The Department of the Interior and Local Government – National Capital Region (DILG-NCR), together with the DRRM Thematic Pillar Lead Agencies; namely, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-NCR), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-NCR), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), with the guidance of the Senior Vice-Chair, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD-NCR), and partner civil society organizations (CSOs), Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Philippines and Caritas Philippines, successfully conducted the second quarter Tangguyob on June 2, 2025 at Microtel by Wyndham, UP Technohub, Quezon City. The quarterly convergence meeting was attended by Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officers, Local Planning and Development Officers, and Local Social Welfare and Development Officers in the National Capital Region.

In her welcome remarks, DILG-NCR Regional Director Maria Lourdes L. Agustin, CESO III,  the lead agency in the Disaster Preparedness Thematic Pillar highlighted the collaboration, coordination, and unity among government agencies, local government units, and civil society organizations in strengthening the resiliency of the region. 

A message of support from Mr. Robin E. Lim, Program Manager of DILG-CODIX, commending the Metro Manila DRRM Council’s efforts to navigate the complexities of DRRM in Metro Manila through the Tangguyob and appreciating DILG-NCR for leading the initiative. He said that the Tangguyob could serve as a benchmark for convergence and coherence in DRRM-CCA efforts for other regions. He also said that the Tangguyob, once institutionalized, can be showcased in the National DRRM Council.

To kick off the discussions, CRS Philippines Program Manager Ms. Marcelle Rubis presented the launching of the Strengthening Communities’ Preparedness to Mitigate Health Risks during Emergencies or the PRIME Project, which aims to improve the resiliency and capacity of various health facilities within District 1 of the City of Manila to reduce, mitigate, manage, and respond to health risks.

For the Prevention and Mitigation Thematic Area, Mr. Warren D. Gomez, OIC-Head of the DOST-Clustered Area Science and Technology Office (CASTO) CAMANAVA facilitated the discussion where Mr. Abzrajan A. Miguel, Supervising Statistical Specialist of PSA-NCR, presented the implementation of the Republic Act No. 11995 or the Philippine Ecosystems and Natural Capital Accounting System (PENCAS) Act, Regular publishing of the Compendium of the Philippines’ Environment Statistics, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Monitoring for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the implementation of the  Community-Based Monitoring System or the CBMS;  Mr. Richard Frederick Buenafe, Information Systems Researcher III of the DRRM Division of DICT-NCR highlighted the agency’s conduct of training/workshops/capacity building activities and the procurement, distribution, and rehabilitation of radio communication and ICT equipment; and, Ms. Jeana Lee P. Sablay, Head of the Radiologic Impact Assessment Section of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) presented the real-time radiation monitoring through the Ambient Radiation Gamma Uplink System (ARGUS) and the development of the National Radiologic/Nuclear Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan, or the RADPLAN 2025 following a whole-of-government preparedness and response framework for R/N emergencies

The Disaster Recovery and Rehabilitation Thematic Pillar discussion was then presided over by Ms. Shiela Gail Satura-Quingco, Director III of the Metropolitan Development Planning Service, MMDA. Mr. Paul Jerome A. Sanez, Planning Officer of DTI-NCR. Mr. Sanez presented their agency’s accomplishments related to disaster recovery and rehabilitation such as Pangkabuhayan sa Pagbangon at Ginhawa (PPG) Program which provides cash gift/cash cards to disaster survivors and the conduct of Enterprise Development Training such as capacity building for MSMEs, and formulation of Business Continuity Plans; while, Ms. Wilsie Sapian, GIS Specialist of DSWD-NCR, highlighted the agency’s protective services through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) Program which is designed to provide immediate and temporary assistance to disaster survivors, geotagging of temporary and permanent evacuation centers, prepositioning of family food packs, and conducting of capacity-building activities on women-friendly spaces (WFS), camp coordination and camp management (CCCM), orientation on disaster response operations, and Comprehensive Emergency Program for Children (CEPC). 

For the Response Thematic Area, Ms. Chen-Chen B. Visaya, Social Welfare Officer II of DSWD-NCR from the DSWD-NCR moderated the discussion of the F/CINSP Marvin H. Mari of BFP-NCR who presented the best practices and experiences of BFP on fire disaster response operations. The highlights of his presentation include key lessons learned from previous fire incidents, enhancements to the agency’s coordination mechanisms, innovations in fire disaster response operations, and strengthening inter-agency collaboration.

Lastly, DILG NCR’s Local Government Operations Officer VII Ana Jury H. Castillo presided over the discussion for the Disaster Preparedness pillar. Mr. Michael T. Flores, RN, LPT, MDRM, Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer (LDRRMO) of the Pasay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) presented the disaster preparedness efforts of Pasay City as a SAFE City, MICE City, and Future ECO City which include the strengthening their City’s Event Risk Management and implementation of the Family-Based Ecological Diversion and Recycling of Waste (FEDROW), a set of home-based technologies for socialized food production. 

Further, LGOO V Dennis de Paz presented a briefer on the Infrastructure Audit Program which highlights the discussion on the conducted activities for the implementation of the Infrastructure Audit Program, such as baseline data gathering, development of infrastructure audit tools and manuals, and capacity development for LGUs transected by the West Valley Fault. He also presented the upcoming activities which include the simultaneous consultations, the conduct of the second batch of Infrastructure Audit Training for the LGUs, and the submission of inventory of LGU buildings within their jurisdiction. 

LGOOs III John Jasper O. Forbes, Marvin E. Agno, and Mervin Angelo C. Tumada presented the Disaster Preparedness Report, NCR LGUs’ Compliance Status on the Early Preparedness Actions (EPA), and the draft Metro Manila DRRM Council Memorandum Circular institutionalizing the Tagguyob. 

The Disaster Preparedness Report consists of accomplishments gathered from government agencies, local government units, and civil society organizations in the region in line with the Disaster Preparedness Pillar outcomes, outputs, and activities of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan 2020-2030. Presented therein are the activity-level accomplishments and achievements from the submitted reports of government agencies and LGUs to monitor the contribution of the region to the overall goal of the National DRRM Plan. 

Moreover, the EPA report, which is the minimum standard disaster preparedness protocol under the Disaster Preparedness Manual for LGUs of the Operation L!STO Program, consists of three (3) general actions for early preparations, namely, (1) Create and institutionalize structures, systems, policies, and plans, (2) Build competencies, and (3) Mobilize resources. Based on the 2024 EPA results, the overall EPA Compliance Rating of NCR for 2024 is 82.79%.

The draft MMDRRMC Memorandum Circular Institutionalizing the Tangguyob includes the background, rationale, objectives, policy content, and specific guidelines. Highlighted in the presentation is the regular conduct of Tangguyob every quarter before the MMDRRMC Full Council Meeting, which will be led by the vice-chairs of each DRRM thematic pillar, and participated by each of the agency’s focal persons, LDRRMOs, SWDO, and PDOs of LGUs together with the DILG Field Office Disaster Focal Person, CSOs, and NGOs/private sector.

In her closing speech, Ms. Shiela Gail Satura-Quingco, Director III of the Metropolitan Development Planning Service of the MMDA, highlights the active participation and valuable contributions of each of the key stakeholders for resilience in the region. 

The quarterly Tangguyob serves to be a platform facility for collaboration among partners and stakeholders, showcasing good practices, and achieving the outcomes under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (NDRRMP) 2020-2030.