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A-PAD holds in-person workshop on risk communication

NAGA CITY (PIA)—Communication plays a significant role in saving lives, minimizing harm, and limiting damages, especially if relayed in a timely, effective, and accurate manner.

The Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management (A-PAD) Philippines believes that equipping the community with this basic know-how and raising their understanding and awareness of the risks they are facing, will eventually result in better preparedness and lessened chances of getting affected by misinformation.

Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management (A-PAD) Philippines participants representing the academe, government organizations, media, NGOs and medical group during the 2-day seminar dubbed “Strengthening Risk Communication and Community Engagement in the new normal Workshop” held June 22 to 23 at Savoy Hotel, Pasay, Metro Manila.

For the first time after the two-year COVID 19 pandemic, A-PAD Philippines opened its doors to a two-day face-to-face activity dubbed “Strengthening Risk Communication and Community Engagement in the new normal Workshop” held June 22 to 23 at Savoy Hotel, Pasay, Metro Manila.

Representatives from the academe, government offices and organizations, media, Civil Society Groups (CSOs), non-government organizations (NGOs) and medical institutions among others, were invited to take part in the discussion regarding risk communication. 

“Risk communication is an important component in any disaster risk management plan. These two-day training workshop aims to capacitate our key stakeholders to integrate effective messaging approaches in their preparedness and response plans. All these efforts contribute to creating safer, adaptive, and disaster-resilient communities,” A-PAD Philippines Executive Director Althea Peñaloza said in an interview.

About 20 participants coming from Bicol, Central Luzon, and National Capital Region took part in the activity and actively participated in the workshop led by a panel of disaster experts. 

Philippine Information Agency (PIA)  Camarines Sur, Albay and Tarlac provincial offices were represented by their provincial information center managers, namely, Ana-Liza Macatangay, Salvacion Altea and Trixie Joy Manalili respectively.  Bicol University (BU), Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) Camarines Sur Chapter, Mariners Polytechnic Colleges-Baras, and TABI were also invited.


Comprising the pool of resource speakers were Anthony Ross Zuniga, Risk Management/Learning & Development Practitioner; Abigail Guiang, Business Continuity Plan (BCP) practitioner; and Department of Health (DOH) Senior Health Program Officer/Head-Operations Center Lovelle Rago.

Peñaloza said that similar training will also be conducted with A-PAD PH partners from Visayas and Mindanao in the coming months.

A-PAD Ph also endeavors to have an effective information processing and information reporting system to enhance the community’s coping mechanisms when disaster strikes.

Participants were also given lectures on Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) in the event of a disaster. 

“We also would like to build an information-sharing system, taking into consideration that during disasters, risk communication takes a very crucial role in saving lives.  We wish to come up with an RCCE plan that the community can utilize during the most vulnerable times. We wish to put in place A-PAD’s mantra which says ‘we can save more lives, in less time,” A-PAD PH President Gilbert Albero said.  (PIA5/Camarines Sur)

About the Author

Ana-liza Macatangay

Assistant Regional Head

Region 5

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