Cordillera agencies assess losses, plan for recovery

By Marlo T. Lubguban

BAGUIO CITY – The Office of Civil Defense and National Economic Development Authority in Cordillera oriented regional agencies on properly assessing economic losses and human recovery needs of the region amidst due to the Covid-19 pandemic and implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).
         The economic losses and human recovery needs assessment was a modified version of the post-disaster needs assessment 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 the 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 exceptional and uncommon nature of the global Covid-19 pandemic, this modified needs-assessment tool will focus on the lost economic opportunities of the region such as the forgone or disrupted income of businesses and workers and the 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 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. 

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

OCD regional Ddrector Albert Mogol commended regional agencies for showcasing the Cordilleran’s innate resiliency consistent with the spirit of Bayanihan in the coordinated responses to the pandemic and the implementation of the ECQ. “’Wag kayo magsawa magtulungan”, he added.

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 cited importance of strong leaders and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in helping the Cordillera face challenges to help rebuild better region.