DISASTER RISK REDUCTION TRAINING AND

VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT CAPACITY OF THE NATIONAL SERVICE

RESERVE CORPS IN THE PHILIPPINE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Carmelo John, E. Vidal, Ph.D.

University of Luzon

INTRODUCTION

Disasters threaten the lives of millions of people around the world. Over the last
decade, the world has experienced catastrophic disasters both man-made and natural.
In the coming years, vulnerability to disasters is expected to increase as the frequency
and intensity of natural hazards rises due to climate change (Webster, 2008).

Disasters are pending issues and unresolved problems of development and

governance and require an alternative perspective to depart from a response-based
approach in risk reduction and mitigation (Nivaran, as cited in GAR, 2009). The
character of development efforts over the last decades, which has a strong orientation
towards maximizing economic growth, has degraded the natural environment,
undermined the livelihoods and socio-economic status of large numbers of poor
people, and has expanded their levels of risk of exposure and vulnerabilities to
disasters (UNISDR, 2009). Thus, reducing disaster risks has become a matter of high
importance, especially where disaster risks abound, and managing capacities relative to
mitigation of disaster risks has become a growing concern.

There is now an international recognition that response alone is not sufficient to

address the impact of disasters on larger populations. There is a need to share
knowledge that can help with identifying hazards and risks, taking action to build safety
and resilience, and reducing future hazard impacts.

Disasters can be substantially reduced if people are well-informed and motivated

towards a culture of disaster prevention and resilience, which in turn requires the
collection, compilation and dissemination of relevant knowledge and information on
hazards, vulnerabilities and capacities, as spelled out in Priority Three (3) of the five-
point Hyogo Framework of Action or HFA (UNISDR, 2005). In Priority Five (5), the HFA
highlighted the essential role that disaster preparedness can play in saving lives and
livelihoods, particularly when integrated into an overall disaster risk reduction approach.
The Framework further stressed that “civil society, including volunteers and community-
based organizations, the scientific community, and the private sector, are vital
stakeholders in supporting the implementation of disaster risk reduction at all levels.”

There is a growing recognition of the role and contribution of volunteers as a

critical ingredient for a comprehensive risk reduction management plan. In the
immediate aftermath of a disaster, the first response, both spontaneous and organized,
generally comes from local communities. To take full advantage of community resilience
after a disaster, affected communities need to be well-prepared. Thus, education and
trainings of volunteers on disaster risk reduction and management is essential.

Schools (to include higher education institutions) are considered the best venue
for forging durable collective values and, therefore, suitable for building a culture of
prevention and disaster resilience (http://www.irinnews.org/report/96909/philippines-
teaching-disaster-preparedness-in-schools, retrieved 02/01/2015). In the Asia-Pacific
Region, there is a marked increase of initiatives to promote the integration of disaster
risk reduction into school education in the light of the havocs brought by so many
calamities that hit the Region.

In the Philippines, the government has made headway in integrating disaster

preparedness in the educational institutions, with emphasis placed on managing
capacities of institutions of learning in engaging the young people in DRR work.
Particularly in higher education, there are certain legal mandates that pursue to promote
participation of the youth, like the Republic Act (RA) 9163, otherwise known as the
National Service Training Program (NSTP) Act of 2001. This Act provides the basis for
the teaching of the 25-hour common modular topics that include concepts of disaster
risk reduction and management and climate change adaptation and the creation of the
National Service Reserve Corps (NSRC) which shall be composed of the graduates of
the non-military program components of NSTP.
 One of the mandates of the National Service Reserve Corps (NSRC) of the
National Service Training Program (NSTP), as potential training organization for and
auxiliary support to local DRRM initiatives, is an innovative approach to DRR that
fosters the agency of the youth and educational institutions, especially colleges and
universities, in groups and as individuals, to work towards making lives safer and
communities more resilient to disasters.

School-based disaster risk reduction trainings significantly form part of the NSTP.
Universities and colleges, through NSRC, has an opportunity to develop students as a
continuous source of volunteers for DRR and other related activities and programs. This
is to stress that HEIs are important venues for management capacity development for
disaster prevention education. However, preliminary report (2013) of the Philippine
Society of NSTP Educators and Implementers, Incorporated (PSNEI), the premier
national association for NSTP composed of more than 150 higher education institutions
(HEIs), reveals that inclusion of disaster awareness and risk reduction in school
programs has been sporadic. Among other reasons this may be attributable to
ineffective approaches being used and the lack of clear implementation guidelines.
Moreover, while there are periodic attempts by some educational institutions to offer
DRR training and volunteer support to local government units, there are no common
standards upon which these programs are based. Since the achievement of disaster
risk reduction is critical and can be achieved through capacity development of HEIs as
they play quintessential role in disaster education via educational programs such as
NSTP, through the operation of NSRC in particular, this study was conceptualized.

The study attempted to look into the capability of the higher education institutions
(HEIs) as providers of local training and volunteer support on disaster risk reduction and
management (DRRM) through the National Service Reserve Corps (NSRC) under the
National Service Training Program (NSTP). Specifically, the study attempted to
empirically examine the following: a) the extent of management capacity of the
Philippine HEIs in the operation of the NSRC for local DRRM training and volunteer
support along the thematic areas of DRR as Internal Priority, Risk Assessment and
Monitoring, Knowledge and Education, Underlying Risk Factors, Preparedness and
Response, Local Government Support, and Cross-Cutting Issues; b) difference in the
extent of management capacity of the HEIs in operating NSRC for local DRR training
and volunteer support when categorized according to types of HEI and by region; and c)
enabling and constraining factors in the context of the extent of management capacity of
the Philippine HEIs in operating NSRC for local DRR training and volunteer support.

The HEIs, through the NSRC, are potential DRRM training organizations in the
local levels. The colleges and universities under the auspices of the Philippine Society
of NSTP Educators and Implementers, Incorporated (PSNEI) across the regions of the
country play a pivotal role insofar as mobilizing volunteers DRRM and CCA are
concerned. Hence, gauging the competence of the training organizations is significant
in the purview of intensifying the efforts alongside building Climate Change-Proof
Philippines via Disaster-Resilient Communities.

The findings of the study could serve as baseline data in formulating strategic
directions for the NSRCs of the public and private HEIs towards disaster-resilient and
climate-change-resistant communities. It could be useful in the formulation of the DRR
capacity development framework.

METHODOLOGY

Mixed methods approach was used for this study, where both qualitative and
quantitative methods were combined. A total of 94 HEIs from the 15 regions of the
country participated in the study. Of these, fifty-one (51) are public and forty-three (43)
are private HEIs. These HEIs are member-institutions of the Philippine Society of NSTP
Educators and Implementers, Incorporated (PSNEI), a national network of NSTP and
NSRC implementers in the country. A survey questionnaire was the main data-
gathering instrument used in this investigation. This questionnaire was derived primarily
from the one used in a study by OCHA. It covers seven (7) thematic areas and a total
of thirty-two (32) indicators, to wit: DRR as Internal Priority (4 indicators); Risk
Assessment and Monitoring (3 indicators); Knowledge and Education (3 indicators);
Underlying Risk Factors (3 indicators); Preparedness and Response (6 indicators);
Local Government Support (5 indicators); and Cross-cutting Issues (8 indicators).
Data obtained through the questionnaire were complemented by the data gathered from
focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs) with the NSTP-
NSRC implementer-participants. In analyzing the data on the extent capacity of the
HEIs along training and volunteer support, the measure of central tendency, specifically
the arithmetic mean, was utilized. In determining significant difference on the extent of
training and volunteer capacity of public and private HEIs, t-test was used; ANOVA was
used in determining significant differences in the extent of management capacity of
HEIs by Region.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Capacity of the Philippine HEIs in Managing the Operation of the NSRC.

Taken collectively, the higher education institutions (HEIs) were perceived to have
moderate capacity in all thematic areas except one, i.e., underlying risk factors, where
the HEIs were perceived to have a high capacity. Thus, the overall management
capacity can be regarded as not satisfactory . This finding indicates that activities and
practices relative to DRR training and volunteer mobilization in the National Service
Reserve Corps (NSRC) in the HEIs across the archipelago necessitate significant
scope of improvements.

DRR as Internal Priority. As one of the basic requisites of managing DRR

training and volunteer mobilization, making DRR a priority should be one of the basic
concerns of HEIs in operating their NSRC units. Moreover, fundamental to
institutionalizing disaster risk reduction and management system in higher education
institutions, as in any organization, is ensuring that DRR work is made part of their
function and is a top priority.

Findings of this study showed that the HEIs recognize the importance of disaster
risk reduction and management, as indicated by their inclusion of DRR programs in their
institutional development policy. However, this recognition is not translated into
concrete actions as shown by their limited allocation of financial and human resources
for DRR trainings and volunteer mobilization. This indicates that DRR is not among
the top priorities of the HEIs.

Risk Assessment, Monitoring and Warning. Disaster preparedness involves

identifying geographic areas or communities that are predictably under threat from
disasters; development and regular testing of warning systems, and plans for
evacuation to be taken during a disaster alert period; and determining and preparing in
advance the appropriate means for issuing a warning system.

The results of the study showed that the HEIs have low capacity in terms of
early warning systems; that is, it has limited provision for access to early warning
system for the community they serve (including the schools themselves)
in high risk areas. The capacity of the HEIs to carry out participatory risk assessments
on potential hazards and vulnerabilities within disaster-prone communities is moderate.
The same is true for their capacity in monitoring standards , sharing information on
potential risks and having an emergency plan of action.

Knowledge and Education. Disaster awareness and education are prerequisites

for disaster preparedness and should be provided through both formal and non-formal
means. In terms of this area, the capacity of the HEIs in all indicators, i.e., information
management and exchange, training of staff, and community training, was found to be
moderate. This connotes that the HEIs are not satisfactorily equipped with the capacity
to disseminate info on DRR, provide DRR training materials for NSRC trainers, and
integrating DRR knowledge and practice in their community training initiatives.

Underlying Factors. Aimed at quantifying the capacity of the HEIs in promoting

adaptation to changing environmental conditions, the following indicators were given
focus in this area: environmental and natural resource management; adaptation to
climate change; and protection of facilities.

The HEIs were perceived to be having high capacity with respect to the first two
indicators and only moderate capacity in the last indicator. This indicates that the HEIs
have the capacity to provide knowledge and skills related to effective environmental
protection and management to prepare individuals for any environmental risk decision
the later might have to make, as well as the capacity to extend support to communities
to help them cope with climate change and adapt to future conditions.

Preparedness and Response. This has to do with the interventions effected by

the HEIs in preparing communities to respond and proactively initiate actions in case of
disaster and/or emergency. In all of the five indicators of this area, i.e., disaster
preparedness, disaster response, disaster response and recovery, emergency
resources, and coordination and information exchange, the capacity of the HEIs were
found to be moderate.

For disaster response and recovery, HEIs were assessed in terms of their
capacity to operate NSCRs for DRR training and volunteer management along the
conduct of post-disaster review exercises with affected communities.. Assessment of
emergency resources focused on access by and of HEIs to financial provisions and
contingency funds that can be made available quickly to support a rapid response to
disasters.

The capacity of the HEIs in all indicators of this area was rated to be moderate,
with disaster response and recovery and emergency resources getting the lowest rating.
This finding can be attributed to the constraints brought by the seemingly technical post-
disaster review exercises and points to the need to capacitate the implementers of DRR
training and volunteer management program.

Differences Among HEIs in Operating NSRC for Local DRR Training and
Volunteer Support. There is no significant difference between the public and private
HEIs with respect to their capacity to manage National Service Reserve Corps (NSRC)
for DRR Training and Volunteer Management. This could be attributed to the fact that
the HEIs, regardless of type, are guided by the same laws and implementing guidelines.
The capacities of the HEIs, however, differ by Region. Factors like geographical location
and local poverty threshold level seem to influence the capacity of the HEI in the area in
managing the NSRC.

Enabling and Constraining Factors. The factors that enable the HEIs in
operating the NSRC for DRR Training and Volunteer Management include strong
partnership with the government , non-government and peoples organizations,
including other agencies that can be tapped for DRR initiatives, like the Red Cross and
Local DRRM Council, among others; commitment of NSTP/NSRC personnel;
organization/mobilization of volunteers for DRR; and awareness of the laws pertinent to
DRR. The constraining factors, that cut across all the DRR Training and Volunteer
Management thematic areas, are: financial limitations; technical difficulties; time
constraints; lukewarm attitude of the Administration, the LGUs and the community
people; lack of research-based initiatives to support DRR training and volunteer
mobilization; and lack of measures to sustain DRR initiatives.

CONCLUSION

The HEIs in the country lack the necessary capacity to manage the National
Reserve Service Corps for DRR training and volunteer mobilization, thus, their role and
potential in disaster risk reduction have not been optimized.

While there is no variation in the capacity of public and private HEIs in managing
their National Reserve Service Corps for DRR training and volunteer mobilization,
premium can be placed on elements that affect their capacities along the five (5)
thematic areas. These elements can serve as basis for the formulation of a capacity
development program for HEIs to enhance their NSRC operation.

Drawing from the findings and conclusions, the following recommendations are
hereby advanced: 1) formulation of strategic capacity development model to serve as
an impetus in making NSRCs and HEIs functional and relevant DRR organizations;
2) widest dissemination of the results of the investigation through the Philippine Society
of NSTP Educators and Implementers, Incorporated; the Commission on Higher
Education; and other organizations; 3) Sharing of the findings of the study to the
Department of Interior and Local Government, through the Local Government Academy,
and other concerned agencies in aid of legislation for more efficient and productive DRR
programs; and 4) conduct of further and parallel studies to bring about more empirical
data to aid better understanding of climate change and the disasters it causes.

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