Dasig La Paznon! Mainstreaming DRR in Emergencies: Yolanda Experience of the Municipality of La Paz, Leyte

Municipality of La Paz • 5th Class Municipality • 35 barangays • 49 kilometers South of Tacloban • Primary source of income: Agriculture

General Data  17,238 hectares land area  19,124 population (2010 census) • 9,887 males • 9,237 females • 8,622 labor force (18-54 years old) • 6,897 (80%) in the agriculture sector  4,237 households  PhP37,563,462 2013 IRA (2013)  PhP 2,110,000 Local Revenue (2013)

La Paz Prior to Yolanda

Tourism Potential

Tourism Potential

TYPHOON YOLANDA

Preparedness Activities Undertaken • Reviewed Municipal Contingency Plan • Activated Operations Center and disseminated information to covered barangays • Stockpiled relief goods in anticipation of the impact of the typhoon • Continuously monitored situation on the ground

Impact of Yolanda Particulars Number of Casualties

Affected population Affected families Totally damaged houses Partially damaged houses Damaged Properties (Infra) (PhP) Agriculture Production (PhP) Other estimated losses (PhP)

Number % to Total 6

-

20,811 100 5,142 100 3,329 65 1,813 35 50,000,000.00 30, 017,026.00 20,000,000.00

Immediate Response (MLGU) • Immediately convened meeting of Municipal Council to define next steps • Conducted assessment of damages and needs in all barangays • Distributed relief goods-- prioritised upland communities • Sought external support to ensure needs are adequately covered: • Rice warehouse in La Paz was opened, canned goods from sari-sari stores were centralised by the OpCen, • Provincial LGU commissioned some 500 sacks released to La Paz from Baybay NFA warehouse • Council members waited in the Tacloban Airport for food aid

• Coordinated assistance provided by different actors (arrived 1 week after the onset)

Early Recovery and Rehabilitation Plan • Started drafting by 3rd week after the disaster • Followed DILG guidelines– Multi-sectoral: focused on Economic, Social, Environment, and Governance aspects • Objective: To develop an integrated plan for the MLGU which shall guide the different response and recovery activities for the next 6 months following the typhoon • Process: • All head of offices or designated point persons and their respective departments are required to determine priority needs based on the damages and needs assessment

• Completed in January 2014 • Followed principle of “Build Back Better”

Early Recovery and Rehabilitation Plan • Improved overall response activity of LGU • Guided LGU in identifying priority sectors and communities • Ensured that assistance provided by external actor are in line with the overall recovery objective of the LGU • Provided clear direction for the municipal and barangay LGUs, including efficient use of resources

• Guided planning and budgeting process for 2015 • Targets which are not met within the 6 month period form part of the plan for the next fiscal year • 2015 AIP aimed to support recovery needs of communities- shift towards supporting more agricultural activities than hard infrastructure

Economic • Creating Livelihood Opportunities

• Massive coconut replanting program • Conversion of low lying damaged coco and idle lands into rice lands • Wean farmers from overdependence on coconut by promoting alternative crops with short gestation period

Social • Building resilient communities

• Acquired a 2-hectare lot as relocation site for communities deemed vulnerable to liquefaction, landslide, flash flood, etc. • Relocation of Brgys. Bocawon and Quiong – declared by MGB to be highly susceptible to flash flood and landslide, respectively.

Social • Provision of permanent and resilient evacuation centers

• 2-civic centers now under construction thru RAY were designed to double as evacuation centers not only for La Paznons but for nearby Mayorga town which is susceptible to “tsunami” • 6 school buildings in 5 barangays will see repair and refitting under GPBP

Environment • Curbing environ-mental degradation

• Inclusion of tree planting activities in monthly “alay lakad” to mountain barangays • Inclusion in the 2015 AIP the establishment of sanitary landfill and construction of material recovery facility • Inclusion in the CLAM program the segregation of waste at the household level • Inclusion in the 2015 OCPR the establishment of “green belts” within settlement areas

Environment • Environmental protection and rehabilitation

• Inclusion in the Municipal Peace and Order Operational Plan of the local PNP the strict enforcement of environmental protection laws • Rehabilitation of Cabadiangan River as an initial step towards reviving other creeks, rivers and streams in the municipality

Governance • Special Projects

• Allotting 50% of NCCDP initiatives on repair and rehabilitation of damaged infrastructures • Proposed passage of an ordinance on the promotion of eco-tourism

KEY LESSONS LEARNED

ON EMERGENCY RESPONSE • Peoples’ participation/involvement (bayanihan) is essential • Assessment and collection of timely and accurate information on damages and needs of communities is • International community is sensitive to the plight of disasteraffected communities • Un-coordinated emergency response causes indignation instead of relief Critical sectors: • Communication and transportation are vital – damaged communication and transportation caused the isolation of communities which resulted in panic • Limited access to water and lack of electricity contribute to anxiety of the people

ON MDRRM CAPABILITIES • MDRRM should be provided with the necessary capacities and resources • There is a need to increase the capacity of DRRM, up to the barangay level, to apply DRR, CCA and EMR initiatives through constant public interaction • Redundancy or clear succession of responsibilities must be defined prior to an emergency

ON LGU ROLE • If community resiliency to disasters, climate change and environmental degradation is desired, the local government should:

Strengthen its political and institutional support to the national government by mainstreaming DRR-CCA-EMR in its policies and PPAs Promote implementation of do-able PPAs (sustained treeplanting activities, etc.) Encourage citizen participation