LEARNING its lessons well every after every natural calamity, the Philippines is more resilient and better prepared for disasters, officials of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said on Wednesday.
Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya told the BusinessMirror at the sidelines of the Media Forum on LGU Protocols and Disaster Risk Reduction-Climate Change Action at the Local Government Academy in Pasig City that the Philippines has gone a long way in putting in place a system that has resulted in a reduced number of casualties.
Malaya said various policies have been put in place, including pieces of legislation that enhanced the country’s capacity to reduce the risk of disasters and strengthen resiliency to be able to survive and recover from the worst impacts of climate change.
According to Malaya, the DILG continues to strengthen the capacity of LGUs in disaster risk reduction and climate- change action to minimize the loss of lives and properties, especially because the Philippines is highly vulnerable to climate change.
Malaya said local officials should be reminded of their duties and responsibilities in times of natural calamities to reduce the risk of disasters.
LGUs, he said, should continue to enhance the capacities of communities within their jurisdiction, as well as by working to raise people’s awareness of the risks and life-threatening hazards they may face in times of a strong typhoon, flood, flash flood, landslide or even earthquakes.
“Prevention is always better than cure, that is why we continue to enhance the capacity of our LGUs,” he said.
The DILG, he said, periodically assesses the capacity of LGUs and reminds them of what needs to be done to strengthen their resilience.
“Our DILG field officials conduct these assessments and regularly inform LGUs of what needs to be done. We also provide technical support to the LGUs as part of our mandate,” he added.
He said the DILG, through its Local Government Academy, developed Operation Listo, a national advocacy program for disaster preparedness and disaster risk management at the local level, in the aftermath of Supertyphoon Yolanda in 2013.
Operation Listo is the flagship program of the DILG for disaster preparedness and was first implemented in three components: Listong Pamahalaang Lokal, Listong Pamayanan and Listong Pamilya Pilipino.
He said in all these, LGUs and other key actors are given Listo Manual to guide them on the sets of minimum critical “things to do” during an impending weather disturbance or tropical cyclone.
Over the years, he said the manual was enhanced to make it more responsive to the challenges from climate change.
During the event, he reminded media of their important roles in informing the public.
“We want to orient the members of the media, particularly the DILG beat reporters, for them to have a better appreciation and understanding on the LGU protocols and the disaster preparedness and risk management initiatives at the local level,” he said.
“We know for a fact that the world is facing problems due to extreme changes in climate, and the usual onslaught of natural disasters brought by it. They are made complex because of environment abuse and degradation which have profound effects and impacts on our planet,” Malaya added.