The Barangay Resilience Exchange 2022

Are you and your community ready when disaster strikes? Can you survive a calamity?

These and other disaster-related issues were the topics that the 2nd Barangay Resilience Exchange Forum (BRX2022), an initiative of Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation, Inc., aimed to discuss when it held its sessions on October 13 and 14, 2022.

Adopting a theme of “Ang Handang Barangay, Mahusay!”, this year’s forum – the first and only digital conference of its kind in the Philippines, highlighted the importance of collaboration and coordination among the government, private organizations, NGOs, and the community in order to survive and thrive following a major calamity.

“Cebuana Lhuillier has always prided itself on its commitment towards helping Filipinos lead better lives—whether through our call towards financial inclusion or through our CSR programs designed to empower Filipinos. Disaster Resilience is one of our main thrusts as it impacts the safety, security, and livelihood of the very communities we serve. Through BRX2022 and with the help of our partner institutions, our hope is that our barangay leaders will get valuable learnings that they can use in times of emergencies,” shares Jean Henri Lhuillier, president & CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier.

Jonathan Batangan, First Vice President & CLFI Executive Director, adds, “The second staging of BRX2022 continues CLFI’s thrust in promoting the importance of public-private and community collaboration. We are lucky to have gotten the support of the government, as well as the organizations who lead the way when it comes to disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, rehabilitation, and recovery encompassing the disaster risk reduction and management value chain”.

First Vice President & CLFI Executive Director, Jonathan Batangan was joined by BRX2022 Speakers Dr. Ted Esguerra, Ms. Veronica Gabaldon, Ms. Simonette Lat and Dr. Mahar Lagmay as they sign the BRX2022 Manifesto

With the support of the government through the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), this year’s BRX Forum offered two days of online learning courtesy of the number of agencies who signed up to share their knowledge. Leading its roster of speakers are DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., and Secretary Renato Solidum of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Also sharing their expertise for the first day of the two-day event include Dr. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay, Executive Director of UP Resilience Institute, Joy Santiago, EnP of the UP NOAH Center, Dr. Jojo Sayson, President & Founder of Project Michael Angelo Foundation, Usec. Raymundo Ferrer from the Office of the Civil Defense of the Department of National Defense, and Felix Ayque, Founder & CEO of Komunidad.

The second day of BRX featured talks from Dr. Teofredo Esguerra from the Energy Development Corporation, as well as live interviews featuring disaster resilience advocates, local community leaders from across the country and panel discussions with representatives from Department of Trade and Industry (DTI),  Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), German Cooperation Agency (GIZ), Globe Telecom, SM Supermalls, Oxfam , Sagip Kapamilya, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices, Cebuana Lhuillier Insurance Brokers,  among others.

At least 4,000 registered for this two-day event. They were composed of Barangay Leaders, Local Government Units, Non-profit and Civil Society Organizations, MSMEs, and the media.

You probably missed out on this but don’t fret, you can still check out the forum as it was recorded and streamed live on various social media pages. Learn a lot of knowledge and tips on how to be fully prepared in times of calamities. Check out days 1 and 2 of the forum from the following:

• Cebuana Lhuillier FB Page
• Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation Inc.

For more details, visit https://cebuanafoundation.org/brx-barangay-resilience-exchange/