In May and June 2015 the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the support of the Government of Norway and Japan partnered with the local government of Busuanga, Palawan to implement a project on improving the resiliency of social and economic infrastructure and facilities through local resource-based methods. The project had three mitigation and improvement components. The first involved the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) guidelines-compliant improvements of facilities in the national high schools of Panlaitan and Cheey. Environment-friendly and cost-effective measures were taken to make the schools more typhoon-resistant and user-friendly (e.g. rainwater collectors, persons with disability (PWD) access). The second component included the rehabilitation of the Salvacion-Putod Municipal Road, with an eye towards minimizing future maintenance costs. This facilitated the flow of goods, services, and passengers to and from the town proper, ensuring access to economic activities and livelihood opportunities. The third component covered the improvement of Sitio Calauit’s boat landing pier to safeguard boats from strong winds and waves. This encouraged the landing’s use both as a tourism passenger terminal and a trading station.

The project employed 457 workers (322 women and 135 men) who were given the regional minimum wage, personal protective equipment (PPE), hand tools (eventually turned over to the Local Government Unit (LGU) to become community assets), and social protection (Social Security System, PhilHealth, and accident insurance).

On 4 May 2015 the ILO held a Pre-Implementation Briefing and Planning Session at the auditorium of Busuanga’s Municipal Hall. In attendance were the project management community members who oversaw work in the various Haiyan-affected barangays.