Pacquiao calls for 50-year disaster resiliency master plan

MANILA, Philippines — If he wins in the May 2022 presidential elections, presidential aspirant and Sen. Manny Pacquaio said he will immediately ask Congress to pass a law creating a 50-year infrastructure master plan which must be funded and implemented by every administration.

Pacquiao said the country’s lack of a disaster resiliency master plan has turned government actions into a hodgepodge of reactionary responses with no real long-term strategy on how to minimize the loss of lives and reduce damage to infrastructure.

“This infrastructure master plan should not just focus on the construction of roads, bridges, railways, subways, airports and seaports, but should also focus on improving our country’s disaster preparedness and resiliency,” said Pacquiao.

“This could include the construction of disaster-resilient housing for those who still live in danger zones,” he added.

Pacquiao said that while no amount of preparation can stop powerful typhoons like Odette, or earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, the government should be able to quickly restore power and telecommunications. It should also have a faster and more efficient delivery system of essential aid such as food and water.

“Our system is like this every year. We only always do relief and rescue. The power goes out for almost a week and communication is also affected. This happens year after year as if we’ve learned nothing,” Pacquiao said.

“Ever since, the Philippines has always been hit by typhoons and we are within the Pacific Ring of Fire. We need a long-term master plan in order to prepare for disasters,” he added.

Pacquaio is also calling for the construction of earthquake and typhoon-proof multipurpose domes in disaster-prone areas so that they can be used as evacuation sites during calamities. These facilities should have their own source of water and be readily equipped with heavy-duty warehouses to stock food, medicines, reusable blankets and other essentials.

He said that these multipurpose centers should be dome-shaped because they can better withstand strong winds and should be able to accommodate at least 20,000 at a time without any problem.

“When there are no calamities, we can use them as cultural or sports centers. When there is an evacuation, people can run here and be given help immediately because everything is complete. Even water will not be a problem because the pools can be made for storage,” Pacquiao said.

He said the development of effective flood control systems, underground cabling for power and telecommunications, satellite programs not only for communications but also for weather and ecology research and the construction of deployable power barges, which can be used to restore power, can also be included in the 50-year infrastructure masterplan.

“We will employ the best architects, engineers and scientists to create this master plan. We will ask Congress to pass a law that would compel all administrations to fund and implement as scheduled all projects that were laid down in this master plan. That is why our country is not progressing because each administration has its own agenda. We need to have a single and clear long-term development plan if we really want our country to prosper,” the senator explained.

He admitted that while it takes several administrations before the master plan is fully implemented, at least future generations already have something to look forward to in their future.

“Let’s stop this mindset of our leaders who are each vying for credit for their achievements and when the previous administration is not on their side, the program will not continue even if it is good. This master plan of ours will be made up of real experts and not politicians. This will be beyond partisan politics,” Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao is currently in General Santos City where he spent Christmas with his family.