Building Resilient and Safe Communities through Shared Responsibility towards Safe and Shared Development

Background Information

The Province of Albay is located in the western portion of the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is an earthquake and volcanic generator; the province sits along the typhoon alley in the Pacific that is frequently visited and affected by numerous typhoons each year. Being archipelagic in nature, the province has type II and type IV climate and various weather phenomena (monsoons, inter tropical convergence zone, El Niño La Niña–Southern Oscillation-ENSO); this exposes the three cities and 15 municipalities with a total population of 1,233,423 to many hazards, making them vulnerable and at high risk to the effects of intense precipitation, floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and storm surges.

With 165,030 hectares, or 64.65 percent, devoted to agriculture out of the 255,260 hectare total land area of Albay, agriculture is a significant and major economic industry in Albay. Together with fishery and forestry sectors, they remain the biggest employer of the region, absorbing 47.7 percent of the total workforce (PDPFP2011-2016). The vulnerability of the agriculture industry and the high percentage of the population dependent on it have an over-arching effect on all sectors of the community, including health-nutrition, education, food security, and overall socio-economic development. These are compounded by the long term effects of global warming and climate change that drastically induces extreme events (intense rainfall, pronounced dry season, and increased precipitation).

The institutionalization of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) strategies is all about economic security, safety of our communities, and the social aspirations of the people (Salceda).

Goals of the Initiative

The DRR and CCA initiatives of Albay are geared towards the enhancement of coping capabilities, resiliency of the populace, and adaptive abilities that are tangible. This is initiated through capacity building that is relevant and adaptive to changes and is anchored on four principles: institutional capacity development, human resource development, physical capacity development, and community partnerships.

From an institutional development perspective, that means the establishment of permanent offices such as the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO); Center for Initiatives and Research on Climate Adaptation—Climate Change Academy (CIRCA-CCA); and Albay Millennium Development Goal Office (AMDGO). These are supported with local legislation, organizational structure, regular budget appropriation (not project based), and have permanent staff.

Regarding human resource development, this means expanding the capacity of all people—not only those that oversee the program, but the entire populace to achieve and ensure a shared common goal, underlining collaborative efforts, and networking with all domestic, national, and international stake holders.

Physical capacity development corresponds to physical infrastructure support such as disaster operation centers, the climate change academy, installation of early and real time warning systems for landslides, tsunamis, floods and lahar, communication facilities, and permanent evacuation shelters.

Community partnerships and support is vital to the success of DRR and CCA, especially engaging stakeholders from the community, academia, private sectors, and various instruments of the government.

The institutional approach of DRR and CCA ensures that they are mainstreamed in local governance to include development planning, investment plans, agricultural land use plans, among others that will provide inclusion on environmental issues; this includes integrating DRR-CCA into the Philippine educational system (Albay model) by establishing lesson examples for elementary to secondary levels that aim to transfer knowledge, skills, and habits on adaptation, preparedness, and environmental literacy for the students.

Specifically with CCA, a series of activities were implemented:

•Albay convened and hosted the 1st National Conference on Climate Change Adaptation and Albay Declaration on Climate Change Adaptation with the President of the Philippines issuing a memo circular, calling all provincial governors, mayors, presiding officials, legislatures, DILG regional directors sangguniang bayan/panlalawigan to implement DRR-CCA measures

•National conferences on Climate Change Adaptation that assessed the gains on national and local policies of the CCA

•Manila Declaration on CCA

•ASEAN Workshop on Climate Change and Tourism

Parties and Partners to the Initiative and Resources Used for Implementation

Government — all government instruments from the national, regional, provincial, city, municipal government offices of the Philippines including the Climate Change Commission, Office of the Civil Defense, National Economic Development Authority, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, PAGASA, PHIVOLCS, MGB DENR, ICRAF, MO, DOST, DepEd, CHED and the 720 barangays of Albay.

Academe — Bicol University, University of the Philippines Los Banos, Ateneo de Manila School of Government

UN group of agencies (UNDP, UNFPA ISDR, WFP, etc.)

Private — Non Government Organizations

The resources used for implementing the initiative include:

The institutional-based implementation of DRR and CCA ensured that regular budget appropriation is available from the annual budget allocation of the local government of Albay. This ensures continuity and sustainability of the program. However, the limited resources from the local level necessitates external support, this includes funding support from AECID, UNDP, JICA, and UNDP.

AECID (Agencia Española de Cooperacion Internacional para el Desarrollo: Spanish Government), Evacuation Shelter Construction in Disaster Vulnerable Areas in Albay

UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) Millennium Development Goal Fund 1656 Albay Demo

DSWD (Department of Social Work and Development) Micro Financing Program

JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), Permanent Evacuation Center

Innovation for the Initiative

The overall initiative of Albay on DRR and CCA is both evolutionary and revolutionary. Its strategies and program evolved over a long period, but that is considered unique and pioneering not only for the Bicol Region but for the entire country. The institutionalization of DRR programs through the establishment of the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (1995) and Climate Change Adaptation through the Center for Initiatives and Research on Climate Adaptation (2008), were both first-time attempts in the country; they contributed in the passage of Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act and RA 9729 or the Climate Change Act. Through the course of their existence (APSEMO/CIRCA), these respective initiatives were established based on the innate vulnerability of Albay from climatic, geologic, and volcanic hazards that led to the development of innovations and applied strategies that were driven by a need to mitigate its impact on communities across all sectors (health, agriculture, engineering, tourism, education, socio-economics, etc.). The institutional approach on DRR and CCA provided an avenue to streamline and synchronize provincial efforts towards attaining its goal of zero casualties and effective adaptive strategies for CCA. While DRR and CCA are distinct endeavors, the Albay experience integrates and complements both activities utilizing best practices and effective strategies that are customized based on best possible applications.

The institutional approach of implementing DRR and CCA, ensures that the innovative strategies are applied across all boundaries from, development planning, land use plans, policy formulation (regulations in use of plastic), budget appropriation (assured by institutionalization) among others that are anchored on good governance ensuring accountability, transparency, equitable and all inclusive practices, participation, and consensus-oriented decision-making. This allows for a mechanism that is driven by actual needs and demands of the populace, providing the highest form of upholding the rights of the people to live in a safe and fruitful environment, with a government that is responsive to the needs of the time.

Experience is the best teacher and no two events, no matter how similar, are the same. The past experiences and events in Albay have acted as a natural laboratory on disaster and climatologic events, which led to the development of the best approaches in minimizing impacts and laying out strategies for long term solutions using a developmental approach. Long term planning that is flexible and adaptive to constant changes was developed with collaboration with partner agencies that provide the best solutions. In the post disaster phase, for example, rehabilitation and reconstruction are included as part of the development process, not just merely restoring the community to its previous status but incorporating and introducing new measures, to put in place mechanisms that will make the community disaster and climate resistant and better prepared in all sectors (social, economic, engineering, political).

Another notable strategy in DRR that ensures the fulfillment of a zero casualty goal is the establishment of an early warning system, communication protocol, and evacuation procedures; on CCA, research and evidenced based practices is the best approach to provide long term adaptive strategies on agriculture, forestry, and marine-coastal industries, to mention a few.

The strategies imbedded in the DRR and CCA program were conceived based on the actual needs and demands of the events and circumstances that occurred, and best applied in accordance to the specific needs of the community based on the general DRR CCA framework. External influence associated with DRR and CCA includes collaboration requirements, particularly from funding organizations.

Obstacles and Solutions for Innovation

Resistance to new strategies, innovations, and obstacles in implementation are almost absolute, due to political motivations and commitment, acceptance and prioritization of DRR-CCA, budgetary constraints, monitoring and evaluation; social factors include short term thinking, cultural practices, and uncertainty of events. These were defeated by institutionalizing programs and establishing permanent offices that will ensure that the programs are sustained and strategies are continually modified according to best suitability and that funding is readily available.

Outcomes and Assessments

Outcomes achieved are as follows:

Continuous collaboration and sustained initiatives have made DRR and CCA a way of life towards shared responsibility and development. Perhaps the most notable aspect is the marriage of DRR and CCA; being two distinct concerns with overlapping interventions. This comprehensive approach for DRR and CCA has continually brought new innovations and permanently established systems and procedures guided by principles of permanent solutions, a comprehensive land use plan with integrated DRR CCA approaches, and demand driven solutions. DRR-CCA measures must be pursued in the context of the development process that will lead to safe economic investments and appropriate development planning.

While these initiatives are applied locally within the province, the cascading and long term effects transcend onto national and global scenes.

Overall, despite the existing hazards and effects of climate change, development and expansion of various industries in the province continues to increase. Looking at DRR –CCA as an investment, the province is seen as a model in taking a proactive approach to providing alternative long term solution-building.

To disseminate its good practices and make LGUs (Local Government Unite) resilient to natural disasters, the Province of Albay Province has agreed to partner with Oxfam Philippines in contributing to the compilation and dissemination of good practices on disaster risk management at national and local levels in the Philippines, publishing “Building Resilient Communities: Good Practices in Disaster Risk Management in the Philippines,” in which Albay’s Permanent Risk Management Office is described in detail. This documentation was shared and widely disseminated to all LGUs in the country, and customized adoption of a permanent Disaster Risk Management Office (DRMO) has been replicated in some provinces. And also another publication “Innovative Humanitarian Response within a Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Model: Learning from the 2009 Mayon Volcano Eruption” made available as a resource document for other LGUs.

The province also continues to provide technical transfers for DRR-CCA initiatives to other provinces, cities, and municipalities through continuous collaboration and educational visits to Albay to learn from their experiences and strategies.

The Province of Albay has continually shared its resources with other provinces and provided technical support and critical services to other provinces during major catastrophic events through its “Team Albay”. The team is composed of services that include water and sanitation, health-medical, psychosocial care and mental health, search and rescue, relief, and technical consultants for disaster response operations such as camp management, relief operations, reporting systems, risk analysis, health and water sanitation. Deployments of Team Albay have included Isabela, Manila, Negros Oriental, and Cagayan de Oro. Team Albay is a composite team composed of provincial, regional, and national offices that lend their expertise on disaster response.

Assessments are as follows:

Indicators used in assessing change are based on actual measurements against the DRR-CCA provincial framework. Initiatives and activities are cascaded down to the local government units to enable them to be self-reliant and self-sustaining. As part of the collective effort, all local cities and municipalities will have to integrate DRR-CCA into their development plans as part of the mainstreaming efforts of Albay. Out of the 18 local government units (LGU) who submitted their comprehensive land use plan (CLUP), two LGU’s have been approved by the Province of Albay: the city of Legazpi and Municipality of Malinao.

At the community level, 194 barangays have already undergone re-training and submitted their updated barangay contingency plan composed of five municipalities.

Attaining “zero casualties” has been possible due to the periodic risk analysis and updating of the population at risk and critical resources exposed to hazards. Risk assessment is linked with the LGUs through sharing data collection, analysis, and awareness. It is also linked with the government agencies which are the authority in developing specific hazard maps (Mines and Geoscience Bureau, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, and National Mapping and Resource Information Authority).

Methods Applied

Data and information are fundamental in establishing strategies and achieving best results. The DRR-CCA initiatives are based on relevant and up to date information through action research that serves as a basis for policy recommendations and specific activities that will address needs for that particular segment of society. The achievement of “zero casualties” during typhoons, volcanic eruptions, landslides, storm surges, and floods was due to the establishment of data on populations at risk for specific hazards, development of contingency plans to include hazard-resource-risk mapping, and the eventual establishment of community based warning systems that empower the community at the barangay level to respond to threats and calamities. The same is true for CCA where long term effects of climate change are anticipated by establishing a research baseline on sectors that are highly vulnerable, including agriculture, environment, forests, and marine areas.

The establishment of the Albay Millennium Development Goal ensures and manages the social assets program of the province, oversees the MDG progress, and coordinates MDG programs within the functional units of the government with NGAs, NGOs, and INGOs.

Benefits to Other Cities

Institutionalization of DRR-CCA is the single most important aspect that has multiplied its effects across all sectors of society, not only within the province but with national and international purview.

Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO)

As a permanent Disaster Risk Management Office (DRMO) was created in 1995, it is empowered to govern provincial disaster risk reduction and management programs and projects to facilitate disaster risk reduction and ensure sustainable socio-economic growth and development. As the hub of coordination, communication, and emergency response in all types of emergencies and disasters, it takes up these responsibilities but also coordinates during and after disasters.

The CIRCA (Center for Initiatives and Research for Climate Adaptation) was established for environmental protection efforts and for the rehabilitation of ecosystems that are consistent and complementary of national policies. CIRCA, established in 2008, primarily focuses on research, policy formulations studies, and information management of climate change and its adaptation, and climate risk reduction. With its interdisciplinary knowledge, it has objects to enhance the coping abilities of Albay residents to the threats brought about by the changing climate and to specifically develop the environmental awareness of the various livelihood sectors of the province. Some of its projects are to enhance awareness in the various sectors of the threats created through a changing climate and integrating DDR and CCA into school curriculums; to conduct and explore concrete policy studies that will support better climate risk adaptation; to promote climate risk adaptation by enhancing resilience within the most vulnerable groups, such as programs for river cleanups, mangrove planting; and capacity development for communities.

As a step-up in recovery efforts in Albay post-disaster and to align DRR-CCA initiatives into the development goals of the province in order to bring about a sustained safe and shared development, the Albay Millennium Development Goals Office (AMDGO) was institutionalized into a program office. The AMDGO manages the social assets program of the province, oversees the MDG progress, and coordinates MDG programs within the functional units of the government with NGAs, NGOs, and INGOs. The APSEMO coordinates disaster response efforts while AMDGO coordinates disaster recovery efforts through a cluster approach.