CRISIS MANAGEMENT PLAN

I.

Rationale/Overview

The education sector has a vital role in lieu of awareness on crisis event brought
by a disaster occurrence. Disasters are part of social studies and science curriculum
and values integration in the primary and secondary public school curriculum. College
and masteral subjects that deal with certain aspects of disasters and disaster
management are offered in a few universities such as the tertiary degree course in
disaster risk management in Camarines State Agricultural College and as an area of
concentration for a masteral degree in public management in Bicol University.
A more systematic way to utilize students through the NSTP pool of volunteers in
disaster response (risk management, disaster preparedness) needs to be explored. For
this reason, a DRM module for the NSTP should be developed.
There is institutional commitment from the DepEd to mainstream DRR into the
education sector. However, no particular office handles relevant programs; efforts run
the risk of losing continuity. DepEd has for the past two years been engaged with donorassisted collaborative projects, e.g. a study of the impact of disasters to the sector, and
instructional materials on preparedness for natural and human-induced hazards for the
youth, parents and community. The underlying strategy of DepEd is providing DRR
training to teachers. Resilient construction of new schools is also being promoted
actively.
On the part of State Universities and Colleges like Laguna State Polytechnic
University, they are to construct their own Disaster Risk Reduction Management
Committee so as to respond to natural and man-made disasters as the main
responsible for function of mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery activities
within the campus.
Laguna State Polytechnic University, Siniloan Campus is situated along Laguna
de Bay, the largest inland lake in the Philippines surrounded by the province of Rizal
and Metropolitan Manila, which makes the campus prone to flooding and strong
typhoons. The campus was under water during tropical storm Ondoy and Habagat. The
administrators and the whole academic community were caught unprepared, there was
no provision for high rise classrooms if ever the campus would be under water again.
Thus structural readiness is lacking to render the campus resilient.
Crisis management plan will be of most help to position the campus against any
untoward incidents that may happen not just natural calamities but man-made as well.
The incidence of disaster precipitates a vicious cycle of destruction, poverty, increased
vulnerability to the threat of disasters and growing poverty as they reoccur. Reversing this cycle
to create greater resilience must remain at the forefront of the development effort, as widely
recognised by leaders and DRR professionals alike (ActionAid Final Report, 2011). The best
defense is a well-planned offense. A crisis management plan is designed to provide

guidelines for a practical communications system that is adaptable for any crisis
situation. It should be a working document continually updated as the industry, the
world and your company changes (NTAs Market Development Council. 2003). Further,
NTA asserted that a crisis management plan should be part of an overall safety and
emergency preparedness plan and a standard part of your overall strategic planning
process. As important as dealing with any emergency situation is dealing with
perceptions what the public thinks happened. This should be planned in the same way
you would plan for damage to property or injuries to people. Planning for perception will
also protect your companys image/credibility and its ability to recover after a crisis. Too
often, companies make the mistake of waiting until a crisis occurs to plan a reaction.
This gives the company the smallest chance of surviving the crisis without damage. Be
prepared ahead of time and your company has the greatest chance to weather the crisis
unharmed. This is the ideal scenario. LSPU is on track preparing for this task. It had
launched a DRR orientation participated by heads of units and offices and the middle
level managers.
II.

Objectives
1. Establish a crisis team composed of top management, operations
personnel, public relations experts, legal assistance and insurance
carriers.
2. Determine the respective role of each member of the crisis team.
3. Train the crisis team members in facing and answering the media
involving a particular disaster.

III.

The Crisis Management Program Plan

Cycle Actions

Specific Objectives

Mitigation

Decrease the effect of

inclement weather through
SMS notification scheme
infrastructure
Anticipate the possible or
every imaginable issue
and list them, starting with
the most likely to happen
(training and drill)
Training-seminar
on
defining the scope of the
crisis

Preparedness

Response

Recovery

IV.

Evaluate the effectiveness

of the crisis management
plan by testing it

Beneficiaries/Parti
cipants
Students, parents,
Crisis team

Timeframe
1st qrtr.
of the
year

Crisis management
team

2nd
qrtr. of
the
year

Crisis management
team

3rd
qrtr. of
the
year
4th qrtr.
of the
year

Crisis management
team

Feedback and Corrective Actions

Sources
of Funds
University
student
welfare
fee
MOOE

Expected
Output
90%

MOOE

95%

MOOE

95%

95%

Feedback
Mechanism
Suggestion box
social media
Evaluation form

V.

Details of
Information
Wants and needs of
the student-clients
Wants and needs of
the student-clients
Perception and
impression of the
crisis management
team members on
training-workshops
conducted

Actions Undertaken
Formation of firstresponders
Formation of firstresponders
Enhance the
capability of firstresponders

Contingency
Approach
Inclusion of DRR in
NSTP
Inclusion of DRR in
NSTP
Orientation and
advocacy

Review of Implementation

Assessment Tool Used

Adaption of an all hazard
approach to account for the
full range of hazards that
threaten or may threaten the
campus
HEIs emergency management
initiative requires partnership
and collaboration

Description of Undertakings
Person-in-charge
It
is
based
on
a Senior managers
comprehensive design that
addresses the needs of the
staff, students, faculty and
visitors.
It should begin with senior Senior managers
leadership on campus.

ROLANDO R. CRUZADA, JR.

DPA STUDENT
UNIVERSITY OF RIZAL SYSTEM-PILILLA