

formulation of plans and allocation of budget for disaster risk reduction andmanagement

activities

andintervention

of

every

participating

agency/organization. This also facilitates clear direction, strategic planningand decision-making, and establishes accountability for all stakeholders.
The endeavor is believed to be of great significance to encourage andenhance the enthusiasm, as well as, awaken the consciousness of all

106government and non-government institutions in the region to take part inbuilding a disaster-resilient community through starting it within their own
institution.
Being a member of the RDRRMC that is delegated with the task to carryout the coordination, integration, supervision, monitoring and evaluation
covering all DRRM stakeholders in the region, it is imperative that such
responsible entity should create a role model of themselves in having adisaster resilient community.
The RDRRMC of Caraga during its first quarter Full Council Meeting heldon April 8, 2015 agreed on the implementation of the Disaster Preparedness
Capability

Assessment

to

all

memberagencies,

associations,andorganizations using the self-assessment checklist tool. It was further agreed
that all RDRRMC member agencies, associations, and organization shall beenjoined to implement the said endeavor and undertake the self
assessment and submit the result to the council through the Office of Civil
Defense at least two weeks before the 2015 4th Quarter RDRRMC Full Council
Meeting for validation of eligible results for possible citations and awards.
The methodologies include the following:• The assessment shall be done in an annual basis employing a scaled
up checklist each year. The RDRRMC TWG shall formulate and agree
on the guidelines to be adopted for every round of assessment;• RDRRMC TWG members shall conduct an orientation of theassessment tool and its guidelines prior to its administration;• The assessment shall be administered by the respective DRRM Focal
Persons or DRRM Team of each member agencies.
• Each item constitute a single point (1 point)• An agency that gained a score above 80% shall be eligible to anaward of citation from the RDRRMC of the first round (first assessment
year). A separate enhance criteria shall be used for the succeeding
years of the assessment,• Duly signed checklist by the administering authority noted by therespective head of office will be consolidated by the RDRRMCTechnical working Group. The TWG shall subject an eligible agency

107

for an award to a validation prior to the conferment of award by the
OCD and RDRRMC.
The delineation of responsibilities include:
DRRM Focal Person or DRR Team of the concerned agency creates ateam or TWG to assess the current preparedness state of the agency;
documents the process; initiate activities to improve weak areas; conduct
exit conference with the rest of the members of the organization; makepolicy recommendations based on the result of the validation; and makethe supporting documents available for the other member agencies toreplicate or benchmark.
The RDRRM TWG Member formulates and rescales the DRRM
Preparedness

checklist;

discussandenhancetheguidelines

in

implementing the assessment; assist member agency in the conduct of theassessment and conduct validation to the prospect agency.
The RDRRMC confer the award of citation to the qualified agency.
The implementation Schedule is as follow:• The assessment shall be done every 1st month of the 2nd quarter of eachyear;
• Validation of scores to the qualified agencies shall be done two weeks
prior to the conduct of the 2nd quarter RDRRMC Full council Meeting in
preparation for the conferment of the award of citation;• The first round of implementation, also considered as the pilot phase of
execution, shall be done this year which will commence right after thereceipt of the issuance from the RDRRMC until two weeks prior to the
conduct of the 4th Quartet Full Council Meeting for the conferment ofeligible agency for possible citation and/or award during the last Fullcouncil Meeting for the year 2015.
The Conferment of Citation shall be done as one of the highlights
during the region’s culmination program for the Observance of the
National Disaster Consciousness Month (NDCM).

108

•

DRRM-related Planss
In Carag
ga Regionn, one of the imp
portant documentsds prior to theelopment//formulatio
on of a Reg
gional DRR
RM Plan is thetCaraga Regiona
al Riskdeve
Profile (CRRP)..

Approved by thhe RDRRM
MC on June 11, 2013, the CR
RRP isconsisstent with the framew
work stipulated
in thee Philippine
e DRRM Law.
The

Pro
ofile

is

a

docum
ment

of

the

R
Risk

complementarry

Disaster

Risk

Mana
agement

Plan

Cara
aga

Reg
gionalReduuctionannd(CDR
RRMP) 20133-2017. Th
his serves as
a the
plann
ning enviro
onment off the plan as itproviides inform
mation on
n the typees ofrisks (natural an
nd humann-induced) andimpa
act of riskss affecting
g the regio
on in
the

last

ten
n

supp
plemental

(10)

As

y
years.

docume
ent

of

a
the

CDRR
RMP, this serves ass guide inn theidenttification ofo strateg
gies, progrrams,
ects and activities relative too DRRM toowards the goal off reducing
g the
proje
impa
act of hazaards.
This doc
cument ca
an be use
ed as a reference materialm
for incorpora
ating
M in the local pla
anning pro
ocesses. However,Htthepresenntation off the
DRRM
inforrmation in the docum
ment is nott compreh
hensive andd due to th
he inadeq
quate
data
a and nonn-documenntation of some eve
ents, the rissk profile iss just limite
ed to
the provincialp
and munic
cipal levelss.
The mainn parts of the Regio
onal Risk ProfileP
inclu
ude: 1) Inttroduction. The
section contaiins the gen
neral assum
mption underlying th
he prepara
ation of the risk
profiile and its link with th
he Regional Disasterr Risk Redu
uction andd Managem
ment
Plan. The ration
nale and objectiveoa well as theastarrangement of tthe conten
nts ofthe risk profile are also in
ncluded inn this section. 2) Bac
ckground oof Caraga. The
section provid
des a brie
ef history of the reegion inclu
uding location, political

109

subdivision, population, economy, and others. 3) Risk Profile of Caraga. Being
considered as the main component of the document, the section provides
historical accounts of all risks which struck the region including the vulnerable
elements and other resources at risk.
•

Caraga Regional DRRM Plan 2013-2017
The RDRRMC spearheaded the crafting of the Caraga Regional Disaster

Risk Reduction and Management Plan 2013-2017.

The RDRRMP serves as a

blueprint for all local government units, line agencies and local communities in
mitigating the effects of disasters in the region.
The

Caraga2017(RDRRMP)RDRRMP

provides2013-

strategic

direction for effective disaster risk
reduction and management at the
local level in the next five years. The
RDRRMP is guided by the frameworkadopted by the National Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Plan
2011-2028 (NDRRMP) and is consistent
with the Philippine Development Plan
2011-2016 (PDP) and the Caraga
Regional

Development

Plan

(RDP

2011-2016).
The

framework

which

envisionsacountry of “safer, adaptive and disaster-resilient Filipino communities towardsustainable development”, conveys a shift from reactive to proactive DRRM.
This entails embracing awareness of disaster risk reduction and managementwith the goal of increasing people’s resilience and decreasing theirvulnerabilities. The realization of this vision calls building the adaptive capacityofcommunities,

optimizing

disaster

mitigation

andstrongpartnershipmechanism from the private and government sectors.
Given the Risk Profile of the region, the RDRRM Plan aims to make Caraga’s

110communities safer, adaptive and disaster resilient towards sustainable
development. The plan is anchored on the following themes:
Theme 1: Disaster prevention and mitigation, with the Department of
Science and Technology (DOST) as the overall responsible agency. This theme
focuses on avoiding hazards and mitigating their potential impacts by reducing
vulnerabilities and exposure and enhancing capacities of communities.
Theme 2: Disaster preparedness, with the Department of Interior and Local
Government (DILG) as the overall responsible agency. This theme focuses on
establishing and strengthening capacities of communities to anticipate, copeand recover from the negative impacts of emergency occurrences anddisasters.
Theme 3 on Disaster Response, with the Department of Social Welfare andDevelopment (DSWD) as the overall responsible agency. This theme focuses onproviding life preservation and meeting the basic needs of affected population
based on acceptable standards during or immediately after a disaster.
Theme 4 is focused on disaster rehabilitation and recovery, with the
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) as the overall
responsible agency. Theme 4 focuses on restoring and improving facilities,
livelihood and living conditions and organizational capacities of affected
communities, and reduced disaster risks in accordance with the “building backbetter” principle.
These four thematic areas overlap with no clear distinctions over time.
Essentially, they: mutually reinforce each other and are interoperable; do not,and should not and cannot stand alone; have no clear starting nor ending
points between each of the priority areas and overlaps are expected; arecentered on problem-needs and asset-strengths; and all point to one direction,such as reducing people’s vulnerabilities and increasing their capacities.
Adherence to these themes will provide safer, adaptive and disasterresilient communities towards sustainable development.

111

The RDRRMP which covers four thematic areas also correspond to thestructure of the RDRRMC.

The OCD Regional Director, who sits as the

Chairperson of the RDDRMC, formulates and implements the RDRRMP and
ensures that the physical framework, social, economic and environmental plansof communities, cities, municipalities and provinces are consistent with suchplan. The RDRRM Plan accumulated a total of twenty two (22) outcomes, forty
nine (49) outputs and one hundred thirty seven (137) activities.
The RDRRMP spells out the expected outcomes, outputs, key activities,
indicators and implementing partners and timelines in each of the four distinct
yet mutually reinforcing thematic areas. The regional goals of each thematicarea contribute to the attainment of the country’s overall DRRM vision.
The following strategies which are identified in the NDRRM Framework shallbe employed to contribute in the achievementof the desired key result areas
under each DRRM aspect:• Advocacy and Information, Education and Communication (IEC).
Mobilize and harness the print and broadcast media to regularly
communicate, warn and educate people nationwide about DRRM.
• Competency-based capability building. Customized training programs
should be developed to ensure that people are trained based on theneeded skills in the different DRRM aspects.
• Contingency Planning. More commonly used before as only part ofdisaster preparedness activities, contingency planning is now a living
document which is updated and used in all the different aspects of
DRRM.
• Education on DRRM and CCA for ALL. Education through the integrationof DRR concepts in the curriculum (i.e., basic education, NSTP, bachelors’
degree) and for the public sector employees.
• Institutionalization of DRRMCs and LDRRMOs. Creation of permanent
local DRRM offices and functioning councils at the local level are some112of the ways to ensure that all DRRM-related activities, plans andprograms will be implemented and sustained.
• Mainstreaming of DRR in ALL plans. In all 4 aspects, we need to ensurethat DRRM (and CCA) is mainstreamed in the various programs, plans,
projects of either national or local government units, including theprivate sector groups and other members of the community.
• Research, Technology Development and Knowledge Management. With
the changes in the climate and technological advances, we needresearch to help us innovate, adapt and maximize the use of ourresources to help our people reduce and manage the risks of disasters.
• Monitoring,evaluation

andlearning.

Feedback

mechanisms

areimportant aspects of gauging performance targets and learning fromour experiences on the ground.
• Networking and partnership building between and among stakeholders,
media and tiers of government. Building effective and mutually
reinforcing

parterships

andevolving

networks

ensurethemulti-

stakeholder and multi-sectoral participation of the different players in
DRRM.
There are major accomplishments of the public sector towards disaster risk
reduction and management. One is mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction
and management and climate change adaptation in local developments
plans, policies and budgets. Another milestone is increased disaster resilienceof infrastructure systems. Likewise, provision of effective and applicable disasterrisk financing and insurance is a significant accomplishment.

Furthermore,

accomplishments are trained communities on disaster preparedness andresponse, increased DRRM and CCA capacity of Local DRRM councils andoffices at all levels, including the barangays and communities, establishment offully-functioning local DRRM offices, adequate and prompt assessment ofneeds and damages among others.

113

•

Regional Contingency Plan for Typhoon
The Regional Contingency Plan for Typhoon is a scenario-based plan for

typhoon. It aims to address the impacts of typhoon to people, properties, andenvironment as well as to preventthe occurrence of the emerging
threats through the arrangement of

CaragaRegional Contingency Plan

timely, effective, appropriate, andwell-coordinated responses as wellas the efficient management of
resources.
The plan was formulated by
the RDRRM member-agencies, Local
DRRM

Officers

andinternationalorganizations. The workshop for theformulation of the plan was fundedby the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs(OsCHA) in September 2014.
As basis for strategic response during emergency, the event described inthis plan is a worst-case scenario similar to Super Typhoon Yolanda.
The overall goal of the plan is to provide effective, efficient, timely andcoordinated response needed in order to save lives and alleviate impact ofdisaster in the affected communities. The objectives are as follows: 1) To define
specific roles and tasks of clusters involved in disaster operation; 2) To conduct
inventory of resources available among RDRRMC member-agencies includingNGOs; 3) To establish proper coordination through efficient communicationand linkage among stakeholders; and 4) To reinforce the standards of reporting
system set by the NDRRMC.
It is also expressly articulated in the law that the NDRRMC and intermediary
Local DRRMCs shall always act as support to LGUs which have the primary
responsibility as first disaster responders.

Private sector and civil society

114

organizations shall work in accordance with the coordination mechanism andpolicies set the NDRRMC and concerned LDRRMCs.
With these, the principle of augmentation and complementation of
resources is espoused by this Contingency Plan. The augmentation shall bebased on the requests coming from the Local DRRMCs that have determined
their diminishing levels of capacity and capability to provide adequate
assistance to their respective provinces, cities and municipalities affected bydisaster.
Hence, the RDRRMC adopts an institutional arrangement with concerned
stakeholders whose facilities and resources are available in preparing for,responding to and recovering from the effects of disaster.

Since the response

mechanism of the Contingency Plan is based on the Cluster System withinteroperability of the Incident Command System (ICS) through the RDRRMC
Operations Center/Emergency Operations Center which serves as the CommandCenter.
The different clusters in the Contingency Plan under the Disaster Response
Committee of the RDRRMC shall have the following functions, to wit:

1) Education Cluster (the Department of Education and UNICEF & Save theChildren as Co-Leads)
This Cluster led by aims to ensure safety of learners and DepEd personnel. It
also aims to provide continued access to quality of education to allaffected learners.

2) Camp/IDP Management, Emergency Shelter & Protection Cluster (DSWD
as lead, IOM, UNHCR, UNFA, UNICEF, IFRC as Co-leads and DepEd, DILG,
AFP, PNP and CHR as members)This Cluster aims to provide assistance and augment all requirements for the
management of evacuation of individual’s families affected by disasters.

3) Food and Non-Food Items Cluster (DSWD as lead and NFA, WFP as CoLeads)
This Cluster aims to provide augmentation of food and non-food items to the115affected LGUs in cases where pre-positioned resources are used up during
disaster period.

4) WASH, Health, Nutrition, Psychosocial Services Cluster (DOH as lead,
UNICEF, WHO and co-leads and BFP, DOST, PRC as members)
The Sub-clusters include Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Health,Nutrition Sub-Cluster and Reproductive Health Sub-Cluster.
This Cluster aims to provide support for a timely and appropriate publichealth services to the affected population. This cluster is composed of theMedical and Public Health, Mental Health and Psycho-social Support(MHPSS), Nutrition and WASH sub-clusters of the DOH-Health Emergency
Management System (HEMS).

5) Permanent Shelter and Livelihood Cluster (DSWD as lead, IFRC, IOM, ILO
as Co-leads and DTI, NHA, DPWH as members)
There are two (2) Sub-Clusters namely, Permanent Shelter and Livelihood
Sub-Cluster.
This cluster aims to restore and improve shelters, facilities, livelihood andliving conditions and organizational capacities of affected communities.

6) Logistics & Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (OCD as lead and
WFP as Co-Lead and

DILG, DOTC, AFP, PNP, DPWH, PCG, PIA andPAGASA as members)
The Logistic Cluster aims to provide an efficient and effective logistics
coordinating structure that will harmonize the activities of all clusters andencourage regular info-sharing among all stakeholders and other partners.
The Cluster also formulates, updates, implements and monitors logisticalpolicies, plans, programs and procedures that will harmonize the activities ofeach cluster.
The Logistics Cluster through coordination, monitoring, identification anddeployment cover transportation (emergency road network, land sea andair) which includes road clearing and provision of equipment and machines

116(and its required fuel) to provide the needed access and mobility for all
cluster operations; warehousing; inventories (consolidation of resources
available among partners and cluster members) and tracking of deployed
items
The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster also led by the OCD aims tostrengthen Information and Communications Technology (ICT) capacities at
the national level down to local levels to prepare for, respond to andrecover from the impacts of disasters by providing a timely, resilient andpredictable

ICT

supporttoimprovethefollowing:

Responseandcoordination among response organizations; Decision-making throughtimely access to critical information; Common operational areas for disaster
response; Common system standards and operating procedures; Standards
based architecture for HADR Operations; and System architectures forcompliance and interoperability.

7) Agriculture Cluster (DA Lead and WFP, FIO as Co-Leads)
This cluster led by the DA aims to provide immediate resources in terms ofagricultural requirements in response mechanism.

8) Early Recovery Cluster with NEDA as Lead, UNDP as Co-Lead and DENR,
DTI, DPWH, DILG as members
This Cluster aims to bring back initial signs of ‘normalcy’ to the affectedareas.

9) Management of the Dead and Missing Cluster (DILG as Lead and DOH as
Co-lead)This cluster aims to provide assistance in the proper
disposition

of

the

remainsinasanitary

manneridentification
with cautions

andtoprevent negative psychological and social impact on the bereaved
and the community.

10) Search, Rescue and Retrieval Cluster
This cluster aims to provide support for an effective, timely, organized and117

systematic

search,rescueandretrieval operations to affected areas in all

emergencies to further minimize loss of lives and casualties, including the handoverofcasualties

to

the

HealthClusterfor proper treatment andmanagement. The SRR Cluster is the national organization that will coordinate anddeploy all available search and rescue teams from the government, civil society,private sector and the international community.

As provided for in the PDRRM law, the RDRRMC Chairperson may tap thefacilities and resources of other government agencies and private sectors, forthe protection of life and properties in pursuit of disaster risk reduction andmanagement. Thus, the implementation of this plan can be effectively
materialized if the support from these concerned stakeholders is appropriately
tapped.
Monitoring and evaluation serve as feedback mechanism on thenecessary changes and revisions of activities in the Contingency Plan. These M
and E activities shall be led by the OCD as Secretariat of the RDRRMC. The
monitoring and assessment of activities in the Contingency Plan as well as theafter-action review/lessons learned of the disaster occurrence shall be done
annually using the Monitoring and Evaluation Tool formulated by the RDRRMCTechnical Working Group (TWG).
The RDRRMC shall facilitate any request for possible funding support fromhumanitarian aid agencies/organizations to implement the activities of theContingency Plan in adherence to the existing national guidelines. Likewise, it
shall coordinate with the NDRRMC and other Regional DRRMCs for resource
mobilization and augmentation.
•

Regional Disaster Response Plan
The Regional Disaster Response Plan (RDRP) was prepared in collaboration

with the different government agencies in September 2014. A highly productive
workforce helps to ensure the delivery of services by all agencies involved
along disaster response and strengthen the collaborative efforts of eachagency during disaster.

118

The creation of this plan is time
ely as thee country continues to facee thechalllenge of the “new normal”
nwhhere the calamitiesca strongeare
er and wid
der inmagnitudemeandscope,

theg with the newchallenges of coping
phenomennon is something tha
at theentire agencies shhould con
ntend
with.
w
Henc
ce, these P
Protocols are
a ofparamounnt importa
ance as they
documenserve as guidanceg
nt forresponse

disaster

invo
olved

agencies.
Regional

The

Disaster

Response Committeee create
ed aTechnical Working GGroup to craft
the said plan.
p
It wa
as particip
pated
by

the

Response

memberagenciess

Committtee

of

discu
ussingthe experienceees, gaps an
nd challennges encou
untered along disaster response.
T
The
activiities were further supportedsmitteeby meettings of the commcom
mposed of the follow
wing region
nal agenc
cies, namely: Department of Social
Welffare and Developm
ment (DSW
WD), Officce of thee Civil De
efense (OOCD),
Department ofo Educatioon (DepEd), Departm
ment of He
ealth (DOH
H), Departm
ment
of Sc
cience and Technology (DOSTT), Philippin
ne Nationa
al Police (PPNP), Philip
ppine
Army
y (PA), Phiilippine Co
ost Guard (PCG), De
epartment of the Inteerior and Local
L
Gov
vernment (DILG), De
epartmentt of Publiic Works and Highhways (DP
PWH),
Natio
onal Burea
au of Invesstigation (NNBI), Depa
artment of Trade andd Industry (DTI),
Department ofo Agraria
an Reformm (DAR), Departme
ent of Ag
griculture (DA),
Philip
ppine

Po
orts

Autho
ority

(PPA
A),

Depa
artmentoofTranspportation

andCom
mmunicatioons (DOTCC), Philippin
ne Informa
ation Agenncy (PIA), Bureau of FireProteection (BFP
P), Departtment of Labor and Employmeent (DOLE)), Civil Avia
ation
Auth
hority of th
he Philippiines (CAAP), Nation
nal Food Authority
A(NFA), Nattional
Houssing Authoority (NHA)//Housing andaLand UseU Resgulaatory Boarrd (HLURB),, Civil
Society Organnization –Adventist Developme
ent and Re
elief Agenccy (ADRA) andFath
her Saturnin
no Urios University (FSUU).

119

The Response Clusters will augment or assume the response operations
given the different trigger points for each disaster phase. The eight Response
Clusters each have their own Lead Agency that will primarily supervise,
coordinate and report all activities of their cluster members during disaster.
The RDRP is crafted as reference for strategic action in providing response
assistance for all natural disasters. The RDRP is designed to develop mechanisms
and identify activities to attain a coherent and coordinated implementation of
the disaster response policies; provide guidance to all agencies in times ofdisaster; Strengthen the collaborative efforts of each agency during disaster
response; Harmonize and synchronize all efforts during emergency situations toefficiently respond to the needs of the affected areas; Maximize utilization ofavailable resources; Delineate roles and tasks of clusters involved in disaster
operations; and Establish an efficient, effective, systematic means of direction,
supervision, control, coordination and other communication in all disaster relief
and rehabilitation activities
The RDRP contains the following: 1) Regional structure adopting the eight
Response Clusters to have a focused response operations on the field; 2) Tasks
and functions of each member agency according to the three phases ofdisaster; 3) Establish operation protocols to fortify collaboration, coordinationand communication of all concerned agencies and stakeholders.
RDRP Activities include Pre-Disaster, During Disaster and Post Disaster. The
Operations Protocol of the Regional Disaster Response Cluster covers thefollowing:
Cluster 1 - Food and Non-food Items (NFI)
Cluster 2 - WASH, Health, Nutrition and Psychological Services (HEALTH)
Cluster 3 - Camp Coordination, Management and Protection (CCCM)
Cluster 4 - Logistics
Cluster 5 - Emergency Telecommunications (ETC)
Cluster 6 - Education
Cluster 7 - Search, Rescue and Retrieval (SRR)
Cluster 8 - Management of Dead and Missing (MDM)

120

According to the DSWD Caraga Regional Director and Vice Chairperson
for Disaster Response Committee, Dir. Minda Brigoli, as the lead agency for
response, the Department of Social Welfare and Development must at all times
be equipped and ready in providing technical assistance and resource
augmentation to all stakeholders in the implementation of the disaster risk
reduction and management programs, activities and projects so that whendisasters occur, lesser impact will be felt by the affected population.
Furthermore, in order to ensure the delivery of resources augmented areprovided, this Regional Disaster Response Plan (RDRP) was crafted andprepared in collaboration with the different member agencies to establish an
efficient, effective, systematic means of direction, supervision, control,
coordination and other communication in all disaster relief and rehabilitation
activities.
The former OCD Regional Director and RDRRMC Chairperson, Dir. Liza R.
Mazo stated that the RDRP is indeed a working document that serves as a
blueprint to perform the government’s mandates and responsibilities during
emergencies and disasters in order to better serve the people.
•

ApproachesA

paradigm

shift

from

reactivetoproactiverisk

reduction

andmanagement of disasters is required, mindful of the end view of increasing thepeoples’ resilience and decreasing their vulnerabilities to disasters.

The

paradigm shift provides a better perspective in the way people, communities
and governments think, act and respond to the current and emerging risks that
continually face them.

121

THEN

NOW

TOP-DOWN
CENTRALIZED DISASTER
MANAGEMENTBOTTOM-UP
PARTICIPATORY DISASTERRISK REDUCTION AND
MANAGEMENTDISASTERS AS FUNCTION
OF PHYSICAL HAZARDSDISASTERS AS
REFLECTION OF PEOPLE’S
VULNERABILITY

FOCUS ON DISASTERRESPONSEINTEGRATED APPROACH
TO REDUCE DISASTER
RISK

REACTIVE

PROACTIVE

Figure18: Summary of the Paradigm Shift from Reactive to Proactive DRRM
Figure 18 shows the summary of the paradigm shift brought about by thelaw. Prior to the law, a top-down centralized approach to disastermanagement system was applied. Now, a bottom-up participatory DRRM
approach has been adopted. Also, disasters were considered before asfunction of physical hazards. Now, disasters are viewed as a reflection ofpeople’s vulnerability. Before, efforts were focused more on disaster response.
Now, apart from looking at response, the government and other stakeholders
take an integrated approach by looking at all aspects to reduce disaster risk.
This proactive stance in DRRM has been adopted by the region and the entire
country.
The paradigm shift gave equal emphasis to vulnerabilities and capacities
aside from hazard. The shift in focus from hazards to vulnerabilities hademphasized the varying exposure of population groups living in the city, thepoorly constructed buildings, the informal settlements, incorrectly sited
developments, and the inadequacy of open spaces, among others, andcapacities of people and institutions to cope with and adapt to natural hazards.
It provided opportunities for land use planning to be promoted as a tool fordisaster risk reduction to encourage the use of land use policies. Other nonstructural and non-engineering measures which include community-based
disaster preparedness and early warning, the use of indigenous knowledge arealso promoted in disaster risk reduction and management.

122

CHAPTER 5
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONSThis chapter presents the summary of findings of the study andrecommendations.

Summary
The study aimed to determine the factors contributing to high resiliency
and capacity of Japan to natural hazards in the context of social institutions.

Specifically, the study explored the following: the Disaster Management
System of Japan and Philippines; the examples of DM-related social institutions
that promote resiliency and enhance capacity to natural hazards in Japan
particularly in Kansai Region and the Philippines particularly in Caraga Region
as the researcher’s area of concern, in terms of government institutions;educational/learning

institutions;healthcommunity/volunteer

organizations;

and,

care
the

institutions;institutionalandfactors

that

contribute to resiliency and capacity of Kansai Region and Caraga Region as
lessons from the past disasters as well as good practices and innovations, interms of institutional mechanisms, DRRM-related plans, and approaches. The
study used the descriptive research design involving various DM-related
institutions in Kansai Region.

Findings

The following are the salient findings of the study:1) Theestablishmentofacomprehensive

andstrategic

DisasterManagement System in Japan is brought about by the enactment of theDisaster Countermeasures Basic Act which addresses all of the disaster phasesof prevention, mitigation and preparedness, emergency response as well as

123

recovery and reconstruction. Likewise, the law clearly defines the roles andresponsibilities of the national and local governments for disaster management.
Revisions and amendments of laws, plans and system are made after every
disaster based on lessons learned for further improvement. Major amendmentsof the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act were made due to Typhoon Isewan
in 1959, the Great-Hansin Awaji Earthquake in January 1995 and the Great East
Japan Earthquake in March 2011.

On the other hand, Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Act of 2010 is the legal basis for the paradigm
shift from just disaster preparedness and response to disaster risk reduction andmanagement. The law is paving the way for the need to “adopt a DRRM
approach that is holistic, comprehensive, integrated, and proactive in lessening
the socio-economic and environmental impacts of disasters including climatechange, and promote the involvement and participation of all sectors and all
stakeholders concerned, at all levels, especially the local community.

Japan and the Philippines embrace a bottom-up disaster management
systems that place the primary obligation to deal with disasters at the local
government level and both DM systems mandate a multi-tiered, multistakeholder approach needing coordinated action across sectors and levels.

2) In general, DM-related institutions in Kansai Region are built upon thehistory of major earthquakes in the region. These institutions are establishedand operated by the Local Government Units as lessons from past megadisasters. Because of this, these institutions have developed an exceptional
system through research using highly sophisticated technology to promote theimportance of preparedness, cooperation among DM-related organizations
and communities, regional disaster-response capability as well as theimportance of building resilience against large-scale disasters.

124

In the case of Caraga Region, DM-related institutions are created infulfillment to the requirement of the PDRRM Law. These institutions play criticalroles as they work collaboratively with concerned stakeholders in achieving thegoal of resilience and enhancing capacity of communities.

3) There are peculiarities to some extent in the institutional factors such as
institutional mechanisms, DRRM-related plans and approaches between Kansai
Region in Japan and Caraga Region in the Philippines.

In the case of Kansai Region, the UKG is a mutual-aid agreement decided
among local governments in their own initiative.

Although the region-wide

union is stipulated in Article 284 of the Local Autonomy Act, there was no
explicit mechanism of support coordination among local governments. Further,
the UKG formulated the Kansai Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan, as thenation’s first full-scale plan for large-scale disaster prevention and mitigation
with clear guidelines and wide-area arrangement during the occurrence ofmassive wide-area disasters such as Tonankai and Nankai earthquakes andother threats.

In the case of Caraga Region, the RDRRMC is established as an
institutional mechanism and replication of the NDRRMC at the regional level as
mandated by PDRRM law. The roles and responsibilities of the regional council,
local DRRM council and other concerned stakeholders in DRRM are explicitly
provided in the law. The RDRRMC is further reinforced with several institutional
mechanisms to strengthen collaboration and support system, and to recognize
initiatives pertaining to DRRM efforts in the region. Likewise, the regional council
formulated varied plans in its pursuit to reduce risk and make disaster response
and rehabilitation more effective.

In terms of approaches, Japan’s Self-help, Mutual help and Public help
and Philippine’s paradigm shift from reactive to proactive stance in DRRM

125

provideabetterperspective

in

the

way

people,communities

andgovernments think, act and respond to the current and emerging risks that
continually face them.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions andrecommendation are drawn:
1) The ability to deal with natural hazards, and the potential disasters
associated with them differs considerably from each country. Japan has stored
a lot of experiences and lessons at various levels in different fields. Thus, social
institutions play important roles to transfer these lessons, and experience ofgood practices to present and future generations.

For the Government ofJapan, disaster countermeasures are never “costs”, but rather investments inthe future in achieving safe and secure living (White Paper, DM in Japan 2015 –Summary). Because of this, Japan is resilient as a nation as far as its institutional
capacity is concerned since it has largely invested on research andinfrastructure to combat the effects of natural disasters. “DRR is our DNA”, is an
important precept in Japan evident in the Japanese way of life. With this, DRR ismainstreamed in their education system, health, infrastructure development,
private sector and environment as a result of the past disasters.
2) In the case of the Philippines, Republic Act 10121 is paving the way forthe mainstreaming of DRR in all aspects of the Filipino way of life. Implementing
the provisions of the PDRRM Law and its possible amendments after the sunset
review done in 2015, remains to be a challenge for the country in its pursuit ofsafer, adaptive and disaster-resilient communities towards a sustainable future.
Clear definition of roles and tasks of national and local government,
appropriate

budgetallocations,mutually

supportive

institutions,strongpartnerships and engagements with society, the private sector and thecommunity can contribute to resiliency and enhance capacity against naturaland human-induced hazards.
3) The strength, flexibility, and overall resilience of society to recover fromdisasters and better cope with future stresses can be enhanced through a

126

combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches and a combination ofboth hard and soft institutional measures.

127

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