THE BANGSAMORO region in southern Philippines is getting support from the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as it beefs up its disaster management capacity following the impact of a tropical storm in October where 62 people died and thousands were displaced. A program called PlanSmart Ready-to-Rebuild (R2R) kicked off last week, […]
Tag: disaster
CoA cites enhancement in QC’s disaster preparedness program
THE QUEZON City government implemented eight out of nine recommendations for the enhancement of its disaster preparedness program, the Commission on Audit (CoA) said in a report. CoA, in an audit report released on Dec. 27, said the city government “has been consistently preparing and updating its Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Plans annually” […]
Typhoon Yolanda lesson: Community empowerment, not new laws, needed in disaster management
ONE of the biggest lessons from Typhoon Haiyan, which struck central Philippines on Nov. 8, 2013, is that disaster management must involve communities from planning to rehabilitation, said a professor who has done studies on what is locally known as Super Typhoon Yolanda. Maria Ela L. Atienza, a political science professor at the University of […]
Senate to reassess 2023 proposed budget for disaster recovery after latest typhoon
THE SENATE will reevaluate the proposed 2023 national budget during next week’s floor debates to possibly divert more funds for rehabilitation projects in response to the destruction wrought by the most recent typhoon, the Senate leader said on Thursday. “We will have to consult with the NDRRMC and local governments to assess our recovery roadmap,” […]
House reps renew push for bills relating to climate change in typhoon’s aftermath
LAWMAKERS on Tuesday renewed calls to fast-track the passage of bills that are seen to help mitigate the impact of changing weather patterns, including measures on land use and the creation of a department on disaster management. House Bill 3956 or the proposed National Land Use Act of the Philippines seeks to establish parameters on […]
Marcos gov’t told to fund weather bureau enhancement after storm Paeng’s devastation
A GROUP of Filipino scientists urged the government to provide a significant increase in the state weather bureau’s budget, citing escalating threats from changing climate patterns. The call was made after Mr. Marcos directed government agencies to be “accurate” and “advanced” in weather reporting following the devastation from Tropical Storm Paeng, with international name Nalgae, […]
US grants additional P53M to enhance PHL disaster preparedness, response capacity
THE AMERICAN government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has provided the Philippines another P53 million for a program on enhancing capacity in disaster preparedness and response. The grant, first announced on Oct. 12, will be used for the second phase of an information management system called the Early Warning and Decision […]
Cagayan province declares state of calamity after series of typhoons
CAGAYAN in northern Philippines has been placed under a state of calamity following damage from four typhoons since August, the provincial government announced on Tuesday. The provincial council unanimously approved on Oct. 24 the state of calamity declaration, which paves the way for the release of local disaster response funds to assist affected residents. The […]
Brawijaya University develops GIS-based IoT for disaster mitigation
Malang, East Java, Indonesia, Sep 30, 2022 – (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) – Brawijaya University has developed an Internet of Things (IoT) technology based on the Geographic Information System (GIS) to mitigate disasters in Pronojiwo district, an area affected by the eruption of Mount Semeru. A lecturer on urban planning at the Faculty of Engineering […]
Agricultural damage from Karding reaches almost P2B, infrastructure at P135M
AGRICULTURAL damage from Typhoon Noru, locally named Karding, has risen to P1.97 billion as of Wednesday, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA). In its latest bulletin, the DA reported that the storm hit 148,091 hectares of farm lands, affecting some 88,520 farmers and fisherfolk, with a combined volume of production loss at 114,446 metric […]
House seeks clear rehab process for buildings
THE HOUSE disaster resilience committee on Thursday urged disaster agencies to streamline the rehabilitation process for destroyed infrastructure. There is no clear process of funding for destroyed infrastructure including seawalls and buildings, and the P400-million budget is insufficient for rehabilitation, Surigao del Norte Rep. Francisco Jose F. Matugas II said at a House of Representatives […]
EXPLAINER: Would Councilor de los Santos revise tag on Cebu City P50M grant to Luzon LGUs as ‘misplaced display of charity”? Balance of disaster fund is P201M, not P8M as earlier claimed by minority leader Archival. Without standards though, how much is too much?
ATTACK ON P50M AID TO QUAKE-STRUCK LGUs. Cebu City Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos, in a privileged speech Wednesday, August 17, criticized the amount of P50 million as aid for earthquake-hit local governments in northern Luzon, which the City Council earlier approved in a special session. De los Santos called it “misplaced display of […]
Badian hit for ‘irregular’ use of disaster funds
THE Municipal Government of Badian, southwest Cebu has been asked to explain why it spent more than half a million pesos sourced from the town’s local disaster funds to buy sacks of rice, which it gave to municipal officials and regular, casual and job order employees, among others.In its 2021 audit report, the Commission on […]
OCD explores partnership with Israel for disaster preparedness
Residents struggle to navigate the floods caused by typhoon Ulyssess in Rodriguez, Rizal. — PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS THE PHILIPPINES is looking to partner with Israeli companies to help address the country’s emergency preparedness needs. “Israel is also facing challenges in climate change and manmade disasters, and for that we have a lot of knowledge […]
GPDRR: Indonesia offers sustainable resilience to tackle disaster risk
Nusa Dua, Bali, May 27, 2022 – (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) – At the 2022 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) event, the Government of Indonesia offered the world the concept of sustainable resilience as a solution to address the challenges of systemic disaster risk. President Joko Widodo (R) discusses with UN Deputy Secretary-General […]
DOST-backed mall exhibit series highlights SM Prime’s sustainability, DRR journey
As part of its commitment to the community and the environment, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime) together with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) recently launched a series of mall exhibits on sustainability and disaster resilience. The kick-off event was held last Feb. 24 at SM Mall of Asia. During the event, SM […]
2 families in Talisay City evacuated due to strong waves
TWO families were forcibly evacuated from their homes in Sitio Litmon, Barangay Dumlog in Talisay City on Friday, July 23, 2021, after huge waves brought by the yearly southwest monsoon winds or “habagat.” Alvin Santillana, head of Talisay City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (TCDRRMO), confirmed the matter to reporters on Friday. Santillana said […]
ePLDT launches first disaster recovery facility in Cebu
ePLDT, the ICT arm of PLDT Enterprise and the premier provider of holistic digital business solutions in the Philippines, has launched its first disaster recovery (DR) facility in Cebu. Housed in ePLDT’s VITRO Data Center Cebu 2—the biggest purpose-built data center facility outside Luzon—the disaster recovery facility will enable Cebu-based enterprises in developing their own […]
Cebu braces for ‘Auring’
THE state weather bureau’s station in Mactan, Cebu has advised the public, including the people living in prone areas, to prepare for Tropical Storm Auring, which is expected to bring 50 to 100 millimeters of rainfall in Cebu and other parts of Visayas over the weekend. Flooding is expected as every one millimeter (mm) of […]