Senator Edgardo J. Angara said
that disaster preparedness and risk reduction measures should be prioritized in
the 2013 budget deliberations.
“We must look into the
government’s disaster management plan and make sure that risk mitigation and
adaptation are prioritized in next year’s budget, so that we could put them
into action as early as possible,” he said.
Torrential rains brought by the
Habagat or Southwest monsoon swept through the country this past week, dumping
one month’s worth of rain in just two days over Metro Manila and neighboring
provinces. Widespread flooding, landslides, and massive damage to property put
22 different areas under a state of calamity. Schools, businesses, and
government offices were in a standstill for one week.
“Although we cannot stop these
natural disasters from happening, we can minimize the damage by reducing our
country’s risk and vulnerabilities. We must shift our focus from relief and
rehabilitation to prevention,” he said.
Angara, Chair of the Senate
Committee on Science and Technology, observed that this situation is
reminiscent to Typhoon Ondoy in 2009, when a large amount of rainfall in a
short period of time caused massive destruction. The big difference, irony
even, was that there was no typhoon in the country's area of responsibility.
The nonstop rains were brought about by a monsoon that was enhanced by a
typhoon in the region.
“Because of the lack of a storm
signal, people may have underestimated the potential impact at first. Many
simply did not expect the Habagat to hit us so hard. At the same time, we are
not yet familiar with PAG-ASA's rainfall bulletin,” he explained.
The veteran legislator also
emphasized the importance of familiarizing the public with weather indicators
and reports, such as the color-coded rainfall warning and measurement scheme
being used by the national weather bureau.
“Aside from preparing our
roads, canals and buildings, it is equally important to educate the people on
these matters. We could conduct disaster preparedness seminars and workshops
for our barangay leaders through our LGUs. On a national level, we could use
the media to teach the public how to interpret the weather bulletins and also
give basic survival measures so that everyone knows what to do in cases of
emergency,” he proposed.