ReliefWeb

By Jeanevive Abangan
Published on September 13, 2019

DAVAO ORIENTAL, Sept. 12 (PIA) --- The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) is looking forward for local government units (LGUs) to adopt Forecast-based Financing (FBF) especially in disaster-risk deduction management and in their development plans.

In an interview, PRC Forecast-based Financing (FBF) national project officer Gilbert Tampos said concrete evidences are being gathered to highlight the relevance of FBF application especially with regard to rolling out of early action protocols before typhoons come.

With support from German Red Cross and Finnish Red Cross, PRC has run simulation exercises to test the effectiveness and efficiency of FBF which Tampos said, has been implemented in 21 countries.

PRC is set to cover 21 provinces in the Philippines in running the FBF simulation exercises (simex).

Tampos explained FBF as strategy of early actions to be taken in a three-day lead time before a typhoon would come. “What we are aiming is to lessen the cost of damages,” he said.

Recently, PRC conducted simex in barangays La Union and Cambaleon in the Municipality of San Isidro, Davao Oriental during which safe-keeping livestock was given emphasis.

“We are conducting this type of exercise because we want the LGUs, the community to have ownership. This is not only PRC but it is a collaboration effort of the LGU province and also regional offices,” Tampos said.

PRC involved some regional offices of national line agencies for them to take part in formulating early action protocols “which is sort of rules and guidelines on how we will be implementing the forecast based financing,” Tampos said.

Aside from the usual pre-emptive evacuation of people from vulnerable areas to the designated evacuation centers, the simex showed how domesticated and backyard-raised animals should be kept safe.

The process of safe-keeping the animals as observed during the simex would still be subject for improvement, but Davao Oriental Red Cross Youth and Red Cross Forecast-based Financing focal Abbey Paradan said the exercise had given an impression that “it would become much easier to convince community folks to leave their homes because they can bring along with them their raised animals.”

“Kay maoy ilang reklamo maski forced evacuation na dili jud sila molakaw, Kay mabilin man ang illang hayop. So at least karon nga kabalo na sila, asa ibilin ang ilang hayop dali ang response nato sa red cross level ug sa PDRM. (Because it has been a complaint that people won’t move out even during forced evacuation because they would be leaving behind their livestock. Now that they know where they would keeping their animals, response would then be easier for PRC and even for PDRRM.),” he explained in an interview with the Provincial Information Office.

Once integrated into the system of disaster preparedness and response of LGUs, set early action protocols would then be activated during impending disaster, Paradan said.

In the case of San Isidro town in Davao Oriental, animals would then be evacuated together with humans. On top of providing evacuation centers for human, animals would also be provided with safe respective shelters with fences

Farmers shall then be given cash-for-work tasks such as setting up of animal fences and storing of grasses and food, for the evacuated livestock and domesticated animals.

In simex of other provinces, PRC designed distinct combination of early action protocols such as strengthening of shelter, cash for work and early harvesting so vulnerable families should have strengthened their houses and have harvested their produce before a typhoon would take a landfall or swirl around land areas. (PIA XI/ Jeanevive Duron Abangan)