With the church in the Philippines at the forefront in disaster relief and reconstruction, several dioceses have come together in Legazpi City on May 30 to better prepare for these types of emergencies.
Organized by Caritas Philippines, the discussion topics at the National Humanitarian Response Summit focused on "linking church structures and mechanisms" to disaster response.
Father Edwin Gariguez, Caritas executive secretary, said there is a need for more mechanisms for collaboration for emergency response in the church network.
"The summit is being held to be able to share good experiences of the different diocese on how they respond to disasters," he said.
"We also have a national contingency plan and we are sharing it so that we could be more efficient in our disaster preparedness and response using these tools," Father Gariguez said.
Welcoming participants, Bishop Joel Baylon of Legazpi, which is situated in the typhoon-prone Bicol region, shared his experiences in disaster response.
"One significant that we learned is to be sensitive about preparedness," Bishop Baylon said.