OVERVIEW

Terms of Reference

Technical Working Group for the Standardization of the Shelter Damage (Totally and Partially Damage Houses) Definition.

Introduction (generic)

Technical Working Groups are established and provided Terms of Reference by the Shelter Cluster Strategic Advisory Group on an ad-hoc basis. The Cluster Coordinator appoints a designated Focal Point to facilitate the work of the group. Such groups have a limited life-span since they disband once the outputs delineated in the TORs have been achieved.

Composition of such groups is determined through a self-selection process depending on available technical skills, interests, and capacities from among the UN agencies, non-governmental, Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Governmental, commercial, and academic sectors. In principle, anyone can join such a group although, in practice, the Focal Point is advised not to let the group grow much beyond fifteen members. It may be that sub-groups need to be formed to explore specific issues. In this event, the TWiG Focal Point will appoint a responsible person to report back to the SAG. The TWiG Focal Point is responsible for updating the Cluster on the status of work-in-progress. Final outputs/recommendations of the TWIG are presented to Cluster stakeholders in plenary coordination meetings in oral and written form for feedback and comment. Once sufficient time has elapsed, the SAG will endorse the recommendations of the TWIG and post the written guideline to the appropriate website as a resource for Cluster members.

Background

In 2019, the Republic Act (RA) No. 11201 was enacted to create the DHSUD. The law merged the Housing and Urban Development Coordination Council (HUDCC) and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB). The law provisioned DHSUD to be the primary national government agency responsible for the management of housing, human settlement and urban development.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council released the NDRRMC Resolution No. 10, s.2021 duly designating DHSUD as the lead agency for Shelter and Housing programs during response, early recovery and rehabilitation and recovery. The resolution in particular transfers the roles and mandates of DSWD, NHA and other government agencies tasked with shelter provisioning, as well as the memorandum assigs the Shelter Cluster leadership role to DHSUD. It also mandates the formulation of a comprehensive framework for resilient housing which will guide the harmonization and identification of strategies, programs, projects and activities among corresponding agencies and offices from the phases of Disaster Response to Rehabilitation and Recovery. The framework takes into account public housing policies and programs while recognizing and exploring alternative and innovative solutions in addressing the country's housing needs such as but not limited to: rights-based tenurial arrangements, various types of subsidies, resource mobilization through private, public, and people partnership including with the humanitarian shelter cluster, and others as enumerated for in Sec. 20.3 of the IRR of RA 11201 and implement prototype resilient housing designs in partnership with local government units, civil society organizations, private groups, and communities.  In 2022, the Philippine Government through DHSUD, together with the World Bank published Post-Disaster Shelter Recovery Policy Framework (PDSF).

In support to the transition process and in-alignment to the indicators prescribed in the Post-Disaster Shelter Recovery Policy Framework (PDSF), Shelter Cluster Philippines is working with DHSUD as it takes on its role as the lead government agency for Shelter Cluster. The cluster is providing technical assistance the development and updating of the various shelter-related policies, guidelines and implementing rules and regulations for emergency shelter response and recovery programming.

Aims and outputs of the Technical Working Group (TWG)

Shelter Damage Definition

Alignment to PDSF Indicators:

II-3 Review and amend existing laws, regulations and policies to address critical administrative bottlenecks in shelter recovery

II-5  Support DILG to develop tools and systems to strengthen LGU recovery management

III-3 Conduct research and update shelter recovery program parameters

During hydro-metrological emergencies and geological emergencies (earthquakes and tsunamis), a significant number of houses usually incur damages, and response agencies would assist the affected households with repairs, retrofitting or provisioning of new housing units.  Currently, different Government Departments, National Line Agencies as well as humanitarian agencies have varying definitions identifying totally and partially damaged shelters. Together with the varying definitions is the application of varied approaches used to assess structural integrity and to categorize the extent and scale of housing damages. The disparity and variation in the definition and assessment employed are causing variances in the reporting numbers needing shelter assistance, type of response programming as well as confusing, and increasing tensions among the shelter beneficiaries.   Moreover, the challenges brought about by the varying definitions impacts the accuracy of data for forecasting disaster preparedness measures as well as damage and needs assessment reporting for disaster response financing and programming.  

There are over 26 million households spread into the 18 regions, 81 provinces, 145 cities, 1,489 municipalities, and 42,029 barangays of the Philippines. While there are only 16 regional DHSUD offices and less than 400,000 licensed professionals who can conduct technical assessments on the damages of the buildings and houses, with these limited resources, assessments cannot be done in a timely manner where shelter assistance is a life-saving and life-giving humanitarian intervention. Given these limitations, there is a need to simplify the process of assessing households for a more effective and efficient delivery of disaster response programming. 

The simplified assessment guidelines would enable more individuals to conduct assessments, leading to wider coverage of assessments and timely delivery of appropriate humanitarian assistance. An added benefit of having an assessment guide a provides minimum standards consequently uniformizing the wide scale and variation of forms of shelter assistance provided by cluster member agencies. The cluster with DHSUD envisions by leading the development of a standardized definition of the Shelter Damage Definition and assessment guide, the cluster is able to facilitate shelter agencies provide efficient, effective, equitable and rights-driven shelter response programming.

The outputs of the TWG will be:

1. Standardization of the definition of types of house damages (Totally and Partially Damage Houses),

• A standardized definition of the types of definition of types of damages on houses (Totally and Partially Damage Houses)
• Guideline notes on the different types, extent and intensity of damages on houses during earthquake, hydro-metrological hazards, Tsunami and Tidal Surge across different housing typologies
• Development of illustrative assessment guide to the different extent and intensity house damages classifying into Totally and Partially Damage House

Members will be asked to:

• Suggest key stakeholders who can contribute to the process
• Participate actively in TWG meetings and workshops
• Contribute to the development of the outputs of the TWiG and TWiG sub-groups
• Contribute to the reviewing and sharing of best practices, case studies and other relevant resources and documents

TWG members                            

1. 1. Shelter Cluster Lead-TWG chairs. (DHSUD and IFRC)
   2. UN Agency – IOM  Secretariat Co-chair TWG
   3. Red Cross Movement  - Philippine Red Cross
   4. Red Cross Movement – International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
   5. INGO – Habitat for Humanity Philippines
   6. INGO – Build Change ( lead facilitator/Technical co-chair)
   7. INGO – Latter-day Saint Charities
   8. Local NGO – Shelter Box Philippines
   9. Academe  – United Architects of the Philippines- Resilience Architects

Note: Agencies mentioned above are not final, these are just the agencies that had expressed interest or intent to support DHSUD on updating these policies and guidelines. A call for membership for TWG will still be called.

TWG Advisory and Support Members:

• Global Shelter Cluster (GSC)
• Roving Shelter Cluster Coordinator (Asia Pacific)

• Shelter Cluster Technical Community of Practice (CoP)/focal person/technical expert
• Shelter Cluster Recovery Community of Practice/focal person/technical expert
• Protection Cluster Coordinator (Philippines)

Other related government department participation:

• Department of Social Welfare and Development
• Department of Interior and Local Government
• Department of Science and Technology
• Department of Public Works and Highways
• Office of Civil Defence (OCD) /National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC)
• National Housing Authority
• Social Housing Finance Corporation
• PAG-IBIG
• National Home Mortgage Financing Corporation
• Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers
• Philippine Association of Building Officials
• United Architects of the Philippines

As a way of working, the group will:

• This TWiG will work in collaboration and in parallel with the GOP Shelter Cluster TWG
• Convene and facilitate ad-hoc Sub-Groups as required
• Update the Cluster on status of work-in-progress and present final outputs/recommendations of the TWIG to Cluster stakeholders in plenary coordination meetings in oral and written form for feedback and comment.