Have We Institutionalized DRRM in the Philippines?

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The Philippine archipelago is one of the riskiest places to live in given the natural geological and hydro-meteorological occurrences, aggravated by human-induced disaster situations. As such, an effective disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) scheme requires action on several fronts, such as governance, social protection, infrastructure, and resource management. This Policy Note assesses the extent of DRRM institutionalization in the country, as well as its knowledge and science application, regional and local cooperation, human capital and capacity building, accounting and administrative processes, and monitoring and evaluation options. Among others, it discovers an apparent institutional divide between the Climate Change Action Plan and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Plan (NDRRMP), which is inconsistent in the context of a whole-of-government approach. The study calls for the government to harmonize this divide and to contextualize the NDRRMP within the broader perspective of DRRM and its defined thematic pillars. It also urges the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council to assume its leadership mandate as expressed in the law.