During his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 24, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. underscored the significance of climate change action and disaster preparedness in building a resilient and sustainable nation.
"Climate change is now an important criterion in our integral national policies, in planning, decision-making, up to the implementation of programs," President Marcos Jr. emphasized.
He pointed out the potential benefits of such enlightened policies, including job creation and livelihood opportunities through the development of green and blue economies.
Marcos also acknowledged the painful lessons learned from past disasters and assured the public that the government remains alert and prepared for disaster response.
"We have learned many painful lessons from past disasters but we continue to be alert and prepared in our disaster response," he declared.
"It has, in fact, been commented that sometimes we are over-prepared for such natural disasters. Well, to continue that, we are reorganizing our response teams to make them more adaptable, agile, and effective in times of calamities and crises, with a clear unity of command," he added.
More evacuation centers
To ensure the safety and resilience of communities, the government is upgrading existing evacuation centers to withstand extreme weather conditions and other natural and man-made disasters.
"Our evacuation centers are being upgraded to withstand the greater forces of the new normal of extreme weather, as well as other natural and man-made disasters. Furthermore, new evacuation centers are also being built, of which 55 have already been completed," he shared.
In May, President Marcos issued an executive order (EO) to establish a Disaster Response and Crisis Management Task Force (DRCMTF).
This task force will assume responsibility for "disaster preparedness and response during natural disasters" and take the lead in addressing challenges posed by such calamities, employing an evidence-driven and science-based approach to crisis management.
