MANILA, Philippines – KAILANGANG pagtibayin ng Pilipinas ang imprastraktura at “adaptation systems” nito sa gitna ng banta ng mas matinding sakuna sa mga darating na araw.
“In the Philippines, we need to invest, actually, once again, (in) building our infrastructure, our mechanisms, our adaptation systems, in the face of more unpredictable and more violent disasters, with greater effects, for people, particularly complex emergencies,” ang sinabi ni Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. sa press briefing sa huling araw ng ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Disaster Resilience sa Conrad Manila sa Pasay City.
Tinukoy ng Kalihim ang “volcano degassing coupled with the effects of the southwest monsoon, which convert and translate into lahar,” at ang phenomenon kung saang bahagi ng bansa ang umuulan ng malakas habang may mga lugar na nakararanas ng tag-tuyot bilang kabilang sa emergency sa bansa na kailangang paghandaan.
“We have to work in order to (be) faster in order to dedicate the systems in infrastructure for our resilience. And we do not only need them or say that you have (a) spot for productivity, and for other purposes,” aniya pa rn.
Maliban dito, sinabi ni Teodoro na matutuhan din ng Pilipinas mula sa ibang estado ang ‘best practices’ sa disaster response.
Matatandaang, araw ng Martes, nanawagan si Pangulong Marcos sa ASEAN member states “to strengthen disaster preparedness, improve early warning systems and deepen regional cooperation as disasters become more frequent, interconnected and costly across Southeast Asia.”
“This occasion not only recognizes the cooperation among ASEAN Member States over the past decades in reducing imminent risks, strengthening preparedness, and responding to emergencies in the face of disasters. It also offers an opportunity to look ahead,” ang sinabi ng Pangulo sa kanyang mensahe na binasa ni Executive Secretary Ralph Recto.
Samantala, ang ASEAN ay binubuo ng Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, at Vietnam. KRIS JOSE
