ENABLING SCALED-UP RISK REDUCTION INVESTMENTS January 2023 IN THE PHILIPPINES Establishing a comprehensive disaster risk management program to better safeguard against hazards AT A GLANCE Country: Philippines Risks: Floods, Earthquakes, Landslides, Cyclones, Volcanoes Strengthening institutional systems and the capacity of agencies to build resilience across the country Facing Multiple Disasters The Philippines is one of the most natural hazard-prone countries in the world. Disasters in the country can quickly roll back hard-won economic and social development gains. For example, Typhoon Haiyan (one of the most powerful Pedestrians watch as city workers dredge the riverbed of the Taguig River; tropical cyclones to ever make landfall) hit the Philippines Philippines on July 11, 2014. Photo © Dominic Chavez/World Bank. in November 2013, causing an estimated USD$12.9 billion in damages and losses, and pushing three million more people Philippines’ DRM agenda since 2010, the Japan-World Bank below the poverty line. Just a month earlier in October 2013, Program for Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Bohol. As a in Developing Countries provided a US$2 million technical result, several centuries-old heritage structures (administrative assistance grant for the Philippines with the objective of buildings, churches, and other historically valuable public strengthening DRM institutional systems and sectoral agency facilities) were either fully destroyed or severely damaged. capacities to enable phased implementation of risk reduction These back-to-back disasters further emphasized the need to programs for key public buildings and infrastructure in the mainstream disaster risk management (DRM) across sectors country. The team worked with the Department of Public to increase resilience from the many hazards that disrupt Works and Highways, for example, to ensure that DRM livelihoods and halt economic production. standards were integrated into the first ever revision of the To better safeguard the country against these disasters, it is Philippines’ National Building Code. The team also engaged critical to ramp up the institutional capacity and policies for with the Department of Tourism to address risk reduction for a comprehensive disaster risk management program and to cultural heritage assets, with the Department of Education improve coordination between oversight and implementing to develop retrofitting solutions for at-risk schools in metro agencies through upgraded legislation with disaster risk Manila, and with the Department of Finance to implement reduction measures while also building the capacity of a comprehensive financial protection strategy. These efforts government agencies by introducing resilience-building tools have helped the Philippines to address disaster risks in both and resources. For example, in recognition of the irreplaceable the medium and long-term. cultural heritage losses from past disasters, the Philippine The grant supported the development of a cost-benefit analysis Department of Tourism sought technical assistance to improve and guidelines for seismic retrofitting of schools in Metro the resilience of heritage structures across the country. Manila. The analysis showed that a small investment could save many lives in the case of an earthquake. For example, Building a Comprehensive Disaster Risk by strengthening the most vulnerable 5 percent of school Management Program buildings in Metro Manila, the country could potentially save Building on the results already achieved under the World 6,000 lives; doing the same to 40 percent of these buildings Bank’s programmatic technical assistance support to the could potentially save 19,000 lives. Due in part to this work, the RESULTS IN RESILIENCE SERIES Left: World Bank Lead Irrigation Engineer, Joop Stoutjesdijk (second from left) talks with employees at the Wawa Taguig pumping station along the Wawa Lake in Taguig. There are 53 pumping stations for the Metro Manila to help reduce the flooding during the raining season. Photo: Dominic Chavez /World Bank. Right: Victoriano Simbugan constructs a shed at a livelihood project site in Anahayway village in Leyte province, Philippines. Photo: Dominic Chavez /World Bank. government of the Philippines is now implementing the World Bank-financed US$ 300 million Seismic Risk Reduction and RESULTS Resilience Project, which will retrofit approximately 425 school buildings in Metro Manila. n Policy and Strategy Informed: Risk reduction At the local level, grant funds accelerated the implementation measures were integrated into the bill for the of DRM reforms by building technical and institutional capacity. Philippines Building Act to enable a safer built As a result, approximately 90 percent of provinces have now environment. included resilience measures in their development plans, which are expected to result in investments that are selected, located, n Improved Cultural Heritage Protection: Multi- and designed to standards minimizing the vulnerability of hazard vulnerability assessments were completed communities. A joint disaster resilience insurance facility has for 5 priority cultural heritage sites and a multi- also been set up by local governments to provide immediate hazard vulnerability assessment methodology payouts to provinces after disasters, improving the financial was adopted into the Philippines Standards for response capacity at the local level. Conservation. Finally, the grant also provided technical assistance to the Government of the Philippines to develop a disaster risk financing strategy and action plan. The action plan, which was LESSON LEARNED adopted by the government, identified potential mechanisms for reducing financial risk at the sovereign, local, and A Comprehensive Government Approach Works household levels. The Japan International Cooperation Agency with a Committed Team (JICA) and the World Bank have been critical partners of the The program demonstrated that a whole-of- Government of the Philippines in this effort, and effective government approach is critical for meaningful coordination and cooperation has been key to achieving results in a multi-sectoral engagement on disaster impact at scale. As a result of technical assistance projects risk management. An engaged, committed core supported by JICA through the provision of expertise and advisory services with the World Bank, the country has put in team of counterparts across all relevant sectors place a comprehensive strategy to protect people and assets within government, including central oversight from harm, while putting in place the necessary financial agencies, were crucial in the achievement of the mechanisms for the country to recover when disasters occur, program’s desired outputs and outcomes. including insuring public assets. RESULTS IN RESILIENCE SERIES