Healing and Enabling

Stories from the Typhoon Mangkhut Response The freedom of choice that comes with receiving cash as aid is essential for families recovering from disaster. Being able to meet their priority needs is a crucial part of their healing process. Similarly, community-led projects enable local organisations to identify, design and implement relevant initiatives that build solidarity and strengthen sense of community. This is the essence of our Mangkhut response illustrated by the stories in this document. Joana Villaflor Christian Aid Programme Officer THE LANDFALL

On the 15th of September 2018, Typhoon Mangkhut, locally named as Ompong, made its landfall in the Northern Luzon of the Philippine Islands. Mangkhut is a Category 4 typhoon that caused major landslides; flooding; destruction of properties and livelihoods; and intermittent power outages throughout the north, affecting over 3 million individuals residing in largely agricultural settlements with about 70 fatalities and 130 injured. More than 210,000 houses were damaged 7% (or about 14,000) of which were decimated. Rice production was hardest hit, amounting to around Php14.5 billion, while damage to corn and other high-value crops were at Php8.2 billion and Php3.9 billion, respectively.

Typhoon Mangkhut incurred a massive dam- Only a month after Mangkhut came Typhoon age in agriculture at Php26.7 billion affecting Yutu (Rosita), a Category 1 Typhoon that trav- 157,591 hectares of agricultural land. The Philip- ersed through the same path in Northern Lu- pine Department of Agriculture reports that this is zon. This hampered recovery progress and ag- the highest damage on agriculture since Typhoon gravated internal displacement and poverty situa- Haiyan (Yolanda) in 2013 which was at Php35 bil- tion in the affected provinces. The Philippines Hu- lion. manitarian Country Team increased its efforts to

This heightened the issue on food insecurity support the response and early recovery initia- throughout the region, and consequently led to tives in the country by updating and expanding increased internal displacement of families. its humanitarian response activities and resources overview document in November 2018 and Rice production was hardest hit, amounting to sought for US$ 31 million aid to address the early around Php14.5 billion, while damage to corn and recovery needs of some 165,000 individuals other high-value crops were at Php8.2 billion and through March 2019. Php3.9 billion, respectively. ASSESSMENT & RESPONSE

Just two days after Mangkhut’s major landfall in Baggao, Cagayan Province, Christian Aid and its partners immediately conducted a rapid needs assessment in target areas situated in the most geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas particularly the upland barangays of Isabela, Kalinga, and Cagayan provinces where people have the least access to emergency assistance. Most of these barangays are home to indigenous tribes that have varying cultural contexts, indigenous political setups, and preferences.

Following the assessment, CA launched a response action for cash- based and community-led support for the affected population. Christian Aid partnered with A Single Drop for Safe gency aid because it provided them freedom to de- Water and People’s Disaster Risk Reduction Network cide on how the money will be used based on their (PDRRN) of the Humanitarian Response Consortium context-specific priorities. The cash received allowed (HRC), Philippine Relief And Development Services them to buy food, medicine, household items and to (PHILRADS), and Caucus of Development NGOs cover school expenses. Timeliness of the cash aid was (CODE-NGO) whose member, Mandiga Ob-obbo also underscored by the recipients during the post- Community Center, Inc. (MCCI) is based in Kalinga distribution monitoring—the first wave came in a province. As national level organisations, these part- month after the typhoon while the second phase of ners are also supported by their respective network/ cash support was disbursed three to four months af- consortium members that are either based in or have ter, just as their food supplies and savings were run- previously worked in the project areas. These forged ning out. partnerships guaranteed a better understanding of Most partners used hand-to-hand distribution. community contexts that is crucial in the design and Some specifically collaborated with local cooperatives implementation of the response. and took advantage of the available data sets for pro- Christian Aid and its partners were able to deliver filing. PDRRN, on the other hand, tried using cash cash support to a total of 5,564 families or about cards for digital cash transfers but encountered con- 24,000 individuals in three provinces affected by ty- nectivity issues along the way. phoon Mangkhut: Isabela, Kalinga, and Cagayan. Each Despite these challenges, Christian Aid’s cash aid family received PhP2,500 (39 GBP) to support their for the most vulnerable families in the target areas daily needs as they recover from the disaster. were well-appreciated. Post Distribution Monitoring Results showed that recipient families appreciated cash as a form of emer- Cash in humanitarian aid

Cash aid complements in-kind assistance by allowing affected communities to decide and meet their priority needs using available local resources where there is a functioning local market.

60% of CA’s beneficiaries used the cash aid for priority needs such as food, medicine, and household items, while 40% used cash for livelihood capitalization (i.e. seedlings, fertilizers, etc.). CASH FOR EMERGENCY REPONSE At the international level, Cash and Voucher Assis- gage the target communities in Divilacan and Macona- tance (CVA) is increasingly becoming a major modality con, Isabela Province in the response initia- of humanitarian response as a complement for in-kind tives. Church volunteers provided a deep understand- assistance, such as food and hygiene kits, during emer- ing of the local context that made the implementation gencies. Christian Aid rolled out it cash assistance context-informed and sensitive to the priorities of the through collaborative and strategic methods with the affected communities. local players of communities affected by crisis. Meanwhile, CODE-NGO utilised its partnership with Christian Aid‘s partner NGOs worked closely with local cooperative networks in Kalinga Province that are the local government units from the provincial level also engaged in overseeing the Philippine Govern- down to the barangay level in targeting the most vul- ment’s conditional cash transfer programme. Addi- nerable members of the community. tionally, its provincial NGO partner, Mandiga, activated its alliance with indigenous community leaders to co- In Cagayan Province, HRC formed a Barangay Selec- ordinate the response activities in their project areas in tion and Distribution Committee (BSDC) in all its pro- Kalinga. They provided briefings and seminars relevant ject barangays. BSDCs are comprised of representa- to the response and basic household financial literacy tives from various sectors in the community (i.e. farm- that are culturally appropriate for the indigenous com- ers, senior citizens, barangay council, barangay health munities. workers, indigenous people, fisherfolks, etc.) that are crucial in the meticulous profiling, targeting, and moni- All of these strategic interventions in project imple- toring of the most vulnerable households deserving of mentation are central to Christian Aid‘s adherence to the limited resources at hand for emergency response. the Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) that is geared towards the protection and dignity of survivors and PHILRADS, on the other hand, tapped the strength communities affected by crisis. and capacity of the local churches to influence and en- Working with communities affected by crisis One early morning in November 2018, Fr. Jeorge same mindset was underscored, that they are gath- Manisem of Mandiga gathered the IP community ered to work together on a project that is aimed at members of Barangay Magao-gao, Pinukpuk, Kalinga helping their community recover from the disaster. outside his house for a community consultation and The community had a strong sense of equality. A profiling for Christian Aid’s cash assistance. The goal tribal leader proposed to get the aggregate of the was to have a compendious discussion of the cash cash grant and just divide it by the population, so transfer intervention for disaster response, and to vali- everyone receives assistance to avoid tribal conflicts. date the list of target beneficiaries in the community. Fr. Jeorge explained the intention of the cash assis- Mandiga Ob-obbo Community Center, Inc. (MCCI) tance and the initial criteria of identifying the most is a community-based organisation in Kalinga and is a vulnerable families to receive P2,500 cash grant each. member of CODE-NGO. Ob-obbo is the Kalinga term Finally, community members agreed to prioritise that refers to a system of cooperative endeavour the families with least income streams. As the team wherein the whole community works together for a went through the initial list of beneficiaries, people common goal such as construction of a neighbour’s were imparting their recommendations and were hon- house or repair of a community irrigation canal. This est about why they felt one member was more de- is similar to the Filipino custom of Bayanihan or coop- serving to receive cash grant from the other who was eration among community members to help their in the list. Others even gave up their spot for the sake neighbour families establish or move their house to of their neighbours who they think were most in need sustain livelihood. of the assistance. This kind of active community par- As people and tribal leaders settled with coffee and ticipation during emergency response is crucial to en- some snacks prepared by Mandiga volunteers, the sure that interventions are always people-centric, relevant, and culturally-informed. Partners involved the community in the identification and validation of cash grant beneficiary families by forming committees with representation from leaders and select sectors. “I will buy medicine for my husband and shelter materials so we can rebuild our house. I will also use the money to buy food for my starving children. Mercy Eduarte, 23 y/o ” Macononacon, Isabela Province Cash in humanitarian context Cash in humanitarian context and efficient cash aid interventions between 53 biggest donors and aid was first used in 1870 during the in humanitarian activities. providers that aims to leverage the Franco-Prussian War. The Interna- means to support the people in As a modality for humanitarian tional Committee of the Red Cross need. Part of the Grand Bargain is response during emergencies, cash (ICRC) established the International the commitment on the scale-up of complements in-kind assistance by Agency for Aid to Wounded Military cash as humanitarian support empowering affected communities Personnel in Basle to facilitate the whenever applicable. This means to decide and meet their priority distribution of assistance, both in that cash should be a default option needs using available local re- cash and in kind. In December to deliver multipurpose grants and sources where there is a functioning 2004, cash was for the first time to prepare and plan for scale-up of local market. used in a large-scale context of hu- cash among the signatory organisa- The United Nations Office for manitarian activities after the 9.1 tions. the Coordination of Humanitarian magnitude earthquake that trig- Christian Aid, with its adherence Affairs (UN OCHA) reported that gered a tsunami in Indonesia caus- to the Core Humanitarian Standards from 2009 to 2013, a total of 53 do- ing a total damage of about US$10 and commitment to the Grand Bar- nor organisations have disbursed billion. In 2005, Cash Learning Part- gain, continuously innovates and over US$692 million on cash trans- nership (CaLP) organised as a global forges partnerships in highlighting fer interventions to support com- partnership of humanitarian actors the significance of tracking and munities affected crisis globally. engaged in policy, practice, and re- monitoring of cash in the context of search within the Cash Voucher As- Christian Aid is a signatory to humanitarian emergency response. sistance (CVA) to deliver effective the Grand Bargain, an agreement Cash Transfer Programming beyond band-aid solutions

Worldwide, there are multifari- ence in the recent Typhoon within a particular community that ous myths about cash aids in carry- Mangkhut Response activities in the influences the individual behaviours ing out humanitarian support inter- three most-hit provinces of the Phil- of certain individuals in prioritisa- ventions in emergency situations. ippines: Isabela, Cagayan, and Kalin- tion of needs. Thus, making this These myths centre on the idea that ga Provinces. myth true to certain groups or cash transfer programming is a members of these groups. Primary in cash transfer pro- wasteful intervention that only en- gramming myths is the idea that John Mel Sumatra of PHILRADS, courages laziness, dependency, and “cash aids will only be wasted on then emphasized that support inter- stagnates development in affected alcohol, tobacco, and other vices.” ventions do not end with the dis- communities. bursement of cash aid as it entails Christian Aid’s approach in all of However, specific myths do op- strict monitoring from the side of its support interventions, such as erate in the same context of human the implementing NGOs and collab- humanitarian aid, always under- reality, which does not make them orators within the community like scores that every activity needs to entirely false, especially myths that local churches or the barangay offi- be community-centred and context- refer to independent behaviours cials. specific to make project designs within cultural communities. genuinely inclusive. Sumatra further noted that the In a learning forum, Christian Philippines’ own 4Ps programme Edward Santos of the National Aid’s partner NGOs provided in- (conditional cash transfer pro- Council of Churches in the Philip- depth insights on these “myths” gramme) has lapses in monitoring pines (NCCP) pointed out that the based on their on-ground experi- because certain groups receiving assertion on vices could be custom the poverty alleviation cash aid still tion with the community members, Another sweeping statement spend on alcohol and other vices. knowing their context, understand- that vilifies cash are the assertions ing their needs, and empowering that these are just “hand-outs that An angle on targeting and pro- them by improving their inherent do not contribute to development” filing was raised by Ann Ria Barrera capacities in designing their own and only yields “dependency and of the People’s Disaster Risk Reduc- community-led programmes. This laziness” among the target groups. tion Network (PDRRN). She men- may entail skills training activities tioned that “collaboration with However, partner NGOs’ on-field such as household financial man- community members is useful in experience in the Philippines sup- agement literacy and co-monitoring terms of identifying the recipient of port the findings of the United Na- of support outcomes. the cash grant.” This is basically tions in other agricultural countries knowing who among the family PHILRADS, for example, worked that about 40% of the cash aid were members of the vulnerable group with local churches to address this. spent on livelihood capitalisation could lead proper financial manage- Espousing stewardship and respon- (ie: fertilizers, seedlings, etc.) and ment and spend the aid on the sible use of resources, church pas- education. most urgent needs. tors encouraged community mem- The statement on laziness on bers to utilise the cash support for Christian Aid Philippines the part of the crisis victims was their most pressing needs. stressed that a cash transfer imple- criticized as an oversimplification of mentation adhering to the Core Hu- CODE-NGO, on the other hand, the context of poverty in general, manitarian Standards (CHS) should worked with indigenous people which puts the blame on the victims abide by the principles of accounta- leaders and community-based or- themselves for being poor. bility and transparency, which hap- ganisations in rolling out the pro- A forum participant raised that pens through an open communica- ject. “resting is a natural activity of human body after a stressful situation a modality for both policy and hu- but information gaps remain un- for it to recover, and cash aid covers manitarian context are rooted on addressed, and targeting mecha- that lacuna of people not being the lapses of CVA implementation nisms are marred with questions of able to work, allowing the benefi- in developing countries, such as corruption or accuracy. ciary to meet their needs in the fa- Christian Aid then emphasized tiguing crisis situation.” The statement on the need for education to bridge The last fallacious claim is that laziness on the part of communication gaps in the course “cash transfers lead to inflation and the crisis victims was of its implementation. CVA must be disrupt local economy.” Cash trans- criticized as an seen as a tool to espouse inclusive fers as emergency intervention ac- economy whether it is for an eco- tually activates local economy when oversimplification of nomic policy agenda or a humani- it is available, as it creates move- the context of poverty tarian intervention during emergen- ment of local resources, making lo- in general, which puts cy situations. cal markets reach an increased de- the blame on the Christian Aid Philippines plans to mand. HRC pointed out that bene- victims themselves for have another round of forum and ficiaries of cash transfer pro- being poor. workshop sessions on cash transfer grammes are the most vulnerable programming and other innova- group of the population. They com- tions with its national and local prise the poorest 10% and the num- partner NGOs to strengthen each Philippines. CVA has been used as ber is nominal to cause inflation. other’s capacities in carrying out a poverty alleviation initiative for The criticisms on cash transfer as response activities. over ten years now in the country,

We were surprised that help came di- “rectly here in our village even though we are quite inaccessible. We felt that we were given importance and they saw the real situation in our village. Cesar Oslao, 38 y/o ” Dacalan, Kalinga Province Mobilisation of resources

Christian Aid Philippines raised 352,568 GBP or about PhP23 million. This allowed CA Philippines to deliver two kinds of assistance: (1) cash aid worth P2,500 per family (benefited 5,564 families): and eight community- based projects led by local organisations such as farmers’ and women’s groups and barangay councils; and two WaSH capacity- building activities for two municipal governments. Community-centred

Christian Aid piloted a number of community-led projects with the aim of maximizing and strengthening the capacities of local organisations in designing, implementing, and monitoring community-based projects and response activities. Complaints and response mechanisms were in place, with multiple channels and formats. A total of 3,400 feedbacks were gathered throughout the response action. Majority were expressions of gratitude, while others were complaints and queries on the selection criteria and non-inclusion in the beneficiary list. Strengthening local capacities

Christian Aid provided small allocation integrated in various gov- with a budget of PhP65,000 each grants to 8 local groups for liveli- ernment programmes. after a project development plan- hood and disaster risk reduction ning workshop with local leaders Three community-led projects initiatives, while two local govern- from partner communities during were implemented by Peoples’ Dis- ment units were provided training Mangkhut Response. aster Risk Reduction Network for WaSH project design and imple- (PDRRN) in the municipalities of Al- In the Province of Isabela, PHIL- mentation. cala and Baggao, Cagayan Prov- RADS provided grants to two com- A Single Drop for Safe Water ince. PDRRN used small grants munity groups in Barangay (ASDSW) provided training support worth PhP195,000 (about PhP65,000 Dicaruyan, Divilacan. The Barangay on Water, Sanitation and Health was allocated per barangay) in three Local Government Unit (BLGU) (WaSH) project design and proposal barangays for a microfinance pro- Dicaruyan used the grant to pur- development to two (2) local gov- ject for a farmers’ organisation in chase Disaster Risk Reduction ernment units (municipalities of Barangay Afusing Batu (Alcala), equipment, while the Dicaruyan Irri- Gozaga and Sta. Ana) in Cagayan school building repair in Barangay gators Association used the grant as Province. This support intervention Alba and barangay hall repair in Ba- seed capital to purchase farm inputs was developed and implemented rangay San Antonio (Baggao) both for buy and sell. upon the request of the Provincial intended for emergency evacuation All these interventions aim to Government of Cagayan to address centres. promote sustainability of emergen- the gap on the technical skills need- To support food security and cy response actions while maximized in designing WaSH project pro- livelihood, three backyard garden- ing and strengthening the capaci- posals and enable the local govern- ing projects were supported in the ties of local players during emer- ment to access its WaSH budget Province of Kalinga by CODE-NGO gency situations. Maximizing local capacities, empowering communities

In the field of international de- project at hand. These happen and underserved communities af- velopment, inclusion has become a through active listening to the fected by the disaster. These NGOs centrepiece of sustainability efforts people living in the context of de- were strategic for having estab- in every policy and humanitarian velopment issues, such as poverty, lished partnerships and coordina- efforts. Inclusion or inclusivity of and knowing what they need and tion with several other local NGOs development interventions is way how their needs could be more ef- and people’s organisations operat- beyond the question of how pro- fectively and efficiently met through ing in the target areas of emergency jects were planned. It rather ex- strategic partnerships with local or- response. tends to the principle of accounta- ganisations and the community Local government units (LGUs) bility on the manner of how these members themselves. and coordination with concerned interventions were applied in the During Christian Aid Philippines’ national government agencies were context of people as the centre of Typhoon Mangkhut response, the crucial in planning emergency re- development initiatives. organisation activated its partner- sponse efforts that will complement Christian Aid’s adherence to the ships with two national level organi- existing government actions. Simi- Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) sations, the Humanitarian Response larly, local churches, indigenous cul- underscores this principle of inclu- Consortium (its member NGOs A tural community leaders, and com- sivity by placing the people affected Single Drop for Safe Water and munity members were equally im- by crisis at the heart of all its inter- People’s Disaster Risk Reduction portant to ensure the effectiveness ventions. This means, the benefi- Network) and the Caucus of Devel- and relevance of humanitarian re- ciaries are recognised as active ac- opment NGOs (CODE-NGO), and sponse activities from inception to tors and partners in realising the PHILRADS to mobilise response ef- execution. success and sustainability of every forts targeting the most unreached Community participation and Community-led projects

A people-centered approach is meant to be holistic in the sense that people affected by crisis are engaged in every step of the way. They are heard through active participation in identifying the issues at hand and thinking collaboratively with them on how these key issues should be resolved through concerted efforts of the community members and partner NGOs. Through this, support interventions designed with community partners are ensured of sustainability because of the community’s ownership of the projects designed and implemented with them. Partnerships like this in humanitarian work also enrich local capacities that enable them to be the front-liners in emergency response whenever it is needed in their locality. A Single Drop for Safe Water criteria and selection of project ensuring moral safeguards and (ASDSW) formed a “Barangay Selec- beneficiaries for the support inter- check and balance. For instance, tion and Distribution Commit- vention. Barangay officials includ- the presence of church leaders tee” (BSDC) composed of leaders or ing sectoral representation of fish- helped in preventing political per- representatives of local churches, ermen, IP, women, youth, senior cit- sonalities from placing officers or schools and tribes to help the or- izens were included so that every- people who will influence decisions ganisation in setting the criteria and body had a voice to put forward in favour of their personal interests. identifying beneficiaries in the com- their concerns and sugges- The Peoples’ Disaster Risk Re- munity. The establishment of the tions. This helped ensure that ac- duction Network (PDRRN), on the BSDC also helped in addressing the tions were context-informed and other hand, maximized their part- complaints at the community level culturally sensitive to the traditional nership with the barangay level lo- in a timely manner. The organisa- set-up of the indigenous communi- cal government unit in conducting a tion, in close coordination and part- ty. Similar to ASDSW, the commit- one-day rapid post-disaster needs nership with the BSDC, put up three tee became a partner to address assessment. This was done to have complaints response mechanisms: complaints or inquiries on the re- an immediate first-hand infor- complaints desk, feedback boxes, sponse actions of PHILRADS and mation in the impacts of Typhoon and hotline. These feedback chan- this helped lessen the complaints Mangkhut and draw out the key nels received a variety of responses that needed attention from the rest issues, recommendations, priority from the community, some were of the implementing organisation. projects (at least the top three), and messages of gratitude, and some Church involvement was also next steps for the technical working were sentiments expressed by those helpful in PHILRADS’ community group (TWP) to take. The TWP was who were not selected as cash grant actions. During the second phase comprised of the barangay officials, beneficiaries. of project implementation, the par- farmers group representatives, and PHILRADS also formed a selec- ticipation of the local church in the community leaders of the most af- tion committee to set the selection selection committee contributed in fected target areas. CODE-NGO sought the participation of their other partner NGOs in rolling out their response efforts. These include NATCCO, PHILSSA, PHILDHRRA, CORDNET, and other local organisations in lieu of the lack of manpower needed for the immediate execution of their response actions in the province of Kalinga. The local, traditional and indigenous systems, such as the bodong system, were also maximised to ensure that selection was done properly and to minimize complaints from the community. In phase 1, the question on equity and equality was tackled in terms of selection of the communities. Basing on the outcomes of community consultations, CODE- NGO proposed a two-step system where a minimal sum of money will be distributed to more individuals, then highly vulnerable and highly affected families will receive a bigger amount. This was done to allow more people to receive assistance and avoid conflict within the community. Hence, for phase 2, response was focused in two towns and only two communities were targeted per area to maximize the quality and impact of the projects to be delivered. Microfinance community-led project with Afusing Batu Farmers’ Organization In April 2019, Christian Aid and sation to support the financial tion has limited access to financial its partner People’s Disaster Risk needs (such as livelihood capitalisa- institutions and agencies that can Reduction Network (member of tion) of its members and help ena- provide emergency response during HRC) launched a Micro-finance Pro- ble inclusive microeconomic devel- calamities. The barangay is divided ject with Afusing Bato Farmers’ Or- opment. into four (4) zones covering 219 ganisation (ABFO) in Cagayan Prov- hectares of farmlands, residential The inception of the micro- ince as part of a joint effort to en- areas, and river streams. Agricul- finance project underwent a collab- sure sustainability of response initi- ture is the main source of livelihood orative process among PDRRN, atives through community-led pro- of over 123 families. Its main prod- Christian Aid, Barangay Council, and jects (CLP). ucts are corn, peanuts, watermelon, the ABFO officers. PDRRN conduct- rice, and some vegetables. Other With an initial capital of PHP ed a rapid post-disaster needs as- families also rely on fishing for sus- 72,950 about 20 members of the sessment with inputs from the local tenance or additional income. ABFO will benefit from a low- government units involved and Houses are mostly made of light interest loan programme at 2% a community members. The team materials. All these factors add up month. The objective of the project formed a technical working group to the residents’ vulnerabilities to is three-fold: first is to increase ac- that designed the micro-finance disasters. cess of farmers to low-interest loans project based on the context and to address livelihood and food gap most crucial needs of the target The series of consultations and during lean months; second is to beneficiaries. open communication among the increase farming families’ access to TWG members strengthened the Afusing Batu is one of the poor- loan during emergency situations; connection and ownership of the est and most isolated barangays of and third is to strengthen the local community-led project. . Alcala, Cagayan Province. Its loca- capacity and stability of the organi- The municipal and barangay level LGUs provided technical support and supervision in the design and implementation of the microfinance initiative, while ABFO officials and members comprised the ABFO loan committee.

A joint bank account was set up for the funding, while policies and finance systems were designed and installed by the TWG members themselves.

Christian Aid’s CLP initiatives, such as this micro-finance project with the Afusing Batu Farmers’ Organisation, are deemed as crucial step towards ensuring sustainability of humanitarian response in the most vulnerable communities. With this microfinance project in place, for instance, Afusing Batu farmers are now more capable of leading emergency response actions within the community when the need arises. WaSH initiative advanced with the Provincial Local Government of Cagayan Water is an indispensable re- As a response to this need, ASDSW In preparation for the workshop, source that people need to survive. came up with a WaSH Project Pro- ASDSW’s head engineer and facili- And for most isolated and disad- posal Making Workshop to improve tator coordinated with the munici- vantaged areas in the Philippines, the local government’s capacity in pal governments of Gonzaga and potable water is scarce and expen- preparing project proposals on Sta. Ana for possible site identifica- sive. And, it is the Government’s WaSH and empower its newly tion and Technical Assessment. mandate to provide access to this formed Municipal WaSH Task Force Representatives from the Munici- basic need for the people. (MWTF) in Gonzaga and Sta. Ana to pality of Gonzaga recommended spearhead WaSH projects in these Barangay Sta. Maria, while Sta. Ana During A Single Drop for Safe municipalities. identified Sta. Clara. Both areas Water’s (ASDSW) Exit Conference were visited together with the LGU and planning after the organisa- The organisation of the work- staff and assigned barangay offi- tion’s Typhoon Ompong Response shop was a joint effort of ASDSW cials. Data gathered during the and Recovery Project (Phase 2) in and the Provincial Government of technical assessment was presented Cagayan Province, it was identified Cagayan. ASDSW led the training during the actual workshop. Both that there is a gap on the local gov- while the Provincial Government LGUs decided to use the data as ernment’s capacity to design pro- covered the expenses on the venue, bases for the Project Proposal Mak- posals for WaSH projects. The Pro- accommodation, transportation, ing Workshop because they be- vincial Government of Cagayan and meals of the training partici- lieved that projects identified will pointed out that this is the reason pants from the two identified mu- bring positive impact to the com- why they are not able to utilise nicipalities and the Provincial Gov- munity in relation to their need for WaSH financial resources integrated ernment staff. potable water sources especially on different government programs. during El Niño phenomenon. as learning approaches. Participants tamination especially during the shared that making project pro- rainy season. Sta. Ana’s Municipal Provincial Environmental Sanita- posals is not new to them. However, Health Officer Dra. Corazon Bilbao tion Coordinator Engr. Felizardo WaSH project design is different hopes that this project will finally Taguiam Jr., noted that the training from the templated proposals the address water shortage during El is crucial to the “local government government requires them to use. Niño as well as sanitation issues. unit’s need to address health and At the end of the three-day work- sanitation [issues] during emergen- “HRC introduced the Zero Open shop, each LGU drafted a crude cies since the province of Cagayan Defecation program to our munici- project design and proposal which prone to natural and manmade dis- pality in which four (4) barangays in they polished upon their return to asters.” Sta. Ana [were] declared as certified their respective offices for submis- Zero Open Defecation barangay. The three-day Project Proposal sion to potential funders and the The project we identified will com- Making Workshop was held at Ho- Provincial Government. plement the sanitation program. tel Carmelita in Tuguegarao City The project identified by the This activity will help us identify and was attended by ten (10) partic- team will help establish level III wa- other projects not in the ipants from the municipalities of ter system in barangay Sta. Clara, [government’s templated] menu Sta. Ana and Gonzaga, as well as which is far from the town proper that are [equally] beneficial to the representatives from the Provincial inhabited by mostly by indigent communities,” Bilbao added. offices. In-depth and interactive dis- people. Most of their water sources cussions on utilizing actual data are shallow well, handpumps, open from technical assessment report dug well which are prone to con- and actual experiences were done Bayanihan beyond emergency support Tapping local resources also mean strengthening local players and leaders within the partner communities. After Phase 1 of the emergency response, CODE-NGO, together with its local partners AKKMA, PHILDHRRA, and Mandiga, conducted a disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) training and project identification and planning workshop last February 25 and 26, 2019 to engage local leaders and community members in pro- active actions that will sustain the gains they have established throughout the collaborative emergency response activities.

The chosen areas include Dananao, Tanudan, and Camalog were first identified by Mandiga as the primary beneficiaries of the project, but as per further assessment, Socbot was finally added to the list, granted that Man- diga will cover their cost. Partner communities for this phase of the project received a grant of P 65,000.00 each. The community leaders said that sectoral Association of Danao Tribe chose backyard farming as their they learned humanitarian action (MUSADAT), and Empowered Wom- preferred farming arrangement, not only in terms of cooperation en of Camalog. Because there were while Tanudan representatives but also in terms of the welfare of several organisations involved in chose cluster farming for four clus- the whole community, especially the project, they see that as part- ters in their community. Dananao the most vulnerable sectors. With ners of Mandiga, AKKMA and PhilD- representatives, on the other hand, this in mind, the group identified HRRA-Luzon can be tapped for oth- chose a hybrid cluster arrangement three priority projects that will ben- er programs related to sustainable to cater their 22 house- efit their whole communities in the agriculture and community projects. holds. Dananao and Tanudan chose long run: livelihood, water system cluster farming to maximize the lim- The pilot project of the POs is project, and savings. However, due ited financial resources to start the the establishment of organic back- to limited time and available finan- project while ensuring that all yard gardens which will help sup- cial resourced during the Phase 2 of households within their communi- port food security within the com- Christian Aid and CODE-NGO’s sup- ties will be able to benefit from the munity and will hopefully be an port, not all these priority projects pilot project. added source of income for every- were pursued directly. Proposals to one. During the project planning At present these backyard gar- realise these initiatives however, workshop, the participants were dens in Kalinga have started yield- were ascertained after the creation asked to identify the classification ing fruits of hope to families. POs of three local people’s organisations of their preferred farming arrange- remain active in coordinating with (POs) that will continuously work in ment. For the areas of Camalog CODE-NGO and other partner close coordination with Mandiga with 21 households and Socbot NGOs in the area to develop other and CODE-NGO: Bawak Kababaihan with 45 households, representatives recovery initiatives moving forward. Women’s Association, Multi- Livelihood recovery and disaster preparedness

PHILRADS conducted a participatory analysis with Meanwhile, the Divilacan BLGU underscored the Barangay Dicaruyan in the municipality of Divilacan, need to leverage their disaster risk reduction manage- Isabela Province to assess the context and priority ment (DRRM) skills and equipment so they are more needs of the community for the Phase 2 of support prepared to respond to other emergency situations interventions. Two local partners were involved in the within their own capacities. The BLGU said that budget planning: the Dicaruyan Irrigators Association (farmers’ has always been a major constraint for them because association), and the Barangay Local Government Unity they only receive 5% of the Municipality’s internal reve- (BLGU) of Dicaruyan. Christian Aid, through PHILRADS, nue allotment (IRA) for their DRRM. This amounts to provided a grant worth Php65,000 for each local part- only Php60,000 which is not enough to cover the needs ner to support their identified priority projects for the for training and equipment upgrade. The small grant of Phase 2. Php 65,000 from Christian Aid helped cover the need to purchase new DRR equipment for the barangay, while Crops were damaged due to the typhoon and they utilised the DRRM budget of Php60,000 for DRRM farmers were spending money on expensive farm in- training and food stockpile in case of disaster. puts. To address this, the Dicaruyan Irrigators Associa- tion proposed to use the grant fund as seed capital to The intervention to leverage Dicaruyan’s DRRM ca- enable them to purchase bulk farm inputs at a lower pacity was integrated to their barangay development price and provide their local farmers cheaper source of plan and was formalised through a barangay resolu- farm inputs needed to start cultivating their farmlands tion. These actions now ensure the sustainability of the again for livelihood. initiative beyond the Phase 2 of the project. Livelihoods Assessment A six-month Agriculture and Livelihoods Assessment is being rolled out by Christian Aid Philippines in partnership with Asian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (AsiaDHRRA) in Typhoon Mangkhut-affected areas in Kalinga and Cagayan Prov- inces.

The project is aimed at gathering key information about farming households and communities to identify opportunities for short and medium-term agricultural and livelihood rebuild- ing. Findings will be used as recommendations to respond to short-term food and nutrition security, and medium to long-term economic and livelihood stability of the project areas. “ It is a process of recovery that unites people. It is self- healing and empowering. It is also enabling as it inspires the community to work together for a common goal. Ria Barrera Advocacy Officer, PDRRN ” Special Acknowledgements

Christian Aid would like to thank all of our local partners who made this Typhoon Mangkhut Response possible.

Photo Credits: Noe Cenal, National Council of Churches in the Philippines AC Dimatatac, Institute of Climate and Sustainable Cities Bennette Manulit John Mel Sumatra, PHILRADS Humanitarian Response Consortium

Writer and Graphics Artist: Patricia De Guzman Healing and Enabling: Stories from the Typhoon Mangkhut Response

Local partners: