Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination in Emergencies: Towards a Predictable Model

Philippines

Disaster risk profile (To be inserted)

Evolution of humanitarian civil-military coordination in the Philippines

Over the last two decades, civil-military coordination in disaster response in the Philippines has undergone a significant transformation. The frequency of major disasters, and subsequent national and international responses, have shaped the evolution of disaster management legislation and associated policy frameworks, as well as the development of civilian and military coordination structures. The Philippines has been a strong advocate for the advancement of the civil-military coordination in the region in recent years. As 2016 chair of the Regional Consultative Group (RCG) on Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination for Asia and the Pacific, the Philippines has represented the RCG at the World Humanitarian Summit (Istanbul, May 2016) and at the Global Consultative Group on Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination (Geneva, February 2016). The Philippines is also a member of the Advisory Group for the Development of Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination Standards. These standards aim to operationalize and bring currency to internationally agreed guidelines and to institutionalize a more predictable, efficient and coordinated approach to the deployment of Foreign Military Assets (FMA) in support of humanitarian assistance operations.

Civil-military coordination in the response to Typhoon Haiyan, that saw the deployment of foreign military assets (FMA) from over 22 Member States, has shaped the development of national, as well as regional and international approaches to civil-military coordination in disaster response more broadly. The Civil-Military Coordination (CMCoord) After Action Review (AAR) conducted post-Typhoon Haiyan (Manila, March 2014), resulted in six key recommendations to build future effectiveness of civil-military coordination that are now considered increasingly central to CMCoord practice in the Asia-Pacific region. A number of these recommendations have been implemented in subsequent responses in the Philippines as well as in the context of other disaster response operations.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines is a primary responder in disaster response, and has been deployed on a frequent basis to support emergency operations. In recent years, the military has developed Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), an element of Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW) doctrine, as one of its critical mission areas.

UN OCHA has been working alongside the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, to institutionalise the Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination (UN-CMCoord) framework in the country’s overall coordination structure.⁷ Since 2013, over 350 government and military personnel have received training in Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination throughout nine workshops. In addition to this, a National Simultaneous Earthquake Drill exercise is held quarterly during which the National Disaster Response and Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and other actors exercise processes for requesting and coordinating international resources.⁸

Following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the Philippines initiated a reform process that has led to the development of a comprehensive disaster management framework. Humanitarian civil-military coordination in the context of the Philippines has also been shaped by responses to disasters occurring in complex security environments, particularly in the southern region of Mindanao.

International assistance in disaster response has changed in recent years, reflecting a more general trend in the Asia Pacific region related to a shift from blanket requests for assistance by Member States. In more recent disaster responses, the Philippines has generally accepted offers of targeted international support where required. In Typhoon Bopha (Pablo) in 2012, the Government of Philippines adopted the position of “not requesting assistance but formally accepting an offer made by the UN Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC).”⁹ This is increasingly the case as national capacity for disaster response is strengthened including through the further implementation of provisions outlined in disaster management legislation, plans and frameworks, including developing disaster risk reduction and response capacity at the local level.

The use of foreign military assets in previous disaster responses, such as in Typhoon Haiyan, has been arranged on a bi-lateral basis with ASEAN Member States and other regional neighbouring countries, as well as through the ongoing military alliance arrangements with the United States. The US-Philippines military alliance was further developed in 2014 through the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, designed to enhance cooperation and efforts in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief amongst other objectives including capacity building and strengthening external defense.¹⁰ The establishment of coordination structures such as the Multi-National Coordination Centre (MNCC), stood up in the response to Typhoon Haiyan, provided a platform for increased coherency in the coordination and management of incoming foreign military forces.

National legal and policy frameworks for disaster management

As a result of the frequency of weather-related events and natural disasters, the Philippines has developed one of the most comprehensive legislative and policy frameworks for disaster management in the world.¹¹ In 2010, the Republic Act No. 1021 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act (DRRM Act) was enacted, replacing the previous 1978 Presidential Decree No.1566 on Strengthening the Philippine Disaster Control Capability and Establishing the National Program of Community Disaster Prevention.¹² The DRRM Act represented a shift in disaster management from a previously narrow focus on disaster response, to a broader focus that included preparedness, response, prevention and mitigation, and rehabilitation and recovery. The DRRM Act outlined provisions for the establishment of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), as well as the development of a National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Framework. This was accompanied by a set of Implementing Rules and Regulations that detailed the composition of the National Regional and Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (DRRMCs) and their respective powers and functions, as well as provisions for the establishment of Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (LDRRMO) in every barangay.¹³

The Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction in the Philippines: Strategic National Action Plan (SNAP) 2009-2019, outlines a disaster risk roadmap based on the Hyogo Framework of Action (HFA) commitments.¹⁴ The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Framework, adopted in 2011, translates the country’s HFA commitments into priority programs, projects, and budgets and is integrated into the Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction Plan 2011-2028 (NDRRP). Primary responsibility for the implementation of the NDRRP is allocated to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), under the Department of Defense (DND). The NDRRP also outlines provisions for developing and implementing disaster risk reduction plans at the regional, provincial, city, municipal and barangay levels. A National Disaster Response Plan has also been developed specifically focusing on hydro-meteorological hazards (for example, typhoons, tropical storms and flooding). Together, these documents form the legal and policy framework for disaster response in the Philippines.

During the last four years of implementation of the provisions in the DRM Act, there has been a significant increase in disaster risk management awareness knowledge and practice across government agencies and departments, as well as other sectors.¹⁵

Several challenges remain in terms of implementation of the DRRM Act and framework, including budgetary issues and allocation of disaster funding, and the devolution of responsibility for DRM to local government structures.

Insert legislation, policy and plans diagram

Role of the Armed Forces as outlined in national legal and policy frameworks

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has an integral role in disaster response in the Philippines. This is articulated in a number of Philippines’ disaster-related laws and policies, military doctrine, as well as the Armed Forces’ respective roles in the country’s national disaster coordination structures.¹⁶ Humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) is one of the four mission areas of the Armed Forces. It conducts HADR operations in support to the NDRRMC disaster risk reduction (DRR) activities including mitigation, preparedness, response and rehabilitation. The Armed Forces utilises its capability and resources to support DRR efforts to save lives, alleviate suffering, maintain and protect human dignity during and in the aftermath of disasters, calamities or any type of emergencies.¹⁷

The Armed Forces historically has had a strong internal focus on supporting national building processes. This has included non-traditional military roles such as law-enforcement activities and search and rescue operations. In recent times, its role has increasingly included anti-smuggling, anti-human and anti-drug trafficking activities, as well as environmental protection. The AFP have a clearly defined role in the National Disaster Response Plan as a key responder in the event of a disaster.¹⁸ This includes establishing area commands for directing operations in the field that will engage in search and rescue, relief, rehabilitation and recovery.

The Armed Forces Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response Plan (OPLAN Tulong – Bayanihan) outlines the core functions as well as the operational processes and systems to be used by the AFP in HADR operations. The plan emphasises the need for strong coordination and collaboration between the Armed Forces, DRRMCs and the Government in disaster response. The role of the military is outlined according to four thematic areas: disaster prevention and mitigation, preparedness and readiness, response, rehabilitation and recovery – across pre-disaster, disaster and post-disaster phases. The AFP are not only involved in disaster response activities, but also have a constituted role in reducing vulnerability and exposure of communities as well as building community capacity to reduce risk, and cope with the impact of disasters.

Core objectives of HADR operations: responding efficiently and effectively to different types of disasters, assisting DRRMCs and other agencies with delivery of basic services, integrating the efforts of the Armed Forces with DRMMCs and other agencies and assisting foreign military forces.

Mission tasks: conducting evacuations; conducting search, rescue and retrieval operations, transportation of relief supplies and rescue or medical teams, assisting the Philippine National Police in restoring and maintaining order; and assisting in restoring government functions. The AFP also respond to requests for assistance from Local Government Units (LGUs) and cluster members through the DDRMC or OCD.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council

1. 
   Secretary of Department of Interior and Local Government as Vice Chairperson for Preparedness
   
2. 
   Secretary of Department of Social Welfare and Development as Vice Chairperson for Disaster Response
   
3. 
   Secretary of Science and Technology as Vice Chairperson for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation
   
4. 
   Director-General of National Economic and Development Authority as Vice Chairperson for Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery
   

The positioning of NDRRMC towards preparedness and response, under the chairmanship of the Secretary of National Defense (DND) and with OCD as its operating arm, has evolved as a result of the historically significant lessons learned, challenges and good practices in disaster management. The AFP, as a member of the NDRRMC, has also made policy modifications to fine-tune the role of the military in disaster preparedness and response. As one of the five bureaus of the DND, OCD has access to military assets and capabilities in disaster response and therefore does not require significant resources of its own as a standalone agency. Experiences from past emergencies, particularly from Typhoon Haiyan, brought to the fore the need to further review and amend certain provisions of the DRRM Act and its implementing rules and regulations. Proposed amendments have already been initiated, submitted and endorsed to the Congress by the NDRRMC. In addition to the DRRM Act, policies pertaining to request, acceptance, facilitation and management of international humanitarian assistance, with reference to internationally recognized norms, practices and principles should also be pursued.

Armed Forces of the Philippines

The AFP conduct HADR operations through Unified Commands that operate in designated Areas of Responsibility (AOR). General Headquarters (GHQ) lead the direction of the response through the AFP Joint Task Force HADR. These are the units mandated to conduct immediate HADR operations in their areas of responsibility and to support other affected areas as needed.

Under Oplan Tulong Bayanihan, AFP supports other government agencies in DRR through various CMO activities:

1. 
   Public Affairs – to provide accurate information on disaster prevention, control and safety measures in times of disaster, and rescue and rehabilitation efforts.
   
2. 
   Civil Affairs – facilitate inter-agency coordination and stakeholder engagement with key partners in HADR by supporting government efforts to reduce the vulnerability and exposure of communities to hazards, and enhance their capacity to cope with the impact of disasters.
   
3. 
   Information Support Affairs – focused on negating the efforts of armed threat groups to exploit disaster situations to promote armed struggle or undermine the government.
   

The NDRRMC is currently revising the NDRP which will now include the inter-operability between the ICS and the Cluster System.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines Civil-Military Coordination Centre (AFP CMCC) is the AFP national coordination mechanism for facilitating civil-military coordination in crisis or emergency situations that require the support of AFP and its resources. It is the facility activated at the AFP General Headquarters (GHQ) by the planning unit (OJ3), to facilitate coordination with government agencies, NGOs, and international humanitarian agencies to support disaster response.

Lead Government Agencies in Disaster Response

Subnational coordination

Local government units (LGUs) have primary responsibility as first responders to any incident that occurs within their jurisdictions. As stipulated in the DRRM Act of 2010 (RA10121), Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (LDRRMO) of an LGU shall “respond to and manage the adverse effects of emergencies and carry out recovery activities in the affected area”.²⁴ The Local Government Code of 1991 prescribes that: “All incidents are expected to be managed by local government units through their Local DRRMCs by using their own emergency response teams and personnel, such as Search and Rescue, Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment and Incident Management Teams, as well as material resources.”

Text box with icon - Local government structures in the Philippines are termed local government units (LGUs). They are divided into three levels: provinces and independent cities; component cities and municipalities; and barangays. In some municipalities, barangays comprise of two additional administrative sub-levels – "sitios" and "puroks”. The Autonomous Region of Mindanao sits alongside this structure. Each LGU elects their own executives and legislatures. End text box
Insert administrative structure/map

Regional and local disaster risk reduction management councils

The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (RDRRMC) as established in the DRM Act, are composed of regional representatives of government agencies. The Regional DRRMCs are responsible for coordinating Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (LDRRMC). These are convened at the provincial, city, municipal and barangay levels. At the barangay level, the Barangay Development Councils function as the LDRRMC. During emergencies, LDRRMCs take the lead in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from the effects of any disaster.

In the context of disaster response, the NDRRMC and Local DRRMCs provide support functions to the affected LGUs. This includes coordinating the transition from immediate emergency response operations to early recovery functions undertaken by Government agencies and the cluster system.²⁵

Insert regional and local DRRMCs table
Role of the military and police: The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police are designated members of Regional and Local DRRMCs. AFP representation is allocated to the highest-ranking AFP member in the area, and PNP representation is allocated to the provincial/city/municipal PNP Chief.

Local disaster risk reduction and management offices: The DRM Act stipulates that an LDDRMO shall be established in every province, city and municipality. The LDRRMO is under the LGU, and is composed of three staff. The LDRRMO and the Local DRRMC are responsible for organizing, training and supervising local emergency response teams.²⁶

Emergency Operations Centres: As outlined in the Implementing Guidelines and NDRP, Regional and Local DRRMCs are required to establish Emergency Operations Centres in disaster response. EOCs are managed by the LGU

The designated authority for leading the response to a crisis, based on the size of the affected area, is outlined in Table X

In 2007 the Government of the Philippines established the humanitarian coordination structure of national clusters.²⁸ It was one of the first countries globally to adopt a national cluster approach based on the UN cluster system, and it has been utilised as a coordination platform since its adoption in 2007. The cluster system was activated in the response to Typhoon Haiyan (2013). In 2014, the National Disaster Response Plan amended the government clusters with eight response clusters, subsequently used to coordinate the response to Typhoon Hagupit.²⁹

Text box – Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) In the Philippines, the HCT comprises of 24 agencies from UN, INGOs, private sector representative and donor agencies, led by the UN Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator (RCHC). There are currently eleven NDRRMC response clusters, led by Government departments and agencies, and Humanitarian Country Team agency co-leads as outlined in the figure below.

The infographic below shows the coordination structure between the NDRRMC and the HCT clusters. Under the NDRP, the government merged several clusters which are led by an agency with a mandate for a specific sector. For example, the Department of Health leads the Health Cluster (with Mental Health and Psychosocial Support and Gender-based Violence sub-clusters), WASH Cluster and Nutrition Cluster and coordinates with its HCT counterparts: WHO, UNFPA and UNICEF.

The response to Typhoon Haiyan (2013) highlighted the challenges of applying the national cluster structure at the regional level. In Cebu, the cluster approach was incorporated in the disaster risk reduction program and has subsequently been adapted a number of times to reflect emerging priorities, and inclusivity of actors such as the Chamber of Commerce and private sector groups where they have significant roles in supporting government response; for example, in providing logistics.

As practiced, in large-scale emergencies, the HCT co-locate with the government’s emergency operations centre (EOC) or the incident command post (ICP) at the regional or LGU level. In most instances, the LGU provides for the space or identify the site/location for the establishment of the EOC or ICP. However, in Tacloban during Typhoon Haiyan, due to the serious damages incurred by the Tacloban City Hall and other government facilities, the NDRRMC, with guidance from the Tacloban LGU and NDRRMC Chair/Secretary of National Defense, the EOC or ICP was established separately from the Tacloban City EOC/ ICP. As part of the response to Typhoon Haiyan, the Government of the Philippines requested the deployment of a United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC). One of the first tasks of the UNDAC time was to establish an On-Site Operation and Coordination Center (OSOCC) that was co-located with the national government EOC at the Tacloban City Sports Complex. The unique civil-military coordination arrangements in this situation included the co-location of the Government, humanitarian and military actors (Canadian Arms Forces). As mentioned, this co-location was highlighted as a best practice in the UN-CMCoord after action review and led to the formulation of the six recommendations.

Role of the Armed Forces in the cluster system

The Armed Forces of the Philippines are designated as the lead of the Search, Rescue and Retrieval (SRR) Cluster. The SRR was established to ‘provide support for an effective, timely, organized and systematic search, rescue and retrieval operations in all affected areas in all emergencies.’³¹

2. Vice-Chairperson for Disaster Response (DSWD)

3. SRR Cluster Lead (DILG)

4. Cluster members

Operations Centres

Dedicated systems and mechanisms shall be activated prior to the occurrence of a disaster or emergency, including the cluster coordination system, emergency operations centre (EOC) and the incident command system (ICS).

NDRRMC Operations Centre

The NDRRMC Operations Centre (or Command Centre) serves as the coordination mechanism for all national response clusters. It is composed of focal points designated by the NDRRMC member agencies, including the Armed Forces. The Operations Centre is managed by the Office of Civil Defense, and coordinates all requests from cluster member agencies; collating situation reports from affected regional OCD offices. National Operations Centres can also be established off-site in the affected region by Rapid Deployment Teams to serve as coordination hubs and facilitate whole-of-response operations in the affected areas and in Manila for NDRRMCs, RDDRCs and the clusters.

Incident Command System (ICS)

The establishment of the ICS system was mandated in the DRRM Act of 2010, and the Implementing Guidelines on the use of ICS Memorandum Circular were instituted in 2012.³² OCD was tasked with formulating standard operating procedures for coordination, and establishing the ICS as part of the on-scene disaster response system.³³ Over the past five years, the ICS has gone through a process of implementation, beginning with the training of the NDRRMC National Cadre, made up of 34 representatives from NDRRMC member agencies and LGUs.
Table

Functions ICS is a standardized, on-scene, all-hazard incident management concept. Users adopt an integrated organizational structure that reflects the complexities and demands of single or multiple incidents. It is designed to enable effective and efficient incident management by integrating a combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure.³⁴ It is designed to facilitate interoperability between disaster response personnel and other agencies in different jurisdictions.

Liaison The Liaison Officer is Incident Command’s point of contact for DRRMC/other government agency representatives, NGOs, and the private sector to provide input on their agency’s policies, resource availability, and other incident-related matters. Under either a single Incident Command or a Unified Command structure, representatives from assisting or cooperating agencies coordinate through the Liaison Officer.”³⁵

Leadership

The ICS as prescribed in the IRR of RA10121 the establishment of an ICS as part of managing on-scene disasters that involve/require multiple actors and resources. At the national and regional levels, the OCD establishes the ICS. At the local level, the ICS is established by the local chief executives (LCEs), who can designate an official as the incident commander. The AFP supports the ICS at different levels through its operating units and provides resources as needed by the situation, e.g. logistics and communications support and search and rescue (SAR) capability. Within the ICS, AFP operating units report to OCD or the LCE or its designated official at the national and local level respectively. The OCD Administrator, in most circumstances, is the designated official by the NDRRMC Chair to lead the ICS at the national level.

The Chairperson of the DRRMC or Crisis Manager of the CMC is situated at the EOC, together with cluster/sector leads to facilitate decision making at a strategic level. The IMT then undertakes tactical operations based on the directives from the EOC. The IMT also reports back to the EOC about situation updates on the ground. The clusters will then continue to coordinate with the IMT to provide assistance especially in terms of resource mobilization. This interoperability framework, as shown in Diagram X (see below) can also be adopted by the DRRMCs at the regional and local levels as appropriate.”³⁹

Section 3: Coordination of Foreign Military Assistance

Mobilization of International Assistance

In major natural disasters, the Philippines will accept specific offers of assistance that are targeted to meet gaps in national capacity or resources.⁴⁰ In the response to Typhoon Hagupit (December 2014), the Government did not issue a blanket appeal for assistance. However, it accepted the offer of targeted assistance by a number of Member States. In addition to this, international assistance has also been provided on the basis of an offer by the Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator, that has then been accepted by the NDRRMC.

In the Philippines, the legislative provisions for requesting international assistance are limited in detail and scope. The DRM Act, and associated Implementing Rules and Guidelines only articulate that a declaration of a State of Calamity by the President may necessitate international assistance, and that a call for international assistance by the President will be based on recommendations from the NDRRMC.⁴¹ The NDRRMC determines the duration and termination of international assistance. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is currently in the process of defining the triggers for calls for international assistance during slow or sudden-onset disasters. In practice, a less detailed approach to outlining legal provisions for international humanitarian assistance has not lead impeded international actors, in part due to the presence of the cluster system as a coordination mechanism and the role of ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER).⁴²

Coordination of incoming international humanitarian assistance is led by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).⁴³ According to the NDRP, DFA is responsible for conveying the relief needs identified by Government agencies to the international community.⁴⁴ The On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC)⁴⁵ (set up by the UNDAC team) and the One-Stop Shop (OSS)⁴⁶ are both civilian coordination mechanisms for international humanitarian assistance that may be stood up, led respectively by UN OCHA and the Bureau of Customs through the Department of Finance.

Coordination of Foreign Military Assets (FMA)

FMAs may either be requested or accepted by the Philippine Government. The need for foreign military assistance will be communicated to the international community by the DFA. Identifying the availability and use of FMAs shall be determined by the response clusters, with OCD consolidating the requirements for requesting and accepting on behalf of the Philippine Government. In case FMAs are accepted, joint and combined operations/multi-national force (MNF) concepts shall be applied. The AFP, at the Global HQ level, would establish the multi-national coordination centre (MNCC). The MNCC could also be established at the unified command (UC) level.

International military assistance

International military assistance is generally based on existing agreements between the Philippines and other Member States, or provided on a bilateral or multilateral basis.⁴⁸ A number of Status-of-Forces Agreements (SOFA) exist between the Philippines and other Member States, expediting the process for deployment of FMA where needed. The Philippines has also identified the need to develop further SOFA agreements, as well as an ASEAN SOFA.⁴⁹ International military assistance is coordinated through the Armed Forces and the Department of Defense, generally on a bilateral basis through the establishment of a Bi-lateral or Combined Coordination Centre and/or a Multi-National Coordination Centre (MNCC) at the General Headquarters (national) level, and may also be replicated at the Unified Command level.⁵⁰ There is also work underway to develop temporary SOFAs for emergency periods, stipulating the terms of reference of assisting countries’ foreign military forces which do not have already existing SOFA with the Philippines Government.

UN-CMCoord Liaison Officers may be deployed where there is military involvement in a disaster response context.

Humanitarian-Military Operational Coordination Concept (HuMOCC)

The Typhoon Haiyan CMCoord After Action Review recommendations highlighted the need for a platform to be established at national level that can facilitate the interface between humanitarian and military actors, using the model provided by the HuMOCC (see introduction chapter). In the Philippines, the OCD and AFP support the adoption or integration of the concept in existing coordination mechanism to enhance inter-operability between and among government and humanitarian actors; initiate dialogue and information sharing, especially between the military and civilian actors; and optimise and prioritise the use of military assets by civilian actors.

Civil Military Coordination Centre/Humanitarian Operations Coordination Centre

In disaster response contexts requiring international assistance, the Philippines may establish a Civil-Military Coordination Centre, a physical coordination facility established by the AFP at the national level to support government agencies; NGOs and international partners have access to utilize military assets. In case there is the participation of other foreign military foreign forces, joint combined operations or multi-national concepts shall be applied through the establishment of the Multi National Coordination Centre (MNCC).⁵³ Both the CMCC and MNCC support the NDRRMC Response Operations. It could be utilize as a coordination platform to optimize the use of military assets by humanitarian agencies.

1. 
   Facilitates civil-military coordination with NDRRMC agencies, OCD, NGOs, private organization and other international humanitarian actors on the use of military assets.
   
2. 
   Support early recovery activities by humanitarian clusters both local and foreign through the NDRRMC and OCD.
   

Multi-National Coordination Centre (MNCC)

This role of the MNCC is outlined in the AFP Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Plan. The plan highlights that Joint and Combined Operations/Multi-National Force (MNF) concepts shall be applied in the coordination of incoming foreign militaries.⁵⁵ A Bi-lateral/Combined Coordination Centre and/or a Multi-National Coordination Centre (MNCC) may be established at the General Headquarters (national) level, and can be replicated at the Unified Command level.⁵⁶ It should only be established if liaison mechanisms are insufficient to assist military-to-military coordination, as its utility may be reduced or duplicative in smaller operations.

The purpose of the MNCC is to provide common situational awareness between the AFP and assisting foreign militaries, facilitate information sharing, and ensure the efficient use of military support locations, capabilities, and coordination.⁵⁷

• 
  Establish liaison with NDRRMC and designated affected state civil government, relief agencies, and military, and other as necessary
  
• 
  Coordinate support of needs assessment with NDRRMC and other agencies
  
• 
  In conjunction with NDRRMC and assisting states, prioritize, coordinate and de-conflict foreign military assistance and support, including support coordinated by regional organizations such as the ASEAN AHA Centre
  
• 
  Prioritize military assistance in support of NDRRMC and assisting states
  
• 
  Coordinate unique military specific support requirements
  
• 
  Support de-confliction of airspace, movement of forces, and logistics assets
  
• 
  Develop or plan appropriate transition, engagement, and disengagement criteria for withdrawal of military support⁵⁸
  

• 
  Information-sharing
  
• 
  Request for Assistance (RFA)
  
• 
  Operations
  
• 
  Planning
  
• 
  Civil-Military (Humanitarian /Affected State) Coordination
  
• 
  Public Affairs / Media
  

Civil-military coordination in Typhoon Haiyan highlighted a number of good practices that have influenced the development of the CMCoord agenda in the region, including “bilateral commitment executed multilaterally on the ground” through the Multinational Coordination Centre (MNCC) that encouraged optimal use of foreign military assets.⁵⁹ Typhoon Haiyan was the first time that an operational MNCC had been stood up and led by the Armed Forces. In the response, an Incident Command Team (ICT) was established, prior to the standing up of the MNCC, to ‘pave the way’. The ICT consisted of international liaison officers from a number of countries.

Civil-military coordination faced a number of challenges, including limited sharing of information between civil and military organizations, lack of coordination of operational planning between civilian and military actors. This resulted in difficulties in linking up NDRRMC and AFP, in particular with Joint Task Force Yolanda (JTFY). A number of challenges in the operation of the MNCC were identified including the delay in establishing the physical facility and limited personnel trained in operating the MNCC in emergencies. Lessons learnt were subsequently implemented in the response to Typhoon Hagupit in 2014, where with OCHA support, the MNCC was stood up 48 hours prior to landfall, and was prepared to process and manage incoming foreign military assets. Additionally, the MNCC was identified as nesting “under a broader national HADR architecture, complementing existing relief mechanism.”⁶⁰ Prepositioning of military forces also began earlier, at 120 hours prior to landfall. The role of Armed Forces liaison officers was identified as critical to the coordination of military-military assistance. Seventeen liaison officers served as the link between the Area Commander and the 29 foreign responding military contingents.