With an aim of institutionalizing sustainable disaster risk management in the Philippines through explicit use of ecosystem-based adaptation and climate risk financing and insurance, the Deutsche Geselleschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) conducted the first day of the Strengthening Disaster Resilience and Risk Mitigation through Ecosystem -based Planning Adaptation (E4DR) Project Provincial Workshop on Mainstreaming Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) today, October 16, 2023, at the Royale Palm Hotel, Pambujan, Northern Samar

E4DR Project aims to capacitate national and regional actors to use ecosystem-based adaptation and climate insurance to build community resilience. It intended to help the three (3) major river basins of the province, namely: Catubig, Catarman, and Pambujan, through training, process monitoring, ecosystem-based adaptation measures, and climate and disaster risk insurance market development.

Atty. Jam M. Colas, Assistant Regional Director of NEDA Region 8, appreciated the relentless efforts of the Provincial Government of Northern Samar through Governor Edwin Ongchuan for reducing its poverty incidence. Also, she mentioned the crucial role of NEDA as the steering committee in the Regional Land Use Committee (RLUC) that promotes the integration of land use and physical planning policies, plans and programs, including the disaster risk management. She then encouraged the participants to actively participate and share their insights in shaping the resilient future of Nortehanons.

Hon. Felipe A. Sosing, Municipal Mayor of Pambujan, expressed his gratitude to the GIZ and to the province in accepting the E4DR Project offered by the Government of Germany that could be beneficial for Nortehanons, especially when it comes to infrastructure, wildlife preservations, and environmental protection.

Ms. Andrea Teran, Principal Advisor of E4DR Project, affirmed that this project could provide for the different requirements in order to prioritize Nortehanon’s well-being and improve their quality of life since there was a change in our forest lands into agricultural and residential areas and the risk of unavailability in providing nutritious food and clean water that could affect the people’s health. She added that the E4DR will look at the ecosystem as a framework for local development plan through training measure and mainstreaming EbA that could help three (3) of the Cluster 6 Riverbasins in Northern Samar in developing climate risk insurance that will respond to the needs such as infrastructure and insurances that could help to protect and restore the ecosystem in partnership with the NEDA and other planning authorities, Department of Agriculture, and insurance commission.

Interactive activities were conducted during the first day of workshop that could help implement the E4DR Project in Northern Samar and to aid the participants be oriented and be able to draft a project plan.

Since the province is vulnerable to extreme weather events because of its topographical location, climate risk financing and insurance build resilience to the negative impacts of climate change in the province is one of Governor Ongchuan’s priorities which is in line with his development agenda dubbed as Padayon nga KAUSWAGAN or Sustained PROGRESS to mitigate the loss of lives and properties in times of calamities.