Disaster risk reduction program to aid in local level climate change.

Byline: Michael Paolo T. Jamias

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is preparing to start the second phase of its disaster risk reduction (DRR) initiative, which would help local officials factor in climate change and disaster management in development planning, an agency official said yesterday.

Called "Integrating DRR and Climate Change Adaptation in Local Development Planning and Disaster Management Processes," the new project will "institutionalize the DRR guidelines and include climate change considerations in local planning," NEDA Deputy Director-General for Regional Development Augusto B. Santos told BusinessWorld in a phone interview …