1

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 used on the maps in the report also do
not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the ADRC.

2

THE PHILIPPINEDRRMDISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENTSYSTEMA Country Report
byMr. Marc Gil P. Calang
Civil Defense Assistant/ Training, Office of Civil DefenseDepartment of National Defense (OCD-DND) Caraga Regional Officeduring the 2017 ADRC Visiting Researcher Program
Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

3

C O N T E N T S

I. General Information

II. Philippine Disaster Risk Profile
A. Natural Hazards
B. Recent Major Disasters

III. Philippine DRRM System
A. Salient Features of Republic Act 10121
B. NDRRM Framework
C. NDRRM Plan
D. Four DRRM Thematic Areas
E. Challenges

IV. ADRC Counterpart

4Country Report of the Philippines
I.

General Information
The Philippines, located in Southeast Asia (SEA), is one of thelargest island groups in the world with 7,107 islands. It has a total
land area of approximately 300,000 sq. kms. and a coastline of
34,000 km, the longest in the world. It is further divided into three(3) major groups of islands namely, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Figure 1. Map of the Republic of the Philippines

5

Luzon is the biggest island group while Visayas is a melting pot of
Spanish, Chinese, and Indo-Malayan cultures; and Mindanao where
Chinese and Muslims are predominant. There are 18 administrative
regions, namely: National Capital Region (NCR); Ilocos Region(Region I); Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR); Cagayan Valley(Region II); Central Luzon (Region III); CALABARZON (Region IVA); MIMAROPA (Region IV-B); Bicol Region (Region V); Western
Visayas (Region VI); Central Visayas (Region VII); Eastern Visayas(VIII); Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX); Northern Mindanao(Region X); Davao Region (Region XI); SOCCSKSARGEN (Region
XII); Caraga Region (Region XIII); Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM); Negros Island Region (NIR – Region XVIII).
Manila is the capital city but outside Manila there are also diverse
centers of commerce and industry, culture, the arts, and education.
The Philippines is normally warm with abundant rainfall and gentle
winds. There are three pronounced seasons: wet to rainy from Juneto October; cool and dry weather from November to February; andhot and dry weather from March to May. The country has a total
population of 100,981,437 based on the 2015 Census of Population(POPCEN 2015). The system of Government is Democratic with ourcurrent President, His Excellency RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE.

II.

Philippine Disaster Risk Profile

6

A. Natural Hazards Likely to Affect the Country (Features,
Tendency)
The Philippines is prone to almost all types of natural hazards
because of its geographical location and geotectonic setting.

7

Figure2. Map showing the Pacific Ring of FireIn addition, the Philippines is situated along the highly-seismic
Pacific Ring of Fire as shown on Figure 2; this is the area where thePhilippine Sea and Eurasian Tectonic Plates meet and is prone tooccurrences of earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. In
fact, there are 300 volcanoes in the country and 22 are active.

Figure 3 shows the distribution of active faults and trenches in thePhilippines which are found in several areas of the country.

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9

Figure 3. Map showing the Distribution of Active Faults and Trenches in the Philippines

Moreover, Figure 4 presents the seismicity or the frequency ofoccurrence of earthquakes, almost all parts of the country
experience earthquakes. According to the Philippine Institute on
Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVLOCS), the country experiences
an average of five (5) earthquakes a day. Earthquake disasters are
not as frequent as the typhoons and flooding that take place in thePhilippines.

10

Figure 4. Map showing the Seismicity of the Philippines

Nevertheless, the impact generated on affected communities isusually massive and devastating. Earthquake-induced disasters
were few in numbers and in terms of casualties. Within the 10-year
period five (5) destructive earthquakes were recorded and human

11casualty included 15 deaths and 119 persons injured. Damage tothe economy was estimated to reach P0.207-B. The 1990 Luzon
Earthquake, the Moro Gulf Tsunami and the collapse of the Ruby
Tower were the most notably devastating earthquake disasters in
the Philippines.
Aside from being situated in the Pacific Ring of Fire, the country is
also located along the Pacific Typhoon Belt. This explains theoccurrences of different weather disturbances such as typhoons.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical
Services Administration (PAGASA) reports that every year, anaverage of twenty (20) tropical cyclones enter the Philippine Area of
Responsibility (PAR) and five (5) of which shall be most destructive.
Tropical cyclones and its sequential effects of rain and windstorms,
as well as floods are the most prevalent types of hydrometeorological hazards in the country.

Figure 5. Photo showing Pacific Typhoon Belt

In fact, the Philippines can also be called “Exporter of Typhoons”.
Below are tracks of Tropical Cyclones in the Western North Pacific
Period from 1948 to 2010 based on the records of the Japan
Meteorological Agency (JMA).

12

Figure 5: Tracks of Tropical Cyclones in the Western
North Pacific Period from 1948 to 2010.

Between 1997 and 2007, eighty-four (84) tropical cyclones entered
the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). These typhoons
resulted to a total of 13,155 in human casualty and more than 51
million families have been affected. Economic losses due to typhoon
damages in agriculture, infrastructures and private properties are
estimated to reach P158.242-B. Some of the most devastating
floods and landslides are triggered by these typhoons that
happened also within this period. The El Nino Southern Oscillation
which is a periodic disaster recorded high economic costs in just asingle occurrence. In 2010, out of the almost PhP 25-M worth ofdamages to properties caused by natural disasters, tropical
cyclones contributed to more than half. These affected more than 3
million people in that year alone.
As shown on Figure 4, the intensity scale classification of tropical
cyclone by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical andAstronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), have developed
the category for Super Typhoon, with sustained winds of greaterthan 220 km per hour. In the past years, the country does not have13

the category for Super Typhoon. However, because of Typhoon
Yolanda, the PAGASA had the realization that the strength of
typhoons can go beyond the country’s existing threshold.

Figure 5:
PAGASA’s
Intensity Scale

TropicalCycloneIn addition, Philippines also has to contend with the irreversible
impacts of climate change that is characterized by the increasing
global temperatures.
Photo credit: Google Images

Figure 6:
ChangeSchematic Presentation showing Climate

Amongst these natural hazards, the Philippine government has todeal with internal disputes and threats of terrorism in some areas
making us also vulnerable to this kind of political and humaninduced hazards.

14

Environmental factors such as denuded forests aggravate flood
risks. The pace of deforestation since the 1930s accelerated in the
1950s and 1960s, before falling slightly in the 1980s. Even now, theeffects of loose soil and reduced forest cover from past forestry
activities are felt in frequent landslides and floods. Recent eventsshow that the annual monsoon season in the country has brought
severe flooding in most areas. In 2011, most of the disasters thatclaimed the lives of people and affected properties and livelihoodsof the most vulnerable were brought about by increased rainfall
which caused massive flash flooding in areas which don’t normallyexperience such. Between January to September 2011, more than
50 incidents of flash flooding and flooding and more than 30
landslides occurred, mostly caused by increased rainfall and illegal
logging. Typhoon Sendong alone caused the lives of more than
1,000 people and damaged properties amounting to billions ofpesos.
Based on the data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement Council (NDRRMC), between 1990 and 2006, annual
direct damages caused by disasters amount to PhP20-B per year.
This is roughly 0.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on the
average per year. In 2009 alone, tropical storm Ondoy and typhoon
Pepeng caused substantial damages and losses equivalent to about
2.7% of the country’s GDP.

15

B. Recent Major Disasters:
 Typhoon Hagupit (December 2014)
Typhoon Hagupit, locally known as Typhoon “Ruby” entered thePhilippines on 4 December 2014 at 4:00AM with maximum windsof 175kph and gustiness of 210kph and is moving West
Northwest at 25kph. Typhoon Hagupit is being compared to lastyear’s Super Typhoon Yolanda that also enters PAR on the lastquarter of the year.
A total of 944,249 families or 4,149,484 persons were affected in
Regions III, IV-A, IV-B, V, VI, VII, VIII, CARAGA and NCR. There
were 18 fatalities and 916 injured persons and damaged 290,670
houses. Furthermore, it damaged infrastructure and agricultureamounting to Php5,090,265,462.00.
 Volcanic Activity (September 2014)
Mayon Volcano (Bulkang Mayon), also known as Mount Mayon,
is an active volcano in the Province of Albay. Mayon is themost active volcano in the Philippines having erupted over 49
times in the past 400 years.
On 12 August 2014a new 30m-50m
high lava
dome appeared in
the summit crater.
This event wasprecededbyinflations of the
volcano (measured
by precise leveling, Photo credit: .wikipedia.org
tilt data, and GPS),and increases in sulphur dioxide gas emissions. On 14
September, rockfall events at the southeastern rim of the craterand heightened seismic activity caused PHIVOLCS to increase
the alert level for Mayon from 2 to 3, which indicates relatively
high unrest and that magma is at the crater and that hazardous
eruption is possible within weeks. The rock falls, and visible
incandescence of the crater from molten lava and hot volcanic
gas indicated a possible incipient breaching of the growing
summit lava dome. On 15 September, NASA's Moderate-16

Resolution Imaging Spectrora-diometer (MODIS) detected
thermal anomalies near Mayon's summit, consistent with magmaat the surface.
On 16 September 2014, Provincial Governor Joey Salceda said
that the government would begin to "fast-track the preparation toevacuate 12,000 families in the 6-8 km extended danger zone",and soldiers would enforce the no-go areas. On 18 September
2014, PHIVOLCS reported
142 Volcanic
Tectonic
Earthquake events and 251 rockfall events during the past day.
White steam plumes drifted to the south-southwest and rain
clouds covered the summit. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission wasmeasured at 757 tonnes/day on 17 September 2014, after it had
peaked at 2,360 tonnes/day on 6 September 2014. Grounddeformation (precise leveling and tilt meters) during the 3rd weekof August 2014 recorded edifice inflation.
On 19 December 2014, the Alert Level Status of Mayon Volcano
has been lowered from Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 2. Since thelast recorded seismic swarm on 29 November, a general decline
in the overall activity of Mayon Volcano has been observed asindicated in the monitored parameters: Volcanic Earthquake
Activity, Ground Deformation, Gas Emission, and Visual
Observation of the Summit.
A total of 14,400 families / 60,545 persons were affected in 39
barangays in two (2) cities and five (5) municipalities of Albay
Province.
 Super Typhoon Yolanda (November 2013)
Super Typhoon Haiyan, locally known as Typhoon Yolanda
entered the Philippine
Area of Responsibility
PAR on 6 November
2013
and
made
landfall on (1) Guiuan,
Eastern Samar; (2)Tolosa, Leyte; (3)Daanbantayan, Cebu;(4) Bantayan Island,
Cebu;
(5)
Conception, Iloilo; Photo-credit: rappler.com

17

and finally (6) Busuanga, Palawan and left the Philippines on 9
Nov 2013.
The wrath of “Yolanda” affected a total of 3,424,593 Families or
16,078,181 Persons in 12,139 Brgys in 44 Prov, 591 Mun, 57
Cities in the Regions of IV-A, IV-B, 5,6,7,8,10,11 & Caraga. A
total of 1,140,332 houses were damaged and killed 6,318
individuals, 28,689 were injured and 1,061 went missing during
the onslaught. The dreadful event left a total of
PhP89,598,068,634.88 worth of damages to infrastructure,
productive, social and cross-sectoral sectors.
Due to the massive destruction and immense effects of TY
Yolanda, the President issued Presidential Proclamation No 682
declaring a state of national calamity on 11 Nov 2013 andPresidential Assistant for Recovery and Rehabilitation (PARR)
was designated to oversee the TY Yolanda Reconstruction andRehabilitation.
 Earthquake in Central Visayas (October 2013)
An earthquake of tectonic origin with 7.2 magnitude occurred in
Region VII on 15 Oct 2013 at about 8:12AM with an epicenter at
Sagbayan, Bohol and recorde 3,198 aftershocks and 94 of whichwere felt. It causes 222 fatalities, 976 were injured, and 8 were
missing.
Secondary to thequake,
landslide
incidents occurred indifferent
municipalities
in
Bohol.
Stampedeoccurred at Barba
Sports Complex in
ToledoCity
and
Pinamungahan
Auditorium both inCebu. A ground subsidence was also reported by Mines andGeosciences Bureau (MGB) at Purok 7 and 8 Barangay
Poblacion I, Tagbilaran City, Bohol and residents nearby wereadvised to preemptively evacuate.

18

A total of 671,103 families / 3,221,248 persons were affected in
1,527 barangays in 60 municipalities and 6 cities in 6 provincesof Regions VI and VII. A total of 73,002 houses, 41 bridges and
18 roads were damaged. A total of PhP2,257,182.90 worth ofdamaged roads, bridges, flood control, school buildings,
hospitals and other public buildings.

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III.

Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System
A. Salient Provisions of Republic Act 10121
Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement Act of 2010 is entitled, “An act strengthening thePhilippine Disaster Risk Reduction and management system,
providing for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Framework and institutionalizing the National Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Plan, appropriating funds therefor andfor other purposes”.

Figure 7. Cover Photos of Republic Act 10121 & IRR

This was signed into law on May 27, 2010 and the Implementing
Rules and Regulation (IRR) was approved three months later on
September 27, 2010. This revolutionary law defines the disastermanagement system in the Philippines.

20

Salient provisions of the PDRRM Law include:
Section 5 provides for the creation of the National Disaster
Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) which
is formerly known as the National Disaster Coordinating
Council but its membership and functions have increased tocope with complexities of disasters at present times.
The NDRRMC is headed by the Secretary of the Departmentof National Defense (DND) as Chairperson with the Secretaryof the Department of the Interior and Local Government(DILG) as Vice Chairperson for Disaster Preparedness, theSecretary of the Department of Social Welfare andDevelopment (DSWD) as Vice Chairperson for Disaster
Response, the Secretary of the Department of Science andTechnology (DOST) as Vice Chairperson for Disaster
Prevention and Mitigation, the Director-General of the
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) as
Vice Chairperson for Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery,
and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) as the Executive Director,
and 39 members as shown in Figure 8.

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Figure 8. Organizational Chart of NDRRMC

22

The members of the NDRRMC are composed of fourteen line
departments (DA, DBM, DENR, DEP ED, DOE, DOLE, DFA,
DOF, DOH, DOJ, DPWH, DOT, DTI, DOTC ), Office of the
Executive Secretary, Office of the Presidential Adviser on
Peace Process (OPAPP), Chairman of the Commission on
Higher Education (CHED), Chief of Staff of the Armed Forcesof the Philippines (AFP), Chief, Philippine National Police(PNP), The Press Secretary, the Secretary General of thePhilippine Red Cross (PRC), Commissioner of the National
Anti-Poverty Commission-Victims of Disasters and Calamities
Sector (NAPC-VDC), Chairperson of the National
Commission on the Role of Filipino Women, Chairperson of
the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council(HUDCC), Executive Director of the Climate Change Office of
the Climate Change Commission, two government funding
institution namely PHILHEALTH and Government Service
Insurance System (GSIS) together with Social Security
System (SSS) which is a private insurance entity, five (5) local
leagues such as Union of Legal Authorities of the Philippines(ULAP), League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), Leagueof Cities of the Philippines (LCP), League of Municipalities of
the Philippines (LMP) and League of Barangays (LMB), four
representatives from the Civil Society Organizations who will
focus on Preparedness, Response, Prevention and Mitigation
and Rehabilitation and Recovery. There is also one member
who will represent the private sector.
The NDRRMC being empowered with policy-making,coordination, integration, supervision, monitoring andevaluation functions shall carry out 17 responsibilities as
stipulated in the law. The NDRRMC Chairperson may callupon other instrumentalities or entities of the government andnongovernment and civic organizations for assistance interms of the use of their facilities and resources for theprotection and preservation of life and properties in the whole
range of disaster risk reduction and management. Thisauthority includes the power to call on the reserve force as
defined in Republic Act No. 7077 to Assist in relief and rescue
during disasters or calamities.

23

 Section 8 of the law stipulates the Office of Civil Defense(OCD) which shall have the primary mission of administeringacomprehensive national civil defense anddisaster risk reduction and management
program by providing leadership in thecontinuous development of strategic
and systematic approaches as well as
measures to reduce the vulnerabilities
and risks to hazards and manage theconsequences of disasters.
The Administrator of the OCD serves as the Executive
Director of the National Council and, as such, shall have thesame duties and privileges of a department undersecretary.
All appointees shall be universally acknowledged experts inthe field of disaster preparedness and management and of
proven honesty and integrity. The National Council shall
utilize the services and facilities of the OCD as the Secretariatof the National Council. The OCD has 19 functions, duties
and responsibilities as stipulated in the law.
It is further provided for in the law that the NDRRMC shallestablish an Operations Center. This is the 24/7 facility formonitoring and coordination. It is where we disseminate
situation reports, alerts and communications to all Council
members and various stakeholders. It is also a venue for us
to facilitate effective management of the consequences ofdisasters.

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 Section 10 of RA 10121 provides of the creation of theRegional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council(RDRRMC), formerly known as Regional Disaster
Coordinating Council (RDCC).
RDRRMC coordinates,
integrates, supervises, and evaluates the activities of the local
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils(LDRRMCs).
The RDRRMC is responsible in ensuring
disaster sensitive regional development plans, in case of
emergencies, RDRRMC shall convene the different regionalline agencies and concerned institutions and authorities.
Under the law, the RDRRMC shall establish n operating
facility known as the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement Operations Center (RDRRMC OpCen)
whenever necessary.
The civil defense officers of the OCD who are or may bedesignated as Regional Directors of OCD serves aschairpersons of the RDRRMCs. Its Vice Chairpersons shallbe the Regional Directors of DSWD, the DILG, the DOST, andthe NEDA. The existing regional offices of the OCD shallserve as secretariat of the RDRRMCs. The RDRRMCs arecomposed of the executives of regional offices and fieldstations at the regional level of the government agencies.
Section 11 provides for the organization at the Local
Government Level. The Provincial, City, Municipal Disaster
Risk Reduction and Management Councils are mandated to
be organized at the local levels. In the case of the Barangays,a Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Committee which is mandated to be organized and shall
operate under the Barangay Development Council (BDC).
The Local DRRMCs shall be chaired by the local chief
executives, the Governor for the provincial level, the mayor forthe city and municipal levels and the barangay captain for thebarangay level. The members are the heads of various offices
assigned at the local levels together with the four (4) members
from the CSOs and one (1) private sector representative.

25

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 withother national and local planning programs; 2) ensure theintegration of disaster risk reduction and climate change
adaptation into local development plans, programs andbudgets s strategy in sustainable development and poverty
reduction; 3) recommend the implementation of forced orpreemptive evacuation of local residents, if necessary; and 4)
convene the local council once every three (3) months or asnecessary.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
18 Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils

81 Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils
145 City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils
1, 489 Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils
42,029 Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committees
Figure 9. DRRM Network

Hence, to bring DRRM down to the grassroots, RA 10121
further provides for the establishment of the “DRRM Network”,
or the replication of the NDRRMC from the national down to
the regional, provincial, city, municipal and barangay levels asshown in Figure 9.
 Section 12 provides for the Local Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement Office (LDRRMO). It is also mandated that the
local government units shall establish a LDRRMO in every
province, city, and municipality, and a Barangay Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Committee in the case of thebarangay. The LDRRMOs shall be responsible for setting thedirection, development, implementation and coordination ofdisaster risk management programs within their territorial
jurisdiction. The LDRRMOs are permanent offices under the26

office of the governor, mayor and the punong barangay(barangay captain). The LDRRMOs have twenty-five (25)functions, duties and responsibilities under this law given thatthe local government units are the first line of defense in every
disaster or emergency. Thus, they shall be at the frontline ofall disaster risk reduction and management plans, programs,
projects and activities.
 Section 15 provides for the coordination during emergencies.
The LDRRMCs are mandated to take the lead in preparing for,responding to and recovering from the effects of any disasterbased on the following criteria: (a) The BDC, if a barangay isaffected; (b) The city/municipal DRRMC, if two (2) or morebarangays 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.
 Section 21 provides for the Local Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement Fund (LDRRMF) which is not less than five
percent (5%) of the estimated 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 postdisaster activities, and for the payment of premiums oncalamity 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 andannual work and financial plan. Upon the recommendation of
the LDRRMO and approval of the sanggunian or council
concerned, the LDRRMC may transfer the said fund tosupport disaster risk reduction work of other LDRRMCs which
are declared under state of calamity.
Of the amount appropriated for LDRRMF, thirty percent (30%)
shall be allocated as Quick Response Fund (QRF) or standby fund for relief and recovery programs in order that situationand living conditions of people In communities or areas
stricken by disasters, calamities, epidemics, or complex
emergencies, may be normalized as quickly as possible.

27

Unexpended LDRRMF shall accrue to a special trust fundsolely for the purpose of supporting disaster risk reduction andmanagement activities of the LDRRMCs within the next five(5) years. Any such amount still not fully utilized after five (5)years shall revert back to the general fund and will be available
for other social services to be identified by the local
sanggunian.
 Section 22 of RA 10121 provides for the National Disaster
Risk Reduction and Management Fund.
The present
Calamity Fund appropriated under the annual General
Appropriations Act shall henceforth be known as the National
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMFund) 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 ofequipment, and capital expenditures. It can also be utilized forrelief, recovery, reconstruction and other work or services inconnection with natural or human-induced calamities which
may occur during the budget year or those that occurred in thepast two (2) years from the budget year. The specific amountof the NDRRM Fund and the appropriate recipient agencies
and/or LGUs shall be determined upon approval of the
President of the Philippines in accordance with the favorable
recommendation of the NDRRMC. (c) Of the amountappropriated for the NDRRM Fund, thirty percent (30%) shallbe allocated as Quick Response Fund (QRF) or stand-by fundfor relief and recovery programs in order that situation andliving conditions of peo.ple 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 the utilization of DRRM funds and make anaccounting thereof in accordance with existing accounting andauditing rules.
All departments, bureaus, offices and agencies of thegovernment are hereby authorized ·to use a portion of theirappropriations to implement projects designed to address

28

DRRM activities in accordance with the guidelines to beissued by the NDRRMC in coordination with the DBM.
 Section 23 of the law also specifies funding of the OCD aslead agency to carry out the provisions the Philippine Disaster
Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010. The OCD shallbeallocatedabudgetofonebillionpesos(PhP1,000,000,000.00) revolving fund starting from theeffectivity of this Act. 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 thesucceeding year, 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 andManagement Framework (NDRRMF) as shown in Figure 10, wasapproved 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 10. Diagram showing the National DRRM Framework (NDRRMF)

The Framework envisions a country which have “safer, adaptive
and disaster-resilient Filipino communities towardsustainable development.” The goal is to have a paradigm shift

29

from reactive to proactive DRRM wherein men and women haveincreased their awareness, understanding on DRRM with the end
in view of increasing people’s resilience and decreasing theirvulnerabilities. Our aim is to empower leaders and communities
and to develop the “right” mindset and positive behavioral
changes towards reducing and managing risks and lessening theeffects of disasters. This term is about building back better orbuilding on from our learnings, good practices, research andexperiences, helping us address the underlying causes of ourvulnerability and increasing our ability to adjust to the situation
before us. By being adaptive, we learn to innovate and go to thenext 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 to bounce back after adisaster. It is important to instill the culture of safety by increasing
people’s capacity to bounce back and decrease disaster losses
and impact. In the end, DRRM is all about addressing theunderlying causes of people’s vulnerability; building theirindividual, collective and institutional capacities and building backbetter wherein people’s lives become sustainably better.
The country is challenged by increasing disaster and climate risks
caused by dynamic combinations of natural and human-induced
hazards, exposure, and people’s vulnerabilities and capacities.
There is an urgent need for the country to work together throughmulti-stakeholder
partnerships
androbustinstitutional
mechanisms and processes so that Filipinos will be able to live insafer, adaptive and disaster resilient communities on the path todeveloping sustainably.
This DRRM framework emphasizes that through time, resources
invested in disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness andclimate change adaptation will be more effective towards attaining
the goal of adaptive, disaster resilient communities andsustainable development. The Framework shows 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 substantiallyreduce loss of life and damage to social, economic and30

environmental assets. It also highlights the need for effective andcoordinated humanitarian assistance and disaster response tosave lives and protect the more vulnerable groups during and
immediately after a disaster. Further, building back better andbuilding better lives after a disaster will lead to sustainable
development after the recovery and reconstruction process.
C. The NDRRM Plan
To implement all the country’s
DRRM targets, the NDRRMC
formulated the NDRRM Plan,approved on 7 February 2012. The
NDRRM Plan enumerates 4 priority
areas with 4 long term goals, 14
objectives, 24 outcomes, 56 outputs
and 93 activities.
The plan adheres to the principles ofgood governance within the context
ofpoverty
alleviation
andenvironmental protection. It is about
partnerships, working together andallofgovernment/community
approach– engaging the participation of CSOs, the private sector
and volunteers in the government’s DRRM programs towards
complementation of resources and effective delivery of services tothe citizenry.

D. Four (4) DRRM Thematic Areas
In accordance with the NDRRMF, through the NDRRMP, thecountry envisions a “Safer, adaptive and disaster resilient
Filipino communities towards sustainable development.” This
will be achieved through the four distinct yet mutually reinforcing
priority areas, namely, (a) Disaster Prevention and Mitigation; (b)Disaster Preparedness; (c) Disaster Response; and (d) Disaster
Recovery and Rehabilitation. As shown on Figure 11, each priority
area has its own long term goal, which when put together will leadto the attainment of the country’s over goal/vision in DRRM.

31

Figure 11. Four DRRM Thematic Areas

These priority areas are not autonomous from the other nor do they
have clear start and end points. The 4 priority areas are NOT seen
as a mere cycle which starts in prevention and mitigation and ends
in rehabilitation and recovery. They...
(a) Mutually reinforce each other and are interoperable. Thismeans that whatever we do in one aspect will have a direct orindirect effect on the activities identified under the other aspects.
Furthermore, this means that it is assumed that the level of
preparedness and intensity of response activities we conduct arelessened because proper prevention and mitigation activities havebeen done already.
(b) DO NOT, SHOULD NOT and CANNOT stand alone. Because
they are inter-linked, one cannot just focus on one aspect without
considering the others.
(c) Have no clear starting nor ending points between each of
the aspects and overlaps are to be expected. There are someareas which are divided very thinly by gray areas. These are
activities which need to be smoothly integrated into two aspects.
The overlapping activities were put into the specific aspect which
could better capture its essence using the lens of that specific
DRRM area and to correspond to the given parameters within whichthese aspects focus on.
The significant activities under the 4 thematic areas include:321) Disaster Prevention and Mitigation
 Early warning systems
 Flood forecasting and monitoring Hazard and risk mappings Structural and non-structural interventions
2) Disaster Preparedness
 Contingency planning Prepositioning and stock-piling Capacitating and organizing responders
 Training, drills and exercises
 Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment
3) Disaster Response Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA)
 Issuance of advisories and situation reports
 Activation of Response Clusters and Incident Command
System (ICS) Mobilization of responders Humanitarian assistance (eg relief distribution)
 Provision of financial assistance Management of evacuation centers4) Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery
 Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) Enhancement of policies and plans Reconstruction using “build back better” approach Resettlement
 Provision of new sources of livelihood

E. Challenges
The Philippines are confronted with various challenges when it
comes to implementing DRRM. First, there is a need for thecooperation and buy-in of the stakeholders. There is a need tocorrect the notion that DRRM is only a government concern.
Rather, it requires the whole-of-society approach because thesafety of the nation is not only job of the government but rather it isa shared responsibility. It is also important to consider DRRM as a

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way of life. DRRM must be part of day to day decision-making. The
national and local officials have to prioritize DRRM. Lastly, there
is a need for continuous development, review and improvementof the country’s DRRM policies, plans and programs in view of
the “new normal.” This new normal is the acknowledgement of thefact that disasters nowadays are increasing in terms of scope,magnitude, frequency and complexities.

IV. ADRC Counterpart:
Office of Civil Defense (OCD)
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council(NDRRMC)
Office Address: Office of Civil Defense
Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City, Philippines

References:
Republic Act 10121 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (Final Version,
December 2011)
Caraga Regional DRRM Plan 2013-2017
Sites Visited:
http://www.adrc.asia
http://www.ndrrmc.gov.ph
http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph
http://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph
http://www.ocd.gov.ph
http://www.preventionweb.net
http://www.park.org/Philippines/government/gen.info.htm
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines