Cordillera gov’t agencies to assess regional losses; plan for recovery

By Marlo T. Lubguban

BAGUIO CITY – The Office of Civil Defense Cordillera (OCD-CAR) and National Economic Development Authority Cordillera are set to orient regional agencies on April 21 on assessing economic losses and needs of the Cordillera due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).

The conduct of the “Economic losses and human recovery needs assessment” is a modified version of the “Post-disaster needs assessment” tool used by the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council chaired by OCD-Cordillera, to detail and validate damages, losses, and human recovery needs incurred during disaster. This assessment will later inform and detail contents of a regional recovery and resiliency plan for the Cordillera to be prepared by NEDA-Cordillera, as the RDRRMC vice-chair for recovery and rehabilitation.

Given the uncommon nature of the global Covid-19 pandemic, this modified needs-assessment tool will focus on lost economic opportunities of the region such as income of businesses and workers and added operational and equipment costs of the quarantine implementation to government, health facilities, and business establishments, and other unexpected expenses.

The modified needs assessment will also look at more macroeconomic impacts of the crisis such as changes in prices and regional production. The report will likewise detail how communities have been affected and how they have responded.

The agencies will use these data to formulate short, medium, and long-term recovery programs, projects, and activities as well as policy recommendations that would address the needs that emerged during this crisis. 

NEDA-Cordillera targets a needs assessment report by the end of May and a prepared rehab and resiliency plan by June.

OCD regional director Albert Mogol commended regional agencies for showcasing the Cordilleran’s innate resiliency consistent to the spirit of Bayanihan in the coordinated responses to the pandemic and the implementation of the ECQ.

               Mogol said since there has yet to be a vaccine against Covid-19, “we have to anticipate the new normal in this rehab and resiliency plan”.

He highlighted the importance of strong leaders and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in helping the Cordillera face these challenges to help building back a better region.