Recent record-high reports on new active COVID-19 cases show that the pandemic is far from over. Even the slight decrease in transmission in Metro Manila offers little comfort, as other regions brace and prepare for a possible surge.

In Mindanao, for example, local governments have expressed fatigue and dwindling resources to respond effectively to the pandemic, on top of other emergencies such as natural hazards, protracted conflict, and climate risks.

As hospital beds run out, people are lining up in makeshift tents with some of them dying while waiting for their turn to be admitted. Overwhelmed health workers, insufficient space for treatment and isolation, and financial difficulty call for alternative and cost-efficient solutions.

From Alternative Temporary Shelters to Community Quarantine Facilities 

At the onset of the pandemic, local government partners of the Moving Urban Poor Communities in the Philippines toward Resilience (MOVE UP) Project were aware that the rising cases and lack of medical resources and spatial capacity could pose grave consequences in densely populated cities.

In an effort to complement government response, the MOVE UP project along with partners such as the Czech Republic Humanitarian Aid and United Architects of the Philippines – Emergency Architects worked together to adapt Alternative Temporary Shelters (ATS) into quarantine facilities.

Despite mobility constraints and other health measures, the first Community Quarantine Facility adapted from ATS models was turned over in Malabon City on 18 June 2020, and received DOH certification in the same week.  The experience in opening the 38-bed-capacity of the amphitheater still in operation has provided valuable lessons in replication of the strategy in other areas in Malabon and also in Mindanao.

Following the same strategy, community quarantine facilities were also set up by the local governments of Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Cagayan de Oro, Tandag City, and Surigao del Sur with support from MOVE UP and REACH projects.

Read the full story by accessing the file in this link.

The Moving Urban Poor Communities Toward Resilience (MOVE UP) Project is funded by EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid – ECHO and is implemented by ACCORD Incorporated, Action Against Hunger Philippines, CARE Philippines, and Plan International Philippines.

The INCREASE Project has committed to holding four (4) learning exchanges engaging local implementing partners and partner communities across provinces to share DRR CCA / IRM good practices, ideas for sustainability and upscaling, innovations, and evidence from which these are based.

Similarly, the project has also committed to producing four (4) research briefs/communication materials, or case stories, from DRR CCA / IRM good practices and innovations documented to be published through RILHUB.

This partner-level learning exchange is the second part of the INCREASE Cross-Learning Platform for Resilience-Building Session 2. The learning questions raised to partners are the following:

1. What risk reduction and climate change adaptation measures have the FHH/farmers adopted during the project period?
2. What are the indigenous and modern farming practices that you have adopted throughout the years, and which among these do you plan to continue?
3. How does livelihood diversification help individuals and communities reduce risks and reduce negative coping mechanisms?
4. What factors drive women and men farmers’ and fishers’ adoption of climate-informed practice, and resilient livelihood strategies?
5. What encourages incentivises them to be flexible to change, and become more open to becoming part of forward-looking assessments?

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

INCREASE or  “Philippines – Increasing Resilience to Natural Hazards” aims to 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.

Last July 28, the MOVE UP 4 Project Consortium (formed among Plan International, Action Against Hunger, CARE Philippines, and ACCORD Inc. ) and the DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) Local Government Academy (LGA) officially agreed on the formal partnership for collaborations to enhance climate change adaptation efforts and disaster risk reduction and management.

The cooperation between the capacity and development arm of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and MOVE UP includes the review of various L!STO Operations Manual and the implementation of capacity building and development efforts for local chief executives and other relevant stakeholders involved in disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) activities.

The primary signatories for the agreement were Suresanathan Murugesu represented by Juan Blenn Huelgas of Action Against Hunger (AAH), Ana Maria Locsin represented by Chrisnobel Cruz of Plan International, David Gazashvili of CARE International, Sindhy Obias of Assistance and Cooperation for Resilience and Development Inc. (ACCORD), and Executive Director Thelma Vecina of the LGA.

During the event, participants also shared their thoughts on the partnership stating that they are looking forward to it as they see it as a venue for learning, increased engagement, collaboration, uninterrupted service delivery, and knowledge- and resource-sharing among key actors in development and governance.

——————————————————————–

You may watch the recorded Facebook Livestream of this event here.

You may also read the full story from the DILG LGA

Learn more about the MOVE UP Project here.

The Natural Farming System Guidebook promotes reducing dependence on off-form inputs to women and men farmers in INCREASE areas. It offers practical guide to make bio-organic inputs that have much potential in terms of food production and environmental conservation. Moreover, food security is increased and additional incomes are generated.

An excerpt from the material:

Ang patuloy na tumataas na gastos ng hindi organikong pataba ay hindi mapipigil sa mga darating na taon ng produksyon. Tinitingnan ang pananaw na ito na ang magsasaka ay kailangang maghanap ng isang alternatibong hakbang upang mapanatili ang kanyang pagsasaka na may kakayahang kumita.

Ang likas na pagsasaka (natural farming) ay mas mura, mas epektibo, at mas ligtas. Wala ng hihigit pang ligaya sa pamilya na ang pagkaing pinagsasaluhan ay tunay na makapagbibigay lakas at nakakapagpahaba ng buhay. Isang alternatibong pamamaraan sa pagsasaka na makakabawas sa gastusin ng magsasaka. Isang alternatibong paraan na epektibo at maka “kalikasan”. Higit sa lahat, isang alternatibong pamaraan na walang maidudulot na kapahamakan sa kalusugan at sa kapaligiran.

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

The first week of July marked the implementation of the first session of the INCREASE Cross-Learning Platform for Resilience-Building, an initiative that aims to bridge the gap among INCREASE partners and knowledge-sharing, particularly because of the restrictions brought about by the pandemic.

Climate change and ecosystem degradation place new demands on disaster risk reduction approaches. Philippines: Increasing the Resilience to Natural Hazards (INCREASE) Project, leveraging on the decade-worth of learnings from the PfR programme and other projects implemented by CARE and partners, advocates to mainstream Integrated Risk Management (IRM) as an enhanced, holistic approach to increase community resilience by integrating disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and ecosystem management and restoration.

Following INCREASE’s commitment to place at-risk and vulnerable communities at the center of resilience building, we aim to engage our partner communities not only in the design and development of early warning systems, early action protocols, and emergency procedures in the process of developing their contingency plans, but more importantly, in working with their local DRR committee members, as they jointly test these actions and systems through community drills, among other simulation exercises.

Conducting community drills have been proven effective in testing whether community members are able to interpret early warning information correctly and duly execute operational procedures for evacuation and protection of their households and livelihoods. Further, DRR committee members are also tested whether they are able to work closely with community members, provide timely information, evacuate and rescue affected persons, and consider targeted support for vulnerable persons, following different scenarios (e.g. worst case, amid a pandemic, etc.)

However, the feasibility of conducting community drills amid a public health emergency where social distancing protocols are enforced, as well as in conflict-affected areas with mobilisation restrictions, still remain to be seen and are presently put on hold in many areas.

Thus, considering alternative approaches to conducting drills through mixed modalities (i.e. virtual, face-to-face, or a hybrid of both), and how effectiveness can be strengthened with other activities (i.e. household- and community-level IEC campaigns) is a forward-looking approach DRR practitioners can look into.

This session was aimed at achieving the following objectives:

• Reviewing key characteristics of an effective tabletop exercise (conducted in lieu / or in support to community drills);
• Going through the three main phases conducting remote tabletop exercises, referring back to main steps discussed in Part 1
• Conducting a sample simulation exercise testing the capacity of INCREASE barangay / municipal DRR committee partner participants
• Demonstrating participants’ familiarity of a contingency plan (based on the sample CP) and how it translates to actual actions
• Gathering feedback on participants’ experience from the simulation exercise, and identifying areas that need further localization and adoption
• Sharing key learnings on community inclusion and participation in DRR activities

With over 90 participants from Cagayan, Mt. Province, Surigao del Sur, and Northern Samar, INCREASE conducted the first virtual, Remote [Mock] Tabletop Exercise or RTTX which is an adaptive measure to ensuring the continuation of resilience- and capacity-building for DRRM in lieu of face-to-face community drills. Some attending partners participated in the session through mixed modalities, facilitators virtually present while the participatns from the same local government attended as a group.

The Cross-Learning Platform for Resilience-Building is set for three more sessions until October.

To learn more about INCREASE, click here.

In the time of the COVID-19 Pandemic, many of the resilience- and capacity-building efforts of different organizations and programs have been hampered by existing and constantly changing logistical restrictions and health protocols such as travel and face-to-face meeting prohibitions.

In lieu of earthquake drills, in what other ways can we simulate unprecedented risks in our community? In what ways can we continue incapacitating our local governments, our leaders, and our community members to be able to efficiently and aptly respond to emerging risks and disasters?

Tabletop exercises are one way that CARE and ACCORD  projects have been training their stakeholders. To learn more about how to conduct this exercise remotely as an adaptive measure to the pandemic, you may check out the Remote Mock Tabletop Exercises brief introduction below.

To access a soft copy of the said material, please click this link.

Gender equality and social inclusion are cross-cutting themes that are central to CARE’s emergency and development programming. In this IEC material, CARE’s Gender Equality Framework and Theory of Change were reintroduced in this IEC material to inform community members of these concepts, and along with INCREASE interventions, modify behaviors and change social conditions.

INCREASE or  “Philippines – Increasing Resilience to Natural Hazards” aims to 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.

INCREASE recognizes the key role that local communities play in preparing for disastrous events. Hence, it conducts community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM) training sessions to reduce vulnerabilities and strengthen people’s capacity to cope with hazards. As a supplementary material, this tarpaulin was created to remind local communities of the features of CBDRM.

INCREASE or  “Philippines – Increasing Resilience to Natural Hazards” aims to 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.

INCREASE conducts contingency planning workshops along with local actors and vulnerable sectors to enable timely, effective, and appropriate response in the event of a disaster. The characteristics of a good contingency plan were summarized in this IEC material so community members and leaders can recall the concepts and apply them accordingly.

INCREASE or  “Philippines – Increasing Resilience to Natural Hazards” aims to 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.