In the Philippines, regional platforms have been established to enable people in each region to work together across organizations in the event of a disaster, and efforts are being made to strengthen this network. On February 5, the Eastern Visayas Regional Platform Meeting was held in Tacloban City, Leyte Province, and was attended by representatives from A-PAD Philippines, the Surigao Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), and the Surigao del Norte Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).

The meeting discussed the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) resilience strengthening program, the formation of A-PAD Philippines’ talent network, and potential partnership opportunities.

A-PAD Philippines stressed the need to implement resilience programs for SMEs and small businesses so that they can resume operations and contribute to the vitality of their communities when they are hit by large-scale disasters. A-PAD also called for strengthening partnerships among government agencies, the private sector, civil society, and others.

At the meeting, the participants discussed the selection of local governments to which experts will conduct training programs and deploy MRP (Material Requirements Planning), a corporate production management method. The participants will aim to realize training and collaboration goals with local governments by September 2025.