Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation: How Yolanda will save us from future disasters

MANILA, Philippines - After a recent visit to Leyte to meet with beneficiaries, Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation (PDRF) president Rene “Butch” Meily says, “You could see that the downtown area was alive again.”

However, he is quick to add, “You can see there’s a lot more that needs to be done. Whatever has been done so far is really just a drop in the bucket.”

Realistically, he says it would take years to truly rebuild the cities devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda. But the PDRF president remains positive. From seeing Tacloban leveled to the ground a few days after the storm – “The smell of death was everywhere,” he recalls – to returning five more times throughout the year, he has seen first hand how Yolanda survivors have been rebuilding their lives with the help of individuals and organizations from all over the world, including the PDRF.

It was another flood that started PDRF – Tropical Storm Ondoy that wreaked havoc in 2009. The organization acts as a vehicle and coordinator for the private sector for disaster management.

“We provide a mutual setting for companies like Smart and Globe, Maynilad and Manila Water to be able to work together under PDRF even though they compete with each other in business. It’s best if we work together, it makes us stronger,” says Meily.

The board of trustees echoes this sentiment with Manny Pangilinan, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle and Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala as co-chairs. The organization works with experts and humanitarian organizations, as well as government agencies and local government units, and is supported by the country’s industry leaders with a board of trustees composed of presidents and CEOs. Meily says, “Without MVP and JAZA’s leadership and Polly Nazareno and Doy Vea’s support, PDRF would not exist.”

“The UN told us that they have not seen an organization like PDRF anywhere in the world,” shares Meily. If the organization’s framework proves to be successful, it can be duplicated in other countries that experience disasters. “That’s why it is important for this organization to succeed,” says Meily.

The PDRF covers preparedness, relief, recovery and reconstruction not only for natural disasters, but also for other calamities such as the Ebola virus and political unrest.

For recovery, the PDRF responds in various aspects: shelter, livelihood, education, environment and what Meily calls WISH or water, infrastructure, sanitation and health.

One of the PDRF’s flagship projects before Yolanda was the reforestation of the Marikina Watershed, where to date they have planted 736 hectares. The initial target was only 50 hectares, Meily says, but so many companies participated in the project that it exceeded the original plan.

PDRF likewise has helped develop the Flood Hazard Map currently used by the Department of Public Works and Highways, which is under completion.

In 2013, PDRF was involved in aiding recovery during three of the major disasters that year – fighting in Zamboanga in September, the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Cebu and Bohol a month later, and finally Typhoon Yolanda.

Addressing both short-term and long-term needs of Yolanda survivors, PDRF worked with the Department of Education on an emergency feeding program for 27,000 kids for one month. They have also built classrooms in Tacloban and Ormoc and have given sports clinics.

In terms of shelter, PDRF provided 150 transitional shelters in Tacloban and Mayorga together with Operation Compassion, and another 50 butterfly houses, an innovation developed by Filipino-American businessman Rogelio Santos, Jr.

Compact and easy to set up and take down, the butterfly houses have a steel frame and are equipped with solar panels; Meily says these shelters are better than tents.

PDRF was also involved in debris clearing, hiring 1,215 workers to accomplish the job, as well as much-needed medical missions with the doctors of Makati Medical Foundation and some US-based nurses.

Seeing the importance of creating livelihood opportunities for the survivors, Meily says they immediately worked to revive the sari-sari store economy. “Suy Sing Commercial Corporation provided the goods at very generous repayment terms. We knew they just had to get their stores up and running,” he says. “Most were able to repay very quickly.”

With the World Wildlife Fund, US Philippine Society,  and Congresswoman Lucy Torres, they were able to donate boats to benefit fishermen in Ormoc, Capiz and Biliran.

The organization worked with Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo to give grants and training for entrepreneurs to get back on their feet, providing sewing machines, cooking equipment, repairing their storefronts.

Starting with 500 recipients from Tacloban, Palo, Tanauan, Dulag, Tabon-tabon and Mayorga, the project continues to grow. “You help them, their families, their customers, and hopefully they create jobs for other people,” says Meily.

“It was one of the most fulfilling days of my life to see the entrepreneurs,” he says, showing the signs and letters of thanks from beneficiaries all over Leyte. “It’s really heartwarming. The people are so grateful. It makes it all worthwhile.”

Moving forward, PDRF is looking to prevent future disasters.

“If Tacloban and other areas had mangroves, they would not have been battered by these storm surges. It would not have been that bad,” says Meily. Thus, the organization has started mangrove planting in six sites in Leyte and Samar, together with the Department of Social Welfare and Developemnt and Smart.

Another innovation that PDRF will be introducing in Leyte is the e-health center. In partnership with HP, the center is designed for hard-to-reach areas and will enable doctors based in Manila to diagnose patients through computer and video technology.

PDRF also intends to construct an evacuation center in Tanauan, Leyte. It is envisioned to be both a classroom and multi-purpose hall that can be converted to a shelter during a disaster. Various architects have been proposing designs for the PDRF center for free.

Further into the future, Meily says, “We know that companies’ CSR budgets are limited and at some point there will be donor fatigue. The real power and muscle of the private sector is if you create incentives to invest in disaster areas like Tacloban or Palo or Zamboanga.”

Meily is part of the working group that intends to develop Tacloban into an economic zone. “There was a law passed in 1998 creating an economic zone in Tacloban, and we really have not done much with it. If we can get companies to relocate in these economic zones, they will be able to get incentives, just like in Clark and Subic. It will create jobs. The whole economy will come back.”

PDRF is also gearing up for future calamities that may hit the country. The biggest disaster that the organization foresees is a major earthquake that will hit Metro Manila. “We are building regional links and we’re also looking for alternate hubs outside the city,” says Meily. “We will try to build physical command centers where we can relocate and the government can relocate… We don’t want what happened in Tacloban to happen here or to happen again.”

The organization has also sent groups to get Canadian training in firefighting and earthquake retrieval. “We want to build up a core of people who know what to do and be first responders.”

Meily admits that being prepared for a range of disasters – from man-made to weather-related – is difficult.

“We’re still creating the roadmap for this, but we already have the templates in place. The needs are always going to be shelter, education, livelihood and WISH. Using those templates, we’ll be able to help these areas recover more quickly. We’re gaining a lot of experience,” he says.

Dealing with the aftermath of Yolanda has also given the organization valuable experiences that have better prepared them to respond in the future.

“There was greater energy and a will for many more companies to come together. They all wanted to do something and were looking for a vehicle to do it, not just here but also overseas,” says Meily. “We are pushing for a MOA in which we pledge that we will all work together in the event of a disaster – the government, the private sector, military, church, everybody. We all should agree that what happened during Yolanda won’t happen again to the greatest extent possible.”

Meily adds, by being more prepared, by doing everything possible to avoid disaster – “That’s the best way that we can honor the Yolanda victims.”