Shelter Cluster Philippine Typhoon Response

Meeting Notes, Manila, December 08, 2009

MEETING: / NEXT MEETING:
7th Meeting / Thursday 10 December 2009, 10.00 (LKG Towers)
Cluster Coordination Contacts
SC Coordinator/Information Manager: Jan-Willem Wegdam
SC Admin. Assistant: Mary Ann Datoy
SC Technical Advisor: Efren /
Shelter:

Action Points
  1. The ESC cluster coordination will be handed over to the International Organization for Migration for the early recovery phase effective December 15, 2009
  2. Follow up on identified agencies to coordinate shelter activities on the provincial/municipal level. (shelter cluster)
  3. Actively pursue project coordination/cooperation at the local level as the coming election will not allow government to close new contracts during the election period (except those that are essential and had been started). Address disbursement (this has been done during typhoon Durian) of this ‘blockade’ at NDCC through the RC.
  4. Follow up BDO land development with City of Taguig (Habitat for Humanity?)
  5. Pursue potential funding source from the Swiss Solidarity Fund (all) and Spanish govt. (SC). Actively work on establishing a network between private and public sector.
  6. Technical Working Group to conduct December 15, 2009 technical session on criteria /selection of beneficiary; emergency and transitional designs/options . IOM to take the lead.
  7. Recommended inclusion of Early Recovery in programs/projects. Guiding principles and adoption of useful tools recommended

  1. Introduction

Shelter cluster attendees:

Ms. Maureen, Abelardo, Banco De Oro

Ms. Yasmin Hatta, Oxfam

Ms. Camilla Pante, Handicap International

Mr. John English , Early Recovery Advisor, UNCO Philippines

Mr. Guillaume Zerr, Handicap International

Ms. Alice de Sagun, Habitat for Humanity

Mr. Ryan Russel, CRS

Mr. Dave Bercasio, IOMMr. Romeo Lambinicio, Swiss Embassy

Mr. Werner Rytz, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

  1. Evaluation Emergency Workshop
  • Conclusion was that the emergency shelter workshop broke the ice between the government and the humanitarian sector and private sector. A real working relationship will require more time though.
  • It was positive to observe that the government agencies also wanted to work closer together with eachother. Especially NHA and MMDA with NDCC.
  • There is an intention to share more information and to continue organizing these kind of workshops.
  • Learned what the government and the private sector is doing”
  • There is a big need to consolidate, link the plan of the government and private sector, to gather/share more information, gather capacities, etc.
  • Also there is a need for more coordination in the field. Therefore the cluster decided to divide the coordination in the provinces / municipalities between the following organizations. The coordination meetings might be combined with other clusters.
  • IV-A Rizal-> Handicap International
  • IV-A laguna-> Swiss Development Aid
  • III Bulacan-> CRS
  • NCR Muntinlupa-> IOM

Not confirmed because absent during the meeting

  • I Pangasinan-> PNRC
  • NCR Taguig-> Habitat for Humanity
  • John English (ER advisor) will follow up the regional coordination with OCHA.
  • Presentations used at the workshop uploaded at the website:
  1. Situation overview and agency activities

Cluster coordination handover to IOM

  • The IFRC will hand over the shelter cluster coordination per the 15th of December to IOM.

LGU budgets, land procurement and elections

  • By law the government funds will be frozen about 2 months before elections. This could hamper the procurement of land for relocation by the LGU’s seriously. In former disasters there has been made an exception / disbursement on this rule. Address this issue at NDCC through the RC

BDO Foundation

  • BDO is actively looking for partners to develop their sites in Calumpit
  • In Taguig BDO has offered a nice piece of land to the LGU, with the conditions that the LGU will develop the infrastructure. Till now the LGU did not follow up. Maybe Habitat for Humanity can mediate??

Swiss development agency

  • SDA has established that a piece of land of 124.000 m2 has been donated from Lepanto tiles to the LGU of Calamba. SDA will develop and build permanent shelters on this site in cooperation with PNRC, Swiss Red Cross, OXFAM and DSWD.
  1. Funding
  • Flash Appeal did not generate more money yet.
  • SC is still working on the press release for addressing the issue of underfunding of the shelter sector. There has been some delay in the writing. IFRC will try to produce the press release before handover.
  • SC will approach the Spanish government if they are interested in funding shelter projects.
  • Swiss solidarity has allocated 10 MIO CHF for Indonesia and The Philippines. Agencies can follow this up.
  • Other opportunities for funding support are:
  • Mobilizing the private sector for funding, creating a network.
  • Explore other ways of support. Discounted materials, cooperation with real estate developers, architects, , structural engineers unions, banks (for loan / lease constructions) etc.
  • BDO knows an architect who is innovative in bamboo shelter designs, if interested, Maureen has the numbers.
  1. Early recovery
  • John English presents the ER matrices, with the background to mainstream and map the ER activities of the programs.
  • The cluster agrees with the method, and will try to start working with it.
  1. Technical issues
  • There is a need for information sharing about ‘beneficiary selection standards’
  • A TWIG meeting will be organized on the 15th of December to capture the standards in this.
  • There is still a need for a specifying and sharing transitional shelter designs.
  • TWIG meeting 15th December.
  1. NEXT Meeting

To be chaired by IOM, invitation will follow

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