The Philippines will push for the localization of disaster risk management while developing the country’s early warning system by learning from other Asia Pacific countries, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said Monday.
On the first day of the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City, Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said a single hazard is addressed in different ways because of the country’s varied geographies.
The Philippines, being the most prone to natural hazards in the world, is facing more disaster threats as these hazards become more intense due to climate change.
“So we need to be able to develop, number one, early warning systems that actually speak to the different contexts of our communities, it’s not just one warning. Secondly, we need to develop an understanding of what the warnings actually say,” Loyzaga said in an interview with the Philippine News Agency.
She explained that currently, most of the Philippines’ warnings are “based on the description of the hazard”, and that there is a need to contextualize these warnings for the people to understand the hazard they are facing.
Unfortunately, she said ordinary people, more often than not, do not really understand the danger of each disaster that hits the country, especially when the warnings are transmitted in a language that they cannot understand.
Meanwhile, the head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) praised the Philippines’ people-centered approach in disaster risk reduction.
UNDRR chief Kamal Kishore said the Philippines is already “way ahead” of the DRR curve as focus on communities, which are often the most affected during calamities, is an essential component of reducing and managing disaster risks.
“The work that is being done in Philippines can be a lighthouse to the rest of the region, and, indeed the world,” he said at a media reception.
On top of making sure that policies and projects come together at the local level, Kishore said the close collaboration between government agencies in the Philippines is a policy that other states should also replicate.
“Also very unique is how you bring together different parts of the government —there are two secretaries in the media event and there are other departments involved throughout the conference— it is not something that you see very often in many countries,” he said.
Joining Kishore at the forum were Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Environment Secretary Yulo-Loyzaga.
The APMCDRR will take place in the country until Oct. 18, with about 4,000 delegates from various Asia Pacific countries, including the Philippines.
The conference brings together governments, intergovernmental, international, national, and civil society organizations, the private sector, science, academia, and stakeholder groups to accelerate progress in reducing disaster risk.
