The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office Cordillera Administrative Region (DSWD FO CAR) Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) conducted the Municipal Resilience Planning Workshop Training on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (DRR-CCA) for Barangay Resilience Team (BResT) and Municipal Resilience Team (MResT) members under the Panahon ng Pagkilos: Philippine Community Resilience Project (PCRP) modality, from 2 to 31 July 2026, across 135 barangays in the Cordillera.
The training was conducted in partnership with the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP). It covered the municipalities of Luba, Daguioman, and Malibcong in Abra; Conner, Kabugao, and Calanasan in Apayao; Bokod and Buguias in Benguet; and Sagada and Sadanga in Mountain Province.
The BResT is a group of community volunteers who lead resilience-building activities at the barangay level, while the MResT serves as the coordinating body that guides and provides technical assistance to community resilience planning at the municipal level.
The training equipped participants with an understanding of the risks their communities face and how to reduce them. It covered the basics of disaster risk, such as the hazards present in their area and how prepared or vulnerable their community is. It also explained how climate change is making these hazards worse, and how the choices communities make, like where they build their homes, affect how much damage a disaster can cause. Participants also learned simple ways to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, as part of building a more resilient and climate-ready community. The training also included basic first aid, equipping participants with practical skills they can use during emergencies.
With the DRR-CCA training complete, covered barangays are now set to move into the Participatory Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (PRVA), where the BResT and MResT will work with residents to identify and map out the specific risks facing their communities, bringing them a step closer to shaping their Municipal Resilience Plan. **By Yvonne Gracious T. Elegado, Project Development Officer III
