25/02/2026
Community Based DRRM Training
for NAPC Basic Sectoral Representatives
20-22 February 2026, City of Manila
Resilience is not built during disasters. It is built long before they strike, through leadership that is prepared, systems that are aligned, and communities that are empowered.
The Basic Sector Coordination and Advocacy Service (BSCAS) of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), in partnership with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), successfully implemented the Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (CBDRRM) Training for the Regional Basic Sector Coordinating Councils of Region II and Region IV-B, together with members of the NAPC Secretariat. The training was conducted last February 20-22, 2026 at Swiss Blulane Belhotel, Manila.
Over three intensive days, we moved beyond concepts and into commitment. The sessions anchored CBDRRM on the five fundamental rights and reinforced the core pillars of disaster preparedness, response, rehabilitation, and recovery. Family evacuation planning, presence of mind during crises, and action planning were not treated as abstract ideas but as practical responsibilities of leadership.
I had the privilege of discussing the legal foundations of CBDRRM and the structure of our National DRRM system, and later facilitating the session on disaster rehabilitation and recovery. In one reflective activity, participants drew their symbols of success after struggle, a powerful reminder that resilience is not accidental. It is built, protected, and sustained.
What stood out most was this realization from the delegates: being a Council Member is not just a designation. It is a public trust. It demands technical competence, ethical leadership, and the discipline to ensure that preparedness begins at home and extends to the most vulnerable in our communities.
Now the real work begins.
Action plans must translate into local policies, budget allocations, drills, community dialogues, and measurable outcomes. Collaboration between basic sectors and government technical working groups must continue beyond the training hall. Resilience cannot be episodic. It must be institutionalized.
Let us move from learning to decisive implementation and real transformation through meaningful sectoral representation in all DRRM - Climate Justice spaces.
Let us build communities that do not merely survive disasters, but recover with dignity, strengthen their systems, and truly build forward better.
πΈ NAPC