The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS)’ Climate Resilient Cities (USAID CRC) Project, through Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), facilitated the Post-Disaster Knowledge and Experience Exchange between the cities of Batangas and Iloilo on July 29-30, 2024, at the PDRF Emergency Operations Center in Clark, Pampanga.
In photo (left to right) Philippine Space Agency Deputy Director General Denis Villorente and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong answering questions from the Batangas and Iloilo City LGUs. Clark, Pampanga, July 30, 2024. Photo courtesy of PDRF.
“For our dear friends from Batangas and Iloilo, we have an opportunity to take these lessons back to our respective regions. Our experiences here can serve as a catalyst for improving our local emergency response strategies and enhancing inter-agency cooperation. Together, we can advocate for the implementation of best practices, drive initiatives to train our local responders, and bolster our resources to better prepare for future challenges,” said USAID CRC Project Chief of Party Alan Lusi Silayan, highlighting the significance of collaboration between and among the city governments.
The two-day Exchange allowed both cities to share their respective unique challenges and opportunities in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, and best practices on flood control, river management, and private sector engagement. The discussion focused on how one city’s experiences can offer the other a new perspective on dealing with the climate issues in their city.
In Photo: Iloilo City representatives presenting their output from the Visioning Workshop. Clark, Pampanga, July 30, 2024. Photo courtesy of PDRF.
The activity also provided both cities the opportunity to learn about the national government’s post-disaster rehabilitation and recovery efforts through the Office of Civil Defense and the parallel private sector initiatives managed by PDRF while Deputy Director General Denis Villorente of the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) discussed their satellite technology for climate resilience.
It also allowed the two cities to learn from another local government where Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong shared insights on how the city conducted its climate and disaster risk assessment in line with the municipality’s Smart City initiative, and demonstrated how their city’s Digital Twin technology informs local policies and plans.
“We’re deviating from the traditional mindset and we’re becoming more progressive. Our intention is to create a future-ready city by 2030 because we don’t want the future generation to suffer”, said Mayor Magalong, underscoring the importance of local governments investing in climate and disaster resilience technologies and ensuring that city initiatives are driven by data and science. Mayor Magalong also extended an offer to assist both cities in establishing and completing their own Digital Twins.
Following this pilot Exchange, USAID CRC Project is set to conduct another learning event for the remaining partner cities.
USAID CRC Project is a five-year activity implemented by the consortium of Catholic Relief Services, Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, Conservation International, and Rocky Mountain Institute in partnership with the local governments of the cities of Batangas, Borongan, Cotabato, Iloilo, Legazpi, and Zamboanga.
Article by Reina Manongsong (PDRF)
