The Resilience and Preparedness toward Inclusive Development (RAPID) Program aims to raise the awareness and competencies of decision-makers and communities in its target areas about the impacts of natural hazards on lives, properties, and the economy, and that the changing climate brings extreme weather events that can trigger and exacerbate the impacts of future hazard events. It is designed to enable the target local government units (LGUs) to come up with better plans, policies and regulatory measures that consider climate and disaster risks using science-based risk assessments.

It partners with LGUs located along the coastline of San Pedro Bay and Leyte Gulf, namely: city of Tacloban and municipalities of Palo, Tanauan, Dulag, Tolosa, Mayorga, Mac Arthur and Abuyog in Leyte, Basey and Marabut in Western Samar, and Lawaan and
Balangiga in Eastern Samar.

RAPID focuses on risk management, which covers risk and vulnerability assessments, emergency preparedness and response, climate/disaster risk reduction, and a strengthened regulatory framework via control measures
to land use planning, engineering standards, and project evaluation.

The implementation approach adopted by the program is to partner with mandated government agencies such as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), and the academe, such as University of the Philippines, in conducting disaster and climate risk assessment studies such as hazard mapping, natural resource assessment, and climate change vulnerability and disaster risk assessments. From the risk assessment studies, the program will work with its target municipalities and barangays in using the data and information to incorporate the assessment results in their plans, e.g., Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP), Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP), Local Development Investment Program (LDIP), Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP), Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (LDRRMP), contingency plan, among others.

To support and guide the process, RAPID has partnered with other national government agencies such as DILG, NEDA, and HLURB in developing frameworks, mainstreaming guidelines, and training modules to assist LGUs and communities in translating these risk assessments into key inputs for planning and decision-making. Partnering with mandated agencies ensures sustainability and institutionalization. The program will also develop a geodatabase to organize all data and information from the risk assessments. The purpose is to provide easy access to the data and information and provide a tool for their risk assessment and planning. Training-workshops will be conducted to assist LGUs in the risk assessment and planning process, i.e. use data and information from the risk assessment studies, mainstream risk assessment results in development planning, and use the guidelines and methodologies developed by RAPID. The planning process is thus used as a platform for building the capacity of LGUs and communities to develop interventions aimed at reducing risks and vulnerabilities at the household and community levels.

To ensure technical soundness, program outputs such as risk assessments, plans, and guidelines will be subjected to an intensive consultation process and technical reviews by experts and practitioners through the conduct of Expert Group Meetings and the establishment of Technical Working Groups. At the same time, the EGMs and TWGs also enable the program to promote support and consensus among concerned agencies on its outputs, and facilitate sharing of knowledge to improve methodologies/processes.