Officials from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), led by its Administrator, Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, participated in the invitation program under the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management – Capacity Enhancement Project Phase II (DDRM-CEP II) of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), held in Tokyo, Japan.
The invitation program served as a knowledge-sharing venue, allowing OCD and JICA to discuss various ideas, concepts, measures, and strategies in DRRM, as well as their current partnerships.
A series of DRRM discussions and activities were conducted during the first day. The Philippine delegation paid a courtesy call to JICA Senior Vice President Kawamura Kenichi.
This was followed by a briefing on the invitation program and JICA’s engagement in the Philippines, which includes the provision of technical assistance in the formulation of a DRRM Plan guidebook for the local government units (LGUs).
According to Office of Civil Defense; “The document serves as a guide for Local Government Units (LGUs) in formulating their local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) plans. “
“It covers international and national trends in DRRM, higher and local policies and plans related to sustainable development, long-term DRRM targets beyond the plan’s period, the changing residual risks resulting from plan implementation, and the synergy between and among LGUs, national government agencies, the private sector, academe, and other stakeholders, the OCD officials said yeterday.
Meanwhile, JICA officials and representatives provided lectures on Japan’s DRR technologies, capacity-building activities, DRRM policies and plans, hazard-specific laws, the history of disasters and lessons learned, as well as approaches to promoting disaster awareness and disaster management strategies, among other topics.
The two parties also discussed the implementation of the Sendai Framework and the preparation for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) 2024, which will be hosted by the Philippines in October next year.
The program aims to support the strengthening of the Philippines-Japan relationship through DRRM partnerships, contributing to sustainable and more resilient societies.
Undersecretary Nepomuceno expressed gratitude to JICA and the Japanese government for their support to the Philippines. “The Philippines and OCD will continue to learn from and adopt the best practices of Japan in disaster mitigation and response, as directed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.,” said Nepomuceno.
OCD Assistant Secretary Markus Lacanilao and Director Ronald Vizconde also participated in the aforementioned program.
