Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation, Inc. (CLFI) is holding its second Barangay Resilience Exchange 2022 (BRX2022) Online Conference from October 13 to 14. The two-day virtual summit is the first and only digital conference of its kind in the country, providing a platform where local communities can share best practices for responding to calamities or disasters.
The corporate social responsibility arm of microfinancial services provider Cebuana Lhuillier mounted the first Barangay Resilience Exchange in 2021 with the goal to connect barangay leaders and responders with organizations and leaders that spearhead disaster response activities across the country. It is also in line with the advocacy of parent firm Cebuana Lhuillier, which has been holding yearly disaster resilience forums.
BRX2022 is also aiming to establish connections among community leaders, multi-sectoral groups, and private organizations to enable much-needed and appropriate support in times of emergencies and natural disasters.
With the theme ‘Ang Handang Barangay, Mahusay!,’ BRX2022 highlights the importance of collaboration as well as coordination among government, private organizations, NGOs, and the community in order to survive and thrive following a major calamity.
“Cebuana Lhuillier has always prided itself for its commitment towards helping Filipinos lead better lives—whether through our call towards financial inclusion or through our CSR programs designed to empower Filipinos,” said Cebuana Lhuillier President and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier.
“Disaster resilience is one of our main thrusts as it impacts the safety, security, and livelihood of the very communities we serve. Through BRX2022 and with the help of our partner institutions, our hope is that our barangay leaders will get valuable learnings that they can use in times of emergencies,” he added.
BRX2022 will facilitate two days of online learning courtesy of various agencies that signed up and agreed to share their knowledge. It will also be mounted through the support of the government via the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD). Leading the roster of resource speakers are DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum.
On the first day, other experts will share their expertise, including UP Resilience Institute Executive Director Dr. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay, UP NOAH Center’s Joy Santiago EnP, Project Michael Angelo Foundation Founder and President Dr. Jojo Sayson, Usec. Raymundo Ferrer from the Department of National Defense’s OCD, and Komunidad Founder & CEO Felix Ayque.
BRX2022 second day will feature talks from Dr. Teofredo Esguerra from the Energy Development Corporation, as well as live interviews featuring disaster resilience advocates and local community leaders from across the country, and panel discussions with representatives from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), German Cooperation Agency (GIZ), Globe Group, SM Supermalls, Oxfam, Sagip Kapamilya, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices, Cebuana Lhuillier Insurance Brokers, and many more.
“The second staging of BRX2022 continues CLFI’s thrust in promoting the importance of public-private and community collaboration,” said CLFI First Vice President & Executive Director Jonathan Batangan. “We are lucky to have gotten the support of the government, as well as the organizations who lead the way when it comes to disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, rehabilitation, and recovery encompassing the disaster risk reduction and management value chain.”
Interested individuals, community leaders, and groups from across the country could register for free and join BRX2022 through this link.
[wpedon id=”7508″ align=”center”]