Building Back a Better Nation: Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery in the Philippines

The paper explores the operationalization of Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery in the Philippines context. It is divided into four sections. The first section discusses the origins and development of Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery as a thematic area. It highlights the paradigm shift in the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System which was brought about by the enactment of Republic Act 10121 as its legal framework. The second section discusses the design principles of Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery. It explains how Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery is carried out through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan. It explains the involvement of the communities in rehabilitation and recovery programs. It also discusses the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) as a specific Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery tool. To further illustrate the use of PDNA, the third section presents the case of Davao Oriental, a province in the Mindanao region, which was heavily devastated by Typhoon “Pablo” (International Name: “Bopha”) last December 2012. It also explains how civil property rights serve as among the major considerations in the aftermath of a disaster and how the PDNA takes into account the civil property rights of the victims.