Participants in the "Anticipatory Action Project" launch of Plan International Pilipinas showed their written pledge of commitment to supporting the project that will be implemented in the two municipalities of Maguindanao del Norte in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. (Photo: PIA Cotabato City)
COTABATO CITY (PIA) – The Plan International Pilipinas Foundation, Inc. has identified two municipalities in Maguindanao del Norte as its pilot project site for the three-project tagged "Strengthening Structures for Anticipatory Humanitarian Action for Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Disaster Management in the Philippines.”
The project has selected the municipalities of Datu Blah Sinsuat and Upi in Maguindanao del Norte and the municipalities of Llorente and Salcedo in Eastern Samar identified as flood-prone barangays and other hazards such as landslides.
“Sa Maguindanao del Norte, ang napili ay ang Upi at Datu Blah Sinsuat upang maging pilot municipalities nitong proyekto dahil sa kanilang naging experience sa Typhoon Paeng at ang kanila rin location na prone sa mga typhoon at even sa mga flooding [In Maguindanao del Norte, Upi and Datu Blah Sinsuat were chosen as pilot municipalities of this project because of their experience with Typhoon Paeng and their location that is prone to typhoons and even flooding],” said Chrisnobel Cruz, resilience portfolio manager of Plan International Pilipinas.
He pointed out that one of the criteria they are looking at for a project site is the extent of risk that a population may be exposed to, explaining the goal of the project, which is to empower the communities to anticipate and lessen disaster risks.
Funded by the German government through the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO), the recently launched resilience project aims to further transform disaster management from the perspective of gender equality and inclusivity.
Engr. Paul Cagara, a resident of the municipality of Upi in Maguindanao del Norte, expressed his full commitment to supporting Plan International Pilipinas' anticipatory action project in his town during the project launch on January 25, 2024, in General Santos City. (Photo: PIA Cotabato City)
Cruz also noted that it is important for the project to empower the people by establishing the participation of youth and children, their families, and communities regardless of ethnicity to anticipate the potential negative impacts of disasters in the development of forecast-based early action for disasters.
In Maguindanao del Norte, Plan International noted that the displacement and living conditions of families in temporary shelters have negatively impacted children and caregivers' mental health.
“Itong launching na ito ay pinapakita na ito ‘yung kanilang situation ngayon at papaano gagamitin ang proyektong ito upang mas mapalakas pa ‘yung kanilang capacity [This launching shows their current situation and how this project will be used to further strengthen their capacity]," he explained, adding that Plan International has three years to help strengthen the municipalities and see the project’s impact on the people in the communities.
Cruz also stressed that Plan International Pilipinas is looking forward to seeing local government units implement policies that would address bottlenecks in anticipatory action and, in turn, lessen the impact of disasters in a community.
“Ang anticipatory action ay isa sa mga pinakamagandang strategies for disaster risk reduction and management. Ang gusto natin ipakita dito ay feasible and applicable itong ating anticipatory action [Anticipatory action is one of the best strategies for disaster risk reduction and management. What we want to show here is that our anticipatory action is feasible and applicable],” he added.
Aisa Maco, a participant in the Anticipatory Project launch, shared her experiences in the aftermath of Severe Tropical Storm Paeng in 2022. Maco said that she was thankful for the project, having experienced a typhoon herself in 2022. She believed that the project would help her community prepare for any disasters that may occur. (Photo: PIA Cotabato City)
Meanwhile, Aisa Maco from Barangay Pura in Datu Blah Sinsuat, one of the participants during the project launch, shared her experiences during the devastation of Typhoon Paeng.
She said this project would be a great help to remind their community of the value of taking a proactive step before, during, and after a disaster.
“Ang ganda ng initiative ng anticipatory action project kasi kahit papaano ay makatutulong siya sa aming lugar, and thankful kami kasi isa kami sa mga napili ng Plan International Pilipinas [The anticipatory action project is good because it can help our community, and we are thankful because we are one of those chosen by Plan International Pilipinas],” Maco said.
The project launch was also in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services, Administration, Office of Civil Defense, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN Food and Agriculture Organization, UN World Food Programme, and United Nations Children’s Fund. (LTB - PIA Cotabato City)
