RP must be calamity-ready

MANILA, Philippines - Senator Edgardo Angara has emphasized the importance of raising the level of preparedness of the Philippines in the face of the rising challenges brought on by the devastation caused by natural calamities.

“When typhoon Ondoy hit Metro Manila last September, devastating lives and livelihood — destroying infrastructure and wiping out the gains we made in modernizing our cities — the issue of climate change adaptation was suddenly catapulted to national attention,” Angara, chairperson of the Congressional Commission on Science, Technology and Engineering(COMSTE), noted in a conference entitled ‘Engineering Resilience: Confronting Risk Beyond Adaptation’.

Angara pointed out that resilience is the ability of a nation to bounce back in the face of calamity adding that this is why it is important for the Philippines to understand and minimize the vulnerability of its cities, especially Metro Manila, which is mostly below sea level. “With this gathering of minds and sharing of experiences, we can utilize the tools of science and technology to help prepare both the government and our society to appreciate and recognize the genuine risks to life and limb of our people.  We have to pool our limited resources and tap the benefits of Public-Private Partnerships to mobilize and motivate our people to action,” he said.

Senator Loren Legarda, primary author of the Climate Change Act of 2009 warned that a mere one meter rise in sea level would threaten the lives and homes of millions of Filipinos.

This, she said, is a serious matter that cannot be ignored. “That is why I am pleased to see representatives from all over the world present here, as part of the global community, willing to share their knowledge gained from experience to make the Philippines better prepared to handle the volatile whims of Mother Nature,” Legarda noted.

“But legislation can only go so far. It is by harnessing the efforts of collaboration, and effecting change with a strong foundation built on our own experiences and that of other nations, and backed scientific data that we can make our country better prepared to face the worst natural disasters and minimize damage and the loss of life,” Legarda, who is also the chair of the Senate committee on climate change, added.

The conference was organized by the Congressional Commission on Science, Technology, and Engineering (COMSTE) and the Manila Observatory (MO), and gathered scientists and experts from the Philippines and all over the world to tackle issues related to climate change, disaster management, and food security through the use of science and technology.