Phl incurs P6.6 B in economic losses yearly – UN

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Philippines incurs an average of P6.6 billion in economic losses every year due to typhoons alone because of inadequate protective measures and policies against natural disasters, a UN study revealed yesterday.

The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) showed typhoons are the dominant risk in the Philippines with an annual economic loss of $151.3 million, followed by floods ($68.8 million), earthquakes ($33.2 million), volcanic eruptions ($14.9 million), droughts (14.7 million) and landslides ($1.5 million).

The UNISDR also said the Philippines could lose 24 lives and about P31-million worth of property due to typhoons in just 20 months. “The risk of disaster quietly accumulates. And, while natural hazards menace everyone, the poor are by far the most vulnerable,” UNISDR director Salvano Briceno said here.

“If earthquakes, floods or storm surges were deadly in the past, they are deadlier still in an increasingly urbanized world,” he added.

Over 100 local chief executives from Region VII, mostly from the province of Cebu, joined yesterday the UNISDR’s “Making Cities and Municipalities Resilient” program.

The campaign was launched in May last year, aimed at mobilizing local government leaders and citizens to join efforts to achieve 10 essential actions to reduce disaster risks,   including investing more in disaster risk reduction, preparing and sharing risk assessments, ensuring early warning systems are in place, and protecting ecosystems to reduce floods, cyclones and storm surge impacts.

A total of 50 mayors and 30 vice mayors from Region VII, as well as Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia, had committed to the campaign’s checklist of “Ten Essentials” that will make their cities more disaster-resilient.

The signing was witnessed by UNISDR officials and Sen. Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change.

Legarda said the entire region adds to the list of more than 150 cities and municipalities that join and commit essential actions to UNISDR’s global campaign since its launch last year.

“It is critical that the increased attention, interest, and sense of urgency in responding to the challenges posed by climate change and disaster risks are translated to local actions that effectively reduce disaster vulnerability,” Legarda said during the launching of the UN’s disaster-resilient cities campaign here.

“People in the Asia-Pacific region are four times more likely to be affected by natural disasters than those in Africa, and 25 times more likely than those in Europe or North America,” she said.

Citing a recent study funded by Canada and Sweden titled “Climate Change Vulnerability Mapping for Southeast Asia,” Legarda said Metro Manila is the most vulnerable to climate related hazards among all the regions in the Philippines, and ranks 7th in all of Southeast Asia.

The National Capital Region is followed by Cordillera Administrative Region, Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley, Bicol, Ilocos, Southern Tagalog, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Central Visayas, Western Mindanao, Western Visayas, Southern Mindanao, and Central Mindanao.

The province of Cebu, according to a study by the Manila Observatory, is not prone to earthquakes, but in the event that one occurs, shallow landslides are more likely to follow.

The province is also at high risk to temperature changes and droughts due to El Niño are likely to occur in the province, Legarda said.

In Bohol, its Provincial Planning Development Office reported that 520 out of 930 barangays are prone to landslides, and the presence of sinkholes was noted in some areas; 302 barangays are vulnerable to seasonal flooding, Legarda said.

Negros Oriental, on the other hand, ranked 18th in the list of provinces most at risk to temperature changes and 16th most at risk to El Niño induced drought.

The region sits on an active fault line and the most active volcano in the Visayas Region, Mount Kanlaon, is located in the province, she noted.

Also, the province of Siquijor is the 11th most at risk to projected temperature increases, 14th most at risk to El Niño induced drought, and 7th most at risk to tsunamis, according to Legarda.

“Committing to make cities and municipalities disaster-resilient means increasing our investments in disaster risk reduction, conducting and sharing risk assessments, establishing effective and efficient early warning systems, and protecting our ecosystems, among other actions,” she said. “We must link disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation to national and local development planning.”

In October 2009, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law the Climate Change Act. The law, principally authored by Legarda, provides the strategic framework for a comprehensive program and action on climate change at national and local levels.

In May last year, the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act was also signed into law that strengthens the country’s institutional mechanisms for disaster risk reduction and management and lends great importance to disaster prevention and mitigation.

“These two landmark legislations give our country and our people pride as they are now considered legislative models by the UNISDR and the Inter-Parliamentary Union for other nations to emulate,” Legarda said.–Helen Flores (The Philippine Star)