
The Isabela State University (ISU) continues to fortify its partnership both in local and international grounds as it spearheaded a multipartite Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction Management (CCA-DRRM) Forum with Japanese experts in the Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University (DPRI-KU), local government officials, and community stakeholders at Quirino State University – Diffun Campus (QSU) on November 9, 2022. The forum was organized to present DPRI-KU Japan’s good practices and collaborative projects in Cagayan River Basin, updates on plans and programs of agencies as well as designs for institutional collaboration on research and development, capacity building, technology transfer, and knowledge sharing on climate change, drought, and flood risk management. It was participated by the Local Government Unit of Aglipay, Quirino, Campus Officials, faculty members, and students from QSU, and project staff of ISU-Echague Campus.
Dr. Elizabeth Carig, QSU’s Vice President for Academic, Research and Extension, challenged everyone to instigate more research activities for the environment like watershed management since Quirino Province is the headwater of the Cagayan River Basin. The first phase of the program highlighted the presentations of Dr. Sameh Ahmed Kantoush, Dr. Khagendra Pralhad Bharambe, and Ms. Hikaru Goto, the Japanese experts from the Disaster Prevention Research Institute of Kyoto University (DPRI-KU). They introduced the R&D collaborative projects between ISU and KU, and explicated the essence of alleviating the impacts of climate change and the implementation of flood mitigation and risk communication measures for a more holistic disaster preparedness and response approach.
Afterwards, Dr. Orlando F. Balderama, ISU’s Vice President for Research and Development, Extension and Training, explained the integration of climate change-adaptive technologies for disaster prevention and impact mitigation in smallhold farms in vulnerable lowland and upland communities in Cagayan Valley Region. During the open forum, the participants and resource speakers deliberated on climate change impacts as contributory factor to global warming, drought and flood risks, and use of rainfall forecast for the improvement of dam operations. Dr. Hermenegildo F. Samoy Jr., QSU President, then clinched the CCA-DRRM Forum by accentuating the topography of the Quirino Province as the watershed haven in Region 2 and how they can help in watershed rehabilitation and flood and river siltation prevention.
Additionally, the IFWARM Project Team led by Dr. Balderama, Japanese partners, and QSU project staff proceeded to San Leonardo, Aglipay, a drought-prone area in the Quirino Province, for the community survey – a strategy which involves local communities in flood and drought risk management. The Japanese stakeholders administered a questionnaire and had a focus group discussion with the community partners to determine their perception on drought risk in Cagayan River Basin area to subsequently identify influencing factors in public risk communication and dissemination for better risk management. Lastly, the group visited the Addalam Dam to acquaint the international partners with the water infrastructures and facilities of the dam for a more profound insight on the dam situations in the Philippines.
This science-academe-government-community collaboration in Quirino Province is the second phase of the series of CCA-DRRM Forums in other municipalities of Isabela and an offshoot of the joint project between ISU and KU which stressed the essence of involvement of local communities in flood risk management. Indeed, from this initial spark of community partnership arises a flame induced by the stakeholders’ desire to fulfill their shared responsibilities for a more disaster resilient society.





