Forum on disaster risk reduction management slated

MANILA, Philippines - That high impact disasters are a regular occurrence in the Philippines is acknowledged in the 2009 Mortality Risk Index of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. The Philippines is ranked 12th among 200 countries most at risk for tropical cyclones, floods, earthquakes and landslides.

Private enterprises in the Philippines, including business process outsourcing, retailing, transportation, education, medical care, manufacturing, tourism-related operations and others are exposed to severe damage and losses due to business disruptions caused by typhoons, earthquakes, floods, landslides and other natural disasters. The companies that will survive and prosper are those that invest in improving the level of their security and corporate resiliency before the disasters – whether natural or man-made.

A forum to share technologies in disaster risk reduction management that are immediately implementable by participants is being organized by the Anti-Terrorism Council chaired by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

The forum, Protect 2010 (Doing Business Amidst New Threats), is the fifth in an annual series co-organized by the Anti-Terrorism Council led by Spokesperson Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor with Leverage International (Consultants) Inc. It will be held at the New World Hotel on April 15 and 16, 2010.

Recognizing that the impact of natural disasters on the private and public sectors are as damaging as terrorist attacks, the council expanded this year’s forum to devote significant attention to “Disaster Risk Reduction”.

Interested parties may contact the secretariat at tel. nos. 810-1389; 818-6828 or fax 810-1594 or e-mail [email protected] to join the forum or to join its exhibit.

Despite anticipation by weather experts of 20 typhoons that cross the country every year, typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng dealt the private sector significant damage and losses in September and October 2009 estimated by the World Bank and the Department of Finance at $4.38 billion (P206 billion) or about 2.7 percent of gross domestic product.

The post-damage and needs assessments by the World Bank and the Department of Finance noted that about one-third of the total disaster effects represented the value of destroyed physical assets. The remaining two-thirds represented reductions in production, sales, income and increased operational costs after the disasters.

In the private economy, the enterprise sector – industry, commerce and tourism – suffered the highest value of disaster at $447.6 million (P22.4 billion) in damage and $1.89 billion (P88.9-billion losses of sales).

Protect 2010 is a unique opportunity for senior executives and experts to share insights for a better understanding of how to reduce risks from the increasing impact of climate change.

Experts have been invited to discuss the major concerns of business during disasters: Securing sensitive and critical physical facilities, securing information files, managing outsourcing risks, and ensuring business continuity.

To focus on disaster-reduction techniques that are immediately implementable by industry, participants in break-out sessions are grouped according to their related interests. Among the groupings are banks, BPOs, call centers, IT companies, schools, hospitals, hotels, malls, tourist resorts, pharmaceutical companies, telecommunications, critical infrastructures, government and others. A special session is organized for LGUs (local government units). 

The forum also presents a briefing on the Philippine Disaster Management System and updates by international experts on the most recent issues on terrorism.

A specialized exhibit will complement discussions on safety and security. The exhibit covers communications and IT solutions, first response equipment including vehicles, personal protective equipment, indoor security equipment, biometric equipment and RFID, equipment for maritime security, airport security, police equipment, training and education resources, business continuity and disaster management services and other safety products and technologies especially for banks, BPOs and critical infrastructures.