The recent disasters experienced by the Philippines due to tropical storm Ondoy and Pepeng has again left a massive loss to life and property in the country. According to NDCC, approximate damages caused by Ondoy to the agriculture and infrastructure sector alone has reached almost P 5 billion, with almost 300 people killed, thousands displaced, and 1.9 million people nationwide affected.

With our generous share of vulnerability to disasters, and a more generous share of both natural and man-made hazards, the Philippines is a disaster risk epicenter. The country lies in an area highly prone to natural hazards – typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flash floods, vector-borne diseases. The socio-economic and political conditions of the country also makes Filipinos very vulnerable to disasters. This has placed the Philippines as one of the world’s most disaster prone nations and climate change can only exacerbate all of these.

The Disaster Risk Reduction Network (DRRNet) in the Philippines is a network of disaster risk reduction advocates and practitioners throughout the country. According to DRRNet, the Philippines’ vulnerability to disasters has increased immensely throughout the years, resulting in the loss of lives, livelihood, and property.

DRRNetPhils is advocating for a policy shift from disaster response and preparedness to disaster risk reduction and management through the development and establishment of a national framework that will foster an enabling national policy environment anchored on multi-stakeholder action. A policy is needed to reduce and manage disaster risks in the country because of two reasons. One, the Philippines lies in the heart of an area prone to natural disasters and two, the country’s socio-economic and political conditions make the Filipinos vulnerable to disaster impacts.

The DISASTER RISK REDUCTION and MANAGEMENT BILL (DRRM) Bill

A new law is needed because a paradigm shift is urgently needed in transforming the country’s disaster management system. The new law shall adopt and adhere to principles and strategies consistent with the international standards set by the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) which is a comprehensive, action-oriented response to international concern about the growing impacts of disasters on individuals, communities and national development. The HFA was formulated and adopted by 168 governments at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction held in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan in 2005.

The prevailing framework for disaster management in the Philippines and in many developing nations has been the traditional or has a “dominant” approach. The flaw with this approach is that it narrowly views disasters as a function of the physical strength, magnitude or intensity of a hazardous event. This is not always the case. Disasters become disasters when the people who are affected cannot cope with the social, psycho-social, economic and physical impacts. Most importantly, the risk of  a hazard event turning into a disaster is also determined by the capacities of the affected community and the people’s ability to withstand, shield itself, and recover swiftly from such devastating events.

The proposed DRRM Bill encourages the government to shift its focus to disaster prevention and risk reduction by putting more emphasis on strengthening the communities’ and people’s capacity to anticipate, cope with, and recover from disasters, as an integral part of development programs. Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in the country’s policies, programs, and plans therefore lies at the very heart of the DRRM Bill.

The policy shift in the new DRRM Bill.

Basic Principles for an Effective DRRM Law

1. Prioritize community level DRRM, focusing on most vulnerable sectors

Priority must be given to activities that focus on these “high risk” groups in the most disaster-prone, poorest communities of the country in terms of educating them on DRR/M and empowering them to meaningfully participate and contribute to reducing disaster risks. Utmost concern and support in reducing the vulnerabilities of our communities and making them disaster resilient should be a priority. And how can their vulnerabilities be reduced? How can communities be made disaster resilient?

2. Strenghten local capacities

The primary strategy to reduce vulnerability is to reinforce or create local strengths upon which communities can draw to anticipate, resist, cope with and recover from hazards. It is crucial to recognize, strengthen and scale up the skills, knowledge, and innovative practices that disaster prone communities have initiated and sustained in response to natural disasters – for the most part without financial and institutional support.

3. Ensure greater participation from civil society

Furthermore, following the principles upheld by the constitutions and by the Local Government Code, peoples’ organizations (POs), non-government organizations (NGOs), academic and research institutions, church and faith-based formations, and other concerned organizations and sectors such as the women, children and the youth, farmers and fisherfolks, should be represented, and must have active and substantive participation in all levels of DRRM/coordination. These groups possess a wealth of knowledge in effective risk assessment and risk reduction approaches and have played many key formal and informal roles in community recovery and risk reduction. Their participation in public decision making is a key element in overcoming the barriers of social exclusion, economic inequity, and political marginalization that have led to their increased vulnerability.

4. Address root causes of disasters

The root causes of disasters are political, economic, social and environmental. Disasters do not occur only because of natural settings and natural events but they are also a product of the social, economic and political environment where people live in adverse socio-economic situations that lead them to inhabit high risk areas and engage in dangerous livelihood. Disaster is more than a function of the physical strength, magnitude or intensity of a hazardous event; it is also determined by the capacities of the affected community and the people’s ability to withstand, shield itself and recover swiftly from such devastating events. Thus, long-term solutions lie in being able to build a more just, equitable and compassionate society. Practical steps towards this goal include strengthening democratic accountability, increasing women’s, youth and children’s substantive participation and voice in decision making, and strengthening partnerships with civil society organizations.

Advocating the DRRM Bill

The DRRNet has worked with the TWGs of both the Senate and the House of Representatives (HOR).  The  Senate has passed its version of the DRRM Bill.  In  the HOR, after the committee report, the Bill can be taken up for interpollation and deliberation in the HOR.  The HOR consoliated version as it is,  now contains many of the provisions which the DRRNet advocates for. Advocacy needs to be continued so that at least 50% + 1 signatures from Congressmen and committee members can be obtained.

DRRNet will highlight its advocacy on the DRRM Bill through activities to be held at the House of Representatives on  October 14, 2009 which is also DRR International Day.  It urges for the enactment of the bill before the year ends, if not before the end of the 14th Congress.

Let’s not wait for another disaster to happen…
Pass the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Bill NOW!

Click here to view the DRRM Bill Primer

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