International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

13Oct10

(delivered before the plenary on October 13, 2010 during the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction)

Today, October 13, the world observes the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction while Southeast Asian countries observe the ASEAN Day for Disaster Risk Management. These global observances are reminding us to assess and evaluate our past and present strategies and actions in dealing with disasters.

When we were hit by three destructive typhoons last year:  Ondoy, Pepeng, and Santi, more than 10 million lives have been changed, some of them in this very hall. The rest of us watched in utter despair and helplessness. We saw properties and lives being swept away by raging waters.

We have to make an effort to revisit, not so much the pain that the typhoons have inflicted upon the country, but the efforts undertaken in response to the lessons learned.

The statistics are staggering:

• 2 million families or 10 million individuals were affected in the flooding or landslides;
• Nearly a thousand perished: 464 due to Ondoy, 492 due to Pepeng, and 34 due to Santi;
• Total damage and losses amounted to USD 4.4 Billion or the equivalent of 2.7 percent of the country’s GDP;
• The education sector’s total damages and losses are at Php2.7 billion covering 3,417 schools, 36 colleges and universities, and about 2,800 day care centers;
• The Agriculture sector alone lost Php29.38 Billion covering 30 provinces in 7 regions;
• Totally or partially damaged homes reached 220,000.

But this is just typhoons hitting the country.

According to a joint study by Columbia University and the World Bank which identifies countries which are at high risk for six major natural hazards: earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, floods, drought, and cyclones- Philippines is pegged as one of the riskiest countries in the world.

In the same vein, the Phivolcs reports that 20 earthquakes occur every single day.

Our situation and our experiences in 2009 may very well explain the result of the survey conducted by the Nielsen Company and the Oxford University Institute of Climate Change late last year: the Philippines registered the highest level of concern for climate change among 54 countries surveyed. 78% of Filipino respondents said they are concerned. In fact, VERY CONCERNED. They have good reasons to feel that way.

We have to make our people feel safer and more secure by ridding of knee-jerk reactions and by investing in long-term plans against disasters.

This is why the recent enactment of the Climate Change Act and more importantly the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act is a significant milestone in the country.

Our Climate Change Act, the first in Asia, sums up the country’s great resolve to take the issue of climate change very seriously. It goes to show that we value among everything else the welfare of our people through the protection of the environment.

With the DRRM of 2010, the country has finally aligned itself with the Hyogo Framework for Action which states that “disaster risk reduction must be a long term national and international development priority and must promote a multi-sectoral and multi-hazard approach in dealing with disasters.”

Among the salient features of the DRRM that can help the country in facing disasters are the immediate release of calamity funds to local governments units so they can prepare for disaster mitigation and not merely respond, and the granting of no-interest loans  by government financial institutions to the most affected areas that have been placed under a state of calamity.

But legislation alone can only do so much. It is by harnessing the efforts of collaboration, and effecting change with a strong foundation built on our own experiences and that of other nations, and backed by scientific data that we can make our country better prepared to face the worst natural disasters and minimize damage and the loss of life.

According to the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction, in order to be adequately prepared against disasters we have to address three things:

• Poor urban governance
• Ecosystem decline
• Vulnerable rural livelihood

First, we must strengthen governance in the urban centers. This means putting a stop to corruption. This means enforcing strictly building codes and zoning policies. This means not placing people, homes, and industries in high risk areas. Development must be pursued with responsibility, accountability, and proficiency for good governance. Development should reduce rather than produce risks to our society and our economy. Development should promote resilient investments. This is why I believe that we should heed the call of our colleague, Rep. Rodolfo Valencia, for a national land use plan. The need for a Strategic Urban Planning cannot be overemphasized.

Second, we must protect our ecosystems for it was found that 60% of all ecosystem services – the services nature provides to sustain human life on earth – are declining, with some services like fisheries beyond repair. And in addition, we are also creating trade-offs between these ecosystem services: for when we convert mangrove plantations to shrimp ponds, we actually increase storm surge risk; for when we cut down forests for agriculture use, we actually increase landslide risk; for when we drain wetlands, we actually increase flood risk.

And last, we must enhance rural livelihoods to which 75% of the poor depend on to subsist. This means improving agricultural productivity and supporting our farmers better. This also means addressing the issues akin to rural poverty – such as inequity in land distribution, lack of access to better seeds and irrigation technology, the lack of economic diversification, weak markets and trade barriers, and the lack of capacity to absorb and to recover from disaster losses.

To add further, information regarding disaster risk reduction and management must reach every Filipino home. This is where the role of mass media in educating the public becomes crucial. Likewise, as our colleague Rep. Freddie Tinga, advocates, Information and Communication Technology can do wonders when strategically utilized. We can just imagine the number of Filipino internet users we can educate about disasters through social networking sites.

CLOSING

Mr. Speaker, we can no longer afford to act on disaster as it happens.

The two landmark legislations give us the chance to act before disaster strikes. Now, we can forewarn and forearm our people when facing natural hazards.

It is clear that much remains to be done to increase safety among our people and resilience for our community. Many challenges loom ahead. On this International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, let us remember that disasters are everybody’s business and that, working together, we can make communities much safer and better prepared to overcome natural disasters.

Mr. Speaker, let us waste no more time because lives are at stake.

 

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