Before capping of 2021, the Moving Urban Poor Communities toward Resilience (MOVE UP) Project, funded by the EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid – ECHO, was been nominated under the NextGen CapDev Accelerator Award by the Local Government Academy for its partnership and efforts in contributing to capacity development activities, the co-development of knowledge products, and the enhancement of preparedness manuals and plans.
Held both onsite and virtually at the Manila Hotel last December 21, 2021, Gabi ng Pasasalamat 2021 is a partner appreciation awards night by the Local Government Academy. It was during this event that the Moving Urban Poor Communities toward Resilience (MOVE UP) Mindanao Project, among other distinguished organizations, received a Partner Appreciation Certificate under the NextGen CapDev Accelerator Award.
In recent months, the DILG-Local Government Academy capacity development initiatives such as webinar executive sessions for newly elected officials (NEO WES) and L!stong Ugnayan Sessions have served as avenues for the MOVE UP Mindanao Project, in collaboration with the Resilience and Innovation Learning Hub, to build capacities and advocate tested urban resilience strategies among local governments and other stakeholders.
MOVE UP is an urban resilience project funded by the EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid – ECHO and is implemented by consortium partners CARE Philippines, ACCORD Incorporated, Plan International Philippines, and Action Against Hunger Philippines.
Recent record-high reports on new active COVID-19 cases show that the pandemic is far from over. Even the slight decrease in transmission in Metro Manila offers little comfort, as other regions brace and prepare for a possible surge.
In Mindanao, for example, local governments have expressed fatigue and dwindling resources to respond effectively to the pandemic, on top of other emergencies such as natural hazards, protracted conflict, and climate risks.
As hospital beds run out, people are lining up in makeshift tents with some of them dying while waiting for their turn to be admitted. Overwhelmed health workers, insufficient space for treatment and isolation, and financial difficulty call for alternative and cost-efficient solutions.
From Alternative Temporary Shelters to Community Quarantine Facilities
At the onset of the pandemic, local government partners of the Moving Urban Poor Communities in the Philippines toward Resilience (MOVE UP) Project were aware that the rising cases and lack of medical resources and spatial capacity could pose grave consequences in densely populated cities.
In an effort to complement government response, the MOVE UP project along with partners such as the Czech Republic Humanitarian Aid and United Architects of the Philippines – Emergency Architects worked together to adapt Alternative Temporary Shelters (ATS) into quarantine facilities.
Despite mobility constraints and other health measures, the first Community Quarantine Facility adapted from ATS models was turned over in Malabon City on 18 June 2020, and received DOH certification in the same week. The experience in opening the 38-bed-capacity of the amphitheater still in operation has provided valuable lessons in replication of the strategy in other areas in Malabon and also in Mindanao.
Following the same strategy, community quarantine facilities were also set up by the local governments of Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Cagayan de Oro, Tandag City, and Surigao del Sur with support from MOVE UP and REACH projects.
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The Moving Urban Poor Communities Toward Resilience (MOVE UP) Project is funded by EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid – ECHO and is implemented by ACCORD Incorporated, Action Against Hunger Philippines, CARE Philippines, and Plan International Philippines.