UN official here to assess 'Sendong' aftermath

MANILA, Philippines - A special representative of the United Nations secretary-general for disaster risk reduction is in the country to assess the aftermath of tropical storm “Sendong” and to encourage local government units to prioritize programs that would make their communities disaster-resilient.

Margareta Wahlström will be in the country until Jan. 27 to visit the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, which were hardest-hit by Sendong.

Sen. Loren Legarda welcomed Wahlström’s visit, saying it would help boost the country’s disaster resiliency initiatives especially amid the recent devastation wreaked by Sendong.

Legarda, the UN regional champion for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation for the Asia-Pacific, said Wahlström’s visit “sends a strong signal about the pressing need to include DRR initiatives such as the establishment of comprehensive land use planning policies and placing more investments in pre-disaster activities, among the priorities of the government.”