In the recently concluded State of the Nation Address (SONA) 2019 given by Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, several points were made addressing the pressing issues of the country. One of the significant subjects touched on the 4th SONA speech is to address the natural hazards besieging the country and what the government can do by creating laws and a department dedicated to disaster resilience.
The president mentioned that disasters striking the country become “poverty creators” and always seems to create a “new poor” by robbing ordinary Filipinos of their homes, jobs, and, eventually, lives. It is now the job of Philippine lawmakers to make disaster resilience a priority.
“That is why, we need to hasten the establishment of a Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR) so that this department focus on the natural hazards and climate change,” President Duterte stated.
Disaster resilience is such an important concern especially with impending natural disasters that swamp the country annually. One of these calamities is the arrival of the menacing “Big One”. With such a catastrophic event threatening the nation, the president is urging the Congress “to fast-track the passage of the Administration of this bill” so that a department devoted to strengthening the country’s resilience and disaster response be immediately established.
The consequence of such a cataclysmic earthquake is going to be, by far, one of the most horrific in the history of natural disasters. It is time to take action and make concrete plans for earthquake management. President Duterte himself had taken a similar step by establishing the Project Management Office for the Earthquake Resilience and has strongly urged the Greater Manila Area “to implement a two-pronged strategy on earthquake resilience and mitigation efforts.”
The president may have joked about the “Big One” hitting the Seat of Congress but the real consequences of this horrendous earthquake are no joking matters. The projected 34,000 casualties, the hundreds of thousands of injured, the residential buildings in the rubbles, millions of destroyed structures, and the unimaginable trillion peso worth of economic loss is unfathomable but horrifyingly possible. These are the scenarios that should always be in mind when addressing the issue.
In support of the government’s plan to build a stronger and disaster-resilient nation, USHER (Universal Structural Health Evaluation and Recording System) is willing to be at the forefront of earthquake preparedness. USHER believes that one of the key points in disaster resiliency is to build better structures, monitor structure integrity, and re-assess the efficiency and integrity of existing structures. In this aspect, USHER can assist the government's move in building a stronger and more resilient Philippines.