Senator Loren Legarda highlighted the government’s efforts in promoting better disaster preparedness and financing to support locally-made solutions during her speech on the 35th National Disaster Resilience Month Culminating Activity by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
The lawmaker, who is also vocal in the country’s environmental issues, pointed out that the country is one of the most affected by climate change.
“We’ve been enduring cycles of destruction and rehabilitation due to extreme weather events, as sea level rise slowly inundates our shores,” she said.
The inundation of the sea has been very visible, especially in the coastal areas of Bulacan where riding a boat has become the mode of transport, Legarda pointed out.
Government funding for the climate change programs has increased to P 464.5 billion, from P 289.73 billion in 2022. Majority of the funding will be used for disaster risk reduction. Legarda said such efforts can be augmented by private financing that can help in locally-made innovations for disaster response.
The senator-environmentalist is behind a number of pending bills such as the Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System act, which allows the country to integrate its natural resources into national accounts, and the Blue Economy Act which aims to sustain the Philippines’ marine ecosystem.