LIBERAL Party Rep. Teddy B. Baguilat Jr. of Ifugao has called for an intensified campaign to establish disaster-resilient communities with adequate housing and social services nationwide.
The call comes three weeks before the country commemorates the calamity wreaked by Typhoon Yolanda three years ago.
Baguilat reiterated the plea even as only 19,000 of the 200,000 homes destroyed by Yolanda have been completed, for a 9.5-percent accomplishment rating as of March this year.
Last week’s onslaught of Typhoon Lawin left more than 60,000 families crammed in evacuation centers in Northern Luzon, including some in the Cordilleras, Baguilat’s home region.
The latest disaster caused P657 million in damages, with infrastructure sustaining losses valued at P581.9 million.
Baguilat noted that typhoons normally batter farming and fishing communities, hitting the poorer sections of the country and compromising food production in the process.
With the adverse impact of climate change hitting the country hard, a total of 20 typhoons visit the Philippines annually, many of which have winds with velocities higher than 150 kilometers per hour.
Speaking during the “Promoting Sustainable and Resilient Communities: A Multisectoral Policy Conference on Resilient Housing and Human Settlements,” sponsored by the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development’s (PLCPD), Baguilat said, “There is a need to institutionalize measures in preparation for extreme weather events. This is to guarantee that Filipinos who experience disasters are rehabilitated in safe, secure and sustainable shelters.”
“Let us be reminded that the right to adequate housing is a fundamental human right that enables individuals to safeguard their dignity and realize their other basic rights,” Baguilat added.
PLCPD has pursued policies that aim to address shelter provision challenges, with Resilient Housing and Human Settlements included in its priority legislative agenda for the17th Congress.
PLCPD has been pushing for the enactment of the Senate Bill 1023, also known as the Resilient Housing and Human Settlements Act of 2016.
PLCPD policy conference also comes at a time when fears are being raised that China may renew its bid to acquire up to 2.4 million hectares of land in the Philippines for the production of rice, corn, vegetables and aquaculture ventures.
An initial deal for such long-term lease was signed in January 2007, but was eventually ditched as farmers opposed the plan.
In 2013 China leased 11,500 square miles of Ukraine, or 3 million hectares of land, in its bid to grow food abroad as Beijing transformed more agricultural land into industrial zones.
The land represents 5 percent of Ukraine’s territory.
Baguilat champions the National Land Use Act (NLUA) that he said will resolve the dispute over which should have priority—food security or housing.
“There is no debate actually. Both food and shelter are important for our people’s survival if only we carefully plan the use of our resources as a nation and as an ecosystem, and not just at the local government level. But we do need to determine where and which of our 14 million hectares of alienable and disposable lands classified as agricultural would be more suitable for food production or as built-up areas for housing, urban expansion and infrastructure,” he said.
Baguilat said that based on the country’s 2-percent growth rate, by the year 2045, 142 million Filipinos may be fighting for food and water if natural resources were not protected and conserved.
A higher population growth rate also implies higher demand for housing.
Baguilat added that areas for housing need not come from the remaining 4 million hectares of prime agricultural lands planted to rice and corn across the country.
“These 4 million hectares are merely part of the 14 million hectares of the total alienable and disposable lands generally classified as agricultural, meaning not public lands or forest areas. Therefore, it is vital that appropriate land-use planning should be done in the whole country to determine the land allocation for settlements without compromising our remaining rice and corn lands,” he said.