On Disaster Resilience
The Philippines was hit by a storm once again, and once again, the damages are in the billions and the death toll, many. For a country besieged by storms every year, have our government officials not learned their lesson? Surely, like the creation of a Department of Maritime Affairs, it is time also to create a Department of Disaster Resilience (or perhaps, even loftier, the Department of Climate Change) to streamline disaster and risk reduction management. Not only that but also, more importantly, the preparation for disasters should be bottom-up since it is the people on the ground who have more experience with how disasters such as storms affect their community and environment.
We should not focus on helping people in need during storms or typhoons - though certainly admirable, the focus should be preventing these storms or typhoons from causing damage in the first place. It reminds me of that story from Japan where a village mayor built a seawall despite being mocked by his own constituents for the seawall's expense and extravagance. Twenty years later, that same seawall saved thousands of lives from a tsunami that occurred during an earthquake near the area. I believe we should have that same thinking. I do not mean we should waste money on whims, but rather on scientifically proven methods that not only the Philippines but the world has learned from these natural disasters.
Quotes (emphasis mine):
I
Dr. Marie Ela Atienza of the University of the Philippines (UP)-Center for Integrative and Development Studies and UP-Department of Political Science presented her study on "Enhancing Disaster Risk Governance and Resilience: Lessons from Supertyphoon Yolanda”, which highlighted the importance of multilevel governance structures for disaster risk reduction management (DRRM) based on the country’s experience during the said disaster.
“The national government played a significant role in disaster response, and coordination with international agencies was generally good. However, tensions between the government and international nongovernment organizations and parallel efforts and duplicated aid were observed,” she said.
Atienza emphasized the need for a comprehensive and coordinated approach to disaster risk governance, with a focus on community involvement and empowerment, to enhance resilience and response capabilities. She added that strengthening international coordination and response, including within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a vital strategy.
II
Given that the Philippines has high exposure to disaster risks, Domingo and Alaguera (2017) noted that the government’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) cannot continue to exist as a focal disaster organization with mere coordinative functions and often competing with the mission of the departments/agencies comprising the Council. They called on the government to consider other institutional arrangements for DRRM, such as creating “a unified disaster management agency responsible for all phases of DRRM”. They also urged the NDRRMC to tap its regional and local partners to strengthen its networks and institutional support.
Moreover, Domingo and Manejar (2018) noted that local government units (LGUs) have few permanent DRRM officers appointed in local DRRM offices. They also underscored the underutilization of local DRRM funds at the national and local levels...
Furthermore, Domingo and Manejar (2021) recommended strengthening institutional avenues for community and stakeholder participation, such as civil society organizations, people's organizations, nongovernment organizations, church organizations, and other interest groups. They added that it is important to consider local initiatives proposed through the barangay DRRM plans and include them in the physical framework and socioeconomic plans and investment programs of LGUs. They also recommended expanding the post-disaster process to incorporate risk and post-disaster assessments.
In another study, Domingo and Manejar (2020) found that provincial decision making units (DMUs) are more efficient in carrying out DRRM functions than their municipal counterparts. Based on their review, they observed that provincial DMUs were able to fulfill the requirements for local planning, such as local DRRM plans, local climate change action plans, and contingency plans. They also found that the programmed infrastructure and equipment reflected in these plans are present, such as early warning structures, evacuation centers, search-and-rescue operations, and standards of operations...
III
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has completed the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), among others, as part of an “integrated approach towards crafting new evidence-informed plans on mitigation and adaptation” for disasters. The NAP supports the National Economic and Development Authority’s Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 framework to accelerate climate action and strengthen resilience.
“Mitigation, adaptation, and disaster risk reduction are critical elements in our race to resilience. These tasks must be informed by science and they are for the whole-of-society and not just the whole-of-government,” Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga had said during a dialog with the private sector.