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The Moving Urban Poor Communities in Mindanao towards Resilience Project (MOVE UP-Mindanao) is an urban resilience project aimed at contributing to the resilience building of urban poor populations to withstand and manage the impact of disasters. It seeks to strengthen the urban disaster preparedness, response, and management capacity of the national, sub-national, and local government units (LGUs) and other stakeholders through the adaption and replication of tested urban resilience strategies.

In partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government-Local Government Academy (DILG-LGA), the project intends to share its lessons learned, good practices, and innovations gathered and tested from its experience working with urban poor communities, municipalities, and provinces to contribute to the large-scale resilience-building effort.

MOVE UP Mindanao is implemented by a consortium of international non-government organizations which includes Plan International Philippines, Action Against Hunger, and CARE Philippines with its local partner ACCORD Inc. Funded by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the project is currently being implemented in nine (9) local government units (LGUs) in Mindanao.

The Resilience Knowledge Exchange Series (RKES) Session covering this topic was held on May 27, 2021 which aimed to :

Share the experience of CARE and ACCORD regarding their IRM mainstreaming work;
Provide guidance on how to implement mainstreaming using the recently-published Mainstreaming Integrated Risk Management: An Accompanying Guide to Planning; and
Serve as an introductory session and a preparation for more detailed, comprehensive IRM mainstreaming sessions in the future.

This presentation on introducing the MOVE UP Project was created and presented by Mr. Roger Cabiles, MOVE UP Consortium Coordinator, Action Against Hunger.

To access a soft copy of this material, please click here.

Looking for a presentation from the same event and can’t find it?

Kindly note that if there are unavailable presentations at the moment, they are still being finalized and will be uploaded as soon as available to the RILHUB team.

This report was written by Andrew Hattle with contributions by Christopher Roy and Hans Peter Dejgaard of INKA Consult and by John Nordbo and
Bart Weijs of CARE.

The study was commissioned by CARE Denmark and CARE Netherlands, under the guidance of John Nordbo, Bart Weijs, Obed Koringo and Camilla
Schramek. Sven Harmeling and Inge Vianen provided input.

The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of CARE International.

The research and analysis used to produce this report are based on six national reports published by civil-society organisations partnered with
CARE in Ethiopia, Ghana, Nepal, the Philippines, Vietnam and Uganda. Sincere thanks to the following researchers and contributors: Sileshi Zewdie
(CARE), Neima Aliyi (CARE), Yonas Gebru (CCC-E), Yoseph Arega (CCC-E), Meskir Tesfaye (CCC-E), Alazar Daka (CCC-E), Abdul-Razak Saeed (Destreza
Consult), Elvis Oppong-Mensah (Civic Response), Jonathan Gokah (KASA Ghana), Vincent Awotwe-Pratt (Biodiversity Advocates), Chibeze Ezekiel
(Strategic Youth Network for Development), Godlove Otoo (Institute of Green Growth Solutions), Fati Seidu Tambro (SUNG Foundation), Albert
Katako (Civic Response), Raju Pandit Chhetri (Prakriti Resources Centre), Sneha Rai (Prakriti Resources Centre), Binay Dhital (Prakriti Resources
Centre), Athena Denise Gepte (ACCORD), Kairos de la Cruz (ICSC), Aarjan Dixit (CARE), Elainne Lopez, Danica Supnet (ICSC), Janssen Martinez (ICSC),
Isabella Mendoza (ICSC), Angelika David (ICSC), Nguyen Thi Yen (CARE), Vu Minh Hai (CARE), Vu Cong Lan (SRD), Nguyen Thi Tho (SRD), Thuan
Sarzynski (SRD), Robert Bakiika (EMLI), Christine Mbatuusa (EMLI), Jaliah Namubiru (EMLI), Zerubabeeli Naturinda (Consultant), Joshua Zake
(Environmental Alert), Gaster Kiyingi (Tree Talk Plus), Margaret Barihaihi (Consultant), Monica Anguparu (CARE), Annet Kandole (CARE), Robert
Otim (CARE), Emmanuel Musa Kyeyune (EMLI).

To view and download the full document, please click here.

The briefer aims at familiarizing INCREASE target communities with the definition and characteristics of Integrated Risk Management (IRM). It also contains the CARE IRM Framework and the elements in increasing resilience. The content was written in local language for easier understanding of community members. This will be printed in a flyer and distributed as supplementary information material for INCREASE activities.

Click on images in the gallery below to enlarge and download this resource.

INCREASE or “Philippines – Increasing Resilience to Natural Hazards” aims to increase the resilience of 45,00 women and men small scale farmers and fishers, including 720 extremely poor female-headed households, to natural hazards and the effect of climate change. The project will run from 2019-2021 in different parts of the Philippines, namely 36 barangays across 8 municipalities in the provinces of Cagayan, Mt. Province, Northern Samar, and Surigao del Sur. Its project components and activities include early warning systems, alternative livelihood, and climate and disaster governance.

Among the key activities of INCREASE Project is the farmer field business school (FFBS). To aid local partners in implementing the FFBS, this briefer was created to summarize the definition, characteristics, elements, and step-by-step process of FFBS. It is hoped that through this briefer, the women and men farmers will know the basics of FFBS and will be able to also use it to further inform other farmers in their community..

Click on images in the gallery below to enlarge and download this resource.

Research Background

In the Bangsamoro region of the Philippines, FGM/C is commonly called ‘pag sunnat’ (‘sunnat’ refers to the traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, that constitute a model for Muslims to follow) or ‘pag Islam,’ connoting that the practice is deeply connected to the Islamic faith. In Moro (Muslim) communities in the region, the procedure is typically performed on females between 3-4 years old or before their first menstruation (menarche).

It is usually initiated by an elderly, female TBA or ‘panday’. In other areas, she may be a ‘pakil’, a respected woman who cleanses Muslim women’s bodies before the final burial takes place and recites Qur’anic verses during the rituals.

The World Health Organization estimates that worldwide, 200 million women and girls have been subjected to FGM/C, and each year, an additional 3 million girls are at risk.4 FGM/C has no health benefits, and may even result in serious immediate and long term harm. Adverse effects on women and girls’ health include, but are not limited to: pain, hemorrhage, infection (including HIV spread through using the same instruments in multiple FGM/C operations), sepsis, shock, urinary and menstrual problems, sexual dysfunction, psychological trauma and even death. Reproductive health complications include a heightened risk of obstructed labour causing obstetric fistula or postpartum hemorrhage, both of which are major contributors to maternal mortality.

There are four types of FGM/C:

Removal of the prepuce/clitoral hood, and/or removal of the clitoris
Removal of the clitoris, labia minora and/or labia major
Removal and appositioning of the labia (e.g. suturing shut leaving only a small opening for menstrual blood, urine and sexual intercourse), with or without the removal of the clitoris
All other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes; for example, pricking, pulling, piercing, scraping, incising, and cauterizing.

The most common form practiced in Bangsamoro is Type 4.

In general, there is very little research that explores the issue of FGM/Cs and its impacts on the well-being of girls and women in the Philippines. There is a dearth of information, experiential accounts, and ultimately, formal research on FGM/C in this particular geographic area and community. FGM/C is not well known nor widely acknowledged in the Philippines, and learning more about the practice (and its relation to traditional religious beliefs) is critical in understanding the beliefs associated with it. A 2009 study found that women are only considered to be truly “Islamic” or a Muslim when they are ‘circumcised’ or cut. However, research by Islamic scholars elsewhere challenges such connections to Islam and strongly condemns FGM/C in all forms. ch 8 A descriptive study on the Yakan, an ethnolinguistic group settled in the province of Basilan (in Bangsamoro), focused on the procedural aspects of FGM/C.

This study is an exploratory action research on the controversial practice of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in the Philippines in the predominantly Muslim, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Mindanao. Despite limited research on the practice and a lack of awareness among international and national stakeholders on the occurrence of FGM in the Philippines, the study confirmed that the practice is still widespread in Bangsamoro. Alternative, non-harmful practices are gradually replacing FGM in a few areas, as driven by local leadership.

Methodology
Exploratory action research is a participatory form of qualitative research that engages communities to devise solutions to challenges they identify. The study used focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs) to surface the perspectives and experiences of girls, traditional birth attendants (TBAs), Moro Muslim religious leaders (MRLs), traditional and local leaders, health workers, and social workers. A total of 458 individuals (413 females and 45 males) from three municipalities of five Bangsamoro provinces participated in the study. These provinces were: Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi; with a municipality in the province of Sarangani as a pilot study. The study was conducted from March to November 2020. The Research Team applied thematic and content analyses to the participants’ responses.

View and download the full document here.

by INCREASE

Cagayan Province, where two INCREASE municipalities (Amulung and Cagayan) are located, have been heavily devastated by a series of typhoons—Category 3 Typhoon Molave, Category 5 Super Typhoon Goni, and Category 4 Typhoon Vamco in a span of three weeks. This has brought the worst flooding the province has recorded for the last 40 years. The lost lives, livelihood, and shelter exacerbated the already difficult situations of the communities whose mobility and sources of income have been limited because of the pandemic.

Before the disaster

Before the onslaught of the disasters, INCREASE field team has been deployed to conduct community risk assessments and community-based disaster risk reduction and management trainings in Amulung and Gattaran. In such activities, farmers and fishers, along with women, the elderly, youth, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable persons provided valuable insights on sector-specific hazards, risks, and vulnerabilities in their communities. The barangay captain from Brgy. Annabuculan, Amulung, Cagayan expressed his newfound appreciation for how preparedness measures should be conducted. He appreciated the Community Risk Assessment conducted by INCREASE in their barangay, saying “the information [we] learned were useful and helped us realize the importance of assessments and conducting early action in order to mitigate the disaster.” This has proven how important such activities in building the capacities of the communities in responding to disasters. In addition, information materials such as primers on hazards and evacuation measures were also distributed to community members to help them prepare for the typhoons. The team also coordinated with the barangay DRRM council and monitored and disseminated information from PAGASA so it can be shared with community members.

INCREASE areas in Amulung and Gattaran were severely affected by Typhoon Vamco.

The team has also proceeded with household selection for resilient livelihood activities. During which, they have identified the evolving needs of the community. Because of the pandemic, community members are restricted to travel and need to secure food sources within their area. Together with the local government, the team will help them establish communal gardens which can help sustain the food needs of the community while also diversifying their source of income. Organic farming orientations promoting sustainable farming techniques were also implemented in the area. As farmers and community members are used to synthetic farming, the orientations helped them gain knowledge on natural farming practices that do not cause harm to the ecosystem.

Emergency Response

During the flooding disaster, the team has also been present on the ground. It helped in the facilitation of resource mobilization for emergency response and aid delivery, through conducting assessments in INCREASE areas and participating in the joint Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA). Its visibility increased the local government’s trust and support for the project.

The team has also seen this as an opportunity to lobby for the mainstreaming of integrated risk management in local development plans, since the disaster was caused by the inter-linkages of disasters, climate change impacts, and ecosystem degradation. It has also initiated landscape-wide early warning systems to be established.

INCREASE or Increasing the Resilience to Natural Hazards aims to increase the resilience of 45,000 women and men small-scale farmers and fishers, including 720 extreme poor female-headed households, to natural hazards and the effects of climate change. The project is supported by the SKala initiative. SKala is driven by the German entrepreneur Susanne Klatten in partnership with the think tank and non-profit consultancy PHINEO.

by INCREASE

Recognizing women’s collective power

Bayanihan—the Filipino trait of communal unity, work, and cooperation to achieve a particular goal—has been present in INCREASE Project areas, Mapanas and Palapag, Northern Samar. Charita, 40, a woman farmer of Mapanas, said, “Ang prinsipyo na dinadala ko dito sa brgy., nangunguna ako sa paglilinis sa simbahan, pati sa mga kalye lalo na kung maulan, nililinis naming yung kanal kasi bumabaha. Ginagamit ko ito sa mga nangangailangan na mga tao, lalo na sa pagtutulungan sa mga gawain sa barangay, yan yung ginagawa namin, nagbabayanihan kami dahil sa hirap dito. (I bring the principle of volunteering and leading especially in cleaning our [public spaces] church, streets, and canals when it’s raining because it causes flooding. I apply this principle to those in need and during the implementation of community activities. This is what we do—we enforce bayanihan [we help each other] because we’re poor.)” While bayanihan is innately incorporated in Filipino culture and evident in low-income communities such as Mapanas and Palapag, both communities don’t have an active women’s organization. According to CARE Philippines Rapid Gender Analysis on Power (RGA-POW) (2020), women in Mapanas only come together to organize the annual municipality-wide “Women’s Day”, while only one barangay in Palapag has a non-accredited livelihood association of women.

INCREASE’s partner in Northern Samar, LCDE, conducts Livelihood assessment and business planning together female household heads

With INCREASE Project taking in place, community members, especially women, have another chance to get together, while maintaining minimum health protocols, learn, and realize their capacities and vulnerabilities in facing natural hazards. Women’s participation in community risk assessments, disaster risk reduction and management, and contingency planning activities has increased their existing knowledge to make informed decisions in emergencies. This space has allowed them to use their voice and be heard by other community members. Maria Rose, 34, a barangay health worker in Mapanas, mentioned, “Importante ang pakikiisa ng mga babae sa mga gawain para maging lider ng komunidad kagaya ng pag-attend ng meetings. (It is important for women to participate in community activities so they can become community leaders, like attending meetings.)” Women, therefore, realized the importance of their participation in building their leadership skills and strengthening women’s voices. Along with this, they have also identified knowledge gaps. On the RGA-POW, a woman leader from Palapag said, “Para madagdagan ang impluwensiya ng kababaihan ay kailangan din ng karagdagang edukasyon para sa kababaihan sa usapin ng [kanilang] karapatan. (To increase women’s influence, knowledge and capacity building activities and women’s right education are needed.)”

Purita, one of the women from Northern Samar, actively participates in several INCREASE activities including business planning

Incorporating another project, Women Lead in Emergencies, in INCREASE, has also allowed these women to work on a project to solve a community problem they have identified together. These efforts have provided women with a venue to see and harness their collective power. It has resulted in women actively expressing their desire to organize. In focused group discussions conducted for RGA-Pow (2020), “the women have expressed their confidence in lobbying for rights or providing feedback to power-holders when they are part of a collective.” In addition, they have also confirmed that they will be formalizing their organizations in the future.

Resilient livelihoods encourage women’s participation

In RGA-Pow (2020), it is stated that “women’s influence in public life and decision-making is closely associated with women’s economic power especially during emergencies. Critical to increasing women’s influence on formal decision-making spaces is helping them gain and have control over their own assets and income and to have equal say in decisions about household finances.” KIIs conducted with women community members of Palapag and Mapanas “highlight strong community perceptions that in public decision-making spaces, motions forwarded by economically empowered women are treated with respect and have better chances of being taken into consideration by the community or decision-makers. Such insight is not to discount persons with less influence; rather, enabling women to engage in sustainable livelihood activities increases their control of resources, which in turn enhances their influence and boosts their capacity to support members of the community during emergencies.”

Women from Northern Samar recognizes the need to organize to collectively identify their issues and find solutions

During the last quarter of 2020, INCREASE provided livelihood trainings to selected female-headed households. Sustainability measures were also put in place to ensure that women in the community benefit in the longer term.

by Rya Ducusin and Leigh Fuentes

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of lives in various ways. Globally, there are more than 90 million confirmed cases and 2 million deaths. Among these are half a million Filipinos that are confirmed cases and nearly ten thousand deaths. Apart from the health crisis it brought, COVID-19 has also disrupted livelihoods, social services, government programs, among others.

Almost a year after the COVID-19 lockdowns began in the Philippines, scientists and experts from different parts of the world have come up with a vaccine to slow down the spread of the virus – shedding light on possibilities of returning to normal. The Philippine government developed the National COVID-19 Vaccination Plan for an efficient and effective vaccine deployment and delivery to the Filipino people.

While the National COVID-19 Vaccination Plan is more of an overview of the steps of the national government, there is an urgent need to localize these plans and be adapted at the LGU level.

A new strain has also been recently discovered and severe side effects from the vaccine have been reported globally, causing panic and fear among communities. The government is also taking extra steps to address these doubts through various information dissemination activities and education campaigns.

Having said this, last March 4, the Resilience and Innovation Learning Hub (RILHUB) conducted the first Resilience Knowledge Exchanges Series (RKES) of this year. Launched June last year, RKES is a monthly or bi-monthly webinar series that invites key actors and various community members to learn, reflect, and share best practices in relation to timely and resilience-related events and programs.

During this implementation, RILHUB was joined by selected guest speakers to share their expertise, experiences, and for the representatives from local government units, their best practices in relation to planning their COVID-19 Vaccination plan.

Ms. Ma. Arlene Arbas, Division Chief of the Department of Health’s (DOH) Media and External Relations Division, presented the agency’s National Vaccination Plan as well as the timeline or estimated rollout of vaccines. Through her presentation, some foreseen and commonly asked questions were directly addressed even before the open forum portion of the program.

Local Government Units (LGUs) with approved local COVID-19 Vaccination Plans were also invited to share their experiences and best practices in planning and approval. For the local government of Pasig City, Mr. Joseph Emilie Juico, Co-Chair of the Quezon City Task Force Vax to Normal, presented the city’s plans while Dr. Angelo Saquitan, Rural Health Physician presented the plans of the City of Pasig.

After all presentations, the floor was opened for questions during the open forum portion of the program. This provided a good opportunity for all attendees and stakeholders, which were comprised of both private, public, and civil service organizations, to raise any concerns, clarifications, and inquiries. A majority of questions were answered live, while a select few were answered through Zoom’s Q&A feature.

Check out the recorded Facebook live stream of the session here.

View the Department of Health’s presentation here.

View the City of Pasig’s presentation here.

While the National COVID-19 Vaccination Plan is more of an overview of the steps of the national government, there is an urgent need to localize these plans and be adapted at the LGU level.

The Resilience Knowledge Exchange Series Session covering this topic was entitled, “How Local Government Unit’s Prepare Their COVID-19 Vaccination Plans”, and was held last March 04, 2021 and was co-implemented by CARE, ACCORD, the MOVE UP Project, and the START Network.

This presentation on the national COVID-19 vaccine program was made by the Department of Health and presented by Ms. Ma. Arlene Arbas, Division Chief, Media & External Relations Division, Department of Health

To access a soft copy of this material, please click here.

While the National COVID-19 Vaccination Plan is more of an overview of the steps of the national government, there is an urgent need to localize these plans and be adapted at the LGU level.

This presentation on the development of Pasig City’s localized COVID-19 vaccination program presented by Dr. Angelo Saquitan, Rural Health Physician, Local Government of Pasig City.

To access a soft copy of this material, please click here.