Lawmaker wants disaster preparedness in K-12 curriculum

MANILA, Philippines - Disaster preparedness should be included in the K to 12 curriculum to ensure that all citizens are prepared to respond in the event of natural or man-made calamities and minimize casualties, Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said yesterday.

“In a country threatened on a regular basis by natural calamities like typhoons and earthquakes, we need a populace who know what to do when disaster strikes,” said Romualdez, whose district was devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013.

“Given the climate and geological characteristics of our country, all our people are at risk. From a young age, students should be taught the basics of disaster preparedness so that it comes as naturally to them as their ABC’s,” he added.

The most powerful storm recorded at landfall, Yolanda claimed more than 6,000 Filipino lives. The majority of the fatalities were recorded in the lawmaker’s home province of Leyte, where 5,370 people died. 

Romualdez, who is running for a seat in the Senate, said the painful lessons of Yolanda “should prompt us to take steps to ensure that our people are equipped with knowledge that can help them survive a disaster of this magnitude.”

“We have to act now to prepare our people before another Yolanda-level storm hits us. Acting now could prevent future loss of life,” he said, adding education is the key. 

He said infomercials are helpful in educating the public regarding how to respond to disasters, but they are not enough.

The curriculum must include educating students on the possible scenarios, such as when flash floods, storm surges and high-intensity earthquakes hit an area and what to do when these occur; evacuation routes and possible shelter areas; and basic first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, among others. 

The curriculum can be developed by the Department of Education and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council together with the Department of Science and Technology, with input from the country’s disaster preparedness experts, Romualdez said.