LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. Articulate the core principles of the IASC Guidelines on MHPSS and the NDRRMC National Guide-
lines on MHPSS;
2. Define the structure of the DRRMC and the cluster approach; and
3. Identify and enumerate the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in the cluster approach.

I. BASIC POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR MHPSS STRUCTURE

A basic policy framework provides structure to mental health and psychosocial support, ensuring its
consistent and systematic delivery. The integration of MHPSS principles in emergency response is artic-
ulated in various government programs as well as international frameworks. Taking a closer look at the-
se policies will provide responders an appreciation of the responsibilities of lead agencies and partner
organizations in creating an enabling environment for MHPSS in Emergencies, as well as the resources
available for carrying out these responsibilities.

Foundational Legal and Normative Frameworks of MHPSS Policy

in the Philippines

1. IASC Guidelines on MHPSS

What is IASC?
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) is the primary mechanism for inter-agency coordination of
humanitarian assistance.

It is a unique forum involving the key UN (e.g. WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA) and non- UN humanitarian partners
(e.g. Save the Children, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International, Action Against Hunger).

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 1

The IASC was established in June 1992 in response to United Nations General Assembly Resolution
46/182 on the strengthening of humanitarian assistance. The Philippines as a member of the United Na-
tions is encouraged to observe and use the guidelines developed by the IASC.

The IASC provides a platform for thematic areas such as Accountability to Affected Population (AAP),
Humanitarian Financing, Risk, Early Warning and Preparedness, among others.

What is the IASC on MHPSS?

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)
in Emergency Settings (IASC, 2007) were developed through an inclusive process, with input from UN
agencies, NGOs, and Universities.

The Guidelines help to plan, establish, and coordinate a set of minimum multi-sectoral responses to
protect, support and improve people’s mental health and psychosocial wellbeing in the midst of an
emergency.

The IASC MHPSS Reference Group was established in December 2007. Its main task is to support and
advocate for the implementation of the Guidelines. The Reference Group consists of more than 30 mem-
bers, and fosters a unique collaboration between NGOs, UN and International Agencies and academics,
promoting best practices in MHPSS.

Context for the IASC Guidelines on MHPSS

Populations affected by emergencies frequently experience enormous suffering.

Though a lot of work has been done to address this, a significant gap has been the absence of a multi-
sectoral, inter-agency framework that enables effective coordination, identifies useful practices, flags
potentially harmful practices and clarifies how different approaches to mental health, and psychosocial
support complement one another.

The Guidelines reflect the insights of practitioners from different geographic regions, disciplines and
sectors, and reflect an emerging consensus on good practice among practitioners.

The core idea behind the Guidelines is that, in the early phase of an emergency, social supports are
essential to protect and support mental health and psychosocial wellbeing.

The Guidelines also recommend selected psychological and psychiatric interventions for specific
problems.

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 2

Areas Covered by the Guidelines
Specific action sheets provided by the Guidelines cover the
following areas:
 Coordination
 Assessment
 Monitoring and Evaluation
 Protection and Human Rights Standards
 Human Resources
 Community Mobilization and Support
 Health Services
 Education
 Dissemination of Information
 Food Security and Nutrition
 Shelter and Site Planning
 Water and Sanitation

Core Principles of the IASC Guidelines on MHPSS

 Human rights and equity
 Participation
 Do no harm
 Building on available resources and capacities
 Integrated support systems
 Multi-layered supports

These core principles were adopted by the local MHPSS Guidelines and adapted to the Philippine con-
text. In the creation of the National Guidelines on MHPSS or NDRRMC Memorandum No. 62 which will be
discussed more thoroughly in succeeding sections, several components of the IASC Guidelines on
MHPSS were integrated.

2. NDRRMC Memo 62 series of 2017

It is known as National Guidelines On Mental Health And Psychosocial Support In Emergencies And
Disaster Situations. The Guidelines aim to “enable humanitarian actors and communities to implement
essential minimum high priority responses in emergencies and disasters that adapt and contextualize
the IASC Guidelines on MHPSS.

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 3

Specifically, the Guidelines are meant to:
 Aid policy formulation, planning and implementing a set of minimum multisectoral responses to
protect and enhance people’s mental health and psychosocial wellbeing
 Promote the development of an institutional framework, programs, strategies, and response sys-
tems for managing MHPSS

Memo 62 adapted the Core Principles of the IASC Guidelines on MHPSS to the local Philippine context.
These are presented as the “Basic Principles Governing Good Practices in MHPSS” which include:
 Affirms human rights and equity
 The provision of MHPSS must promote the human rights of all affected persons and protect indi-
viduals and groups who are at a heightened risk of human rights violations and discrimination
across gender, age groups, religious beliefs, and ethnicity according to identified needs.
 Emphasizes the principle of doing no harm.
 Humanitarian aid can also cause unintentional harm and it is important that services in emergency
situations do not pose any kind of danger to the survivor’s wellbeing.
 Ensures participation
 In most emergency situations, a significant number of people exhibit sufficient resilience to partici-
pate in relief and reconstruction efforts. Maximizing the participation of the affected population
allows them to regain their sense of ownership and agency.
 Provides multi-layered support
 People are affected in different ways and require different kinds of support during emergencies.
There must be a layered system of complementary support that meets the needs of different
groups.
 Promotes integrated support system
 Programs and activities must be integrated as much as possible in order to avoid creating a highly
fragmented care system. For example: having stand alone services dealing only with people with a
specific diagnosis as PTSD
 Culturally sensitive and appropriate
 Programs and activities that are culturally appropriate and mindful of gender, age, and religious
beliefs result in effective, creative, and innovative approaches to providing MHPSS in emergencies
 Promotes wellbeing or ginhawa of survivors/victims/workers
 Ginhawa is synonymous to the concept of overall wellbeing.
 Resilience- and strength-based
 Resilience is the remarkable capacity of individuals to withstand and overcome challenges of all
kinds and bounce back stronger and wiser in the face of great adversity and live relatively normal
lives. Strength-based approaches recognize the affected people’s availability of inner strength to

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 4

 cope with challenges. This helps affected communities move from being victims to become survi-
vors and help them identify resources they have to facilitate their own recovery.
 Affirms the significance of spirituality in the recovery process
 MHPSS recognizes the spiritual nature of the different people of the Philippines and affirms/
supports ways by which spirituality (e.g. prayers, faith, hope, etc) promotes recovery and ginhawa
 Promotes collaboration and partnership
 Efforts towards bringing MHPSS in emergency and disaster situations must put premium value on
collaboration and partnership among agencies and with the community, as deemed suitable and
effective, based on previous experience or current practice
 Promotes transparency and accountability
 MHPSS service providers and community partners must be accountable for the provision of effec-
tive and ethical services and efficient use of resources at all phases of humanitarian work
 Builds on available resources and capacities
 Services at all stages of emergency must build local capacities, promote self-sufficiency, self-help,
and bayanihan, and strengthen the resources already present in order to improve the survivors;
lives beyond their condition prior to the disaster.
 Adheres and maintains professional and ethical standards
 Adherence to and maintenance of professional and ethical standards by MHPSS service providers
encourages sustained cooperation from the community across time and disaster situations and
contributes to the overall effectiveness of programs
 Ensures stability and sustainability
 MHPSS must never be donor-driven and donor-dependent but must demonstrate stability across
time even in the absence of external support
 Ensures the welfare of service providers
 Organizations and institutions must ensure the safety and overall wellbeing of service providers
from pre-deployment, deployment to post-deployment phases.

3. Sendai Framework15

What is the Sendai Framework?

A 15-year, voluntary, non-binding agreement which recognizes that the State has the primary role to
reduce disaster risk but that responsibility should be shared with other stakeholders including local
government, the private sector and other stakeholders.

15 Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction 2015–2030. In: UN world conference on disaster risk reduction, 2015 March 14–18, Sendai, Japan. Geneva:
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction; 2015. Available from: http:// www.wcdrr.org/uploads/Sendai_Framework_for_Disaster_Risk_ Reduc-
tion_2015-2030.pdf

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 5

It aims for the following outcome:
The substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic,
physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries.

It is the outcome of stakeholder consultations initiated in March 2012 and inter-governmental negotia-
tions held from July 2014 to March 2015; It was subsequently adopted by UN Member States on 18
March 2015 at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefec-
ture, Japan. The Philippines was well-represented during the negotiations and have expressed support
to the four priorities of action. It signals the time to review and refine existing policies such as the Na-
tional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act in order to further strengthen institutions, both na-
tional government agencies and LGUs, not just to mitigate disasters and respond to them but also inte-
grate developmental framework into the process of recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.

The Sendai Framework also places strong emphasis on resilient health systems by the integration of
disaster risk management into health care provision at all levels, and by the development of the capacity
of health workers in understanding disaster risk and applying and implementing disaster risk approaches
in health work16

National health systems can be strengthened by promoting and enhancing the training capacities in the
field of disaster medicine; and by supporting and training community health groups in disaster risk re-
duction approaches in health programmes.

The Four Priorities for Action

 Priority 1. Understanding disaster risk

Disaster risk management should be based on an understanding of disaster risk in all its dimen-
sions of vulnerability, capacity, exposure of persons and assets, hazard characteristics and the en-
vironment. Such knowledge can be used for risk assessment, prevention, mitigation, preparedness
and response.

 Priority 2. Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk

Disaster risk governance at the national, regional and global levels is very important for prevention,
mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery, and rehabilitation. It fosters collaboration and part-
nership.

 Priority 3. Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience

Public and private investment in disaster risk prevention and reduction through structural and non-
structural measures are essential to enhance the economic, social, health and cultural resilience of

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 6

 persons, communities, countries and their assets, as well as the environment.

 Priority 4. Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “Build Back Better” in
recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction
The growth of disaster risk means there is a need to strengthen disaster preparedness for
response, take action in anticipation of events, and ensure capacities are in place for effective
response and recovery at all levels. The recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction phase is a criti-
cal opportunity to build back better, including through integrating disaster risk reduction into devel-
opment measures.

Priority 4 specifically calls for the enhancement of recovery schemes to provide psychosocial sup-
port and mental health services for all people in need.

4. RA 10121. Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act

of 2010.

Known as “An Act Strengthening the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System,
Providing for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Framework and Institutionalizing
the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan, Appropriating Funds Therefor and for other
Purposes.”

This law Repealed Presidential Decree No. 1566 enacted in 1978 and transformed the Philippines’ disas-
ter management system from disaster relief and response towards disaster risk reduction (DRR).
RA 10121 acknowledges the need to:

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 7

  Adopt a disaster risk reduction and management approach that is holistic, comprehensive, inte-
grated, and proactive in lessening the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of disasters in-
cluding climate change, and promote the involvement and participation of all sectors and all stake-
holders concerned, at all levels, especially the local community
 Develop and strengthen the capacities of vulnerable and marginalized groups to mitigate, prepare
for, respond to, and recover from the effects of disasters;
 Provide maximum care, assistance and services to individuals and families affected by disaster,
implement emergency rehabilitation projects to lessen the impact of disaster, and facilitate re-
sumption of normal social and economic activities.

Key Players Under RA 10121

With RA 10121, local government units (LGUs), civil society organizations (CSOs), and the community
itself are empowered as key partners in disaster risk reduction. This diagram shows how RA 10121 pro-
vides for integrated, coordinated, multi-sectoral, inter-agency, and community-based approach to disas-
ter risk reduction

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 8

5. National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (NDRRMP)

What is the NDRRMP?

It is the document formulated and implemented by the National DRRM Council through the Office of Civil
Defense (OCD) that sets out goals and specific objectives for reducing disaster risks together with
related actions to accomplish these objectives.

The NDRRMP in is in conformity with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Framework
(NDRRMF) shown below:

The NDRRMP covers the following four thematic areas::

 Disaster Prevention and Mitigation: Reduce vulnerability and exposure of communities to all ha-
zards; enhance capacities of communities to reduce their own risks and cope with the impacts of
all hazards

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 9

  Disaster Preparedness: Increase the level of awareness of the community to the threats and im-
pacts of all hazards, risks and vulnerabilities; equip the community with the necessary skills to
cope with the negative impacts of a disaster; increase the capacity of institutions; and develop and
implement comprehensive national and local disaster preparedness policies, plans and systems
 Disaster Response: Decrease the number of preventable deaths and injuries; provide basic subsist-
ence needs of affected population; immediately restore basic social services
 Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery: Restore people’s means of livelihood and continuity of eco-
nomic activities and business; restore shelter and other buildings/installation; reconstruct infra-
structure and other public utilities; assist in the physical and psychological rehabilitation of per-
sons who suffered from the effects of the disaster

6. RA 10821. Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act

The “Children’s Emergency Relief & Protection Act,” or An Act Mandating the Provision of Emergency Re-
lief and Protection for Children Before, During, and After Disasters and other Emergency Situations is the
first of its kind anywhere in the world.

It is the Country’s national policy to protect the particular needs of children before, during, and after cri-
sis through the following 8 Action Plans:
 A Comprehensive Emergency Program to protect children and support their immediate recovery.
 Heightened surveillance against child trafficking and other violence against children in the after-
math of disasters and calamities.
 A system of restoring civil documents for children and their families to better access services and
protect against exploitation.
 Increased participation of children in disaster risk reduction (DRR) planning and post-disaster
needs assessments.
 Less disruption of education activities with the reduced use of schools as evacuation centers and
the proper use of temporary learning spaces.
 Improved care and steps for family tracing and reunification for unaccompanied and separated
children.
 Better data collection and reporting related to the affected children—to better understand and
respond to their specific needs.
 Child-centered training of all responders for community/barangay leaders, school personnel and
rescuers.

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 10

In line with the provisions of the Act:
 All provincial, city and municipal LGUs must localize the National Comprehensive Emergency Pro-
gram for Children (CEPC) with their context
 Stakeholders should ensure meaningful participation of Civil Society and Children in all phases of
disasters and emergencies
 All agencies and organizations working on disaster response must adopt a child protection policy
that all emergency responders should conform to
 RA 10821 specifically calls for the establishment of child-friendly spaces where communities cre-
ate nurturing environments for children to engage in free and structured play, recreation, leisure
and learning activities. The child-friendly space may provide health, nutrition, and psychosocial
support, and other services or activities which will restore their normal functioning.

End of Session Insights

 The integration of MHPSS principles in emergency response is articulated in various government

programs as well as international frameworks.
 Local and international policies recognize that MHPSS during disaster response begins from the
moment basic services are provided to the affected population.

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 11

 II. THE DRRMC AND THE CLUSTER APPROACH
IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT

ACTIVITY 1

Imagine that you are observing two groups that are working on the following case scenario. One of the
groups has elected four members of their group to be the Health Coordinator, Education Coordinator,
Camp Coordinator, and Logistics Coordinator. The other group did not elect any coordinator. Describe
what maybe your observation of the two groups. Justify your answers.

Scenario:
You are in the middle of a coordination meeting. It was reported that Organization ABC will be send-
ing out donations to the Municipality of Kapayapaan after Typhoon Masigasig hit the island munici-
pality. Their donations include hygiene kits, kits for building temporary learning spaces, food packs
and support kits for MHPSS service providers. The donations will pass through the port of Kasaysa-
yan which is 20 minutes away by boat from the municipality. There are five big evacuation camps in
the island municipality.

Action:
Create a distribution plan based on the given situation. After 5 minutes, present your plan to the rest
of the group.

Coordination is a crucial mechanism in order to ensure the effective delivery of services. If we are not
aware of our roles and responsibilities, it will be difficult for us to determine what we need to do and how
to effectively do it. We have varied understanding of our roles and responsibilities during emergencies.
Some of us are not fully aware of what DRRMCs are and what we should be doing during disasters.
Emergency responders are expected to have undergone basic DRRM Training organized by your local
DRRMOs. In this session, we will give a basic overview/refresher of the DRRMCs and the cluster ap-
proach in the Philippines.

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 12

On June 11, 1978, PD 1566 was issued to strengthen the Philippine disaster control capability and to es-
tablish a community disaster preparedness program nationwide. Some of the key points of this law is
the creation of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and the localization of the DCC
offices17.

In 1991, the Local Government Code paved the way for the increase of the calamity fund from 1% to 2%.

In line with the United Nations thrust in pursuing a reform program that seeks to improve the effective-
ness of humanitarian response by ensuring greater predictability, accountability and partnership, the
cluster approach is now being implemented and institutionalized in the Philippine Disaster Management
System. This was contained in the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Circular dated May 10,
2007 entitled “Institutionalization of the Cluster Approach in the Philippine Disaster Management Sys-
tem, Designation of Cluster Leads and Their Terms of Reference at the National, Regional and Provincial
Level”.

17Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction 2015–2030. In: UN world conference on disaster risk reduction, 2015 March 14–18, Sendai, Japan. Geneva:
United N a t i o ns O f f ic e for D is a s t e r R is k Re d u c t i o n; 2015. Av a il a b l e from: http:// w w w . w c d r r. o r g / up l o a d s /
Sendai_Framework_for_Disaster_Risk_Reduction_2015-2030.pdf

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 13

As discussed in the previous lesson, RA 10821 or the Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act
was signed into law in 2017. Different agencies are expected to cater to the needs of children during
disasters based on their functions as part of the National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Coun-
cil (NDRRMC).

The NDRRMC
The National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Council (NDRRMC) is the highest organized and
authorized body for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) in the Philippines. Established by
virtue of Republic Act 10121 in 2010, the NDRRMC is composed of various government, non-government,
civil sector and private sector organizations.

Within the NDRRMC, four committees are established to deal with the four thematic areas set forth in the
NDRRM Plan (NDRRMP), the NDRRM Framework (NDRRMF) and the National Disaster Response Plan
(NDRP).

Following RA 10121, the overall lead or focal agency for each of the four priority areas are the vice-
chairpersons of the NDRRMC as seen in the following:

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 14

Most disasters and emergencies are managed by the DRRMCs at different levels depending on the se-
verity and magnitude using the principles of the incident command system (ICS) and the cluster ap-
proach.

The Cluster Approach

The Cluster Approach allows the government to (1) designate cluster leads in all the areas of activity, (2)
define leadership roles among government cluster leads in crafting operational strategies throughout the
phases of disaster management, and (3) identify deliverables at the regional and provincial level.

What is a “Cluster”? A cluster is a group of agencies (international & national) that are interconnected by
their respective mandates, and that come together around a set of humanitarian interventions in a com-
mon area, for purposes of synergies, surge, effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability.

According to the NDRP18, NDCC Circular No 2 of 2008 identified 8 Clusters that will facilitate all coordina-
tion needed in the provision of the humanitarian assistance. But through a series of disasters, the cluster
approach was later adopted for response activities of the national agencies for their respective response
operations prior to the provision of humanitarian assistance. It was later observed that the Cluster ap-
proach proved effective in providing assistance to the affected population during response operations.

Based on RA 10121 and the NDRP, these are the lead and member agencies for each cluster.

18 National Disaster Response Plan for Hydro-Meteorological Hazards, June 2014.

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 15

Functions/Tasks:
 Craft operational strategies covering all phases in disaster management that will provide direction
for cluster partners on how, what, when and where to contribute;
 Facilitate a process that will ensure a well-coordinated and effective humanitarian response;
 Ensure continuous improvement in the implementation of the cluster approach through identifica-
tion of best practices and carrying out lessons learned either individually or in collaboration with
other clusters

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 16

In an effort to harmonize with international humanitarian clusters, our lead government agencies have
identified foreign co-leads in the coordinating disaster response.

NDRP Clusters
The NDRP prescribes the relevant activities on how the disaster response shall be conducted as aug-
mentation or assumption of response functions to the disaster affected LGUs. The contents of the NDRP
also include identifying roles and responsibilities of organizations/institutions during disaster/
emergency phase.

There are currently three NDRPs launched by the NDRRMC:

 NDRP for Hydro-Meteorological Hazards
 NDRP for Earthquake and Tsunamis
 NDRP for Consequence Management (Terrorism-related incidents)

The same 8 Clusters were adopted during the preparation of the NDRP. The objective of the adoption is
to have a seamless coordination system with the international humanitarian assistance Cluster Groups
during disaster response operations. Activation of the Response Cluster is determined by the NDRRMC.
Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 17
The organization structure of the Response Cluster is shown in the figure below.

Roles and responsibilities of each sector2

National Level
 Ensure the inclusion of humanitarian partners in the cluster taking
 stock of their mandates and programme priorities
 Establish and maintain appropriate humanitarian coordination
 mechanisms at the national level
 Attend to priority cross-cutting cutting issues
 Perform needs assessment and analysis
 Promote emergency preparedness
 Initiate planning and strategy development
 Promote application of standards
 Conduct monitoring and reporting
 Raise advocacy and lead resource mobilization
 Conduct training and capacity building

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 18

Regional Level
 Provide first line of support (technical or operational) to complement the roles and responsibilities
of national counterparts19.

Provincial Level

 Develop baseline database of provincial demography sectoral data and other basic information to
facilitate rapid needs assessment of affected areas, timely mobilization of resources, and delivery
of urgent assistance to the right beneficiaries through the clusters.

An important link in the national-local chain are the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Councils (RDRRMCs) and the Local DRRMCs. The structure of the latter is as follows:

Coordination function
Memo no. 62 highlights the importance of Coordination as a cross-cutting functions across all emergen-
cy responders. As part of preparedness, all agencies are expected to establish and strengthen coordina-
tion mechanisms for inter-sectoral MHPSS at all levels. Upon the activation of the clusters, different
agencies are expected to constantly communicate with each other, share information and data, coordi-
nate the provision of services based on agency mandates. Inter-cluster coordination plays a critical role

19This definition or description is applicable only if national and regional level clusters are both activated at the same time. There have been several
events where regional level clusters were activated but none at the national level. The roles and responsibilities of the cluster at national or subnational
levels are the same, appropriate and applicable to the relevant level (WHO)

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 19

in facilitating the development of the strategic response plan and assures a coherent and coordinated
approach to planning and operationalizing the shared strategic objectives as set out in the strategic
response plan.

ACTIVITY 2

What do you think are the benefits of a coordinated response? Cite your experiences in working with the
clusters in case you have any.

Key Messages of this Module

We have now reached the end of Module 2. Some of the key messages from this module are:
 A basic policy framework provides structure to mental health and psychosocial support, ensuring
its consistent and systematic delivery.
 Most disasters and emergencies are managed by the DRRMCs at different levels depending on the
severity and magnitude using the principles of the incident command system (ICS) and the cluster
approach.

Additional References

1. Republic Act 10121 - National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act
2. Republic Act 10821 - Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act
3. Inter-Agency Standing Committee Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
(MHPSS) in Emergency Settings
4. National Disaster Response Plans for Earthquakes and Tsunamis, Consequence Management and
Hydro-Meteorological Hazards

Harmonized MHPSS: Module 2. MHPSS Framework: Concepts and Policies 20