Due to its geographical location and efforts to make the Philippines and its people disaster resilient, a United Nations top official said the country is in the best position to be the global leader in disaster risk reduction and management.
Speaking in yesterday’s 2017 Top Leaders’ Forum (TLF)) at the Conrad Hotel in Pasay City, Dr. Robert Glasser, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction, noted that the Philippines can be the best country to show the best practices in DRRM.
The TLF is a private sector conference convened by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and SM Prime Holdings Inc. to find concrete measures that would make businesses more resilient against disasters.
In the 2015 TLF, the group established the Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies with SMPHI as the secretariat for the Philippine Chapter.
Glasser attributed this to the fact that the Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world coupled with the initiatives it has been making since Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) hit the country.
“The Philippines as we know is one of the most significantly exposed countries in the world to these hazards —volcanic, seismic, tsunami, extreme weather events. They are all here in the Philippines and they create huge impacts, loss of lives, the economy. Domthis is really a critical issue for us to discuss and address,” Glasser said.
Hans T. Sy, chairman of the Executive Committee of SMPHI, said he always believe that investing in resilience is a commitment and a business strategy.
“We are honored to be part of the continuing effort to make the Philippines more disaster-resilient because in so doing, we save lives, we save properties, help our economy and build our nation. This group is part of our commitment towards our goal of making DRRM the heart of our operati1ons and developments,” Sy said.
“Disaster risk reduction is a great importance to ensure the longetivity of our establishments and safeguard the community and most especially, save lives,” said Sy, who was re-elected member of the board of the UNISDR ARISE International Board, the top global business leaders’ group on DRRM.
Sy has been at the forefront of private sector-led DRRM initiatives in the Philippines because of the country’s vulnerability to natural disasters.
In 2016, the Philippines was ranked 3rd in terms of risk and vulnerability due to its inadequate infrastructure primarily due to weaknesses in urban planning development.
This is the reason why Sy has spearheaded the Build Back Better principle in all aspects of infrastructure development in order to address the ever growing threat of climate change, calamities and other emergencies.
“An efficient and resilient critical infrastructure is imperative for the overall well-being of a nation, its citizens, its economy,” Sy earlier pointed during an UNISDR forum in Cancun, Mexico. He said this the main reason why SM Prime invests 10 percent of its capital expenditure on DRR in the construction of its buildings.
“By investing in resilience we minimize vulnerability, better safeguard physical assets, reduce recovery expense, and contribute to local government efforts. Ultimately we are able to better protect lives, and have safer, healthier, happier communities” he added.
Meanwhile, Glasser noted that catastrophes arising from climate change like weather, increasing temperatures, devastating floods and ecological risks among others account for over 70 percent of all major disasters all over the world and they have doubled in frequency over the past decades.
“They are expected to get worse in the years to come. This is why DRRM and climate change adaptation should be integrated like what is being done by theNational Resilience Council (NRC),” he said.
The establishment of NRC, he said, is an innovative step that will demonstrate globally the Philippines as the pioneer in the best practices in DRRM and climate change adaptation initiatives.
The NRC, co-chaired by the Department of National Defense and SMPHI, is the first public-private partnership on DRRM engaging both the government and private businesses.
Senator Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate climate change committee, said “we all can attest to the sad reality that disasters turbocharged by climate change have claimed too many lives, disrupted our supply chains, disturbed our economic development, and impaired the quality of life.”
She warned that disasters will continue to devastate our communities unless we address the risks and build resilience. She noted that last year alone, disasters displaced 22 million people all over the world.
According to the World Bank, 26 million people are thrown into poverty every year because of disasters, which cost the global economy US$ 520 billion annually. In the coming years, she cautioned that the scenario could be worse.