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.

Factors Contributing to the High Resiliency and Capacity
off JapanJ
tto NaturalN tl Hazards
H
d in
i the
th Context
C t t
of Social Institutions

A Paperp
Presented 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
Offi
Officeoff Ci
Civilil D
Defense-DepartmentfDtt off National
N tilD
Defensef
Republic of the Philippines

OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION• Introduction
I t d ti
• Statement of the Problem• Significance
Si ifioff theth Study
St d• Scope and Limitation of the Study• ResearchR
hM
Methodology
th d l• Presentation and Interpretation of Data
• Findings• Conclusion and Recommendations

INTRODUCTION• Japanpand the Philippinespp
are highly
g y vulnerable to avariety of natural hazards including earthquakes,
tsunamis, volcanic eruption, typhoons, storm surges,
fl d
floods,l d lidlandslides
andd othersthbbecauseoff theirth igeographic location.

• Although Japan has suffered enormous damages due
to repeated mega disasters since ancient times, atpresent the country is considered to be leader indisaster management because it has increased its
resilience every time a large-scalelarge scale disaster isexperienced.

INTRODUCTION• Typhoonyp
Ise-wan in 1959 was the turning
g p
point forstrengthening the disaster management system and led
to the enactment of the Disaster Countermeasures BasicA t inAct
i 1961,
1961 whichhi h formulatesfl t
a comprehensive
h
i
and
d
strategic disaster management system. Likewise, theGreat-Hansin
Great
Hansin Awaji Earthquake in January 1995 and theGreat East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 prompted
the nation to continuously review and revise its Disaster
Management (DM) system and strongly pursue building
national resilience.

INTRODUCTION• Philippines
ppis currently
y the 3rd country
y at risk to disasters
worldwide based on the World Risk Index Report 2015.
It is based on the Philippine’s risk profile that thecountryt tookt k theth paradigm
dishift
hift tot disasterdi t risk
ik
reduction and management (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 theframework of the Philippines in the implementation ofPDRRM Law. However, the country is confronted withvarious challenges when it comes to implementing
DRRM.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This study sought answers to the following questions:
1) What is the Disaster Management System in Japan and
the Philippines?
2)) What are the examples
pof DM-related social institutions
that promote resiliency and enhance capacity tonatural hazards in Japan particularly in Kansai Region
and the Philippines particularly in Caraga Region as
the researcher’s area of concern, in terms of:
2.1 Government Institutions;
2.2 Educational/Learning Institutions;
23 H
2.3
Healthlth CareC
Institutions;
I tit tiandd
2.4 Community/Volunteer Organizations?

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
3 What are the institutional factors that contribute to3.
resiliency and capacity of Kansai Region and Caraga
Region as lessons learned from the past disasters aswell as good practices and innovations, in terms of thefollowing:
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 theinstitutional factors that influence Japan
Japan’ss resiliency and capacity
against natural hazards as lessons from past major disasters.
• The findings may give clear view of the disaster management system ofJapan and Philippines.
y will enable better appreciation
ppof the institutional• The result of the study
factors in terms of mechanisms, plans and approaches as lessons
learned from past disasters, as well 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 enhancecapacity.
• The information is not only valuable for the researcher in performing her
duties and responsibilities as Civil Defense Officer and DRR
practitioner/advocate but also for partner-stakeholders in thePhili i
Philippines.

SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY• This study is focused on the factors contributing to the highresiliency and capacity of Japan to natural hazards in thecontext of social institutions.
• Primary sources of data are the actual experiences and learningthat the researcher has gained and accumulated through the/acrossvarious field visits to DRRM-related institutions/offices
Japan, orientations/briefings/lectures with local andinternational experts and interview with key officials in the periodof three (3) months as a Visiting Researcher
Researcher.
• Secondary data include online/electronic sources and personalreadingsi
off referencefmaterials
iprovidediduringithe term under
the Visiting Researcher Program of the Asian Disaster Reductiong
23-November 18,, 2016. The studyyCenter ((ADRC)) on Augustdoes not include other factors such as physical, social,economic, motivational/attitudinal aspects.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research DesigngThis study used the descriptive research design utilizing theli t off guidelist
id questions
ti
t collect
toll t theth relevantlt datad t forf thethstudy. Interviews were conducted to validate and further
expound the data gathered.
gathered This method is preferred forthis kind of research because the expected responses andresults are best presented by descriptions.

Research Locale
This research was conducted in the various disastermanagement-relatedg
institutions located in Kansai Region.
gMap showing the location of examples of DM-related Social
Institutions in Kansai Region

Hyogo Prefecture
DM Center

Hyogo Institute forTraumatic Stress(HITS)

Osaka City Abeno Life
Safety Learning Center

Disaster Reduction and
Human Renovation
Institution (DRI)

Tsunami/Storm Surge
Disaster Prevention Station

Kobe Crisis Management
CenterInamura-no-Hi
Inamurano Hi noYakata Tsunami
Educational Center

Japan National DM System“DRR is our DNA”

an important precept in Japan shared with the international community
during the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR)
held in Sendai in March 2015
For the Government of Japan, disaster countermeasures arenever “costs”, but rather investments in the future inachieving safe and secure living

E ik Yamatani
Eriko
Y
t i
Minister of State for Disaster Management, Japan(White Paper on Disaster Management in Japan 2015 –Summary)DM System in Japan
Di
Disastert Countermeasures
C
t
Basic
B i Act
A t• Enforced in 1962
• comprehensive and strategic Disaster Management System• addresses all of the disaster phases of prevention, mitigation andpreparedness, emergency response as well as recovery andreconstructioniy defines the roles and responsibilitiespamong
g the national• clearly
and local governments• cooperation of relevant entities of the public and private sectors
in implementing various disaster countermeasures

Organizational chart of the national government of Japan
Minister
se o
of S
State
a e foroDisaster Management

Cabinet Office(Disaster Management)

CabinetCabinetSecretariat

Reconstruction
AgencygyMinistry of Internal Affairs
and Communications

Fire and Disaster
Management Agency

National Public Safety
Commission

National Police Agency

Ministry of JusticeDirector-General for Disaster
Management
Deputy Director-Generalfor Disaster Management
Director for
General Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Director for Basic Disaster
Management Plan

Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Scienceand Technology
Ministryy of Health, Labourand Welfare
Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries

Director for Disaster
Response Operations
Small and Medium
Enterprise Agency
Agency for Natural
Resources and Energy

Ministryy of Economy,y
Trade and Industry

Japan Meteorological
Agency (JMA)

Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport,
and Tourism

Japan Coast Guard

Ministry of theEnvironment
Ministry of Defense

Geographical
Survey Institute
Nuclear Regulation
Authority

Director for
Administrative Support for
Affected People
Director for
Research and Planning
Director for
Promotion, Education andInternational Cooperation
on Disaster Preparedness
Director for
ProjectP
j t Promotion
Pti
Director for
Training and Local
Authorities

Structure of Basic Disaster Management Plan
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
p

Emergencygy ResponsepDisaster Recovery

Stipulated concrete countermeasures by each stakeholder
Local Gov’t.

National Gov’t.

Residents

Outline of Disaster Management System[National[Ntil Level]Ll]Prime Minister
Central Disaster Management Council
Designated Government Organizations,
Designated Public Corporations[Prefectural Level]
Governor

47

Prefectural Disaster Management Council

Formulation and promoting implementingof the Basic Disaster Management Plan
Formulation and implementation ofDisaster Management Operation Plan
• Extreme Disaster Managementg
Headquartersq• Major Disaster Management Headquarters

Formulation and promoting implementation
off Local
Ll Di
Disastert M
Managementt Pl
Plan

Designated Local Government Organizations,
Designated Local Public Corporations[Municipal Level]
1,718
Mayors of Cities, Towns and Villages
Municipal
p Disaster ManagementgCouncil[Residents level]

Formulation and promoting implementationof Local Disaster Management PlanJapan National DM System
Main elements of the country’s DRM system:
1) Investments in structural measures (such as reinforced buildings andseawalls), cutting edge risk assessments, early- warning systems, andhazard mapping— all supported by sophisticated technology for datacollection,, simulation,, information,, and communication,, and by
y scenariobuilding to assess risks and to plan responses (such as evacuations) tohazards;
2) A culture of preparedness, where training and evacuation drills are
systematically practiced at the local and community levels and inschools and workplaces;
3) Stakeholder involvement, where the national and local government,
communities, NGOs, and the private sector are all aware of their roles;
4) Effective legislation, regulation, and enforcement— for example, ofbuilding codes that have been kept current; and
5) The use of sophisticated technology to underpin planning andassessment operations.

Philippine DRRM System• Legal basis for the paradigm shift from justdisaster preparedness and response to disasterrisk
i k reductiond ti
andd management;t• Enacted on 27 May 2010;• Implementing Rules and Regulation wasapproved on 27 September 2010;• Adopt a DRRM approach that is holistic,
comprehensive, integrated, and proactive inlesseningthesocio-economic
socio
economic
andenvironmental impacts of disasters including
climatechange,andpromotetheinvolvement
o e e
and
a
d pa
participationc pa o oof aall sec
sectorsos
and stakeholders concerned, at all levels,
especially the local community;• "sunset review" of the law was conducted by
the congressional oversight committee in 2015

Philippine DRRM System
Salient Features of the PDRRM Law• repealed PD 15166 and transformed
NDCC into National Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Council(NDRRMC) which is empowered with
policy-making, coordination, integration,
supervision, monitoring and evaluation
functions which will be carried out
through the seventeen (17) main
responsibilities stipulated in the law.

• OCD serves as Executive Arm andSecretariat of the NDRRMC• Primarymission:administeracomprehensive
national
civil
defense and disaster risk reduction
and management program

Philippine DRRM System
Salient Features of the PDRRM Law
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
18 Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils
81 Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils• establishment of the “DRRM Network”, or
the replication of the NDRRMC from thenationalil downd
to theh regional,il provincial,i i lcity, municipal and barangay levels

145 City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils
1 489 Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management1,
Councils
42,029 Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Committees

LDRRMCs’ primary responsibility in• LDRRMCs
preparing for, responding to, andrecovering from the effects of any
disaster;;• Establishment of LDRRMOs in every
Province, City and Municipality, andBarangay to set the direction,
development, implementation andcoordination of DRRM programs in theirareas;• NDRRM Framework approved on 16 June
2011 as the overall guide to achieve thevision of safer, adaptive and resilient
Filipino communities toward sustainable
development;

Philippine DRRM System• NDRRM Plan approved on 7 February 2012 toimplement all our DRRM targets• ServesS
as th
the nationaltil guideid on hhowsustainable development can be achieved
through inclusive growth while building theadaptive capacities of communities;
increasing the resilience of vulnerable sectors;
and optimizing disaster mitigation
opportunitiesppwith the end in view ofpromoting people’s welfare and security
towards gender-responsive and rights-basedsustainable development• The plan has four (4) distinct yet mutually
reinforcing priority areas, namely, (a) Disaster
Prevention and Mitigation; (b) Disaster
Preparedness;p((c)) Disaster Response;pand ((d))
Disaster Recovery and Rehabilitation.

ExamplesE
l off DM-related
DM l t d social
i linstitutions in Japan(Kansai Region)

Government Institutions•Hyogo Prefecture Disaster Management Center• establishedt bli h d ini A
Augustt 2000 as theth first
fi t localllgovernment office dedicated to disastermanagement in Japan;• serves as the central base for the
preparedness and information collection andthe regionalghub/headquarters/q
for Disaster
Management activities;• capable of functioning even when lifelines
have been disruptedi
iin the aftermathf
off amajor disaster;• utilizes the Phoenix Disaster Management
System where functions for collection ofobservation data, prompt damage forecasts,
the collection of damage information, map
information, image information, estimation of
supply and demand of personnel goods andothers.

Government Institutions• Kobe City Hall Crisis Management Center• Established in April 2002 is one of the policy

measures that build upon the history ofearthquakes in the city;• dedicated as a central facility in coordinating a
range of emergency response systems andprocedures that enable the city to respond to all
forms of disaster including wind, flood andearthquakes.
• Key principles of facility design include:1) central crisis management facility with highlevel of disaster protection;2) environment friendly and people friendly
design; and3) urban design consistent with Design City Kobe
philosophy

Government Institutions• Tsunami/Storm Surge Disaster Prevention Station, Osaka City
• considered to be a disaster prevention baseresponsible for the Osaka area
• flood barriers are installed inside the station to prevent
flooding;• comprises the Disaster Prevention Building and
Display Building;- 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.
- Display Building seeks to enhance awareness of
disaster prevention among Osaka residents.

Educational/Learning Institutions•Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI)• also known as the Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake Memorial was founded by Hyogo
Prefecture in April 2002 with the support of theJapanese government;• Hyogo co-manages the DRI in cooperation with
the national government as a base for sharing theexperiences and lessons learned from theearthquake;• aims at cultivating disaster prevention culture,
mitigating social vulnerability, and developing
policies for disaster reduction by transferring
experiences of the GHAE and applying lessons
learned from the Earthquake for the better future,
thereby contributing to realizing a safer and moresecure civil society along with education
regarding the value of life and the preciousness ofco-existing.

Educational/Learning Institutions•Osaka City Abeno Life Safety Learning Center• helps people prepare against natural
disasters such as earthquakes,
earthquakes urban
flooding and severe rainstorms bysimulation;• Provides learning and practicalknowledge/skills on what to do after anearthquake both indoors and on theearthquake,streets, including how to put out fires,
evacuate, rescue others, and a series ofother necessary disaster preparedness
training activities

Educational/Learning Institutions• Inamura-no-Hi
I
Hi no Yakata
Y k t TsunamiTi EducationalEdtil Center,
C t
Wakayama• facility was opened in April 2007 where thevirtues of the great local pioneer of“Hamaguchi
Hamaguchi Goryo
Goryo” and the danger oftsunamis could be handed down for posterity
and for visitors to also learn about thep
to tsunamis
mechanism of and best response• aims to enhance education on disasterprevention for children;• consists of the Hamaguchi Goryo Archives andthe Tsunami Educational Center;• as a central base facility for the nationwide PR
activities of Hirogawa-cho as the “town of thefi off rice
fireisheaves”h” iin ththe future.
f tEducational/Learning Institutions• Emergency And Rescue Team by School Staff in Hyogo (EARTH)• established on April 1, 2000 by the Hyogo Board of
Education• the system led by Hyogo Prefecture Government
in order to promote school disaster education andimprove school disaster management throughtraining professional teachers and staff.
• a knowledge sharing platform to enhance disaster
preparedness making the best use of Hyogo’s
experience and to reciprocate the vast amount ofassistance it received from other prefecturesduring the earthquake• consists of five (5) groups, namely: School
Education, Psychological Care, Evacuation PlaceManagement School Meals,
Management,
Meals and Research andPlanning

Health Care Institutions• Hyogo Institute for Traumatic Stress (HITS)• opened on April 1, 2004 as first researchpin order toinstitute ever established in Japan
address mental health issues of trauma
survivors and those who suffer from PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD);• a multi-functioned facility which include:
1) Research Department
2) Clinic
Cli i & CounselingCli3) Liaison & Networking
4) Training and Lectures
5) Information
I fti
on TTraumaticti Stress
St

Community/Volunteer Organizations•Disaster-Safe Welfare Communities or “BOKOMI”• Kobe City’s Community-based voluntaryorganizationsoga a o s foro disasterd sas e risks reduction
educ o• Established with local government organizations
including the local city office (ward office) andthe local fire station, together with leaders of
local residents’ associations, women’s
associations, elderly associations, childcommittee member,member youth associations,associations PTA
PTA,
local fire station, and local business entities;• Provided with equipment and materials needed
for the activities and storehouses are installed inlocal parks, usually in elementary school parks
which also serve as evacuation centers, in
preparation for emergencies.

Bosai Tsunagari Fiesta at Kobe Gakuin University on
August 28, 2016

• Conducts Disaster-prevention and risk reduction
acti ities which
activities
hich incl
includede disaster drills and training
to promote ties and cooperation in thecommunity

ExamplesE
l off DM-related
DM l t d social
i linstitutions in the Philippines(Caraga Region)

Government Institutions
Provincial DRRM Office of the Province of Dinagat Islands• focused on efforts in building disaster resiliencefrom its governance, administration, leadershipfrom top to bottom, and community-based
Disaster Risk Reduction-Climate Change
Adaptation• consistent in sustaining DRRM programs
programs,
projects and activities making it excellent
beyond the standard in the 4 thematic areasof Disaster Prevention & Mitigation,g,
Preparedness, Response, and Rehabilitation
and Recovery

Government Institutions•Municipal DRRM Office of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur• established in 2011 as mandated by Republic
Act 10121• banking on planning and political will to keep
its constituents safe during extreme weather
events“ I’d rather spend millions of pesos for prevention,
mitigation and preparedness to ensure the safety andwell-being of my people rather than spend it for searchand rescue.”
ATTY. CANDELARIO J. VIOLA, JR.
Municipal Mayor & MDRRMC Chairman

Educational/Learning Institutions• Office of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Service (DRRMS)• responsible for ensuring that schools have afunctioning DRRM Team- School DRRM Team has core functions as it
facilitates the harmonization of various efforts of
DRRM in Education, externally and internally.
Department Order 37, s. 2015 dated August 12, 2015 re:Comprehensive DRRM in Basic Education Framework- guide DRRM efforts in the basic education sector
towards resilience-building in offices and schools, andto ensure that quality education is continuously
provided
id d andd prioritizedi iti d even dduringididisasterstand/ord/emergencies.
- institutionalize DRRM structures, systems, protocols
and practices in DepEd offices and schools.

Health care Institutions• Health
H lth E
Emergency M
Managementt Staff
St ff (HEMS) underdthe Department of Health (DOH)• CreatedCt d byb virtueitoff Executive
ti OrderO d 102
02 off1999• ensure a comprehensive and integrated
Health Sector Management System to preventor minimize the loss of lives during emergencies
and disasters in collaboration with government,g,business and civil society groups;• HEMS operates on a 24-hour basis, the facility
closely coordinates with the concerned
agencies of the health sector;• provides services on Health
Health, Water,
Water Sanitationand Hygiene (WASH), Nutrition, Mental Healthand Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), Medical
Consultation & Rapid Assessment in andoutside the region during
emergencies/disasters.

Community/Volunteer Organizations• Rescue and Emergency Service Provider On Disaster, Inc.
• aims to help
p the community
y to beprepared and resilient by providing disasterrisk reduction and response services as wellas humanitarian assistance• identified as the only active and sustaining
volunteer group in Caraga in line with
DRRM & CCA programs• institutionalized regular community services& activities
ti iti lik
like medical
di l missions,
i ienvironmental /ecology protection,
support to local events, health information
drive school based endeavours
drive,
endeavours, andtrainings• Actively engaged in capacity-building
capacity building andpolicy making especially with local
government units and national agencies

Institutional factors contributing toresiliency
y and capacitypy of Kansai
Region as lessons from the pastdisasters and good practices/innovations

Institutional Mechanisms• Union of Kansai Governments (UKG)• localll public
bli entity
tit establishedt bli h d iin D
Decemberb 1
1, 2010• Japan’s first cross-prefectural union of local
governments, 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• aims to address issues such as regional disasterprevention that are difficult for one prefecture alone
to deal with• wide-area disaster prevention include disasterprevention drills , stockpile of materials and supplies ,support and arrangement to conduct administrativework
k relatingl ti
tto didisastert management,t training
t i i
off
personnel, cooperation and coordination of theaffiliated body in emergency involving the spread of
infection and other non-natural disaster, andresearch and investigation

DRRM-related Plans• Kansai Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan
• nation
nation’ss first full
full-scale
scale plan for large-scalelarge scaledisaster prevention and mitigation;• stipulates responses and procedures to betaken by the Union of Kansai Governments(UKG) during the occurrence of massive widearea disasters such as Tonankai and Nankai
earthquakes;thk• include measures concerning earthquake andtsunami disaster,
disaster wind and flood disaster,
disasternuclear disaster, infectious disease such as new
strain of influenza, bird flu and foot-and-mouthdisease and others;• promotes cooperation and mutual agreement
among the affiliated body and municipalities
andd among companies,i
voluntaryl torganizations, residents of prefectures

Approaches• Self-Help, Mutual Help and Public Help
• One of the lessons of the Great
Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake is theimportance of combination of publichelp (government help), mutual help,
and self-help• consideredidd essential
ti l tto didisastertmanagement in Japan to ensure thatdamage from natural disasters is kept toa minimumi i- “Self-help’ refers to safeguarding one’s
own life.
life- “Mutual help” refers to helping eachother and protecting their community.
- ‘Public
Public help
help” refers to governmental
assistance (service)

Institutional factors contributing toresiliency
y and capacitypy ofCaraga Region

Institutional Mechanisms• Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council (RDRRMC) Caraga• coordinates, integrates, supervises, andevaluates the activities of the local
Disaster Risk Reduction andM
Managementt Councils
C
il (LDRRMC(LDRRMCs))• Constitute fifty (50) members of the
RDRRMC from national-line agencies
agencies,
civil society organizations and Local
DRRM Officers• responsible for ensuring disaster sensitive
regional development plans, and incase of emergencies, it convenes thediffdifferent
regionalil liline agencies
i anddconcerned institutions and authorities• Established a 24
24-hourhour operating facility
known as Regional DRRM Operations
Center (RDRRMOC)

Institutional Mechanisms• RDRRMC Caraga is reinforced by the following:
1) Technical Working Group composed of representatives of the memberagencies that coordinates and meet as often as necessary to effectively
manage and sustain regional efforts on DRRM;
2) Four (4) Standing Committees (Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Disaster
Preparedness, Disaster Response and Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery)3) Regional Selection Committee (RSC) and Provincial Selection Committee(PSC) forf GawadGd KALASAG SearchSh forf ExcellenceEllini DRRM andd HumanitarianH
it i
Assistance;4) Caraga Regional Alliance of Local DRRM Officers (CADRRMOs)
5) Technical Working Group for the Harmonization of Vulnerability Assessment
Tools6) Regional Disaster Response Teams
7) DisasterDit PreparednessP
dC
Committee’s
itt ’ DisasterDit CapabilityCbilit PreparednessPdAssessment

DRRM-related Plans• Regional Risk Profile and DRRM Plan 2013-2017
Risk Profile - a complementary
document of the 5-year Regional
Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement Plan;
serves as the planning environment ofplan as it p
provides information
the ptypes of risks (natural and humaninduced), and impact of risks affecting
the regiongin the last ten (10)( ) years
Caraga RDRRMP 2013-2017(RDRRMP)
providesid strategict t i direction
di
ti
and
d roaddmap for effective DRRM at the local
level

DRRM-related Plans•

Regional Contingency Plan for Typhoon

CaragaRegional Contingency Plan

• a scenario-based plan as basis forstrategic response during disaster
similar to Super Typhoon Yolanda.
• The goal is to provide effective
effective,
efficient, timely and coordinatedresponse needed in order to save
lives and alleviate impact ofdisaster in the affected
communities.
• Adopts the Cluster System and ICSDRRM-related Plans•

Regional Disaster Response Plan
• Serves as reference for strategic
action in providing response
assistance for all natural disasters;- to ensure the delivery of resources
augmentation to affected areas;- to establish an efficient, effective,
systematic means of direction,
supervision, control, coordinationand other communication in alldisaster relief and rehabilitation
activities

Approaches• Paradigm shift from reactive to proactive DRRM

• provides a better perspective inthe way people, communities
and governments think, act andrespond to the current andemerging risks that continually
face them;• aimsi
tto iincrease peoples’
l ’
resilience and decrease theirvulnerabilities to disasters

FINDINGS
The following are the salient findings of the study:1) Japan and the Philippines embrace a bottom
bottom-up
up disaster management
systems which place the primary obligation to deal with disasters at the
local government level and both DM systems mandate a multi-tiered,multi-stakeholder
multistakeholder approach needing coordinated action across sectors
and levels.
2)) DM-related institutions in Kansai Regiong
are established and operatedpbyythe Local Government Units as lessons from mega disasters. These
institutions have developed an exceptional system through research using
highly sophisticated technology to promote the importance of
preparedness, cooperation among DM-related organizations andcommunities, regional disaster-response capability as well as theimportance of building resilience against large-scale disasters.

FINDINGS
In the case of Caraga Region, DM-related institutions are created inqof the PDRRM Law. These institutions pplayyfulfillment to the requirement
critical roles as they work hand-in hand together with concerned
stakeholders in achieving the goal of resilience and enhancing capacityof 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 agreementd id d among local
decidedll governmentst in
i their
th i own initiative.
i iti ti
Alth
Althoughh thethregion-wide union is stipulated in Article 284 of the Local Autonomy Act,
there was no explicit mechanism of support coordination among local
governments Further,governments.
Further the UKG formulated the Kansai Disaster Prevention
and Mitigation Plan, as the nation’s first full-scale plan for large-scaledisaster prevention and mitigation with clear guidelines and wide-areaarrangement during the occurrence of massive wide-areawide area disasters suchas Tonankai and Nankai earthquakes and other threats.

FINDINGS
In the case of Caraga Region, the RDRRMC is established as an
institutional mechanism and replication of the NDRRMC at the regional levelas mandated by PDRRM law. The roles and responsibilities of the regional
council, local DRRM council and other concerned stakeholders in DRRM arepypprovided in the law. The RDRRMC is further reinforced with several
explicitly
institutional mechanisms to strengthen collaboration and support system, andto recognize initiatives pertaining to DRRM efforts in the region. Likewise, theregional council formulated varied plans in its pursuit to reduce risk and makedisaster 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
provide a better perspective in the way people, communities andgovernments think, act and respond to the current and emerging risks that
continuallytill facefththem.

CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions andrecommendation are drawn:•

The ability to deal with natural hazards, and the potential disasters
associated with them differs considerably from each country.

•

Social Institutions play important roles to transfer the lessons, andpof ggood ppractices at various levels in different fields.
experience•

Japan is resilient as a nation as far as its institutional capacity isconcerned because it has largely invested on research andinfrastructure to combat the effects of natural disasters. Indeed, “DRR is
Japan’s DNA” evident in Japanese way of life. DRR is mainstreamed intheir education system, health, infrastructure development, private
sector and environment as a result of the past disasters.

CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS• The PDRRM Law is still paving the way for the mainstreaming of DRR in all
aspects of the Filipino way of life. Clear definition of roles and tasks ofthe national government and local government, appropriate budget
allocations,lltimutuallyt ll supportiveti
i tit tiinstitutions,strongtpartnerships
t
hi
and
d
engagements with society, the private sector and the community cancontribute to resiliency and enhance capacity against natural andhhuman-inducedi dd hazards.
hd• The strength, flexibility, and overall resilience of society to recover fromdisasters and better cope with future stresses can be enhanced througha combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches and a
combination of both hard and soft institutional measures.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Domo ArigatogGozaimasu to the:• Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) and theGovernment of Japan for this opportunity to learn andexperience the DRR best practices and exceptionalinnovations in Japan• Office of Civil Defense-Department of National Defense,
Republic of the Philippines• DRR Experts in various DM-related social institutions• Co-Visiting
C Vi itiR
Researchershffrom A
Armeniai andd IIndonesiadiy and friends• Family