A major challenge in community disaster preparedness and management is that calamities are not high on the priority list of Filipinos, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said during the 2024 PCS General Assembly on Wednesday,
During the event bearing the theme “Pumapatak na naman ang ulan! – Conversations on Risk Communication and Disaster Preparedness,” Nepomuceno discussed the biggest challenges in communication and organizing community disaster preparedness and management.
According to Nepomuceno, there are many local surveys supporting the fact that disaster preparations rank lower in terms of priority versus livelihood, employment, and rising prices due to inflation.
“The challenge is how do we campaign relentlessly, scientifically, and in an organized manner. The would-be victims themselves, they are not as aware or are not as concerned not until a large-scale calamity arrives,” he noted.
He also added that “constant changes” in political leadership may have an adverse effect towards the continuity and consistency of coordinating teams and their DRRM-trained officers.
“Communities are thinking that we are fully prepared to respond, but ask ourselves, are we really that ready?” Nepomuceno posed.
“There are 18 active fault systems or trenches in the Philippines. If the Manila Trench will move, it might cause an 8.3 magnitude (earthquake) with a possibility of a tsunami,” he warned.
The ideal scenario, as Nepomuceno suggests, is when old plans are updated, the responsible officers are on their toes, and the would-be victims are aware of what to do and what the government has prepared for them.
“We have a big task, we are all in this together with a common mission of preparing and saving our communities. Our mission is great, but we do not end here, instead this is where we begin. No one else will do this, so we have to work closely together and use science as our basis,” he concluded.
