GUIUAN, Eastern Samar– Vulnerable to tropical cyclones and volcanic eruptions, the municipality of Guiuan is one of the most disaster-prone areas in the country due to its geographic location. At least 60 barangays—48 located along the coastal areas—are especially considered at high risk. Thus, a data-driven climate change investment plan is needed to complement the province’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) programs.
Action for Economic Reforms (AER), through its Data-Driven Development in the Philippines (PH3D) project, organized a data governance workshop with the local government unit (LGU) of Guiuan last May 5, 2022 to help the municipality use data and technology to plan and allocate resources, implement their DRRM programs, and inform their policies.
Mr. Phillip Aranas, Secretary, from the Office of the Mayor, welcomed the AER team and participants and urged everyone to actively engage during the discussions. Meanwhile, PH3D Overall Project Coordinator Ms. Victoria Quimbo thanked the Office of the Mayor and the local officials for their support of the project, and appealed to the participants to “help us all become data champions.”
Topics covered during the Data Governance Workshop included: Data Security, Data Access and Freedom of Information (FOI), Data Management, and Data Privacy. Local officials noted the need to standardize the collection of data by institutionalizing the set-up of a data repository office and a centralized database. They noted that discrepancies in data collection are due to a lack of expertise, infrastructure, funding, and resources. Hence, proposed actions included the collection of updated data from all barangays; creation of a dedicated team for data gathering; appointment of a Data Privacy Officer; and creation of information, education and communication (IEC) materials (e.g., comics-style infographics) written in the local dialect for dissemination to the public.
Workshop participants also reiterated that the sharing of data with other government agencies is important, and a centralized portal will help facilitate better exchange of data among line agencies and the LGU. As climate change investments require large funding, officials also emphasized the importance of having data-based, risk-sensitive frameworks and plans to guide the province on where to safely build houses and establishments.
Additionally, Guiuan officials identified the lack of internet connectivity and accessibility as a barrier to data collection. They proposed that the municipality should look into increasing the number of cell sites, and enhance their services to accommodate 4G or 5G internet connectivity.
PH3D helps LGUs deliver their priority projects using data, technology, and community alliances. The implementation of PH3D in Guiuan is made possible through the funding support of the European Union.
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Action for Economic Reforms (AER) was established in 1996 and is a policy research, advocacy, and action group by publicly-engaged political economists with focus on various sectors from fiscal policy, food and agriculture, industrial policy, governance, interface, and data-driven development.
PH3D, a component of AER’s data-driven development focus and co-funded by the European Union (EU), helps Local Government Units (LGU) deliver their priority projects using data and technology, and community alliances. Using this framework, LGUs will have access to actionable evidence that will empower them to view macro and micro data, prioritize programs, manage resources, enhance capacity, and get support from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).