A New Year’s resolution for all

In the aftermath of Tropical Storm “Sendong”—with its staggering death toll now nearing 1,500 and the affected families now numbering 113,000—appeals for more support have led to cancellation of parties and to a call to turn cash for fireworks into cash for the victims, many of whom were left with nothing.  All of us, let’s heed this call.

As a victim myself of Typhoon “Ondoy” in 2009, I know that our country’s bayanihan spirit is alive and well. When disaster strikes, even the poor are willing to donate what they can because, as many of them explained, they too were once victims and the help did come. Many are willing to volunteer—like the psychologists who flew into Cagayan de Oro and Iligan at their own expense—just because their services are needed.

When government resources are stretched beyond limit in times of disaster, the private sector often responds to fill in the gaps. The three pillars of “better disaster response” have always been government, civil society and business. And if they can achieve even better coordination, develop efficient systems and agree on needed protocols, then the resultant synergy will help save more lives. Achieving such synergy is also extremely important in “leveling up” our disaster preparedness and this must become our shared New Year’s resolution.

When I was asked what Makati Business Club (MBC) was doing for Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, my usual answer was that our members were already doing what they needed to do through either the Corporate Network for Disaster Response (CNDR) or the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP). This best illustrates an important aspect of the needed synergy. In the business community, we must work through existing networks already set up for disaster response. No need to reinvent the wheel. No sense in going solo. Together we achieve greater—and the needed—impact.

One network that I hope the business community can rally around and extend support to is CNDR.  The PBSP, MBC and the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) are already part of this network.  CNDR aims to guide its members and partners to become responsible and sensitive “disaster-responders.” Promoting the involvement of the corporate sector in building the capacity of communities to effectively cope with disasters, and a business sector prepared to deal with disasters affecting their company and the community at large, are CNDR’s mission and vision respectively.  Its Emergency Response Program “focuses on resource mobilization and directing this effort towards the most affected, least-served disaster-stricken communities.”  The program adheres to the international minimum standards set for humanitarian assistance.

CNDR traces its roots to the July 1990 magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit Northern Luzon.  Baguio City was one of the larger communities that was devastated, isolated by landslides that blocked all access roads.  Companies were quick to mobilize and lend their support, just as they would have done after a typhoon.  This time though, their support took a different form from merely providing relief goods.  Corporate-owned helicopters were dispatched to bring in rescue teams and medical supplies, mobile cellular communication was made available to the rescue teams, and mining companies deployed their experts and equipment to drill into collapsed buildings and pull out survivors.

In one of the earlier documents on CNDR, it was noted that “this new level of participation was both gratifying and deeply disturbing. The private sector realized that it had resources needed in a disaster that government had little or none of.  But it was also unhappy with the lack of a better-organized response by the public sector. The most valuable lesson learned was the need to have formal coordinating mechanisms among responding companies and also vis-à-vis the government in order to optimize the deployment of resources.”  This then became the impetus to launch CNDR.

Through the years, CNDR has established its credibility such that member corporations which have their own emergency response programs have coordinated with, and consulted, CNDR regarding their own efforts. Some corporations and foundations even direct their resources to CNDR which then distributes these resources based on the best information about what is needed most urgently and where the need is most acute. It is the local partner organization that leads the actual relief-delivery operations.  This is in contrast to the way companies operated in the past, not seeing the need to first acquire inputs from—and encourage participation of—the affected communities.

CNDR, as early as 2005, began its work on Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and has been urging the need to plan for worst-case scenarios so that the impact of disasters on business can be mitigated.  In any disaster, the flow of goods and services and continuing employment are critical for speeding up recovery and reconstruction.

CNDR can clearly be a key step toward achieving the synergy we need in Philippine society to better prepare for future disasters and to respond more effectively when disasters do strike.  To make CNDR and its work sustainable, MBC will help expand its membership base by offering a “bundled” CNDR membership to both its new and renewing members beginning 2012.  It will partner as well with CNDR in organizing a national meeting for BCP in 2012. The plan is to invite participants from other countries to this meeting.

To join this New Year’s resolution for all, visit www.cndr.org.ph today.

Happy 2012 to all!

Peter Perfecto is the executive director of the Makati Business Club