THE LANDSLIDE in Igbaras, Iloilo on Aug. 4 reminded us once again that our country is prone to natural disasters. And because disasters are becoming more formidable, a shift from reactive to proactive stance in dealing with natural hazards is a must.
Let us rethink our current frameworks and strategies for socio-economic development. Poverty, environmental degradation, rapid urbanization, and climate change have all conspired to create enormous risks in our communities. They have constantly challenged our capacity to cope.
Resilience is said to be one of the remarkable strengths of our citizens, but what is our understanding of it? Is it limited to our ability to cope amid a devastating tragedy? Is it relevant only to the way we rebuild our communities after each disaster?
The task before national and local leaders is straightforward:Ā We have to make our communities safer, more resilient, and even more ready. The task of ābuilding betterā starts not after each disaster, but long before calamities strike.
Sea level rise threatens to submerge our coastal towns. At risk are 64 coastal provinces, 822 coastal municipalities, 25 major coastal cities and approximately 13.6 million Filipinos that need to be relocated away from danger zones. Are these communities aware of the threats of sea level rise and their exposure to tsunami and storm surge? Do they have natural buffers and disaster risk reduction measures in place?
Meanwhile, communities in flood-prone and landslide-prone areas, near volcanoes and other active fault lines, must also be aware of the risks. Local government units have the duty to create disaster risk reduction and management plans based on these vulnerabilities.
We have laws to build resilience, such as the Climate Change Law of 2009, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, and the Peopleās Survival Fund Law of 2012, among others. But these policies are mere ink on paper unless we turn them into actual programs and actions that will effectively reduce disaster risks.
Closest to the people, local government leaders have the privilege to translate national policies, plans and programs into concrete and visible actions. Committing to make cities and municipalities disaster-resilient means increasing our investments in disaster risk reduction; conducting and sharing risk assessments; establishing multi-hazard early warning system; building roadside ditches and seawalls; and undertaking regular drills for disaster preparedness, among others.
We must build homes, schools, and hospitals that are safe and secure amidst natural hazards. We must design and construct roads, bridges and other infrastructure that helps spur economic growth with disaster risk reduction in mind.
