First Bangsamoro disaster response plan launched, backed by UNICEF and Korea

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government on Wednesday launched its first-ever disaster response plan aimed at strengthening the region’s disaster resilience.

In a joint statement, the Bangsamoro Disaster Response Plan (BDRP) was said to prioritize the safety and well-being of 1.7 million children and their families in the region amid rising climate-related risks.

“Consistent with our duty to uplift the lives of the Bangsamoro people and guided by the principle of moral governance, we offer the Bangsamoro Disaster Response Plan as the embodiment of our shared commitment to safeguarding life and property, upholding dignity, and strengthening our resilience in the face of disasters and adversity,” Abdulraof A. Macacua, chief minister of Bangsamoro Parliament said in a statement.

BDRP’s development was supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and had received funding from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

“KOICA is proud to support the Bangsamoro Government through UNICEF in delivering this first-ever Disaster Response Plan for BARMM,” Jung Youngsun, country director for KOICA, said in the same statement.

Meanwhile, UNICEF’s acting representative to the Philippines, Behzad Noubary, said the BDRP will allow children and their families to better prepare and empower themselves for disasters.

“We are grateful to work with KOICA and the Bangsamoro Government on this important initiative and remain committed to advancing climate change mitigation and adaptation.” Mr. Noubary said in a statement.

Under the BDRP, flood- and landslide-prone areas in the region were identified by the region’s disaster concerned agencies.

A report from the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy (MENRE) said that 35% of BARMM’s land area is ‘highly prone’ to flooding.

During the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Paeng in 2022, more than a million individuals in BARMM were affected, and left damage worth more than P500 million in infrastructure, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

The BDRP will also encourage local government units (LGUs) to mobilize resources, lead emergency response efforts, and outline how they can seek support from national agencies and other LGUs. – Edg Adrian A. Eva