Disaster Risk Reduction Enhancement at the Local Level

09/05/2026

On the occasion of Europe Day, the DRREALL-TA project team would like to celebrate the longstanding cooperation and broader partnership between the European Union and the Philippines, grounded in a shared commitment to resilience, sustainable development, and climate action.

In a country highly exposed to natural hazards, our common commitment to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction is more important than ever. Through the DRREALL-TA project, partly funded by the European Union, we are working together to strengthen policy frameworks, empower local communities through capacity development, and build a more resilient future for all.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the European Union for its sustained investment and leadership in these critical sectors. The EU’s support to DRREALL-TA is instrumental in advancing meaningful and impactful initiatives on the ground.

We are also grateful for the continued engagement of EU representatives, including H.E. Ambassador Massimo Santoro and other high-level officials, whose presence at key events—such as our National Policy Dialogue on Disaster and Climate Resilience last October—demonstrates a strong and shared commitment to this agenda.

Together, we move forward with a common vision: a safer, more resilient, and climate-adaptive Philippines.

08/05/2026

Strong leadership begins with learning, and turning that learning into action. 🌱💬

In this feature, we hear from Mayor Donnah Valdemar of LGU Jamindan, Capiz, who shares her key takeaways from the 3rd Building Resilience: Advancing Leadership and Good Governance of the Local DRRM Fund Training Workshop in Cebu City. 📍

Mayor Valdemar reflects on the immediate changes she plans to implement in her LGU—from strengthening DRRM fund governance to ensuring that programs are more responsive, inclusive, and community-driven. 🏛️📊 She also highlights concrete actions to better support for Women, PWDs, and other vulnerable sectors, reinforcing the importance of gender-responsive and inclusive disaster risk reduction. 🌏💪

Her insights embody the mission of the Expertise France-DRREALL Project: equipping local leaders with the knowledge and tools to build safer, more resilient communities for all. 🤝✨

05/05/2026

Leading with purpose and action. 🌿

Let us from Virgilita Pamatian, Executive Assistant II from the LGU of Makato, Aklan, as she reflects on what's she has learned in the 3rd Building Resilience: Advancing Leadership and Good Governance of the Local DRRM Fund Training Workshop in Cebu City.

Virgilita shares her commitment to transforming knowledge into meaningful local action—from ensuring strategic and transparent use of the LDRRM Fund to strengthening referral systems and establishing safe, women- and child-friendly spaces. She also underscores the crucial role of supporting caregivers, highlighting a resilience approach that truly leaves no one behind. 👥 🤝

Her dedication captures the heart of the Expertise France–DRREALL Project: equipping local leaders to translate learning into community-centered resilience. 🏗️🌿

04/05/2026

The DRREALL Project was featured at the Asian Conference on Climate Change and Disaster Resilience (ACCCDR) held on 30 April 2026 at the Asian Institute of Management, specifically during the session on “Scaling Anticipatory Climate Financing”. The ACCCDR is a regional forum that brought together policymakers, experts, and local stakeholders to strengthen climate adaptation and disaster resilience. It focused on shifting from reactive responses to proactive planning and making sure that resources reach local governments and frontline communities.

Ms. Bénédicte Gazon, Country Director of Agence Française de Développement in the Philippines, presented the DRREALL initiative. She highlighted how it strengthens local capabilities, improves planning based on risk, and enables timely actions to reduce disaster impacts.

Meanwhile, Ms. Camille Adle, Technical Officer of the DRREALL-TA Project, as a former student of AIM and a member of its alumni network, moderated a panel discussion that featured real-world success stories. This session emphasized the importance of empowering local actors to turn climate finance into real results for community resilience.

01/05/2026

🇵🇭 Happy International Labor Day!

Today, we honor the people whose work often happens behind the scenes, but whose impact is felt in every safer, stronger community. From disaster risk reduction practitioners to climate change advocates, planners, responders, and local leaders, your dedication powers every early warning issued, every policy shaped, and every life protected. 💪⛑️

At DRREALL, we stand with all workers in the Philippines and around the world who continue to build resilience with purpose and commitment. Your work does not go unnoticed—it saves lives and shapes a more secure future for all. 🙌❤️

✊ Mabuhay ang lahat ng manggagawang Pilipino! ✨

29/04/2026

Let us look back at the powerful moments from 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮: 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 last October 29, 2025! 🇵🇭🌱

Watch how national and local leaders, development partners, and technical experts came together to transform conversation into decisive, data-driven reform. From exploring science-based innovations at the Resilience Marketplace to the historic signing of the Resilience Manifesto, this highlights video captures our shared, inclusive commitment to protecting the most vulnerable communities through nature-based solutions.

Organized by the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) through the DRREALL Project, and supported by Expertise France, AFD - Agence Française de Développement, and the European Union in the Philippines.

▶️ Watch the full highlights video below to see how we are shaping a safer, more sustainable future for all Filipinos!

24/04/2026

💡 DID YOU KNOW?

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has issued a new Memorandum Circular (MC) to strengthen how Local Government Units (LGUs) deliver disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation services.

Memorandum Circular No. 2026-014 or the Integrated Capacity Development Strategy for Local Government Units in Delivering Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) Services for Resilience was issued on February 16, 2026, meaning LGUs are now guided by an Integrated Capacity Development Strategy—ensuring that resilience efforts are evidence-based, inclusive, and aligned with national frameworks.

🌱 What that this means for local resilience:

✔ The MC No. 2026-014 aims to provide strategic guidance in strengthening LGUs in designing and implementing capacity building programs in DRRM-CCA
✔ It will use the LRRMF as a framework for measuring resilience at the local level, as a standard for evaluating the capacities, systems and performance of LGUs in building climate and disaster resilience
✔ It provides strategies in delivering capacity development programs on disaster and climate resilience in LGUs by involving CSOs, NGOs, local research institutes, academe and other sectors
✔ It covers DRR-CCA capacity development programs at all LGU levels and DILG levels

🤝 Why this matters

Through initiatives like DRREALL, LGUs are not just responding to disasters—they are being empowered to plan smarter, act earlier, and build safer communities.

📣 What can we do?

Let’s work together to turn policy into action. A more resilient Philippines starts at the local level.

Link to the full DILG Issuance 👉 https://www.dilg.gov.ph/issuances/mc/Integrated-Capacity-Development-Strategy-for-Local-Government-Units-in-delivering-Disaster-Risk-Reduction-and-Management-DRRM-and-Climate-Change-Adaptation-CCA-Services-for-Resilience/4173

22/04/2026

This Earth Day 2026, we are reminded that true disaster and climate resilience begins with protecting the ecosystems that sustain us. 🌍🌱

Echoing this year’s theme, "𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿, 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁," the DRREALL Project stands with our local government partners, communities, and international allies in championing nature-based solutions. inclusive disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation strategies. The path to a safer, more climate-resilient Philippines requires collective action to balance progress with vital environmental stewardship. 🌿 🌳

Together, let us continue to transform our commitment into sustainable, local-level action for present and future generations. 🤝🇵🇭

Climate action calls for innovation-driven solutions that strengthen both mitigation and adaptation efforts.

With this year’s theme, “AGOS ASEAN: Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Growth, Opportunity, and Sustainability in ASEAN,” the National Innovation Day highlights the role of technology and regional cooperation in advancing a more sustainable and climate-resilient future.

By bridging the gap between artificial intelligence and ecological responsibility, we can transform abstract data into tangible results a sustainable and climate-resilient Earth.

Observed under Republic Act No. 11293, National Innovation Day underscores innovation as a key driver of inclusive growth empowering smarter, greener solutions for today and the years ahead.

21/04/2026

The DRREALL Project is honored to support ICLEI Southeast Asia's International Conference on Local Equitable and Inclusive Resilience (ICLEIR) 2026, particularly the session on "Strengthening Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships for Inclusive Resilience."

Representing the project on behalf of Technical Lead Dr. Marqueza Reyes, Ms. Excel Botigan, Technical Officer for DRREALL Component 2, shared how multi-stakeholder partnerships can advance inclusive resilience — highlighting the importance of clear institutional anchoring, complementarity of expertise, shared vision, trust-based collaboration, and local government ownership as key drivers of effective and sustained partnerships.

The DRREALL Project reaffirms its commitment to building partnerships that are not only coordinated, but co-created — ensuring that interventions are inclusive, context-responsive, and grounded in the needs of the most vulnerable.

Skip to 2:45:00 for Excel’s participation ➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAfA8kusxfI

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