Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Government boosting disaster risk reduction efforts



The government is boosting its risk reduction efforts to ensure the safety of the Filipino people during natural disasters, Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said.

“Matatag at lalo pang pinapalakas ng pamahalaan ang kahandaan ng ating mga siyudad at komunidad laban sa panganib na dulot ng bagyo at iba pang kalamidad. Sa bawat barangay, bayan, lungsod, lalawigan at rehiyon at maging sa pambansang larangan, mayroong Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council na patuloy na nagmomobolisa sa pamayanan upang makapagtatag ng disaster-resilient communities,” Secretary Coloma said. He was reacting to a recent Verisk Maplecroft report which mentioned the Philippines as among 10 countries with the most number of people exposed to natural hazards.

Verisk Maplecroft, a risk management firm based in the United Kingdom, said Asia has the largest number of people exposed to natural disasters, with India having a billion people at risk. Other Asian countries cited were China, Bangladesh, and Indonesia.

Secretary Coloma said that no less than President Benigno S. Aquino III heads the National Climate Change Commission, which is in charge of implementing strategies to deal with the challenges of climate change effectively.

The Palace official said even other countries are using the best practices of the Philippines as examples to reduce risks.

“Ang mga best practices sa Pilipinas ay ginagamit pang huwaran ng ibang bansa at patunay dito ang pangunahing papel na ginagampanan ng Pilipinas bilang kasalukuyang pangulo ng Climate Vulnerable Forum na ngayo’y binubuo ng mahigit sa 100 bansa. Matatandaang sa nakaraang COP o COP21 (21st Conference of Parties) meeting sa Paris, nanguna ang Climate Vulnerable Forum sa pagbubuo ng consensus na humantong sa makasaysayang Paris Agreement on Climate Change,” explained Coloma.

The Paris Agreement is an agreement within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change governing greenhouse gases emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance from 2020 onward, he added.

According to Verisk Maplecroft researchers, 1.4 billion people in South Asia are exposed to at least one major natural hazard, from severe storms to flooding and earthquakes.

They said Manila is the most exposed city, with majority of its 23 million population in the path of typhoons. Other major cities like Tokyo (Japan), Jakarta (Indonesia), and Dongguan (China) were also found to be at risk. (PCOO News Release)

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