By Kenneth Marcos 
When disasters strike, vital information can be lost in an instant. To prevent this, the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) conducted a Training-Workshop on Records Counter Disaster Preparedness and Business Continuity on October 28–29, 2025, at its headquarters in Quezon City.
The two-day activity, led by the Records Management Section of NFRDI’s Finance and Administrative Division, aimed to strengthen the institute’s capacity to protect, recover, and restore essential records in times of natural or man-made disasters.
During the training, resource speakers Von Abella and Michelle Ann Rose Zamora from the National Archives of the Philippines (NAP) shared their expertise in records and archives management. They emphasized that preparedness begins long before a disaster happens and that every organization must have a concrete plan to ensure that critical data and documents remain safe and accessible.
Abella discussed strategies for organizing and storing records securely, while Zamora demonstrated techniques for salvaging and restoring damaged documents after disasters such as floods, fires, or earthquakes. The resource persons also guided participants in developing a Business Continuity Plan (BCP)—a vital framework that allows offices to continue essential operations even during emergencies.
According to NFRDI, the workshop is part of its ongoing effort to improve internal systems and ensure that valuable research data, administrative files, and institutional records are well-preserved. The training also aligns with national government initiatives to strengthen public sector resiliency and ensure efficient service delivery amid increasing risks from climate change and disasters.
Records custodians from various divisions of NFRDI actively joined the discussions and hands-on exercises. They practiced emergency response procedures for records protection and learned methods for prioritizing and documenting salvaged materials.
The NFRDI stressed that protecting records is not only about securing physical documents but also about safeguarding institutional memory and scientific knowledge essential to the country’s fisheries research and development programs.
As the Philippines remains one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, government agencies are urged to adopt strong disaster preparedness and records management systems to prevent the loss of critical information.
Through initiatives like this, the NFRDI hopes to set a model for resilience—ensuring that research data, technical outputs, and administrative records continue to support the country’s fisheries sector, no matter what challenges arise.
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