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Building Climate Resilience

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In 2014, researcher Ebinezer Florano from the Philippines — the third most disaster prone country in the world — undertook four case studies to investigate the role of communities in disaster recovery and resilience. The study, conducted under a regional research competition lead by GDN and its regional partner the East Asian Development Network (EADN), focused mostly on the thousands of Filipino lives affected by typhoons every year.

The study found that despite awareness at national levels about disaster risk reduction and management, recovery at community level is linked to the socio-economic development of the region (or barangay), rather than local knowledge of resilience strategies which can feed into pre-disaster preparedness.

The study recommended the enactment of laws on pre-disaster recovery planning, public service continuity plans, and relocation plans to safer areas. Specifically, the study requested an amendment in the Republic Act 10121 to include pre-disaster recovery planning, a requirement for all government agencies to draft their own continuity plans in the event of a disaster, to relocate the poor from dangerous areas to safer ones, and to provide alternative sources of livelihood with proper consultation.

Florano later co-authored a chapter in Asian Law for Disaster Recovery: A Human Centered Approach (Routledge 2016), titled, “Building Back a Better Nation.” Today he is recognized for his work on the country’s compliance with international treaties on environmental protection and his views on the state of the environment.

Program 

Regional Research Competition (2013) funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency-Research Institute (JICA-RI) and coordinated jointly with the East Asia Development Network (EADN).