ABSTRACT
Disasters are increasingly becoming more destructive in their impacts. Lives have been lost and properties damaged due to the lack of institutional and personnel coping and adaptive capacities. Several policies in the Philippines have noted the importance of capacity development in implementing Disaster Risk Management (DRM). To meet the above necessity, in 2017, Philippine School of Business Administration (PSBA), Manila, one of the higher education institutions pioneered a specialization of DRM in its existing Master in Business Administration program. However, meeting the demand for Disaster Risk Management Technical and Vocational Education and Training (DRM-TVET) through Formal Degree Program (FDP) and keeping FDP sustainable is still facing a number of challenges. The main drivers of these challenges include but are not limited to the following: time constraint on the part of participants to complete 2–4 years' FDP;lack of institutions offering DRM-TVET programs;and unavailability of a Learning Management System. The main objective of this research is to develop an Alpha-Flexible Ladderized Capacity Building Model (A-FLCBM) amid COVID-19. Further, the study should also provide logical flow and recommendations to operationalize the remaining activities of the Conceptual Framework in developing the Beta (B)-FLCBM amidst COVID-19. In this regard, the researchers collected pertinent data through a substantive, thorough, sophisticated literature review and examined the available mandates on existing Flexible ladderized models. Further, a Conceptual Framework (CF) is also developed and partially operationalized. The output allowed researchers to develop A- FLCBM amidst COVID-19 using the PSBA curriculum as a pilot case. However, the framework activities, i.e., dry run, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) registration for National Certification (NC), development of B-FLCBM, and the empirical assessment of DRM-TVET and FDP sustainability will be covered in future studies. The A-FLCBM comprises of interrelated activities including mode of learning and well-designed DRM NC short courses, workshops, and trainings for the trainers. The Model is aligned with the Executive Order 358, promulgated in 2004. Further, the Ladderized Education (LE) system introduced through Commission on Higher Education Memorandum Order No. 43, 2008 Series, was also considered for wider-scale and accelerated implementation of LE nationwide and globally. The implementation of B-FLCBM will provide a unique opportunity to develop the skills required to be a professional in the DRM and business continuity field, improving the quality of life and raising awareness on the importance of preventing and mitigating disasters and reducing the loss incurred by countries in terms of lives, property, and economy. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The first cases of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were reported in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. Four months later around 1.699595 million people globally are infected with the virus causing more than 106,138 deaths.Various countries have taken preventive and control measures to combat this disproportionate impact of COVID-19. It was noted that the pandemic scenario projections work better once scaled down to city level. The QC Disaster Resilience Scorecard (DRS) and Public Health Addendum (PHA) are also the integral part of the methodology considered in operationalizing the DRMF-COVID-19-P. Hence, authors developed and operationalized a local level Disaster Risk Management Framework (DRMF) for COVID-19 Pandemic using 14 guiding principles. Consequently, Quezon City Inclusive Unified Response, Recovery, and Rehabilitation Action Plan 2020-2030 is prepared. It consists of 11 very dynamic Programs, Projects, and Activities (PPAs). Essentially, the accomplishment level of these PPAs and status of reproduction rate of the virus directs the assertion to end the current COVID-19 Lockdown or initiation of incremental ease in lockdown. In fact the timing to commence such initiation is depending upon the accomplishment of pertinent PPAs and scientific findings that recommend Smart Lockdown. It refers to the use of decision-making criteria such as confirmed case/outbreak threshold ratio, probability of outbreak, etc., defined by different authorities for decision-making especially in declaring of community quarantine at Barangay/Municipality/City level. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.