Philippines: Oxfam, AusAID cite good practices in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation

Iloilo City - An international non-government organization (NGO) with a local office in the Philippines has identified four good practices on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in the country that are worthy to be emulated by local government units (LGUs).

Oxfam Humanitarian Program coordinator Paul G. Del Rosario said that for one year with the support of the Australian Aid Agency (AusAID), they were able to collate good practices and initiatives which will be linked up with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Go Far project to be picked up and replicated in other LGUs.

Go Far is the DILG’s existing replication project on good practices and initiatives.

“We develop a set of criteria and based on that we were able to document four good practices. Other than the four good practices there were around five good initiatives, meaning they can become good practices in the future,” he said. “We wanted to share these to wider audience, LGU in particular.”

Apart from linking up with the DILG, the Oxfam is now in the process of finalizing a book and a video as to the result of the study. He added that aside from the dissemination of the information to LGUs, they might consider showing them abroad.

The four good practices are the Social Hydrological Information Network (SHINe) in Bulacan province; Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Hinundayan and Flood Early Warning System in St. Bernard all in Southern Leyte and the Climate Field School (CFS) in Dumangas, Iloilo.

The SHINe project focuses on the awareness to hydrometeorological-related disasters; the MPA serves as a means to address the declining fish catch and protection from environmental hazard; the flood early warning system works on provision of enough time or lead-time between critical warning and completion of evacuation for the protection of lives and properties while the CFS focuses on improving farm practices, adapting new farming technologies and integrating climate forecasting information towards agricultural development.

“Thus our contribution to the government system and hopefully DILG would pick it up and would encourage LGUs to really replicate,” Del Rosario said.

He added that in the future they “might consider doing a small project on actual replication of some of these good practices.”

The Oxfam has been conducting sharing sessions for the best practices in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao as one way of bringing to the mainstream LGU the said initiatives. (PNA) DCT/FFC/PGL/vlo