DELSA CAMP AGUINALDO
FIRST YEAR SUCCESS
Moving away from the usual Other Side focus of ASEAN disaster management individuals, this Volume takes a look into one the region’s most influential disaster management projects – the DELSA satellite warehouse in the Philippines – as it celebrates its first anniversary since opening in 2019.
The Disaster Emergency Logistics System for ASEAN (DELSA) is an integral part of the AHA Centre’s operations, and is central to the Centre’s efforts to implement disaster management under the “One ASEAN, One Response” vision. July 2019 saw the launching of the second satellite warehouse in Camp Aguinaldo, the Philippines, which coincided with the beginning of disaster awareness month in the nation. The development of the facility, and the satellite warehouse system, aims to serve as a network of emergency stockpiles located across the ASEAN region.
Since its launch, the warehouse has stood to support increased speed and scale of disaster response efforts through the use of various innovations, with the stockpile warehouse system ensuring relief items are now closer to disaster-prone countries. This allows for increased predictability of ASEAN’s response efforts, which forms a primary element for an overall improvement in the credibility of ASEAN disaster response implementation.
The development and operation of the satellite warehouse has been strongly supported by the Government of the Philippines, including the initial allocation of the dedicated location inside the Armed Forces of the Philippines Logistics Command Premises, Camp General Emilio, in Quezon City. The government has also worked to co-manage the warehouse stockpile with the AHA Centre, specifically through the National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC), through the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).
Within one year of its launch, the DELSA satellite warehouse in Camp Aguinaldo has served its purpose by mobilising USD 90,000 worth of relief items to disaster situations. These relief items include a Mobile Storage Unit and 5,000 Personal Hygiene Kits, that were distributed as part of the nation’s COVID-19 response during March–April 2020.
The DELSA programme is continuously supported by the Government of Japan through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF), with the warehouse development across both the Philippines and Thailand evidencing the ongoing strength in partnerships and collaboration that has been developed by the AHA Centre throughout its years of operations in the ASEAN region.
Written by : Ina Rachmawati | Photo : AHA Centre
