social case study makati

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Makati City leads the way in socialized health care

Medicine cabinet.

By Teodoro B. Padilla

IN 1986, Mayor Jejomar Binay signed an agreement with the Makati Medical Center to allot a number of beds to poor residents, with the city government subsidizing the beneficiaries’ hospital bill. The increasing demand for health services eventually prompted the city government to push for the construction of its own full-service hospital. Thirty-two years later, the Makati Health Plus (MHP) Program, more popularly known as the “Yellow Card,” continues to provide indigent and low-income residents, and other beneficiaries with access to quality health care through subsidized hospitalization and free outpatient services at the city government run hospital; Ospital ng Makati (Osmak). Yellow Card beneficiaries are also entitled to free check-ups or consultations at Makati City’s 26 barangay health centers and two lying-in clinics, which provide primary care services. Services offered include general consultation, maternal care, child care (i.e. immunization, etc.), nutrition service, dental services, communicable disease control, among others. Six of these barangay health centers host satellite laboratories, three in each district, which augment the services being provided by the main laboratories at Osmak and the Makati Health Department in City Hall. The Palanan Health Center is open 24 hours, seven days a week to address the needs of working parents so they do not have to file a leave of absence from their jobs to bring their children to the doctor. “The Yellow Card remains one of the biggest perks of being a ‘Makatizen,’ a term that refers not only to city residents, but to other beneficiaries as well,” said Ryan F. Barcelo, MHP, assistant head, Social Welfare Development Department, Makati City Government, who spoke on behalf of Mayor Abigail Binay during the 2018 Health for Juan and Juana Forum. Yellow Card beneficiaries include senior citizens, Persons With Disability (PWDs), city government workers, and employees of selected Makati-based national government agencies. The current number of beneficiaries is estimated at almost 250,000, with almost 200,000 active cardholders, close to 50% of whom hold Family Cards, according to Barcelo. The city government recently adopted a new payment scheme for Yellow Card holders confined in Osmak. For hospital bills exceeding P5,000, beneficiaries only have to pay a uniform rate of P500. Those whose hospital bill is below P5,000 do not have to pay anything. On average, the city government subsidizes around 80% of Yellow Card holders’ total hospital bill in Osmak. In 2013, the city government launched its free medicines program called “ Libreng Gamot Para Sa Mamamayan” program to provide Yellow Card members with access to quality medicines for various illnesses, including maintenance medicines for “lifestyle” diseases such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes, among others. The free medicines are available in eight pharmacies: one in each barangay cluster, and one each in the Makati City Hall and Osmak. Door-to-door delivery of medicines is provided to senior citizens 70 years old and above, bedridden residents, and persons with disability. In 2006, PhilHealth acknowledged Makati as the first local government unit in the country to attain universal health insurance coverage for its constituents. The city government sponsored the PhilHealth premium contribution of 25,000 indigent residents. In 1994, the Kabisig People’s Movement named the Yellow Card Program “Most Outstanding Kabisig Project in the National Capital Region.” The following year, the Department of Health declared Makati as the First Healthy City Model in the country, citing the success of its “integrated and holistic approach to socialized health care.” In 2002, the program won the Dubai International Award for Best Practices for its outstanding contribution towards improving the living environment of residents. “We would like to inspire other localities in the country, and even in other parts of the world, to continuously promote people’s health and wellbeing, especially the poor,” Barcelo said. Teodoro B. Padilla is the executive director of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP). Medicine Cabinet is a weekly PHAP column that aims to promote awareness on public health and health care-related issues. PHAP and its member companies represent the research-based pharmaceutical and health care industry. [email protected]

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Assessment of the Existing Programs and Services of Makati Social Welfare Department Focusing on the Interventions of Persons with Disability Welfare Section and their compliance to national laws

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Greenbelt 2, 3, and 4

Format Full City Makati Country Philippines Metro Area Manila Project Type Mixed Use Location Type Central Business District Land Uses Cinema Multifamily Rental Housing Open space Restaurant Retail Keywords Entertainment center Infill development Lifestyle center Urban park Site Size 22.6 acres acres hectares Date Started 2000 Date Opened 2002

Greenbelt is a mixed-use development featuring restaurants, entertainment venues, shopping outlets, and housing located within Ayala Center, a 36.8-hectare (91-acre) mixed-use complex in Makati City, one of Manila’s premier business districts. Built during the 1970s, Greenbelt 1 offers convenience and food services for daytime office workers. In addition to its 28 two- and three-story rental units, Greenbelt 2 was designed as a place for “power lunches” and high-end dining. Greenbelt 4 is an upscale retail destination and Greenbelt 3, the most prominent component of the project, is aimed at professionals in their 20s to 40s with food, shopping, and entertainment options. Greenbelt 3’s four-level complex has two distinct faces. The street-facing facade has a unified row of shopfronts, while the interior faces a park with its curvilinear form that incorporates public pathways terraced up to outdoor seating and dining areas for restaurants and cafés.

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Date Completed: Case Study/Profile Type: DCS Website: http://www.ayalamalls.com.ph/content/greenbelt.asp World Region: Asia Pacific Developer(s): Ayala Land Inc Website (Dev.): Designer(s): Callison, GF & Partners, Edward D. Stone and Associates Website (Des.):

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Transforming a Business District into Walkable Space with Private Financing

Development fees placed on buildings were used to improve pedestrian mobility through elevated walkways in the Makati central business district.

As business districts mature, they often have to contend with increasing traffic congestion. Unfortunately, this problem is commonly addressed with heavy infrastructure that degrades the environment and negatively affects pedestrians. The central business district of Makati City in the Philippines faced this situation in the early 1990s but rather than give way to cars, it chose to give more to pedestrians.

The central business district of Makati City has implemented a pedestrian walkway network that has encouraged more people to walk over longer distances. This was achieved through the collaboration between the developer of the business district, Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI), and its estate association, Makati Commercial Estates Association, Inc. (MACEA), using land use controls and development charges to finance and operate the pedestrian walkway network.

Ayala Land's Salvador Tan talked about the "Development of the Makati City Pedestrian Walkways" during the Urban Transport for Livable Cities  Forum held in Manila in October 2019.

• 1995 : First pedestrian underpass and elevated walk project
• 2019 : New pedestrian underpass and extension of elevated walk ongoing
• $20 million as of 2019 :

Institutions / Stakeholders

• Makati Commercial Estates Association, Inc.
• Ayala Land, Inc., Roma Design Group, and Ove Arup & Partners

Makati City represents less than 5% of the total land area and population of Metro Manila as of 2018. However, it attracts an outsize proportion of traffic and people due to its central business district with a developed floor area of about 7 million square meters. The daytime population on weekdays doubles to about 1.3 million people and more than 300,000 vehicles a day pass through its streets.

In the early 1990s, the already high levels of traffic congestion on its roads and crowding along its sidewalks, aggravated by the poor urban environment, caused the Makati central business district to re-evaluate its competitive position versus other newer emerging business districts. It was feared that the Makati central business district would go into inexorable urban decay and drastic measures were needed to stop and recover from this situation.

The top-of-mind problem that the public wanted to be solved in the early 1990s was traffic congestion in the Makati central business district. There were calls for the widening of roads and the grade-separation of intersections, or placing the intersecting roads at different levels, so more vehicles could pass through.

Ayala Land, Inc. and Makati Commercial Estates Association, Inc.  felt that accommodating more vehicles through its central business district would not improve the urban environment and may in fact worsen it. After a series of studies and master-planning led by Ayala Land and the consultants (Roma Design Group and Ove Arup & Partners) of MACEA, it was decided that the focus will be on improving the environment for pedestrians rather than for cars in the Makati central business district.

One of the major findings of the studies was that pedestrians walk over a large network of paths and nodes centered on public transport routes and major intersections. Understanding this informal walking network enabled Ayala Land and Makati Commercial Estates Association to plan a formal network of elevated walks, pedestrian underpasses, covered sidewalks and transit sheds that could be built to better serve the needs of pedestrians.

The question then was how to finance the walkway network. Since the Makati central business district was a privately-owned and operated estate, it could not apply for or rely on public funding for infrastructure improvements. Ayala Land and Makati Commercial Estates Association was able to tap collected fees from its members to fund the walkway network. 

The key financing tool used was the development charge which was a special assessment placed on buildings that developed to a higher allowed density than what was originally planned in the Makati central business district. This development charge accumulated over several years and continues up to the present. The current development charge stands at about $80 per square meter relative to current market values of between $5,000-7,500 per square meter of office space as of 2019.

The pedestrian walkway network in the Makati central business district currently consists of about two kilometers of elevated walks, about four kilometers of covered walks, seven pedestrian underpasses with eight under construction, and two pedestrian overpasses. These facilities are used by about 250,000 people per day on weekdays, with an average walking distance of about 700 meters per trip, higher than the 400 meters per trip before the walkway network was implemented.

Sidewalk bulb-outs or curb extensions at minor intersections are currently being implemented within the central business district to calm traffic and facilitate pedestrian crossings. At the same time, these enhance the landscape and seating in the urban environment. The entry portals into the pedestrian underpasses are being replaced with a more modernist design along with the painting of murals within the underpasses to promote public art in the central business district.

A large city bus terminal is currently under construction beside a major light rail station in the central business district which will be connected to the elevated walk network to create a rail-bus interchange for commuters and pedestrians. Future plans to extend the elevated walk to a planned commuter rail station beside the central business district and addition to organized route transit sheds for public transport stops are currently being considered.

• A careful and objective study of pedestrian behavior is needed as guide for the efficient design and planning of walkway networks.
• Pedestrian walkways should be integrated into and connected with buildings to develop a larger network of nodes and paths for pedestrians.
• Self-financed walkway networks can be implemented, maintained and expanded over time. 
• Periodic re-validation and updating of plans is required because pedestrian needs change over time.

Ayala Land, Inc. 2015. Let’s Build Sustainable Communities, 2014 Sustainability Report . pp. 24, 26-27.

Z. Galingan et al. Pedestrian-Friendly Streetscape in a Tropical Business District . MUHON: A Journal of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and the Designed Environment. University of the Philippines College of Architecture. Issue No. 3. pp. 9-15.

Ask the Experts

Salvador Tan is an architect and urban planner with Ayala Land, Inc. He was involved in the planning, design and implementation of the pedestrian walkway network in the Makati business district as well as in the master-planning of several business districts, shopping centers, residential buildings, among others. He has certifications from the American Institute of Certified Planners, United Architects of the Philippines, and the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners.

View the discussion thread.

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Resilience and Disaster Trends in the Philippines: Opportunities for National and Local Capacity Building

Tilly alcayna.

Dept of Global Health and Population, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Cambridge, Massachussets, USA

Vincenzo Bollettino

School of Government, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines

Patrick Vinck

Associated data.

There is no raw data associated with this paper.

Introduction: The Philippines is one of the top countries in the world at risk of climate-related disasters. For populations subsisting at the poverty line in particular, but also the nation as a whole, daily lives and wellbeing are routinely challenged. The Philippines government takes disaster risk seriously and has devoted significant resources to build disaster capacity and reduce population exposure and vulnerability, nationally and locally. This paper explores the policy and institutional mechanisms for disaster risk reduction management and research which have been conducted in the Philippines related to disaster preparedness, management and resilience.  

Methods: This study draws on direct observations of and conversations with disaster management professionals, in addition to a review of the extant literature on resilience and disaster preparedness, in the Philippines. This is a descriptive study based on a search of mainly peer-reviewed studies but also articles, reports, and disaster risk reduction and response projects in the Philippines. Search words used in various combinations included: Resilience, Philippines, Disaster Preparedness, Community-based, Disaster Risk Reduction, Capacity-building.

Results: Numerous activities in community based resilience and DRR have been identified across the whole disaster continuum. Yet, important gaps in research and practice remain.

Discussion: The Philippines, is a leading regional actor in disaster risk management. However, a full picture of who is doing what, how, where and when on resilience and disaster preparedness does not exist. Consequently there is no single study that compares the impacts and results that different preparedness measures are having in the Philippines. We recommend further research focussed on mapping the network of actors, understanding community perceptions of disaster risk preparedness and resilience, and investigation into the socio-ecological systems of different communities.

Introduction

An archipelago of over 7,100 islands, the Philippines is the fourth most at-risk country in the world in terms of climate-related natural disasters, such as typhoons, sea level rise, flooding and extreme temperature. 1 It is one of the top three countries in the world for population exposure and has the largest proportion of capital investment and stock along coastlines. 2 Already it is estimated that multi-hazard average annual loss for the Philippines is US$7.893 million, which is equivalent to 69 per cent of social expenditure in the country. 2 The changing nature of meteorological hazards and emergence of the ‘New Normal’ mean that events such as Super Typhoon Haiyan – and the devastating impact it had - can be expected to occur more frequently, intensifying potential losses. 3 , 4 High levels of poverty (25 per cent of the population are living below the national poverty level) and high inequality 5 result in large demographics being unable to prepare, cope with and recover from disasters. The Philippines government has devoted significant resources to build disaster capacity and reduce population exposure and vulnerability. A focus on the Philippines with its high risk, challenges of poverty and inequality, can serve as a model on how to build resilience and promote disaster risk reduction (DRR).

This paper explores the policy and institutional mechanisms for disaster risk reduction management and research which have been conducted in the Philippines related to disaster preparedness, management and resilience. Here, the term ‘preparedness’ follows the UNISDR definition of “the knowledge and capacities developed by governments, professional response and recovery organizations, communities and individuals to effectively anticipate, respond to, and recover from, the impacts of likely, imminent or current hazard events or conditions”. The definition of resilience is also taken from UNISDR terminology to mean “the ability of a system, community or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate to and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner, including through the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures and functions”. It provides an assessment of extant research on the theory and practice of community-based resilience, highlights the gaps in activities being conducted, and finishes by providing recommendations of key priorities for the future of resilience and DRR work in the Philippines, a leading regional actor in disaster risk management.

Materials & Methods

Research Questions

In addition to a scoping study undertaken in the Philippines in September, 2015 6 , this literature review aims to summarise research around the following questions: What are the advantages of looking at resilience through a community lens? What are the policy and institutional mechanisms for disaster risk reduction management in the Philippines? What work has been conducted in the Philippines related to resilience and DRR? Where are the gaps and what is the future of community resilience in the Philippines?

Secondary data review

This is a descriptive study based on a search of mainly peer-reviewed studies but also articles, reports, and disaster risk reduction and response projects in the Philippines. Data was collected on disaster-related projects to-date. The review was done using search engines such as Google Scholar and Harvard Library HOLLIS+. Search words used in various combinations included: Resilience, Philippines, Disaster Preparedness, Community-based, Disaster Risk Reduction, Capacity-building.

Limitations

Project specific reports by NGOs, mostly found in the grey literature, have limited inclusion as it was beyond the scope of this paper to assess all previous and on-going projects. Rather, this paper seeks to explore current research in resilience and disaster risk management in the Philippines to understand how research is informing disaster risk management policy and practice in the Philippines.

What are the advantages of looking at resilience through a community lens?

Like resilience, ‘community’ is a popular term that is still loosely defined in the literature. 7 , 8 A group of people living in the same place or sharing similar characteristics may contain numerous internal conflicts and divisions and may not act as a cohesive entity during a disaster, despite the connotations the term ‘community’ conjures. 9 Nevertheless, measuring resilience at the community level is advantageous. Communities have a unique understanding of the factors that contribute to their ability to resist, absorb and recover from disturbances as well as a direct understanding of the risks that they face. The social norms, social capital and social networks in which individuals are embedded will determine disaster behaviour and the outcomes of a disaster. 10 Preparedness plans developed internally by communities have been shown to be better than those developed externally by consultants. 11 In the event of a disaster, neighbours and local peers are inevitably the first responders. Communities are therefore the most effective locus of disaster preparedness activities.

What are the policy and institutional mechanisms for disaster risk reduction management in the Philippines?

The Philippines has a strong set of policies, frameworks and plans for disaster risk reduction (DRR), through which work on resilience can be grounded. The key law is the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 (DRRM Law). The DRRM Act establishes local councils at the regional, provincial, municipal, and community levels that replicate the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council's (NDDRMC) responsibilities; however, these local councils are often understaffed or lacking professionalisation and a significant gap exists as the NDRRMC cannot supervise all the local councils. 12 Local political leaders' support of disaster management, local appreciation of the importance of disaster management, funding, and training and support from the national government determine the effectiveness of local councils. 12 Climate change is altering the playing field as areas that had historically not been affected by disasters, and as such had been less likely to proactively view disaster management, are increasingly likely to face extreme, unpredictable weather events. 12

What work has been conducted in the Philippines related to resilience and DRR?

Hazards, vulnerability and risk assessments

It is uncertain how well disaster risk is communicated to the public, how many projects focus on improving community knowledge on hazards and disaster risk, and challenges remain in measuring and assessing the complex nature of all the factors which can influence disaster risk locally. There are limited studies to measure the combined socio-ecological resilience of the Philippines, at local and national scales, 13 , 14 to help decision-makers locate areas of high vulnerability. Comprehensive risk and vulnerability nation-wide and localised mapping exists from organisations such as the Manila Observatory and the Department of Science and Technology. Post-disaster assessments exist 15 but there is more need for equivalent pre-disaster risk assessments to be generated and shared with communities. Communicating risk information and ensuring communities personalise their risk are proving challenging. Even amongst highly educated demographics, such as medical students, there was a tendency to overestimate the risk of low probability, high consequence disasters such as geophysical disasters (e.g. earthquakes) over high probability events like floods. 16 Post-Haiyan surveys found that the public had not understood what “storm surge” signified, 17 did not necessarily know that their houses were located in a potential storm surge area, and even expressed opinions that the risk maps may be exaggerated. 18 A number of NGOs, including the Philippines Red Cross, conduct community-based vulnerability assessments to improve community awareness. More work on hazard sensitisation and continuing to augment awareness and knowledge of hazards and the threats they pose appear to be needed.

Early warning systems and evacuations

Early warning systems and evacuation plans necessarily rely on a public who understands their risks and understand the consequence of the information being disseminated, so that they can prepare appropriately in sufficient time. 18 , 19 , 20 Community culture, perceptions and values are known to be important components of successful early warning systems and there are calls for greater integration of local/indigenous knowledge related to DRR within science and policy. 21 , 22 Both an independent study and a PAGASA (the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) programme introduced community-based monitoring and early warning of hazards into several provinces and showed these were effective complements to traditional centralised early warning systems because they were real-time, localised, empowered those in the best position to undertake preparation and were more likely to be sustained. 23 , 24 Finally, evacuation planning, involving the pre-emptive evacuation of people in high risk locations, has been an effective means of reducing disaster impacts in the Philippines because in general communities are compliant. 15

Risk Transfer Mechanisms

It appears that community networks and reciprocity are the predominant mechanisms through which Filipinos cope with risk. Strong community or familial links have been shown to be just as effective as formal insurance schemes, post-disaster. 25 On an everyday basis, Filipinos promote bayanihan , which is a strong social norm of community welfare and reciprocal labour and comes into play during disasters, in which those less affected help those which have been hit harder. 26 There is some indication that in geographical regions most exposed to disaster risk, mutual associations and networks devoted to mutual assistance proliferate most readily. 26 However, community-based mutual assistance activities cannot always be relied upon. Community support may be widespread during the initial rehabilitation efforts, but during long-term recovery community-level activities become rarer and support is exclusive to extended family members. 27 Community-based activities are nuanced, social networks will be influential and the nature of the disaster and devastation will likely determine how the community comes together and who is excluded.

Capacity building for disaster preparedness

Capacity building is occurring across levels from local to national in the Philippines, but focus is predominantly at the local level where numerous actors and networks are collaborating with communities to identify existing capacities, as well as provide the opportunity to build infrastructure, which could minimise the impacts of a hazard. 28 Differences in community resources, livelihoods options and assets affect local capacity and the extent to which capacity can be strengthened. 29 A case study in Iloilo City showed that community-driven DRR required strong social networks, alternative finance facilities, technical professional networks that support community processes, and community managed information systems. 30 Furthermore, it has been highlighted that schools and student groups could play an important, though yet untapped, role in capacity-building for DRR. 31

The government is also contributing significantly to capacitating local government units (LGUs) by developing a checklist of actions to be taken, supplies to be procured, and important resources together with providing communications and contingency templates for disaster preparedness. These are aimed at the Mayors 32 as well as local chiefs of police and fire marshals. Yet, it is not clear whether these data collection efforts at the LGU level will contribute to improved national disaster preparedness. Further, there are limits to some of these capacity building projects including:

• "LGUs usually do not demand or procure research and analysis to inform their policy decision-making process on DRR" 33
• LGU municipalities and barangays lack up to date and sufficient contingency plans 34
• Political leaders lack adequate DRR training 12
• Schools have insufficient contingency plans on camp management and preparedness to act as the evacuation centres. 34

This assessment highlights the continued challenges of transforming policy beyond plans on paper.

Response and relief operations

The economic and geographic scale of destruction and damage to infrastructure, housing, communication lines, 34 and livelihoods assets 35 tests and often surpasses the national disaster response mechanisms, which otherwise are considered, overall, to “function well”. 12 Focusing on Typhoon Haiyan, the literature is divided on whether the response was well coordinated or not. On the one hand, the government played an integral role during the response efforts with the international UN cluster system joining the government cluster system and that coordination was good for the most part, resulting in far less morbidity and mortality than previous post-disaster scenarios. 36 Whilst on the other hand, reports highlight significant tension between the government and INGOs as the L3 response led to the sudden influx of international actors which undermined the usual procedures and relationships established by the Government of the Philippines. 37

There are cases of different actors working in parallel and duplicating efforts alongside cases of exemplary programming and collaboration. Successful programming included: collaborations between the government and communities for beneficiary selection; organisation of debris from coconut plantations to provide lumber for housing reconstruction; and the restoration of communication lines through emergency radio stations and private networks. 34 Parallel efforts occurred for a number of reasons:

• National NGOs were unaware of the cluster system and the cluster system did not actively engage with non-cluster actors, leading to a failure to engage with local actors. 47
• One study found that religious organisations, the private sector and local individuals distrusted the local and national government and so avoided collaboration and coordination. 38
• Coordination lacked between agencies due to the scale of the disaster. Cash transfers - unconditional and conditional - were used by at least 45 international humanitarians agencies reaching 1.4 million affected people, but were difficult to monitor and coordinate, resulting in many families receiving multiple cash transfers, which distorted the market.

Many lessons have been learnt from the response to Typhoon Haiyan, which will hopefully strengthen the national response mechanisms for equivalent future disasters as policies increasingly focus on preventative and proactive approaches to disaster management. 12

Rehabilitation, recovery and reconstruction

Rehabilitation, recovery and reconstruction programmes in the Philippines are hindered by recurrent disasters, a lack of financial resources, and the politicisation of the process. Linking immediate relief with longer-term recovery and disaster risk reduction remains one of the most persistent challenges of the aid sector globally, largely because of continued under-funding of recovery programmes, 36 , 39 confirmed by the post-Typhoon Haiyan experience where less than half of the $788m needed for recovery had been received six months after the disaster. 40 Long-term post-disaster assessments reveal the numerous gaps and challenges of the recovery process. Health, especially mental health, was overlooked 41 ; thousands remained without permanent settlement 38 ; millions were once again living in “unsafe” zones 38 ; and politicisation of the process affected vulnerable groups such as internally displaced people. 42 Despite these problems, reported optimism for recovery is high. Optimism is a powerful aspect of coping capacity and the onus is therefore on the government, local and international organisations to stay committed to their promises and to ensure that disaster affected populations do not lose hope and drive to overcome the impacts of disasters.

Where are the gaps and what is the future of community resilience in the Philippines?

Numerous activities in community-based resilience and DRR have been identified across the whole disaster continuum. Yet important gaps in research and practice remain. Most noticeably, the extant studies fail to provide a full picture of who is doing what, how, where and when on resilience and disaster preparedness. Lacking this, there is consequently no single study that compares the impacts and results that different preparedness measures are having in the Philippines.

In addition, specific gaps were identified in programming focusing on public knowledge about risks; data collection and socio-ecological research; and understanding communities. Firstly, a changing climate and more extreme weather events mean that communities can no longer rely on past experience to help prepare for future disasters. Communities need to be able to access current continually updated information on what changing global environmental systems and the impacts of previous disasters mean for their future disaster risk. Secondly, important data and research which could help inform policy and disaster management decisions are lacking, including: published data on local, disaggregated environmental and ecological changes and how these changes feed into disaster risk; population-based surveys on disaster risk perceptions and preparations; research on how smaller scale disasters may erode resilience; and long-term recovery and relocation initiatives to ensure transformative adaptation towards greater resilience. 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 Thirdly, despite communities being the focus of attention of a number of studies, there are differing definitions of community, varied ways of measuring social capital, and limited research on marginalised persons who are excluded from community support (such as bayanihan) .

Many important questions remain to be addressed such as what training and support do local political leaders need so that they are more effective in DRR? 12 Can communities withstand future Haiyan-like events? What are the limits of community-based disaster resilience? Which community members are likely to be excluded from community networks? What pressures can these networks withstand and under what conditions do they breakdown?

Recommendations for future work

To further build on the ongoing disaster preparedness and resilience initiatives occurring in the Philippines, three top priorities for future work were identified:

• Map the network and activities of national and international agencies and actors working on resilience and disaster preparedness. This mapping should capture who is doing what activities and where. It would help identify programmatic and geographic gaps and overlaps and contribute towards increasing coordination and mutual learning among the different actors.
• Research into community perceptions of disaster risk preparedness and resilience. Risk perception, cognitive barriers and cultural values shape how people will respond to disaster warnings and preparedness initiatives. Interventions and knowledge campaigns must be tailored to ensure maximum acceptance and adoption by people and their communities. This research is vital to help inform policy, initiatives, and operational programming.
• Increased research into the socio-ecological systems and what metrics can capture this system. This research must look at how climate change will impact environmental systems which in turn affect social systems; how certain demographics (e.g. informal settlers) may live in different socio-ecological systems compared to their wider communities. This research would help inform mitigation and prevention strategies alongside preparedness.

This paper assessed the extant research and practice of resilience and disaster preparedness in the Philippines, which serves as a good model on how to strengthen resilience and promote disaster risk reduction at the local level. Research and interventions are already identifying examples of best practice in disaster preparedness, response and recovery; however, important underlying drivers of disaster risk, such as a degrading environment and inequality, still remain over looked. With the frequency and intensity of disasters set to increase, communities are going to have to prepare more for worse events. This poses the question of how much longer we can react to disasters rather than mitigating them in the first place. The urgency with which we must address the research gaps across the disaster cycle, and in particular in preventing and mitigating disaster risk alongside preparedness, is mounting. Research findings must then be translated in policy decisions with committed implementation. A greater prioritisation of mitigation, prevention and preparedness is not only economically advantageous, but from a humanitarian point of view, reduces the human costs, and aligns with initiatives on sustainable development.

Data Availability

Correspondence.

Tilly Alcayna: [email protected]

Vincenzo Bollettino: [email protected]

Biographies

Tilly Alcayna is a Research Consultant for the DisasterNet project which focuses on supporting local and national capacity for disaster preparedness and response in the Philippines, as part of the Resilient Communities Program. Previously, Tilly has worked in the Philippines, Nepal, Colombia, and South Sudan, conducting disaster risk and health assessments. She is the Director of Futureproof-Ideas an international research consultancy that brings together expertise from different disciplines to generate sustainable solutions to cross-cutting problems related to health, the environment, and society. Previously she has worked for the European Commission, the British Red Cross in the UK Operations Division, and the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in the Expedition Advisory Centre in London. Tilly holds a Masters in Public Health in Disasters (MPH) jointly from the Universidad de Oviedo, Spain and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. She also holds a Bachelor in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford. Her research interests lie in socio-ecological systems, disaster risk reduction, environmental health and humanitarian assistance.

Dr. Bollettino is the Director of Resilient Communities Program at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative .Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Bollettino served for five years as Executive Director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. Dr. Bollettino has twenty years of professional and academic experience in international politics, humanitarian action, civil-military engagement in emergencies, and the security of humanitarian aid workers. He has spent that past fourteen years of his career at Harvard University in administration, teaching, and research. Current research focuses on civil military engagement during humanitarian emergencies, the security of humanitarian aid workers, and on the professionalization of the humanitarian aid field. Dr. Bollettino has managed several large training and policy development initiatives related to international humanitarian law, responsibility to protect, and peace building operations and has designed security reporting systems and program evaluations for field security measures in complex emergencies. He has authored several publications related to disaster management and humanitarian assistance, and has consulted with numerous international nongovernmental organization and UN agencies. He has taught courses on research design, peace building, and international politics at the Harvard Extension School. Dr. Bollettino came to Harvard University on a post-doctoral fellowship with the Program on Non-violent Sanctions and Cultural Survival at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. He completed his Ph.D. at the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver. Dr. Bollettino currently serves on the boards of ELRHA (Enhancing Learning and Research for Humanitarian Assistance), ACF (Action Against Hunger), and the International Solutions Group.

Patrick Vinck, Ph.D. Director of research, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. Assistant professor, Harvard Medical School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Funding Statement

The authors are funded through a grant supporting the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative DisasterNet project. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Contributor Information

Tilly Alcayna, Dept of Global Health and Population, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Cambridge, Massachussets, USA.

Vincenzo Bollettino, Dept of Global Health and Population, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Cambridge, Massachussets, USA.

Philip Dy, School of Government, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines.

Patrick Vinck, Dept of Global Health and Population, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Cambridge, Massachussets, USA.

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INSIDE DAVE THE DIVER’S CREATIVE DEEP DIVE

With limited resources and a desire to serve up something great, the Dave the Diver team worked with Unity to assemble the optimal ingredients for their genre-bending hit.

Case study: Dave the Diver

How does a small team create a complex, 2D/3D multi-genre hit across multiple platforms? With a tech stack that includes the Universal Render Pipeline, C# Job System, Cinemachine, Input System, and help from the Integrated Success team, the Dave the Diver team launched a stunning, well-optimized, and much-beloved game.

Tackling complicated visual elements on multiple platforms

PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch™

South Korea

Fishing for the right partner

Dave the Diver combines adventure, role playing, and tycoon gaming. Players control Dave, a diver who explores the sea, collects fish, avoids menacing creatures, solves quests, and then makes and sells sushi with freshly caught ingredients.

The small team knew they needed a partner to help balance complex multi-genre gameplay elements across multiple platforms. 

"We chose Unity because its features gave us autonomy and time to develop the gameplay, and for its reputation as a strong multiplatform partner," says director Jaeho Hwang.

The results

• Sold 2 million copies worldwide
• Peaked at over 98,000 concurrent players on Steam  
• Gained 56k+ “overwhelmingly positive” user reviews on Steam
• Attained #2 global top seller on Steam (as of June 29, 2023)

Nintendo Switch is a registered trademark of Nintendo.

Netting optimal quality and efficiency

Angling for the most fun, going deep with c# job system, scaling multiplatform with ease, ascending with integrated success, finding the right ingredients for success.

One of the main challenges that the team faced was ensuring top visual quality across multiple platforms. Using the Universal Render Pipeline (URP) helped them create, optimize, and scale their graphics. Lead game designer Chanhee Woo says, “URP gave us a great advantage. We just had to configure a platform-specific Render Pipeline Asset and specify it in the quality settings. We set very high graphic standards, and we met them.”

Another obstacle they had was a quick initial turnaround for features and gameplay ideas. Fast ideation was pertinent for their artists, whose perspectives were instrumental for the game’s shaders. To avoid delays, they selected Shader Graph , a node-based visual authoring tool. 

“The fact that non-programmers such as artists can use Shader Graph is a considerable benefit,” explains art director Kiyeop Chung. “We got their direct input. And the results could be seen immediately.”

Dave the Diver blends 2D pixels and 3D art. “It was very appealing to us to have both the arcade-like action of 2D with the spatial impression of 3D,” says Woo. The team had difficulties with camera views and performing interactions when they were implementing ideas, so they chose Cinemachine , a suite of tools for codeless cameras, to help them select the best shots. They could preview and set up the placement and configuration they needed by organizing multiple cameras.

“It was set up just like a shooting location,” Woo continues. “Cinemachine helped us easily create and direct the dynamics with natural blends, shakes, and targeted focus options.”

An integral part of the team’s visual strategy was ensuring that graphics are as realistic as possible without affecting performance. They faced challenges generating fish swarming behavior, so they cast the C# Job System and Burst compiler to solve these issues.

“Normally, calculating each vector linearly to determine the swarming behavior would cause high CPU occupancy, but writing code with C# Job System and compiling and optimizing it with the Burst compiler helped it perform significantly better,” says lead programmer Bosung Seo. 

The team also struggled with collisions. In Dave the Diver , the fish push one another gently to create a sense of depth in 2D and 3D, and the team had a hard time landing this effect. “To remedy this,” Seo explains, “we paired C# Job System with Unity Physics , which made this dynamic and easily changeable pushing logic possible.”

The Dave the Diver team wanted to deploy and maintain the game on multiple platforms. Given their small size, the potential time and costs associated with this release strategy were overwhelming, and they used the Input System to help ease and accelerate the process. 

“The cost of bringing the game to multiple platforms was minimal,” explains Seo. “We migrated the engine, and changed the controls to Input System. We used the same code and assets without any conversion, for both platforms, and it was extremely helpful.”

The team used the same tool to overcome the hurdle of handling different controllers. “With Input System,” Seo continues, “the grouping of actions and the key settings for each action were easy to add and modify with the UX. It was also beneficial because we could add and do the reset with code at runtime. It saved us a ton of time.”

Hooking a big, performant fish in gaming takes a lot of work and help to iterate, test, and troubleshoot for maximum visual impact.

They used the Timeline view in the Unity Profiler to help identify performance bottlenecks, and they enlisted the Integrated Success team to help them identify, learn about, and rectify profiling issues with both code and design solves.

“We had great experiences getting help from the Unity engineers,” says Seo. “We would send profiling data to them and resolve the problems together, or they would give us suggestions for optimization solutions by checking the internal engine code.”

The engineers also provided them with an easy and accessible way to analyze specific lines of source code. “When we had an abnormal event call stack, one of Unity’s engineers resolved the issue by checking the engine code with us, and attached the source code to check when we had inquiries. It’s very insightful.” 

From the onset, they wanted to create a unique 2D/3D visual experience with separate, multi-genre gameplay elements and storylines that feel realistic and fun. Fusing it all together organically on multiple platforms was a complex task, and it was imperative for the team to select a tech stack that made it easier for them to manage visual quality, efficiency, and storylines. 

By coupling that with a strong community feedback loop and thorough internal testing, Dave the Diver was primed to be an instant hit.

Hwang says, “We set out to develop an elaborate and entertaining game that the community loves, on our own terms. Our expectations were high, and we’re thrilled with the final product.”

"Universal Render Pipeline gave us a great advantage. We just had to configure a platform-specific Render Pipeline Asset, and specify it in the quality settings. We set very high graphic standards, and we met them."

"We had great experiences getting help from the Integrated Success engineers. We would send profiling data to them and resolve the problems together, or they would give us suggestions for optimization solutions by checking the internal engine code."

Make it multiplatform

Reach a wider audience and feel confident that your game is ready for the future, no matter how the industry evolves or where your imagination takes you. Create content once and deploy it on more than 18 platforms to captivate players across formats.

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