The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the National Resiliency Council (NRC) facilitated the conduct of the Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment (CDRA) Workshop for the four TRANSFORM municipalities within the province of Surigao del Norte (SDN) on November 29-December 1, 2023 at Retreat Hotel, Siargao Islands.

The DENR launched Project TRANSFORM (Transdisciplinary Approach for Resilient and Sustainable Communities) in the four (4) municipalities of (SDN), namely, Del Carmen, Burgos, San Francisco, and Malimono on June 23, 2023. The project supports the DENR’s new Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) Resiliency Framework to convey environmental, social, and economic advances for local government units (LGUs) nationwide.

As part of Project TRANSFORM, the DENR and NRC piloted the CDRA Workshop in Surigao del Norte. It is the objective of the event to understand and assess the potential impacts of hazards to lives, properties, and other elements at risk by utilizing GeoRisk PH and Hazard Hunter tools using available data from the partner LGUs that will produce an Integrated Risk Assessment to contextualize risks and mainstream the LGU’s local development plans and identify strategic platforms for partnership among stakeholders. 

The activities were enthusiastically participated by the Municipal Officers from the offices of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction, Environment and Natural Resources, Municipal Planning and Development, and Social Worker Development of Del Carmen, Burgos, and San Francisco.

The Assistant Regional Director (ARD) for Technical Services, Maritess M. Ocampo, personally graced the event and delivered the message of Regional Executive Director (RED) Nonito M. Tamayo. In his message, he emphasized that integrating climate and disaster risks into assessments will shape a comprehensive approach to risk management that goes beyond conventional methods. 

“I am confident that through our united efforts, we can develop a comprehensive understanding of the potential climate threats and work towards implementing effective measures to protect and sustain our precious earth for the next generations,” RED Tamayo said in his message during the activity. 

Meanwhile, ARD Ocampo expressed her gratitude to all the guests and participants whose efforts and commitments are undeniably remarkable.  

Some of the notable personalities who showed full support for the event were Director Angelique C. Go, Director for DENR-Special Projects and Priority Programs; Agapito T. Patubo, PENR Officer of SDN; and PAMO-SIPLAS PASu DMO IV Samuel L. Malayao. 

NRC’s well-versed resource speakers such as Dr. Emma E. Porio, Science Resilience Fellow discussed on the topic Designing Risk to Resilience Journey in Siargao: Hazards, Exposures, Vulnerability and Capacity to Bounce Forward Together, Amidst Climate and Disaster Risks; Physical Scientist and Technical Consultant of CCARPH-ADMU Ms. Joy Rocamora presented the topic on the Introduction to Risk Assessment Tools: Hazard Hunter and GeoAnalytics; Ms. Rocamora together with Technical Consultant of CCARPH-ADMU Dr. Michael Armand Canilao, and NRC Senior Program Officer Mr. Brian Joseph Bango, facilitated the workshops for the CDRA. They also served as panelists during the presentation of outputs by the representatives of each participating municipality. 

The Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment (CDRA) Workshop signifies the DENR’s commitment to combat the increasing risks of climate challenges in the present and future generations.