The vulnerability of the Philippines to major and increasingly frequent disasters, considered as the "new normal" necessitates the need for the country to enhance existing coordinating mechanisms among various government agencies,non-government stakeholders and foreign-based government agencies. There is also a need to formulate and enhance appropriate policies responsive to the immediate demands of disaster risk reduction management and to allocate sufficient resources to effectively respond to such emergencies.
The 'proposed Enhanced Policy Guidelines on the Philippine International Humanitarian Assistance (PIHA) improves NDCC Circular No. 01 series of 2007, and NDCC Circular No. 02 series of 2008 entitled "Revised Implementing Guidelines of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOIL) on International Humanitarian Assistance Network (IHAN)", It will also establish the Philippine International Humanitarian Assistance Cluster (PIHAC) as reflected under the National Disaster Response Plan for Hydro-Meteorological Hazards and National Disaster Response Plan for Earthquakes-and Tsunamis.
