Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Wednesday (October 18) highlighted the importance of collaboration between the government and the society in mitigating the impacts of disasters and calamities in a speech before the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation’s (PDRF) Cluster Connect Conference at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City.

In his keynote address, the DSWD chief emphasized that governance is a collaborative endeavor and the government needs partners from the private sector in disaster preparedness and operations.

“We cannot do it alone. We need to ensure, not only a whole-of-nation approach, but a whole-of-society approach to address the needs of Filipinos affected by disasters,” Secretary Gatchalian said.

As the Vice-Chair for Disaster Response and Early Recovery Pillar of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Sec. Gatchalian pointed out that the DSWD continues to strengthen its disaster response and early recovery efforts “to prevent the loss of lives and assure the sufficiency of social protection interventions for families affected by disasters and calamities.”

The DSWD chief said the Department is currently bannering its new disaster preparedness program called the ‘Buong Bansa Handa’ which ensures the seamless provision of basic necessities during disasters and calamities caused by climate change and human-induced hazards.

“It aims to establish two parallel supply chains. The first one will feature an expanded network of national and local government warehousing infrastructure, which is already operating as we speak. For the second supply chain, we hope to tap the private sector to collaborate with us in ensuring food security for disaster victims,” the DSWD secretary explained.

The new disaster response initiative is one of the priority programs of the DSWD chief. It aims to engage the government at all levels, as well as the private sector in mobilizing resources to address food security and social protection during disasters and crises.

Secretary Gatchalian, in his speech, thanked the PDRF for the valuable knowledge, skills, and new strategies that the private sector has shared with the Department “to better serve communities and reduce and manage the impacts of disasters.”

Secretary Gatchalian also committed to continue the DSWD’s partnership with the foundation assuring that the department “will remain supportive to the PDRF toward building stronger and more resilient communities that will help uplift the lives of the Filipino people.”

The Cluster Connect Conference is an annual gathering and a platform where the PDRF convenes leaders, practitioners, and experts from the private sector, in collaboration with governmental and humanitarian organizations to explore pioneering solutions and strategies on how can private sector amplify a nationally-led disaster response.#