Rising Above Disasters to Businesses and Communities

As an archipelagic state vulnerable to numerous natural disasters with a great percentage of lives and livelihoods dependent on the maritime industry and related activities, it is important to ensure standard training is provided by maritime institutions to ensure the safety of Filipino seafarers and their communities.

This is where RISE Philippines (Resiliency Improvement for Seafarers & Seafaring Enterprises), organized by the Philippine Transmarine Carriers (PTC), DEG, and ASSIST comes in, aimed at addressing the gaps in long-term sustainability by operating on numerous levels, including the delivery of training programs that ensures both business operations and communities can be sustained in times of emergencies such as a natural disaster. 

Last December, the first batch of training programs on Business Continuity Management Systems (BCMS) and Disaster Resilience was organized for various maritime and seafarer communities, including the spokesperson of the COVID-19 National Action Plan Rising Above Disasters to Businesses and Communities (NAP) and the PTC Group, Major General Restituto Padilla, Jr. Various members of the ASSIST team participated in the delivery of the training, with Master of Disaster, ASSIST’s own inclusive board game, featured as an important educational tool. 

Furthering impact on disaster preparedness, the Master of Disaster was also recognized by the Tanay North National High School in Rizal province as a learning material in fostering resilient communities. At present, the board game is used in disaster risk and resiliency lessons amid the distant learning brought by the COVID-19 lockdown.

Featured on the Jan-Mar 2021 issue of ASSIST Now newsletter. Read the latest issue here.