It always happens. Just when authorities have suspended classes and called off government work in anticipation of a forthcoming typhoon, we see the sun shining brightly on the horizon the following day as if to spite the eager beavers in our midst.
But let’s not blame our officials, though. As they say, it is better to err on the side of caution. You see, typhoons can be fickle, too, looking fierce coming down, but actually turning into a whimper when it hits land. That is usually the case. And we probably have the Sierra Madre to thank for that.
The build-up of “Karding” as it approached Luzon was so scarily hyped, we thought it would be another “Ondoy” or “Yolanda” in the making, with typhoon signals reaching as high as 5 in some areas, particularly Quezon and Aurora.
The forecasted strong winds and massive rainfall, it turns out, were hardly felt in Metro Manila. That’s something to be grateful for as it meant manageable damage for our typhoon-battered populace.
Just the same, “Karding” still left a swath of destruction in the places it passed through, and we have our government agencies who stood prepared for any eventuality to thank for. “Karding,” unlike “Yolanda” or “Ondoy,” couldn’t actually pull the trigger.
This brings us to another point we’d like to raise. In this era of super typhoons, like “Karding,” calls for a separate agency dedicated to disasters seem to be getting louder. Our favorite senator, Bong Go, has been harping on this ever since we can recall.
Under the existing system, disaster response is handled largely by regional branches of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council or NDRRMC. (Whew, think of an acronym that is much longer.)
Unable to get enough backing from the previous 18th Congress due to time constraints, Go has renewed his push for a Department of Disaster Resilience, a separate department that would have a clear unity of command and primary responsibility in responding to disasters and natural calamities in the Philippines.
Go is eyeing to have an empowered, highly specialized department that would be responsible for ensuring safe, adaptive and disaster-resilient communities. Under his version of the measure, the department shall concentrate on three key result areas, namely disaster risk reduction, disaster preparedness and response, and recovery and building forward better.
The onslaught of “Karding” and the other typhoons that have seemingly grown stronger because of climate change has highlighted the urgent need for a disaster agency.
It has been reported that no less than President Marcos Jr. has expressed support for the crafting of an agency dedicated to addressing disasters. There are, however, discussions about whether the new agency should be an entire department or an attached agency to be able to save funds.
Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda is among several lawmakers sold to the idea.
Salceda emphasized that local government agencies and rescuers themselves could be impacted by disasters on occasion, underlining the need for an organization like the DDR.
“So, you need a reserve of exogenous resources for response, as well as continuing capacity development. You need an implementing agency for that. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council is not an implementing agency,” he added.
The country’s eastern seaboard, which tends to get hit by extreme weather events, also tends to have poorer provinces, according to Salceda. Relying on local resources or mere coordination by the national government will not be enough.
“The local resources are simply not enough. And in extreme events such as super typhoons, the local responders,” he said, “are also victims, and their institutions also disrupted.”
Go and Salceda are right. We don’t have to wait for another super typhoon to shake us out of our senses. Considering that the country is inside the Pacific Ring of Fire and is a frequent landing area for strong typhoons, we cannot dilly dally on this crucial measure.
The time to act is now.
E-mail: mannyangeles27@gmail.com