Barangays ‘first line of defense’ in disaster management, climate resilience

Over 500 barangay officials, local government leaders and development partners from across the country on Thursday joined the Barangay Leaders Resilience Forum , aimed at strengthening local disaster management and resilience against climate change impacts.

The forum also commemorates the 32nd anniversary of the passage of the Local Government Code of the Philippines which recognizes local government units as the frontliners for disaster risk reduction.

"All disaster risk is local while the impacts would cascade globally. Disaster resilience has no natural constituency. Resilience may appear and manifest differently in each and every barangay and community. Unfortunately, barangays that are most vulnerable to extreme events and multiple hazards are also most likely to be underinvested in, and this puts them more at risk," DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga said.

Recognizing the pivotal role of barangays as the first line of defense in disaster management, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, in collaboration with the Department of National Defense-Office of Civil Defense, the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the National Resilience Council (NRC), spearheaded the forum titled "Barangayan Para sa Kalikasan at Bayang Matatag."

The gathering aimed to enhance the involvement of barangay officials in devising context-specific, innovative and responsive approaches to risk reduction, risk management, and resilience-building.

In the Philippines, the barangay is the most basic unit of government, serving as the primary planning and implementing body for government policies, plans, programs, projects and activities within the community.

There are over 42,000 in the Philippines, spread across 145 cities and 1,489 municipalities. Each barangay comprises a Punong Barangay, seven Sangguniang members, the Sangguniang Kabataan Chair, a secretary and a treasurer. The barangays are also empowered to employ personnel to provide basic services such as peace and order, humanitarian and disaster response and health care.

"Local governments need to be engaged in the crafting of context-specific and responsive policies, programs and actions that put people and the environment that sustains them first. We need to adopt a comprehensive risk management strategy, centered on prevention, rather than on relief and response," Loyzaga said.

Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, delivered the keynote address during the forum. Mizutori, who also heads the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction ), is driving the UN's Early Warnings for All initiative.

Other sessions encompassed presentations on the Role of Barangays for Resilient Communities by OCD Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno, as well as panel discussions involving barangay leaders and experts on "Bakit Kailangan Maging Matatag."

Governor Jose Enrique Garcia III of Bataan province and Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez of Ormoc City shared their insights on Ecological Resilience Imperative during the event.

Barangay leaders participating in the forum included those from the provinces of Bataan and Rizal, Ormoc City and Siargao, Surigao del Norte — pilot sites of the DENR's Project TRANSFORM (Transdisciplinary Approach for Resilience and Environmental Sustainability through Multistakeholder Engagement).

These barangays have been able to implement practices and programs in environmental protection, climate action and disaster risk reduction through the DENR's flagship initiative that engages the entire society in implementing programs focused on poverty alleviation, environmental protection, climate change adaptation and mitigation, disaster risk reduction and public-private partnerships.

The "Barangayan Para sa Kalikasan at Bayang Matatag" forum aligns with the Philippines' preparations for hosting the 2024 Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in October 2024.