Filipino young leaders harness Japanese DRRM expertise

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has rolled out its training program for young Filipino professionals to boost human resource development in the field of regional development and disaster risk reduction management (DRRM).

The training under the JICA Knowledge Co-Creation Program (KCCP) sent 13 Philippine government officers to study Japan’s disaster preparedness and response, regional revitalization during the process of disaster reconstruction, and community development. The participants learned about the history and experience of Iwate Prefecture, located in Tohoku region, on earthquake and tsunami damage reconstruction through activities conducted with local organizations that are exceptionally worthy to learn in terms of disaster-resiliency.

“Like the Philippines, Japan is not spared from natural disasters. Japan’s geographical location also makes it vulnerable to earthquakes, tsunami and typhoons. Back in 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in Tohoku Region offered us many lessons on DRRM including building back better. Take this opportunity to learn from and appreciate one another’s efforts in disaster management as much as possible,” said JICA Chief Representative SAKAMOTO Takema.

During their training in Iwate Prefecture, the young leaders attended lectures about the Prefecture’s experience in disaster risk reduction such as tsunami damage and reconstruction, disaster prevention education, among many others. They also visited the Governor of Iwate Prefecture and the Mayor of Rikuzentakata City to facilitate knowledge exchange about Japan and the Philippines’ experience during disasters.

Natural disasters and extreme weather ranked first in the World Risk Report 2023 as the risks most likely to pose the biggest threat in the Philippines. Further, the Philippines ranks the highest in disaster risk among 193 countries. With the country’s predisposition to these hazards, JICA’s KCCP course on disaster risk reduction and community development plays a crucial role in capacitating Filipinos to formulate and implement interventions at all levels of society in support of the Philippine DRRM Act and Climate Change Act of 2009. 

Participants in this KCCP course came from both national and regional agencies such as the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Public Works and Highways, National Economic and Development Authority, Ministry of the Interior and Local Government- Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Bureau of Fire Protection and the Local Government Unit of Sultan sa Barongis in Maguindanao.