The Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies (ARISE) Philippines recently held its annual General Membership Meeting via Zoom, wherein it discussed all accomplishments to date, updates on the status of its current initiatives, and its immediate goals moving forward.
Discussions began with the organization’s accomplishments within the past year, most notable of which were: the election of SM’s Vice President for Corporate Compliance, Engr. Liza Silerio to the global board of ARISE; the election of ARISE-Philippines Board of Directors; the adoption of ARISE-Philippines’ Terms of Reference (TOR); and ARISE-Philippines’ contributions to COVID-19 response and relief activities amounting to over P2-billion in cash and in kind.
Another highlight of the general meeting was the organization’s 2021-2023 Road Map, which has three themes: “Re-energizing the Network” which includes expansion and promoting deeper involvement among members; “Institutionalizing Partnerships” which includes establishing more strategic partnerships with relevant stakeholders; and “Pushing the Framework” which includes heavier promotion of goals.
ARISE Philippines’ four “Priority Areas” were also highlighted as priority action areas. These are: Disaster Risk Management Strategies, Education and Training, Urban Risk Reduction and Resilience under “Work Themes,” and Small and Medium Businesses, Investors and Investments, Insurance and Reinsurance, and Resilient Infrastructure under “Priority Areas.” These are, in turn, integral components of the ARISE-Philippines Impact Framework.
“At the end of the day, everything we do in ARISE-Philippines is all about building the resilience of our communities to achieve the targets of the Sendai Framework,” said ARISE-Philippines Co-chair, retired Vice Admiral Alexander Pama.
A short breakout session focused on the Work Themes and Priority Areas was then held later on during the meeting, and each of the seven topics had its own breakout rooms led by subject matter experts.
In his keynote message, ARISE-Philippines Co-chair and SM Prime Executive Committee Chairman Hans Sy called on the members of the network to continue working together toward a more disaster-resilient Philippines. “Let us advance our platform in broadening consciousness and involvement leading to effective DRR [disaster risk reduction] action. Let us move as one to the path of stable, sustainable, healthy future for our country through disaster risk reduction and resilience,” he said.
ARISE Philippines is a network of more than 150-member companies and private sector institutions, with voluntary commitments to the implementation of initiatives in support of the 2015 Sendai Framework which aims to achieve the substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries.
