2014 – 2017 Project Overview
The Philippines
■Background of the project
The Philippines islands are an archipelago of 7,109 islands. Since the country is located on the Pacific plate and close to the ocean where a tropical cyclone can be developed, it is prone to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and typhoons. Particularly in recent years, massive disasters have been increasing because of global warming.
In 2010, the Philippines Government enacted the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act 2010, by which the government promotes and devises effective disaster prevention schemes at the national and the municipal level. However, the government is still in the process of making concrete efforts toward its goal.
Meanwhile, Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda in Filipino) hit the central Philippines in November 2013 and caused deaths of over 6,000 and about 29,000 insured. It is said that the number of casualties could have been remarkably reduced if residents had understood and prepared enough for disasters.（Global Risks 2014 Report, WORLD EONOMIC FORUM）
Now that people still remember the severe damage by the typhoon, the government and private sectors are becoming highly-motivated to enhance DRR education in order to prevent further tragedies caused by natural disasters. SEEDS Asia visited the affected areas after the typhoon hit and engaged in support activities including distribution of DRR booklets and posters to those who had little support, and delivering lectures on DRR Education to superintendents in the affected region. Through these activities, some requests from people has been emerging: the Philippines need a suitable DRR education model to promote DRR education. To respond this need, SEEDS Asia will promote DRR education which can be disseminated to local communities, in cooperation with the local education agencies.
■Projects in the Philippines
□Distribution of Educational Supplies at Affected Schools (January to April, 2014)
Since Typhoon Haiyan devastated Leyte Island, support from home and abroad has been concentrated in the island. On the other hand, Cebu, an island located next to Leyte, was heavily affected in the northern part of the island and aid had still been falling short. SEEDS Asia visited the affected area in the northern Cebu and carried out a field survey on what the affected schools need. Based on the result of the survey, SEEDS Asia conducted a project to distribute educational supplies to students and supported them to resume classes at schools.
□Sharing lessons on DRR education to people in education sector (March to April, 2014)
In response to request from the DepEd [Department of Education), SEEDS Asia held a seminar on DRR for education officials in the division offices attached with the DepEd Regional VII office which is responsible for issues in Cebu. The participants shared lessons learned from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake (Kobe Earthquake) of 1995 and the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011, and also learned about how Japan has been proceeding a path toward its recovery from those disasters. In the seminar, the participants were offered an opportunity to recognize the importance of DRR education that SEEDS Asia has been addressing.
Furthermore, with the aim of having the education officials of the Philippines observe DRR education in Japan, SEEDS Asia invited Assistant Secretary of the DepEd and Education Program Supervisor of the DepEd Region VII Office to Japan. In this program, they visited Kobe and Kesennuma, which both experienced a severe earthquake in the past. The two officials participated in a DRR seminar as well. During the 20 years after the Kobe Earthquake, not only education agencies but administrative agencies and private sectors have been promoting DRR education based on their lessons learned. As for the affected areas of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, a couple of years has passed, and the activities for recovery in the area could be of reference to the Philippines after being hit by the Haiyan. By visiting Japan and directly observing the programs engaged, the officials seemed to gain ideas on DRR education and to be motivated for further activities.
□DRR Capacity Building through Cooperation between Local Communities and Education Sector(from November 2014)
After Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013, SEEDS Asia provided immediate support to selected affected schools in Danao, Bogo and Daanbantayan through the provision of school kits for teachers and students as well as DRR posters and DRR information materials called “How Safe Are You?” SEEDS Asia conducted a program to hold a DRR seminar for teachers at schools in the affected area by Typhoon Haiyan in January-April 2014.
At present in the Philippines, however, there is no system to continuously conduct DRR education or DRR education model based on the situation in the country. It has become clear that the country needs a long-term approach to improve this situation and to build people’s DRR capacity. This situation comes from: 1) Shortfall in human resources and knowledge in the DepEd because the policies mentioned in the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act 2010 has not been reflected enough in the government policy: 2) No appropriate educational method on DRR is provided for teachers, nor education content is clear: 3) Schools with no obvious role in case of emergency. When the typhoon hit the city and people suffered catastrophic damage, nevertheless the affected schools were required to be used as shelters. At the same time, while school teachers were working hard to resume lessons as soon as possible, the affected people lost their homes and wished to stay at school. This led to another issue of conflict between the school teachers and the affected people.
For this reason, the “Project for Capacity Building on Disaster Risk Reduction Education Through Cooperation with Local Community in Cebu Province” was commenced in partnership with JICA, DepEd and Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education in November 2014.
SEEDS Asia has been making efforts to establish a DRR education model and a DRR education system through cooperation with the DepEd in the Philippines, Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education and JICA Kansai. Especially, Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education has know-how for DRR education which has been accumulated by utilizing the experiences of disasters. In light of experiences of Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education, by sharing disaster experiences of Japan and the importance of lessons learned, or by setting up a discussion with government officials, SEEDS Asia takes this opportunity to institutionalize disaster risk reduction in education in the Philippines.
SEEDS Asia has ever experienced school-centered DRR education programs in Myanmar, Vietnam and others. We will utilize our knowledge and skills and support the DepEd to lay out the DRR framework and promote a DRR model throughout the nation which is specified in local circumstances of the Philippines.
Project Name: Project for Capacity Building on Disaster Risk Reduction Education Through Cooperation with Local Community in Cebu Province
Project Period: November 2014 – March 2017
Project Partners: Philippine Department of Education – National, Department of Education – Region VII, Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education and JICA Kansai
Overall Project Goal: DRR Education in cooperation with local communities is sustainably conducted in schools in Cebu Province.
Project Purpose: Practical DRR Education in cooperation with local communities is conducted at DRR Education Model and Promotion Schools in Cebu Province.
Target Groups: DepEd Region VII – Cebu Province; Kindergarten – Grade 10; Basic Education Curriculum DRR Education Integration with six (6) DRR Education Model Schools (Divisions of Danao City, Bogo City and Cebu Province – Daanbantayan Municipality) and seven (7) DRR Education Promotion Schools (Divisions of Cebu City, Mandaue City, Lapu-lapu City, Talisay City, Naga City, Carcar City and Toledo City).
Methodology
Expected Outputs
- System for promoting DRR Education in cooperation with local communities is set up at DepEd Region VII.
- Practical models for DRR Education in cooperation with local communities are created in 3 DepEd Schools Division Offices (DRR Education Model Schools).
- Trained teachers apply the developed models at to the Promotion Schools of 7 Schools Division Offices within Cebu Province.
- Knowledge on DRR Education in cooperation with local communities is shared with DepEd Central and Regional Offices, NGAs and other organizations at the national level.
■Geography
The Philippines (official name: the Republic of the Philippines) are a Pacific archipelago located in the South East Asia. The country neighbors Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam neighbor beyond the East China Sea, the South China Sea and Celebes Sea, accordingly. The total population of the country is approximately 100 million, and the total land area is approximately 300 thousand sq.km, which both are about 80 percent of Japan.
In consequence of 300-year governance by Spain, over 90 percent of the citizens are Christian. The Philippines is the only nation among Asian countries, in which Christian accounts for the majority. The main industry is service business. Because the country was occupied by the USA for about 50 years in the past, many citizens speak English and the call center industry for developed English-speaking countries is thriving in the Philippines.
Website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan（http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/area/philippines/data.html#section1）