The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF)

KEY FIGURES
3
Crises Responded
42,408
People Reached
1,160,078
MOBILIZED
Data reported by PDRF between January and September 2023
Overview
The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF)

64 members

The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) is the coordinator of private sector efforts in disaster risk reduction and management in the Philippines. PDRF was established in 2009 after Typhoon Ketsana and it complements and coordinates its efforts with the Government and the UN system. It has over 60 members who are organized in clusters and provides support according to their core competencies. PDRF aims to build disaster-resilient communities and businesses through private sector engagement. PDRF promotes learning and development in disaster management, more specifically, business continuity management, disaster risk reduction, and climate change adaptation for PDRF’s network of corporations, micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), communities, and various partner organizations. PDRF also develops and implements programs in the areas of community resilience, recovery and rehabilitation, and research and innovation. During disaster response, the PDRF Emergency Operations Center coordinates the efforts of member companies and ensures that the needs of vulnerable populations are addressed.

PDRF, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2021, continues activities responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath by mobilizing its member companies to support the national vaccination campaign, reaching out to vulnerable communities including people living with disabilities, providing meals to medical workers in COVID-19 referral hospitals, and organizing workshops on mental health.

PDRF also provided assistance to communities evacuated and affected by the eruption of Taal volcano in July 2021, distributing hygiene kits and children toys. The network engaged on issues related to the climate emergency, co-organizing the Philippine Water Challenge and collecting donations to plant trees during World Humanitarian Day.

The experience and knowledge of PDRF has also been essential in supporting programmes on business continuity. PDRF, with the support of UNDP, OCHA Philippines and CBi, has:

  • Launched a digital platform called the Synergizing Recovery Initiatives, Knowledge, and Adaptation Practices (SIKAP) MSME Resilience Hub to share tools and resources on response and recovery for MSMEs;
  • Created "PUHON," termed after the Cebuano term for “hopefully, in due time”, a strategic foresight planning toolkit for MSMEs;
  • Developed a training programme on business continuity for hospitals and other Government agencies;
  • Conducted first responders trainings and the installation of rainwater catchments for clean water.

PDRF was actively involved in the response to Typhoon Rai (known locally as Typhoon Odette), which struck the Philippines on 16 December 2021, claiming 407 lives and displacing more than 500,000 people. Thanks to its private sector-led Emergency Operations Centre, PDRF was ready to intervene within hours. It organized operational briefings for its member companies and partners in coordination with the Government and UN representatives. The network provided 196,000 ready-to-eat meals, transported over 200 tons of goods and assisted about 70,000 families with food rations. 

Lastly, PDRF has collaborated with CBi to share their experience through three knowledge products:

To learn more about the network, please visit PDRF's website.

Cover photo: PDRF