Following a study citing the Philippines as the most disaster-prone country in the world, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go renewed his call for a holistic approach to building a more disaster-resilient nation as he works to get his proposed measures passed that will allow the country to deal with calamities, both natural and manmade, more effectively.
With a 46.82 index score, the Philippines had the highest disaster risk according to the World Risk Index. The index is part of the annual World Risk Report 2022 by Germany-based Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft and the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict at Ruhr University Bochum which calculates the disaster risk for 193 counties.
The Philippines’ index score is due to its vulnerability, exposure, and high risk to disasters and calamities, the report noted.
The Philippines was followed by India, Indonesia, Colombia, and Mexico. China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Mozambique and Pakistan were also among the top 10 nations with the highest disaster risk.
Meanwhile, the United Nations recently reported that despite the rise in catastrophic weather and natural disasters, half of the countries in the world lack sophisticated early warning systems required to save lives.
According to a recent assessment by the UN agencies for weather and disaster risk reduction, countries with weak early warning systems experience eight times more disaster-related deaths than those with effective safeguards.
Taking into account how natural disasters can gravely harm the nation’s economy and put people’s lives in danger, Go refiled Senate Bill 1181, otherwise known as the Philippine Building Act of 2022, which aims to protect the people’s lives and mitigate the impact of disasters by setting standards and benchmarks that all buildings and structures must meet with, particularly the recommended structural stability and integrity designed to withstand disasters.