Philippine agency launches disaster reduction, climate change adaptation projects

The News Today (Philippines): The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), is implementing the project for “Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) in Local Development Planning and Decision-making Processes” throughout the country.

Following the national launching in Metro Manila on October 22, with Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, (the chair of the National Disaster and Coordinating Council), as keynote speaker, the DRR/CCA Project will be launched in Western Visayas at the Iloilo Grand Hotel in Iloilo City on November 24, 2009. Governor Salvacion Perez, the Chairperson of the Regional Development Council (RDC) and Chief Supt. Isagani Cuevas of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC), will deliver the messages. Director Ro-Ann Bacal of NEDA will welcome the participants coming from the local government units, regional line agencies, non-government organizations and the academe.

NEDA, as the lead implementing agency, is in charge of the overall management of the Project. As a multi-stakeholder project, NEDA will collaborate with partner agencies at the local level, particularly the DENR-EMB and HLURB. Its involvement in DRR/CCA efforts is in line with its land use and physical planning mandate as defined in Letter of Instruction 1350 which was recently amended by Executive Order (EO) 770. EO 770 directs NEDA to chair the National and Regional Land Use Committees (RLUCs) which are tasked to, among others, promote the integration of land use and physical planning policies, plans and programs, including disaster risk management (DRM) into national and regional socioeconomic plans and programs.

The DRR/CCA Project aims to enhance awareness and understanding of climate change and its aggravating effect on existing natural hazards and develop tools for the formulation of physical framework/land use and development plans. Furthermore, it intends to demonstrate practical integrated DRR/CCA approaches at the community level as well as provide an enabling environment and policy directions for reducing risk….

Satellite image of the Philippines, NASA