Local Government Academy holds August 23 disaster-resilient forum

MANILA, Philippines – What do Filipinos understand about resiliency? Are local communities prepared and resilient during disasters?

These are some of the questions that the forum “Resilience Marketplace for Innovation forum” intends to answer. (READ: The Problem with Filipino Resilience; Has resiliency been used as an excuse for government shortcomings?)

As one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, the Philippines is exposed to several natural hazards such as floods, storm surge, landslides, and earthquakes. The problem arises when there is no system in place to allow people to respond to them.

The forum, organized by the the Local Government Academy of the Department of the Interior and Local Government and in partnership with various stakeholders from the public and private sector, aims to address the gap on Filipinos’ understanding of a resilient community and how local government units should respond to disasters and mitigate climate change.

This will also serve as an avenue for the stakeholders to dialogue with government agencies on relevant policies and proposed bills on resiliency.

The forum will be held on Thursday, August 23 at the Mall of Asia, Hall 4, SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

Speakers include leaders of agencies involved in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation and local government officials. Senator Loren Legarda and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana will also grace the event and give keynote speeches.

Silvestre Barrameda, Jr., OIC of the Local Governance Training and Dev’t Division, Local Government Academy, said he hopes the forum will help stakeholders and local government units come up with a common understanding of resiliency in the Philippine context. 

“Iba’t iba kasi ‘yung  pinanggagalingan ng meaning ng resiliency ng mga tao,” added Barrameda. (People have different notions of resiliency.)

The forum will gather at least a thousand responders, decision-makers, and advocates of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

Aside from the 4 plenary discussions which will focus on resiliency, the forum will also feature various disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation initiatives through an exhibit. – Rappler.com