A day after President Benigno Aquino III attempted to weather a political storm faced by his administration due to the partially declared unconstitutional Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), the strong Typhoon Rammasun devastated Albay, Quezon and Metro Manila. Locally known as “Glenda,” it left behind deaths, injuries and destruction to agriculture, fisheries and infrastructure in the amount of P7.3 billion. According to National Risk Reduction and Management Council, 1.6 million people were affected, with more than half a million placed in thousands of evacuation centers.
The Philippines, a country adjudged to be highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, is expected to receive more intense weather disturbances and with them the devastating social, economic and environmental consequences they bring. Another storm, Typhoon Henry, has in fact entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility as of this writing.
Can our country cope with the persistent physical and political turbulence that is shaking it and its institutions, and emerge unscathed?
Valid concerns have been raised about the ability of the executive department to avail of resources to cope with the devastating impacts of climate change, as a result of the Supreme Court ruling on the DAP. The lackadaisical performance of many local authorities in owning up to the responsibility of addressing climate change and delivering disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) as a service and the continuation of stakeholders’ failure to prioritize climate change mitigation and adaptation, put added impetus on the executive department, as the branch of government tasked to implement laws, to have the necessary flexibility to manage its funds for contingencies and calamities which are happening with more frequency and severity.
It is refreshing to know that some local government units such as Albay are taking steps to assist the national government in ensuring the safety of our people amid the challenges. Albay had zero deaths as in the past disasters, an unprecedented record that is hard to beat. It is a goal that its governor, an acclaimed climate change leader, Joey Salceda, and the constituents aim to achieve every time it has to cope with natural disasters. Preparations and programs for resiliency-building for the citizens are certainly paying off in terms of saving precious lives.
Their mantra, as disclosed by Governor Salceda, declares that “Self-pity won’t do you any good. Stand up immediately.” This might as well be embedded collectively in the minds of the Filipino citizens. Preparing to cope with climate change and our ability to respond to the consequence speak a lot about pride, honor and dignity as well.
With the raging storms that besiege our country and our planet, making the future so uncertain, it is essential to acknowledge that we each have a role to play in reducing its deadly impacts. Reducing our fossil-fuel dependency to a minimum and opting for solutions that are sustainable should be high on the list of our day-to-day choices.
The news is heart-warming that the newly appointed Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. is expected to put the issue of climate change in his agenda. He was reported to have said that it is the strongest security threat to the country, as many are beginning hopefully to so believe.
More displacement of people are foreseen as a result of natural disasters, than from political conflicts. An article on “Confronting Climate Displacement” declares that “by 2050, an estimated 200 million people will be displaced by natural disasters and climate change. The world’s poorest and most crisis-prone countries will be disproportionately affected.”
Supertyphoon Yolanda alone displaced 4.3 million Filipinos. Each weather “aberration” adds up the numbers of individuals and households requiring immediate assistance.
Challenged as we already are from increased poverty levels and loss of livelihoods arising from degraded ecosystems, can we surmount the potential risks from an increasing unmet demands for food, shelter, water, medical and sanitation services each time a typhoon hits our country?
Roads ahead are indeed bumpier for our climate-challenged country. May we have the patience, strength and determination to be united in the face of uncertainties.
More than ever, we need citizens actively engaged with government and other stakeholders in crafting plans and implementing and monitoring programs and yes, enlighten minds and hearts, to bring us closer to our collective vision of a safe and sustainable future for all.
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