THE Philippines incurred damage of at least P388.74 billion from disasters between 2011 and 2018, according to data presented by the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), but the cost of recovery and rebuilding was nearly one and a half times that amount.
In a recent forum, Neda Regional Development Office Undersecretary Adoracion M. Navarro said the largest damage cost was P125.56 billion, incurred in 2013. This was the year when Supertyphoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan) struck and caused P101.79 billion worth of damage and losses.
Navarro said the government had to spend some P559.86 billion for rehabilitation and recovery between 2011 and 2018. The rehabilitation cost in 2013 was also the highest at P378.17 billion, due mainly to Yolanda.
“To illustrate the result of our tracking of economic losses due to major disasters from 2011 to present: As you can see, the top 3 occurrences of highest damage to our economy were in 2013 due to Typhoon Yolanda [0.905 percent of GDP, or a negative 0.209-percentage-point contribution to GDP growth]; in 2012 due to Typhoon Pablo [0.456 percent of GDP, or a negative 0.325-ppt contribution to GDP growth], and in 2014 due to Typhoon Glenda [0.37 percent of GDP, or a negative 0.248-ppt contribution to GDP growth],” Navarro said.
In terms of impact on GDP growth, disasters all cause declines in economic growth. The largest decline in economic growth caused by a single disaster between 2011 and 2018 was a contraction of 0.325 percentage points recorded in December 2012 because of
Typhoon Pablo. This was followed by Typhoons Glenda and Yolanda with a contraction of 0.248 percentage points and 0.209 percentage points, respectively. Glenda occurred in July 2014 and Yolanda in, November 2013.
Meanwhile, Neda data showed the number of fatalities was also the highest in 2013 at 6,727 people. This was also mainly caused by Yolanda, which left in its wake 6,201 Filipinos dead.
Other natural and man-made disasters in 2013 that claimed hundreds of lives were the Zamboanga siege in September and the Central Visayas earthquake in October, with 203 and 221 Filipinos killed, respectively.
However, since November 2013, after Typhoon Yolanda, the number of fatalities have been below 200. The disasters that brought the highest number of fatalities between July 2014 and September 2018 were Typhoon Vinta with 173 dead in December 2017, and the Marawi siege with 168 dead in May 2017.
“[However], our detailed post-disaster needs assessment is not yet finished and we do not have estimates of GDP impacts yet, so we really cannot say [if we have become more resilient] in terms of GDP impact figures. [But] with respect to reducing loss of human lives, it is clear that we have learned our lessons well in managing disasters,” Navarro said.
Navarro said it is important for the Philippines to build resilience to disasters. This “is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress.”
She said there are many efforts now being undertaken by the government. These efforts include providing universal health insurance; enhancing social protection for the informal sector; addressing the concerns of children caught in situations of armed conflict; and improving socioeconomic interventions, among others. “So that we may build a more resilient nation, we will continue to refine the use of appropriate indicators to measure the implementation and effectiveness of climate change and DRRM [disaster risk reduction and management] initiatives vis-à-vis the Sendai Framework for DRR [disaster risk reduction], SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals] and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Commitments,” she said.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes