What to expect at the Agos Summit on Disaster Preparedness

MANILA, Philippines – The observance of the National Disaster Resilience Month in July is a reminder to everyone of the need to reduce risks and be prepared for disasters. And what better way to learn about disaster preparedness than from the experts and practitioners themselves?

On July 7-8, disaster management experts, responders, policy makers, and volunteers will gather for the first ever Agos Summit on Disaster Preparedness at the Samsung Hall of SM Aura mall in Taguig.

The summit aims to bring together key stakeholders, tackle pressing issues, and learn from good practices that mitigated risks or achieved zero casualty. Whether you are a disaster management professional, a government information officer, a business person, or a concerned citizen who is interested in learning about disaster preparedness, this summit is for you.

Tickets to the summit are free but MovePH – Rappler’s civic engagement arm – will be accepting voluntary contributions at the entrance which will benefit the continuing development of the Agos eBayanihan platform. Agos facilitates the open sharing of critical information using social media, technology, and crowdsourcing. It is powered by Ateneo de Manila University’s eBayanihan platform.

For those living outside Metro Manila, the summit will be livestreamed on Rappler.com. Join the #ZeroCasualty Community on Facebook to get the latest updates and behind the scenes stories from the summit.

Day 1: #NowPH and #MMShakeDrill

Day 1 of the summit begins at 10 am, highlighting the experience of the #NowPH (Not on Our Watch – Philippines) movement, which was led by the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and the National Youth Commission (NYC). The initiative pushed for climate action, gathering nearly 3.6 million voices of support that were heard at the historic climate change conference in Paris in 2015.

Invited speakers for this session include NowPH convenors: CCC Vice Chair Vernice Victorio, NYC Commissioner Paul Pangilinan, and YesPinoy Foundation founder Dingdong Dantes.

The afternoon session will focus on the upcoming Metro Manila Shake Drill (#MMShakeDrill), a metro-wide earthquake drill which will be held from July 14 to 17, 2017 to test the metro’s response to a possible 7.2-magnitude earthquake.

Chairman Danny Lim of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will discuss plans for the #MMShakeDrill and what companies, schools, and the general public should do before, during and after the drill.

Representatives of Metro Manila-based establishments, village associations, and civic groups are highly encouraged to attend Day 1 of the Summit to learn about best practices for conducting earthquake drills in your communities.

The first day will also feature inspiring and educational talks from well-respected experts such as former Office of Civil Defense administrator and disaster management head Alexander Pama and Pasig City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) head Ritche Van Angeles.

Day 2: Gearing up for climate action and disaster preparedness 

The second day of the program covers a broad range of topics and features a variety of thought leaders and experts.

The day begins with a discussion on how we can help vulnerable communities adapt to climate change and its effects. Invited speakers include disaster preparedness and climate action champions Senator Loren Legarda, Albay 2nd District Representative Joey Salceda, and Secretary Vernice Victorio of the CCC.

After every disaster, ensuring that life goes on and businesses return to normal is critical for post-disaster recovery. The second session of Day 2 will discuss how business continuity is part of community resilience and will include speakers from the Philippine Disaster Resiliency Foundation (PDRF) and Smart Communications.

Disaster preparedness is not just the government’s responsibility. We all have a part to play. Session 3 of Day 2 will tackle the role of civic action in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Keynoting the session is Senator Richard Gordon who also chairs the Philippine Red Cross. Other speakers include Oxfam in the Philippines head Daniel Sinnathamby and Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-National Secretariat for Social Action (CBCP-NASSA) head Father Edwin Gariguez.

Session 4 will focus on how we can better localize disaster preparedness so that every community and local government takes full ownership of the planning, management, and recovery from a disaster. Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad, the current executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and OCD administrator, headlines the session alongside Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) undersecretary Austere Panadero.

The final session of the day tackles the challenges that lie ahead and how education is the key to meeting these challenges. The Department of Education’s (DepEd) Director Ronilda Co will talk about how disaster preparedness can be mainstreamed in the classroom. Other speakers include UP Resiliency Institute head Mahar Lagmay and Assistant Director Tetsuya Koide from the Japan Foundation.

Wrapping up the day’s talks will be Department of Science and Technology (DOST) undersecretary for disaster preparedness Dr Renato Solidum.

XChange Fair

Outside the Samsung Hall, Agos partners will have booths displaying the latest gear for your Go Bags and other informative exhibits. There will also be a demonstration on how to create a solar lamp by the Liter of Light Foundation. The XChange Fair is open to the public.

The Summit is organized by MovePH, Rappler’s civic engagement arm, and is co-presented by SM Supermalls, the official venue partner. The Summit is also made possible with the support of Ateneo de Manila University’s eBayanihan program, the MMDA, and the Japan Foundation. 

Participants must register for each day they want to attend. Seats at the Summit are limited so get your free tickets today!

Full Program

Day 1 – July 7, 2017

8:00 – 10:00 am	Registration Opening of XChange Fair
10:00 – 10:10 am	Welcome Remarks	Maria Ressa CEO, Rappler
Movement for Climate Action and Disaster Resilience
10:10 – 10:20 am	From climate change to disasters: Moving communities through digitally fueled action	Voltaire Tupaz MovePH Editor
10:20 – 10:40 am	Climate Action – Impact on Women	Vernice Victorio Commissioner, CCC
10:40 – 10:50 am	UNICEF Report: Climate change from the children’s perspective	Javier Bornstein Emergency and Disaster Risk Reduction Officer, UNICEF
10:50 – 11:10 am	Preparing the youth to be disaster resilient	Paul Pangilinan Commissioner at Large, NYC
11:10 – 11:20 am	Agos Partner Presentations: Bambike Disaster Assesment Response Team	Bryan McClelland Founder of Bambikes
11:20 – 11:40 pm	Sparking action in the youth GO BAG Project	Dingdong Dantes Yes Pinoy Foundation
11:40 – 12:00 pm	Panel Q&A Vernice Victorio Paul Pangilinan Dingdong Dantes Javier Bornstein Voltaire Tupaz	Moderated by: Pebbles Sanchez Executive Director, Yes Pinoy Foundation
12:00 – 1:00 pm	Lunch XChange Fair
1:00 – 1:15 pm	Welcome Remarks	Rupert Ambil Executive Director, MovePH
MMShakeDrill: Preparing for the Big One
1:15 – 1:30 pm	Keynote Speech	BGen Danilo Lim (ret) Chairman, MMDA
1:30 – 1:45 pm	How LGUs are preparing for the Big One	Herbert Bautista Quezon City Mayor (TBC)
1:45 – 2:30 pm	#EarthquakePH: The Metro Manila Shake Drill 2017	Ramon Santiago OIC, Flood Control Info Center, MMDA
2:45 – 3:15 pm	Panel Q&A: #EarthquakePH BGen. Danilo Lim (ret) RAdm. Alexander Pama (ret) Mayor Herbert Bautista (TBC) Ramon Santiago MMShakeDrill Quadrant Commanders	Moderated by: Voltaire Tupaz MovePH Editor
3:15 – 3:20 pm	Agos Partner Presentations: Liter of Light	Illac Diaz Liter of Light Founder
3:20 – 3:30 pm	Agos Partner Presentations: K9 SAR Team	Ramon Santiago MMDA
3:30 – 3:40 pm	Agos Partner Presentations: PH72 – an Emegency Preparedness Tool	Migel Estoque Communications Manager, PDRF
3:40 – 4:30 pm	Training Workshop for Agos Volunteers    Topics: Social Media Training Agos eBayanihan Platform Volunteer Mobilization	Rupert Ambil Executive Director, MovePH Dr. Reena Estuar, PhD Ateneo de Manila University
4:30 – 4:45 pm	Inspirational Talk	Ritche Van Angeles Pasig City DRRM Chief
4:45 – 5:00 pm	Closing XChange Fair

Day 2 – July 8, 2017

7:00 – 9:00 am	Registration Opening of XChange Fair
Preparing Vulnerable Communities for Climate Change and Disaster Resiliency
9:00 – 9:10 am	Welcome Remarks	Maria Ressa CEO, Rappler
9:10 – 9:30 am	Keynote Speech	Sen. Loren Legarda (TBC)
9:30 – 9:40 am	Video recap of Day 1	Rupert Ambil Executive Director, MovePH
9:40 – 9:50 am	Policy Reforms for Climate Change	Cong. Joey Salceda 2nd District, Albay (TBC)
9:50 – 10:00 am	Women in Climate Change	Vernice Victorio Commissioner, CCC
10:00 – 10:30 am	Panel Q&A: Climate Change Adaptation Sen. Loren Legarda Joey Salceda (TBC) Vernice Victorio Javier Bornstein, UNICEF	Moderated by: Voltaire Tupaz MovePH Editor
Community Resiliency
10:30 – 10:45	Community Resiliency through Business Continuity	Rhiza Nery Business Continuity Program Manager, PDRF
10:45 – 11:00	Bridging the Community	Darwin Flores VP for Community Partnerships, Smart
11:00 – 11:10	Agos Partner Presentations: Humanitarian Leadership Academy	Jocelyn Pilapil Director, Humanitarian Leadership Academy
11:10 – 11:20	Agos Partner Presentations: Staying Alive PH	Martin Aguda
Social Media for Social Good
11:20  – 12:00 nn	Relaunch of Agos eBayanihan Platform	Maria Ressa CEO, Rappler Dr. Reena Estuar, PhD Ateneo de Manila University
12:00 – 1:00 pm	Lunch Break XChange Fair
Civic Action for DRRM
1:00 – 1:30 pm	Gearing up the Philippine Red Cross	Sen. Richard Gordon Chairman, Philippine Red Cross
1:30 – 1:50 pm	Challenges of Disaster Financing	Daniel Sinnathamby Country Director, Oxfam
1:50 – 2:10 pm	Social Action Communities	Fr. Edwin Gariguez CBCP-NASSA
2:10 – 2:20 pm	Engaging Communities for Disaster Response	Hope Hervilla Undersecretary, DSWD
2:20 – 2:30 pm	Empowering the handicapp to be disaster resilient	Carissa Galla DRR Advisor, Handicap International
2:30 – 2:40 pm	Agos Partner Presentations: Kaalimidad	Jay Beltran DILG IV-A
Localizing Disaster Preparedness
2:40 – 3:00 pm	National Government	Ricardo Jalad Undersecretary, Office of Civil Defense
3:00 – 3:10 pm	Project Listo	Austere Panadero Undersecretary, DILG
3:10 – 3:20 pm	Local Government Preparedness	Manuel Mamba Governor, Cagayan
3:20 – 3:40 pm	Panel Q&A: Localizing Disaster Preparedness Usec. Ricardo Jalad Usec. Austere Panadero Gov. Manuel Mamba Myke Marasigan, QCDRRMO Junica Soriano, Save the Children	Moderated by: Gemma Mendoza Content and Research Strategy Head, Rappler
#SafeSchoolsPH: Mainstreaming DRR-CCA in Schools
3:40 – 4:00 pm	Education is the key to Zero Casualty	Ronilda Co Director, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Services, DepEd
4:00 – 4:20 pm	From Project NOAH to UP Resilience Institute	Mahar Lagmay Head, UP-NOAH
4:20 – 4:30 pm	Project HANDS	Tetsuya Koide Assistant Director, Japan Foundation
4:30 – 4:50 pm	Keynote Speech Disaster Imagination	Renato Solidum Undersecretary, DOST
4:50 pm	Closing Photo Taking XChange Fair

– Rappler.com