The administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday vowed to deliver “factual and prompt information” to the Filipino nation as it joins the international community to commemorate the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.
On its social media page, the Office of Press Secretary expressed its commitment to providing accurate and timely information for emergencies.
“The Office of the Press Secretary joins the observance of International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction with the theme of increasing the availability of access to early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessment,” it stated.
“We at OPS and other agencies are committed to delivering factual and prompt information about calamities to inform, educate, and warn the Filipino people in times of emergency and disaster,” it added.
The United Nations General Assembly has designated 13 October of every year as International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction to promote a global culture of disaster risk reduction.
According to the official website of the United Nations, this year’s celebration of the International Day aims to “substantially increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to people by 2030.”
It added that the International Day declaration serves as an opportunity to acknowledge the progress on disaster risk reduction initiatives that are being undertaken.
It is in line with Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 adopted in March 2015.
In August, the President called for the need to review standard operating procedures to create a uniform and coordinated approach during disasters among national government agencies and local government agencies.
As he noted that the Philippines is a “disaster-prone country,” Marcos sought the prepositioning of satellite phones, generators, and water once an alert is raised.
The Chief Executive cited the importance of using airlift assets for disaster response and seeking engineers’ assistance in clearing operations and building temporary structures.
He also stressed the urgency to build the country’s capacity for natural disaster resiliency and invest in science and technology to have accurate weather forecasts and on-time disaster alerts.