The Isabela State University unceasingly proves its strong collaborative nexus with international and national agencies as it spearheaded another multipartite knowledge-sharing activity on flood risk management with the experts from Japan and Technical Working Group (TWG) of Cagayan River Basin (CRB) on November 4, 2022 at the Alba Hall, Administration Building of the University. The special meeting aimed to present Japan’s good practices and collaborative projects in Cagayan River Basin on climate change, drought, and flood risk management; discuss and endorse R&D outputs translated into policy recommendations to CRBMC; and present and endorse a proposal for benchmarking travel mission to DPRI-Kyoto University (KU), Japan Water Agency (JWA), and River Basins Organizations (RBOs) in Japan.

This internationalization venture was organized by the University through its internationally funded research project Integrated Flood and Water Resources Management in ASEAN Basins for Sustainable Development led by Dr. Orlando F. Balderama, Vice President for Research and Development, Extension and Training. This grand event was attended by international partners from Japan, and dignitaries from the different government agencies comprising the TWG of CRB such as Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Department of Agriculture (DA),  Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of  Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA),  National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Provincial Local Government Unit (PLGU) – Cagayan and Isabela, River Basin Control Office (RBCO), University of the Philippines – Los Baños. (UPLB), Cagayan State University (CSU), and Isabela State University.

As the host of this multisectoral meeting, Dr. Ricmar P. Aquino, ISU President, warmly welcomed the international and local delegates by accentuating the challenge to make action to alleviate the impacts of climate change. Dr. Sameh Ahmed Kantoush, an Associate Professor in Kyoto University, then highlighted in his opening remarks that achieving disaster resilience should be the top priority of the Philippine nation, particularly the government agencies, private sector, and local communities. Afterwards, Dir. Gwendolyn Bambalan, the Regional Director of Department of Environment and Natural Resources also gave prominence to some of the projects implemented by their agency, particularly the Build Back Better Program, and she encouraged the body to strengthen the institutional arrangement for the CRB.

To direct the participants of the technical session, Dr. Ralph C. Pablo, DENR-CAR representative, stressed the need to implement projects for watershed management, agroforestry development, and establishment of agro-support facilities and to promote research and government agencies’ collaboration in the employment of engineering or vegetative interventions. “This endeavor is important because we need to plan with nature”, he added to emphasize the essence of considering watershed as a unit of planning. The proceeding was followed by the introduction of participants and rationale of the inter-regional consultation and TWG meeting by For. Enrique Pasion.

Moreover, the TWG meeting proper began with the presentation and adoption of agenda by For. Pasion as Secretariat of CRBMC, and it was presided by Dir. Bambalan. As the technical session progressed, Executive Director Nelson V. Gorospe presented the RBCO mandates and Integrated River Basin Management and Development Master Plan (IRBMDMP) updating. He elucidated the meaning of a river basin, legal mandates defining the power and functions of RBCO, purpose and outline of CRB Master Plan, and the challenges or considerations in updating the IRBMDMP (2022). After the discussion, the question-and-answer part was focused on the status of CRBMC with reference to the creation of water super body, establishment of watershed authority, and structure of regional and field offices, particularly in river basins with large areas such as Cagayan Valley and Cordillera Administrative Regions. The exchange of information shed light on the accountability of the prospective governing body to oversee water resources management and harmonize plans and policies with regard to water use and security.

Additionally, Dr. Rex Victor O. Cruz, Director of the College of Forestry and Natural Resources – UPLB, explicated the agendum on “Review and Updating of Climate-Responsive Integrated River Basin Management and Development Master Plan for Cagayan River Basin”. Explicitly, he explained the rationale and objectives of the project, features of CRB, methodology, reporting requirements, work plan and schedule. He also highlighted proposed solutions to Cagayan flooding and some existing projects in CRB. During the deliberation phase, the need for groundwater assessment as data sets, comprehensive water resources management plan, adaptive master planning, and use of available data sets in upgrading the master plan was brought forth by the body. Moreover, issues on forest cover from NAMRIA, expensive dredging activities, and social acceptability of large dams also emerged during the discussion. Conclusively, the body proposed the adherence of Performance Partnership Agreement (PPA) to the master plan, construction of dams within river tributaries, use of Sabo dams, collaboration between Philippines and Japan for the gathering of local river basin data, and communication of the essential roles of dams in flood magnitude reduction.

Afterwards, For. Severino J. Antonio, DMO III – DENR, presented the agendum on “Terms of Reference for the Review and Updating of the Integrated River Basin Management and Development Master Plan of the Cagayan River Basin”. Essentially, he expounded on the rationale of the project, its duration and budgetary requirements, schedule of payment and deliverables, service provider qualification requirement, and expertise requirement for the scope of work and technical services. He also presented the timeline of accomplishments of their agency in updating the CRB Master Plan with emphasis on consultative participatory approach to address multiphase deliverables and reporting requirements. During the exchange of information between or among the TWG, Dir. Bambalan led the body to set a tentative date and timeline for the submission of the final draft of the master plan, draft report phase 1, and so forth. The body then concurred that the CRB Master Plan, as it is considered as a medium-term development plan, should be presented during the Inception Report or before the end of November 2022 since it will be presented to the Steering Committee chaired by the Secretary.

To venture on Japan’s good practices on climate change, drought, and flood risk management, Dr. Sameh Ahmed Kantoush, Associate Professor in Disaster Prevention Research Institute of Kyoto University (DPRI-KU), Japan, discussed the agendum on “Enhancing Integrated Flood Risk Management Focusing on Socio-Economic Impacts, Forecasting, Risk Communication and Mitigation Measures”. He elaborated on the impacts of natural disaster events in the Philippines (i.e., storms and floods) as well as the challenges in CRB to put forward the essence of the ongoing collaborative projects between Philippines and Japan. He also accentuated the need for urgent interventions, particularly on risk communication with key dimensions such as rainfall-runoff forecasting, socio-economic impacts, flood risk communication, and flood mitigation measures. As a response, the body requested Dr. Kantoush to present again the empirical data on Magat Dam on the scheduled meeting with NIA on November 11, 2022, especially that involvement of local communities in flood risk management activities is a good practice that concerned implementing agencies should integrate in their operations.

In the same vein, Dr. Khagendra Pralhad Bharambe, a Post-Doctoral Fellow at DPRI-KU, Japan, presented the agendum on “Spatio-Temporal Impacts of Climate Change over the Cagayan River Basin, Philippines”.  Specifically, he elucidated on climate change impacts on agriculture and economy and projected changes in global and the Philippines’ average temperature by 21st century. Likewise, he also presented their project on “Estimation of Extreme Climate Events and Drought Risk over Cagayan River Basin” with regard to its key issues and objectives, research approach and methodology, flowchart for agricultural drought risk assessment and mapping, and analysis and discussion of climate change impacts on extreme climate events. Since Philippines-Japan collaboration on R&D studies continuously prospers, a survey questionnaire for the joint project titled “Flood Mitigation and Risk Communication under Successive Typhoons at Cagayan River Basin in the Philippines” were also administered to and answered by the body.

Moreover, Ms. Hikaru Goto, MS student at Kyoto University also shared her study on “Flood Risk Mitigation Measures in Cagayan River Basin Based on Magat Dam Flood Management”. She also stressed the need for improvement measures to counteract the effects of Magat Dam sedimentation and upgrade operation rules. In fact, her study supported the proposition of Dr. Pablo about the construction of flood storage dams in the tributary basins. By and large, the TWG expressed their appreciation to the Japan experts for their empirical and scientific data on Magat Dam situation, and for sharing their practices on sediment measurement as well as their flood mitigation measures.

Furthermore, Dr. Balderama presented 10 policy notes on climate change impacts, dam discharge protocols, flood and drought vulnerability assessments, and institutionalization framework which sprang from research-based projects to offer science-based solutions to water-related hazards. He also accentuated the need for benchmarking trip to Japan’s RBOs as part of the collaborative and internationalization efforts of each country specifically in terms of knowledge and technology transfer. After his presentation, he motioned for the TWG’s endorsement of the policy recommendations to the CRBMC. In response to this, For. Pasion advised Dr. Balderama to formalize the policy briefs in a form of a resolution, and follow the prescribed format for policy recommendations before presenting it to the council. Then, the body seconded the aforesaid motion as these policy notes serve as technical guidance based on empirical data to bridge science and policy through scientific approaches.

Finally, Dr. Isagani P. Angeles Jr., University Director for Public Affairs and External Linkages, presented to the body the details of the “2nd International Conference on Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction Management” on March 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand, particularly its objectives, expected outputs, conference design, organizers, scope of paper presentation, and timeline of activities. Atty. Romano P. Cammayo, Vice President for Administration and Finance Services, then concluded the special meeting by acknowledging the commitment, dedication, and essential roles played by the stakeholders and intellectual researchers from Japan in solving the environmental problems in the country and in safeguarding the lives of the community.