Review of the Legal and Institutional Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM)

Name of Client:
World Bank (WB)

Country:
Philippines

Length of Consultancy Assignment:
Start Date:  24 April 2015
Completion Date:  30 September 2015

Detailed Narrative Description of Project:

This study on the legal and institutional framework for DRRM in the Philippines aimed to promote more resilient and risk-informed development planning and provide inputs to the participation of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in ongoing DRRM-related initiatives with the following intentions: (i) achieving the DRRM-/resilience-related outcomes in the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) and its socioeconomic planning and development processes and building complementarity with the National DRRM Plan; (ii) integrating financial impacts of natural disasters in the annual budgeting process of the Development Budget Coordinating Committee (DBCC) of the NEDA Board; (iii) institutionalizing the planning and implementation functions for recovery and rehabilitation pertaining to the responsibilities of NEDA under Republic Act (RA) 10121, the DRRM Law, and the National DRRM Plan; and (iv) contributing to the Sunset Review of the DRRM Law being led by the National DRRM Council, by providing inputs to NEDA in its capacity as Vice Chair for Recovery and Rehabilitation.

The objectives of the study were to: (i) strengthen the complementarity and integration of the country’s DRRM framework and institutional system with the PDP; (ii) complement the overall law review process by focusing on key concerns under the facilitation of NEDA; (iii) strengthen the legal and institutional framework pertaining to disaster risk financing and insurance (DRFI); and (iv) improve recovery and reconstruction policies, institutional structures, roles and mandates and corresponding capacity requirements for effective coordination and implementation. The study focused on assessing the broad regulatory and institutional framework that enables (or constrains) the following: (i) mainstreaming of ex ante DRM in development, investment, and spatial planning; (ii) risk-informed planning, budgeting, investment programming, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E); (iii) DRFI, including aspects that govern resource mobilization (retention and risk transfer) and the legal and policy framework that prescribes the government’s (national and sub-national) contingent liabilities to disasters in close coordination with the Department of Finance (DOF); and (iv) planning, coordination, and monitoring of recovery and rehabilitation and the development of a disaster recovery framework.


PRIMEX provided the services of the Team Leader/Disaster Assessment and Planning Specialist, DRM Law Specialist, and Public Financial Management Specialist, who is working closely with a Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction Specialist, an Institutions Specialist, and an Advisor in the performance of the following tasks: (i) preliminary assessment of legal and institutional arrangements; (ii) review of legal and institutional framework for achieving DRM-/resilience-related outcomes in national development planning; (iii) review of legal and institutional framework to promote fiscal and economic resilience against disasters; and (iv) review of legal and institutional framework for recovery and reconstruction. The Team Leader/Disaster Assessment and Planning Specialist was responsible for: (i) engagement with stakeholders and building linkages with partners; (ii) ensuring that all team members’ inputs are well-coordinated and their outputs delivered to a high quality standard; (iii) communicating  with the FCG ANZDEC Project Manager on progress and sharing issues and opportunities as soon as they are identified; (iv) together with the team, strengthening the integration of the country’s DRRM framework and institutional system with the Philippine Development Plan; (iv) conduct of a review of the outcomes and implementation of RA 10121; (v) support of the review of the achievement of the DRM-related goals and strategies of the PDP, including those articulated in the Results Matrices  in the Midterm Update; (vi) review and provision of recommendations on the legal, institutional, regulatory, and policy frameworks; and (vii) conduct of a review and drawing of recommendations with regard to the legal and institutional framework for recovery and reconstruction.

The DRM Law Specialist was responsible for the review of DRM-related legislation and supporting the Team Leader in writing the required reports, particularly in the area of DRM legal reform. The PFM Specialist was responsible for work on strengthening the policy framework pertaining to PFM and DRFI and in supporting the Team Leader in writing the required reports with focus on PFM.