Makati Risk Communication Foundational and Planning Workshop

January 9, 30, and 31, 2024

Makati Risk Communication Foundational and Planning Workshop

The City Government of Makati, through the Makati Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, led a three-day Foundational and Planning Workshop on Risk Communications on January 9, 30, and 31, 2024.

The workshop, “Managing Perceptions and Emotions in Risk Management: Know what to Know, Feel what to Feel, and Say what to Say” sought to capacitate key members from the Makati DRRM Council with skills and knowledge to effectively communicate risks and hazards to stakeholders.

The workshop also kickstarted the development of the city’s very own Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Playbook and Plan that will serve as guides to enhance the disaster preparedness capacities of the various stakeholders of the city.

Empathy towards People: The Heart of Risk Communication and Community Engagement

Through the workshop, the participants were able to develop specialized risk communication strategies for different audiences in Makati City. Examples of the personas created are Nanay Maki, a 30-year-old housewife residing in a flood-prone area in the city, and Macky, a young and ambitious batang Makatizen student.

It is through recognizing the audience’s behaviors and experiences that participants succeeded in generating apt strategies that would appeal to the personas and result in their behavior change. The principles of Communication for Development (C4D) and Think on Your Feet were instrumental in developing the said strategies.

Essentially, it was taught that the heart of risk communication really is empathy and understanding people and their various experiences and emotions—and with this knowledge, participants leveraged perceptions and emotions as driving forces for change.   

The RCCE Plan of Makati City hopes to not just be a relevant engagement tool for stakeholders, but also an effective medium in cultivating a culture of preparedness and resilience in all sectors of society.

“The Risk Communication and Community Engagement capacity-building is part of our commitment to make Makati City better for our Proud Makatizens for years to come,” said Makati DRRM Officer Richie Rodriguez during the workshop.

The workshop was led in collaboration with partners and risk communication experts: Anthony Zuniga, Risk Manager for Climate, DRR, Enterprise, and Supply Chain; Cedric Puertollano, People Development and Learning Practitioner; and Corazon Leonidas, Project Management and Operations Professional. A total of 45 key personnel from the City Government of Makati were successfully empowered and capacitated through the workshop.