Philippines: Floods – Early Action Protocol Annual Report (EAP2021PH02) – Philippines

SUMMARY OF THE EARLY ACTION PROTOCOL

The IFRC Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) has approved CHF 234,809 for the implementation of proactive actions to reduce and mitigate the impacts of floods in the Philippines. This EAP includes an allocation of CHF 79,215 for stockpiling and for the implementation of annual preparedness activities to implement early actions if and when the trigger is reached. The total allocated budget for early actions is CHF 157,751. The early actions to be implemented have been agreed in advance with the National Society and are described in the Early Action Protocol.
The PRC is leading the development of this flood mitigation EAP and is responsible for its implementation through eight chapters that train initial actions in the four main river basins (see Figure 1) in four regions (Northern Luzon, Bicol, Eastern Visayas, and Eastern Mindanao).

The German Red Cross is the main partner of the PRC in the preparation and implementation of this EAP through its ongoing Forecast Based Financing (FbF) project. More specifically, the FbF project supports the operational readiness of the national society by organizing simulation exercises and training the relevant people. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (FRC) has approved the Early Action Protocol (EAP) for the Philippine Red Cross (PRC)/Flood with a timeframe of five years and a budget of CHF 234,809, of which CHF 79,215 is for operational readiness and pre-positioning and CHF 157,751 for early action. The EAP is financed from the IFRC’s Forecast Based Action Fund (through the DREF), from which funds are drawn annually to cover operational readiness and pre-positioning costs and as a one-off measure to implement early action. More chapters on early action. Regarding the current version of the Flood EAP, the German Red Cross is responsible for the procurement and provision of tool kits as well as for the provision of IEC materials with information on livestock evacuation.

The IFRC country delegation, in coordination with the People’s Republic of China and the German Red Cross, oversees the entire process of EAP implementation in the country, from the drafting of protocols and trigger statements to the monitoring and evaluation of interventions.

The 510 Initiative – Their statistical flood model is the basis for triggering the early actions proposed in the Flood EAP. The 510 team supported the Community Risk Assessment (CRA) and also developed the triggers and model for the Typhoon Protocol.

In 2021, the IFRC facilitated a transfer of funds to the German Red Cross. In addition, the PRC carried out various procurement activities in accordance with the terms and conditions set out in the tripartite project contract.
No further procurement activities took place during the period between 2022 and 2023. This pause was primarily due to the lack of requests from the National Society, which was caused by several factors. In 2022, the Philippines was hit by Typhoon Odette, resulting in a shift in focus to emergency response and full recovery efforts. In addition, the initiation of an emergency appeal kept the PRC busy with operations-intensive activities.
At the end of 2023, the German Red Cross supported the PRC in convening provincial meetings in all eight Flood EAP chapters to update beneficiary data and implement preparedness measures. German Red Cross funds were used for this purpose.

In 2024, the IFRC again transferred funds to the Philippine Red Cross amounting to CHF 25,298.80 in a 1st and 2nd tranche.