We cannot prevent climatic and geological occurrences from happening though we can avoid the hazards it brings through Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) management and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA).
This was stressed by National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Juan Ngalob, in a press conference, during the Regional Launching and Consultation for the integration of DRR/CCA in Local Development Planning and Decision-Making Processes last week.
According to Ngalob, the DRR/CCA Integration is a two-year project, but with the recent calamities that hit the country, its relevance and urgency is highlighted thus the fast tracking of climate change related activities in the region.
Ngalob, who is also the acting Chairman of the Regional Development Council, also stressed the need to localize the application of DRR and CCA into local development planning and decision-making processes up to the barangay level, if possible, and the need to identify the vulnerability of every area in the region so that proper mitigation and countermeasures against hazards or risks can be placed.
He explained that preparing DRR management and CCA plans have four levels of responsibility: as an individual, each citizen is responsible for his own safety and survival; communal or the community should help each other; governmental, for creation of related rules and regulations and as a coercive power; and societal, for each and every sector of society to also help in such endeavor.
"We are not looking for a perfect plan, we can even keep it simple as long as it is something that is doable right now, as the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) is already working on a Regional Rehabilitation Plan that already incorporates DRR/CAA," Ngalob said.
The Regional Launching and Consultation for the integration of DRR/CCA in Local Development Planning and Decision-Making Processes was conducted to generate awareness and support among project stakeholders, gather relevant data and seek inputs from local and regional stakeholders and to identify potential partners for continuing research, training on mainstreaming DRR and CCA and other future project activities.
The said project is being implemented by NEDA, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and with funding assistance from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).
Participants in the said program were national Government Agencies, local government units, academic institutions and non-government organizations.