By Tony Chavez
In a significant address during the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR), Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. echoed Senator Loren Legarda's sentiments regarding the urgent need to revisit the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010.
He elaborated, "Because of changing circumstances and experiences in the field, we have identified some gaps that need to be filled, some streamlining that needs to be done. And this is a constant exercise that should happen in most government areas. Still, it must happen in disaster risk reduction to optimize and focus government efforts on all aspects of the topic."
"Sen. Legarda has underscored that our current disaster risk reduction law was enacted 15 years ago and it is time for a review," Teodoro stated, emphasizing the importance of aligning legislation with contemporary challenges.
In her earlier remarks, Senator Legarda highlighted the collaboration with Teodoro and his team and expressed hope for a revision of the long-standing law to enhance its relevance.
The senator reiterated that now is the time to forge a safer and more inclusive world for all.
"Leaving no one behind must drive the renovation of risk governance. Women, girls, persons with disabilities, and marginalized groups must be at the heart of shaping the post-2030 disaster risk governance framework, ensuring their leadership in building truly resilient and inclusive systems," Legarda said.
Teodoro acknowledged specific sectors' vulnerabilities and emphasized the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council's (NDRRMC) commitment to developing a gender-responsive, data-driven, and inclusive approach to disaster risk management.
He stated, "We have to understand that we have to take into account specific characteristics of local communities that differ. Sometimes, in one local government unit alone, there are several phenomena that affect these communities."
Highlighting the government's advancements in information gathering and analysis, Teodoro noted the challenges of keeping pace with development. He called for the support of various stakeholders, saying, "We opened recently what we termed the El Nino portal for giving in data, and a secure site in that porta. It is for using LGUs to tap national government data for local planning."
"We were supposed to convert this into the La Nina portal. However, we have decided in the council to make this a full-time disaster risk reduction portal for a secure site where LGUsand other national agencies can exchange data feedback," he added.
Teodoro also addressed the public's perception of local units as primarily political entities, saying, "But what we need to be building here when we talk of localities is the sense of community, familiarity with each other, which we hope will develop conditioned responses when they face one phenomenon. This is the spirit of community, probably the spirit of what we call 'Bayanihan' and the spirit of the barangay. That's what we need to re-instill in some way or another."
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