Strategic Planning Workshop to Boost Multi-Sectoral Programming
PHILPREP organized a two-day strategic planning workshop at the Privato Hotel in Quezon City, Philippines from 10 to 11 January 2023. The workshop sought to improve the ways of working together of PHILPREP’s member organizations, strengthen its multi-sectoral programming on disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate resilience (CR), and influence greater humanitarian change through a stronger emphasis on localized action.

Through this workshop, PHILPREP formulated an initial vision and mission, which will be revisited upon the finalization of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The workshop also resulted in a three-year strategic plan that aims to sustain the partnership’s initiatives for the foreseeable future. The workshop was attended by 15 participants, including representatives from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), the Center for Disaster Preparedness (CDP), the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), and the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UPRI).


PHILPREP Releases 2nd Edition MSME Guide to Disaster Resilience
In February 2023, the PHILPREP finalized the updating of the MSME Guide to Disaster Resilience, which included pandemic-related risks. The first edition was completed in 2020, providing micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with basic concepts and tools for disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) and business continuity practices. Sample toolkits and exercises were included for MSMEs to develop their own emergency preparedness and business continuity plans.

PHILPREP gathered feedback from the MSME Resilience Core Group for the necessary revisions and ensure relevance and practicality of the second edition. The second edition of the MSME Guide to Disaster Resilience will be formally launched during the MSME Resilience Forum in July 2023 in time for the National Disaster Resilience Month in the Philippines. With the updated guidebook, MSMEs can ensure business continuity and better prepare for disasters, including pandemic-related risks. 

Impact Evaluation Highlights Localization Partnership Model
The PHILPREP has completed an evaluation of the impact of its participation in the Asian Preparedness Partnership (APP) program, which aimed to strengthen humanitarian preparedness and response in the country. The evaluation report contains essential findings and recommendations from the two implementation phases of the program that ran from 2017 to 2023.

PHILPREP assessed its gains and learnings from the program to advance its localization partnership model that focused on engaging local actors, building their capacities, and strengthening local leadership in humanitarian action. The evaluation revealed that the partnership engagement contributed to an increase in locally led actions to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters in the country including other recommendations for future action. An accompanying video on the highlights of PHILPREP’s journey with its partners documents how the partnership model has helped local actors in their efforts to address humanitarian challenges. A copy of the video can be accessed here: The Power of Partnership: PHILPREP’s Approach to Humanitarian Action.


PHILPREP Visits Nepal on South-South Learning Exchange

From 22 to 24 February 2023, the focal persons of the Philippine Preparedness Partnership (PHILPREP) visited Kathmandu, Nepal to embark on a South-South learning exchange hosted by the Nepal Preparedness Partnership (NPP).

During the three-day visit, the PHILPREP delegates attended 11 meetings with carefully selected partners. Along with the learnings from each meeting, PHILPREP representatives shared their insights and good practices during the NPP National Steering Committee meeting. The visit proved to be fruitful and engaging, and explored the emergency response mechanisms at the national and community levels, the private sector’s engagement in disaster risk reduction (DRR), the business continuity management (BCM) practices adopted by micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and the engagement of civil society organizations in DRR initiatives.