Disaster Resilience | Cebuana Lhuillier Pawnshop

MSMEs need to learn more about disaster resilience – DTI

Recognizing the need to raise MSMEs’ knowledge on disaster resilience, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) continuous to conduct regional business forums on disaster resilience as well as business continuity planning (BCP) workshops across the country.

According to the DTI, micro enterprises are adversely impacted by disasters, suffering the longest period of business disruption whenever disaster strikes. As such, efforts to teach MSMEs about business continuity planning must be intensified.

To date, the DTI through the Bureau of Small and Medium Enterprise Development (BSMED) has conducted eleven (11) regional business forums participated in by 2,685 MSMEs. Complementing these forums are disaster resilience seminars and conferences organized by DTI regional offices.

In a recent forum held in Zamboanga region, DTI regional MSME development division chief Lowell Vallecer said MSMEs should be innovative and resilient. “In cases of calamities, they must know what to do and to rise as soon as possible” Vallecer said.The forum, under the theme“enhancing innovative and resilient MSMEs,” revolved around the challenges confronting MSMES in Zamboanga Peninsula including strengthening MSMEs’ resilience against disasters.

Working with partners

Seeking to create most meaningful impact on strengthening MSMEs’ disaster resilience, the DTI works with stakeholders from the government, private sector, NGOs, academe, and LGUs. One of the agencies that DTI works with is Cebuana Lhuillier Insurance Solutions (CLIS)which serves as key resource on the role of microinsurance in building disaster resilient communities.

“CLIS, as one of our regular speakers, provides insights on the role of microinsurance in building disaster resilient communities. It is also one of our partners in the Promotion of Microinsurance Disaster Risk Insurance (MicroDRI) for MSMEs in the Philippines project. The organization is helpful in developing the design of affordable microinsurance products for MSMEs,” DTI BSMED said.

In July 26, 2018,Jonathan D. Batangan, First Vice President and Group Head, PJ Lhuillier, Inc., spoke at the DTI’s Business Forum on SME Development and Disaster Resilience in Legazpi City. He stressed the importance of equipping MSMEs with the right information and tools in order that they may be ready to respond to and recover from disasters.

“Unfortunately, amid growing threats of disasters, many micro and small entrepreneurs remain unprepared. They don’t have any business continuity plan. They have no insurance to protect themselves from risks to their businesses. Hopefully, through DTI’s efforts to integrate disaster resilience in MSME programs, we can help more MSMEs become disaster resilient,” Batangan added.

MSME Resilience Core Group

DTI is one of the members of the MSME Resilience Core Group (MSME RCG). Formed in 2016, the MSME RCG is actively involved in implementing the SME Resilience Roadmap and Action Plan, with the following themes: (1) Enhancing SME general and disaster risk data, (2) Disaster risk reduction and management and business continuity management awareness and training, (3) Tailored disaster-risk financing for SMEs, and (4) SME inclusion in disaster risk reduction and management, and climate change adaptation policies, planning, and local institutions.

sources:

Cebuana Lhuillier’s interview with DTI-BSMED, Philippine News Agency, Manila Bulletin

Manifesto for disaster resiliency

Disaster management, risk reduction, and post-disaster rehabilitation experts convened at the Cebuana Lhuillier 2018 Ready: Disaster Resilience Forum to share learnings and best practices among disaster first responders, families and communities to strengthen and improve their disaster resilience capabilities. To reinforce the role of microinsurance as a disaster-risk finance tool, Cebuana Lhuillier launched OurHelp, an online site where donors can ensure individuals who do not have access to or means to get insurance coverage. The disaster resilience partners also signed a manifesto declaring their commitment to raise the level of awareness, preparedness and sustainabilityof resources of Filipinos against the impacts of calamities.Photo shows (from left) Philippine Red Cross Disaster Management Services OIC Ana Villa Mariguina, YESPinoy Foundation Inc. executive director Pebbles Badillo Sanchez-Ogang, Rappler community and digital communications head Stacy de Jesus, Cebuana Lhuillier president and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier, AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, J5, Maj. Gen. Restituto Padilla Jr., UP-Visayas associate professor in community development Jorge Ebay, and Cebuana Lhuillier Insurance Solutions, Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation Inc. and Cebuana Lhuillier Micro BizFirst Vice President and Group Head Jonathan Batangan with the manifesto at the 2018 Ready: Disaster Resilience Forum at the Shangri- La at The Fort Manila.

Cebuana Lhuillier holds disaster resilience forum

CEBUANA Lhuillier held its third annual Disaster Resilience Forum which seeks to spread more awareness on Filipinos’ role in disaster risk reduction and management and on the role of microinsurance for disaster resilience. The first panel of the forum tackled the roles and responsibilities

of first responders and how training, swift response, and inter-agency coordination leads to effective emergency response services. A second panel tackled the ways of strengthening the resilience of communities against disasters. The closing panel discussed how increased awareness can help make Filipinos resilient against, disasters. The continued discussion on disaster awareness is part of Cebuana Lhuillier’s disaster resilience advocacy. This year, the forum looked into action steps for preparing against disasters. “We are asking the global public to support us. We are looking for others to come in and donate and help,” said PJ Lhuillier Group of Companies President and CEO jean Henri Lhuillier in an interview. OurHelp, a donation website which helps insure Filipinos, was officially launched in the forum. Through OurHelp, they seek to engage people in their disaster resilience advocacy. Their goal is to have 70% of Filipinos insured by 2020.

According to Lhuillier, it is also their goal to increase awareness on benefits o f microinsurance. “[An insurance package] is something that you will benefit from or somebody in your family will benefit from in the long term,” said Lhuillier. He added that the advantage of microinsurance is that it makes insurance affordable and easy to get. Furthermore, they seek to reach far-flung communities and indigenous groups who still do not know about microinsurance. They are also looking into social media platforms to increase awareness on microinsurance.

Cebuana Lhuillier, an advocate of disaster resiliency

On the heels of last year’s successful disaster resilience forum, Cebuana Lhuillier continues to push for disaster preparedness among Filipinos, gathering the country’s industry experts in disaster management, risk reduction, and post-disaster rehabilitation on July 4, 2018 at Shangri-la the Fort Manila for the ‘2018 READY Disaster Resilience Forum Disaster Resilience Begins with Me.’

This year’s theme is an iteration of the past two fora, focusing on the need for everyone including the first responders; communities and families; and individual Filipinos to be ready and be fully equipped to take on an active role in disaster resilience.

Source: manilastandard.net

Cebuana Lhuillier Microinsurance advocates for disaster resilience

Gearing up for the onslaught of possible disasters and calamities this 2016, Cebuana Lhuillier Microinsurance has pledged to bolster disaster resilience in the Philippines and promote disaster preparedness among Filipinos during the 2016 Ready: Disaster Resilience Forum – The Role of Microinsurance in Building Disaster-Resilient Communities held on January 27, 2016 at Makati Shangri-La Hotel.

Stressing the importance of personal readiness and security to alleviate massive losses and damages during disasters, Cebuana Lhuillier President and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier urged attendees to understand their possible roles in disaster management.

“Calamities and disasters impact everyone, especially the poor and most vulnerable communities.

Everyone has a role to play in building Filipino communities’ resilience against disasters and calamities, and Cebuana Lhuillier Microinsurance believes everyone must be empowered to prepare themselves against these kinds of crises, thus, we decided to embark on this mission for our country and for our people,” he said.

Known for advocating education and sports development for the youth, Cebuana Lhuillier has long been helping Filipinos uplift their lives through its microfinancial solutions services and various CSR programs.

“This time, we would like to instigate a whole new advocacy that would benefit a larger number of Filipinos. Today, we are giving our full commitment to contribute to our country’s disaster resilience through the microinsurance products and services we offer in Cebuana Lhuillier and by actively promoting it for public awareness,” he added.

Collaborative Effort

During the forum, Lhuillier also encouraged multi-stakeholder partnerships and collaborations among organizations that share the same objective of building disaster-resilient communities.

“We recognize the importance of having a collaborative effort and support from relevant institutions to achieve the most impactful end result. Through this forum, we hope to open more doors for possible partnerships and encourage more organizations to join our mission—hand-in-hand,” he said.

Presented in three parts—Ready to Initiate, Ready to Collaborate, and Ready to Innovate—the disaster resilience forum is spearheaded by Cebuana Lhuillier in an attempt to emphasize the importance of preparedness and provide means on how Filipinos can rebuild their lives after such events.

Keynote speaker of the forum was Insurance Commission Hon. Emmanuel F. Dooc, while the other speakers were National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Civil Defense Administrator and Executive Director Undersecretary Alexander P. Pama; Department of Social Welfare and Development Disaster Response and Assistance Management Asst. Bureau Director Felino O. Castro V; Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation President Rene “Butch” Meily; ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation Managing Director Susan Bautista-Afan; ASEAN Insurance Council Chairman Michael F. Rellosa; Project NOAH Executive Director Dr. Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay; and Habitat for Humanity Philippines Western Visayas Regional Head Retired Major General Carlos B. Holganza.

Microinsurance as Tool

Citing true stories of Typhoon Yolanda survivors who were able to bounce back after the disaster, the forum also highlighted the role of microinsurance as a key tool in disaster preparedness.

“We believe that microinsurance is one of the best existing tools to mitigate the impact of natural disasters. In the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, the microinsurance sector settled some P500 million claims involving more than a hundred thousand claimants,” Lhuillier said.

“We believe on the possible assistance that microinsurance can offer to policy holders post disasters. That is why, we have been continuing our efforts in reaching more communities, especially those in the far-flung areas and those that are most vulnerable to disasters, to educate them with the benefits of microinsurance and encourage them to be covered,” he added.

Through Cebuana Lhuillier Insurance Solutions (CLIS), the insurance arm of Cebuana Lhuillier, the company has been taking trailblazing initiatives to foster microinsurance especially now that CLIS has obtained ISO Certification. With the support of its insurers, CLIS has already covered more than 5 million Filipinos and settled P140 million claims.

“So far, we have already deployed Microinsurance-on-wheels in different parts of the Philippines; developed the first microinsurance-dedicated app for Android phones called MicroPinoy; forged important partnerships with various organizations to push for microinsurance even more; we have been creating innovative and tailor-fit microinsurance products for the specific needs of our countrymen—all these efforts directed towards increasing the number of microinsurance coverage among Filipinos that will ultimately help them prepare against disasters,” Lhuillier said.

Co-organized by the Insurance Commission (IC) and the GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) Regulatory Framework Promotion of Pro-Poor Insurance Markets in Asia (GIZ-RFPI Asia), the forum coincides with the observance of January as Microinsurance Month.

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