APEC meeting on disaster risk opens

ILOILO CITY, Philippines  – Disaster management officials from 21 countries will start today a two-day conference that will discuss how the region can better prepare for and respond to the effects of calamities.

The 9th Senior Disaster Management Officials Forum will focus on the need for member-economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to work together to ensure resilient economies that will benefit all sectors.

“The general objective of the forum is to develop the APEC Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), a new paradigm for coordinated intra- and inter-economy plans, programs and actions,” National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive director Alexander Pama said.

“(The conference aims) to revisit existing DRR mechanisms and discover new opportunities to further enhance and strengthen regional collaboration,” he added.

The Philippines is expected to play a key role in the crafting of the framework because of its extensive experience in dealing with disasters.  

The Philippines is vulnerable to natural disasters because it is situated along the “Ring of Fire” and within the Pacific typhoon belt. About 20 tropical cyclones, five to seven of which are destructive, visit the country every year.

The Philippines has lost more than 13,000 lives and has sustained economic losses of up to P285 billion due to disasters that hit the country since 2010, NDRRMC data showed.

“Other countries will listen to us because of the lessons we have learned,” NDRRMC spokesperson Mina Marasigan said.

Delegates are expected to finish the draft of the DRR framework by the end of the conference. The document will then be presented to the APEC leaders in November.

“Hopefully, the framework will be one of the Philippines’ deliverables in the hosting of APEC 2015,” Pama said.

Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor will welcome the delegates at the start of the forum. NDRRMC chairman and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin will formally start the conference with a keynote message. Experts from international agencies like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Centre for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Management will also provide insights during the event.

Pama said the Philippines would advocate stronger programs and greater cooperation on disaster risk reduction and management.

“A disaster-resilient and stronger economy is inclusive and directly benefits the people,” Pama said.

“The Philippines will stress the need for an inter-economy cooperation in dealing with disasters to ensure sustainable economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region and promote a holistic, comprehensive, integrated and proactive approach as a new paradigm in addressing disasters and managing risks,” he added.

The Philippine delegation will also emphasize the need to invest on emergency preparedness to minimize disaster-related economic losses.

Iloilo City ready for APEC meetings

Meanwhile, the APEC Local Organizing Committee in Iloilo announced its readiness to host the APEC meetings.

Aside from the 9th Senior Disaster Management Officials Forum, Iloilo City will also host the Small and Medium Enterprises ministerial meeting on Sept. 21-25 and the ministerial meeting on Food Security and Blue Economy from Sept. 28 to Oct. 6.

The newly opened Iloilo Convention Center at Megaworld’s Iloilo Business Park in Mandurriao district will be the main venue for the three meetings.

APEC Local Organizing Committee executive director Junel Divinagracia said subcommittees on food, accommodation, security and other aspects of the APEC meetings are prepared for the event.

The Panay Electric Co. (PECO), Iloilo City’s lone power distributor, has given assurance that no power interruption will occur during the APEC meetings.  – With Jennifer Rendon, Non Alquitran