The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, an alliance of businesses dedicated to building the disaster risk management capabilities of the private sector in the country, said it received a P55-million grant from the Australian government to implement the Resilient Emergency Communications for Enhanced Disaster Response project for climate-vulnerable local government units of Butuan in Agusan del Norte, Virac in Catanduanes and Borongan in Samar.
PDRF also hosted an operational briefing for the private sector on the effects of Typhoon Egay (international name: Doksuri). It reported widespread flooding in MIMAROPA, Central Luzon and Ilocos Region, with landslides also observed in the Cordillera Administrative Region.
PDRF said member companies Manila Water and Maynilad are monitoring dams and rivers; McDonald’s Kindness Kitchen and Jollibee Foods Corp. are monitoring stores in affected areas and are on standby to distribute hot meals to evacuation centers and PLDT and Smart are also sending packs of rice and hygiene kits.
Alagang Kapatid Foundation Inc. dispatched a team to Northern Luzon to distribute relief goods from Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc., One Meralco Foundation, Maynilad, Metro Pacific Investments Foundation and Makati Medical Center Foundation. Lifeline utilities are mobilizing to restore services in Egay-affected areas in Northern Luzon, it said.
Launched at the PDRF Emergency Operations Center in Pampanga, Project REACHED is a two-year program that offers a solution to the recurring problem of establishing communications after a major disaster.
Project REACHED aims to provide select LGUs with the necessary equipment and training to ensure access to communications during and after calamities and help coordinate response and recovery operations in affected areas.
The LGUs of Butuan, Virac and Borongan were selected based on their vulnerability to typhoons, economic revenue, population, resources and competitive index resilience score.
The project aims to harness public-private partnerships and will be implemented in collaboration with the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Office of Civil Defense, World Food Programme, Globe Telecom and PLDT-Smart.
Thanh Le, counsellor development of the Australian Embassy in the Philippines, said that “building long-term disaster and climate resilience has been a key priority for Australia in the Philippines.”
“We recognize that natural disasters and climate change are ‘threat multipliers’ that disproportionately affect the weakest and most vulnerable sectors of society. By investing in resilient emergency communications, we can save countless lives and prevent vulnerable communities from experiencing even more difficulties and hardships,” Le said.
PDRF president Rene Meily said typhoon Egay’s destructive swath through the northern Philippines is a reminder of how critical telecommunications are during a crisis.
“Our thanks to the Australian government for their support. May Project REACHED help make life safer for the people of Butuan, Virac and Borongan—three cities that are frequently hit by storms,” said Meily. The investment in Project REACHED is a critical component of Australia’s development assistance in the Philippines that aims to enhance local resilience to natural disasters.