WE HAVE heard that the start of National Disaster Resilient Month (NDRM) was on July 1, 2019, which coincided with the first day at work of our new set of Public Officials. Should we analyze, it means that Public officials must consider their community’s disaster resilience from this month on and until forever.
But being disaster resilient is not supposed to be done by our officials and officers alone. It starts from the community within. Each individual should be capacitated with trainings and information on disaster and its components – something that the barangay LGU is working on.
If the community is being trained for disaster resiliency, how about the entrepreneurs? We must not forget that losing enterprises during disasters also affects everyone’s lives. Especially those whose products are essential in rehabilitation and recovery like foods, construction materials, clothing, and cash loans. This is what the La Trinidad Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC) considered in a meeting when Hedcor Benguet and Aboitiz Foundation reached out for a proposed project with the Municipal Government. And as agreed upon, the offices for municipal cooperative development and DRRM came up to a consensus of implementing a project called business continuity planning (BCP).
BCP is the process involved in creating a system of prevention and recovery from potential threats to a company (or business). The plan ensures that personnel and assets are protected and are able to function quickly in the event of a disaster. It also finds those that your enterprise may require, for a certain hazard, to prevent occurrence of a disaster.
Last week, I was able to attend the Training of Trainers of Business Continuity Planning, conducted by the Hedcor and Aboitiz, for Trainers from the Municipality of La Trinidad. I found out that it is indeed a planning to sustain provision of items or products of a certain enterprise, may it be micro, small, medium enterprise, or corporations and companies, even when struck by a disaster. It will definitely help entrepreneurs to quickly bounce back and forward in times of disaster.
When you have a business on a building erected on a landslide prone area, your Business Continuity Plan should inform you of dos and don’ts. From the procurements and constructions, to schedules of actions and re-opening of your business, they are all listed. It could also answer your worries and questions such as the following; what are the things you need to prepare or pre-position for use in times of critical occurrence of a disaster to ensure that your business can open in the soonest possible time? Or are you supposed to transfer your products in another place when a typhoon comes (for safety)?
The best thing about Business Continuity Plan is that its formulation adopts the cycle of performing Analysis, Design, Implementation and Validation. It is custom built that no Business Continuity Plan is supposed to be the same; because its design is specifically made for a particular business in a particular location which is owned by a particular entrepreneur. When you need to purchase tools and equipment for Disaster Preparedness or Resilience, you can also use the Business Continuity Plan as your back-up document; because the need, rationale and explanations for the required procurement could be well defined there with tables and narratives.
This is now the newest capacity that we can build to help entrepreneurs improve their disaster resiliency. Business continuity planning is conducted for two-days (minimum). We have trainers from the La Trinidad Municipal Cooperative Development Office and/or La Trinidad MDRRMC (depending on availability) should you want to formulate one. Just coordinate properly for appropriate scheduling.
If you want to help make a Disaster Resilient Community, and you are an entrepreneur, be sure to make your business a Disaster Resilient Enterprise too. Craft your Business Continuity Plan- Trust me; it is a very good start.