A "reacting", not a proactive society

It will take a year before things return to normal -this was the assessment made by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC). But for hundreds of thousands of victims and their families, it will never be the same again. But with the physical and emotional shock and material losses, we also heard heart-warming testimonies of how the calamity has helped in the re-discovery of a sense of spirituality. It was a -social leveler, - a learning much more valuable than what could ever be taught in the classroom. My sister, her children and grandchildren expressed what most flood victims must have recognized- that despite the havoc that [typhoons] Ondoy and Pepeng [Ketsana and Parma] brought, a great opportunity came with it - the ability to cope and survive disasters and its valuable lessons - resiliency, compassion, moderating appetite for material things, the need to simplify lifestyle, and most important -understanding the serious implications of climate change and thereby, a renewed respect and care of our environment. As I'm writing this, rainfall continues to raise the water levels in places along major river basins in [the Provinces of] Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Pangasinan, Cagayan. Several deaths in the Cordilleras have been reported due to landslides which had also cut off contact with several municipalities. Massive displacement and evacuation with thousands still situated in cramped evacuation centers or climbing up rooftops of their homes. Several provinces face threats from water-borne diseases. 400,000 lake squatters have been told to evacuate the shorelines of Laguna de Bay which could remain flooded for 5 months. All these reveal the inadequacy of government to respond to the crisis. Global architect Jun Palafox noted that we cannot fault the lack of urban planning for as even as early as 1905, Burnham, famous for his design of sustainable cities, had already prepared a plan which could have prevented disasters in the past, today, and the future.. Palafox' infrastructure plan suggests a vertical strategy - high rise buildings as well as properly address the three C's - climate change, corruption, and criminality. Urban planner Nathaniel von Einsiedel and his group prepared a 10-year master plan in 1975, which would have mitigated the floods in the Marikina valley &# by constructing a dam for the latter, and a Paranaque spillway. But it was found too costly, and thereafter shelved. Our government's response to vulnerability to disasters is the bill on National Disaster Risk Reduction It will devolve to LGUs the authority to undertake disaster control through a community-based disaster risk management system that will work with civil society and the private sector. It will have a policy council, a permanent body, unlike the NDCC which is an ad-hoc body, and will have 30 members, primarily from government. At the recent dialogue with 100 champions of local government, all four presidentiables -Sec. Gibo Teodoro, Sen. Chiz Escudero, Sen. Manny Villar, and Sen. Noynoy Aquino, expressed support for empowering LGUs, through 50-50 sharing of IRA funds, as well as utilization of no less than 5% for disaster preparedness and response.

But Raul Lejano of the University of California at Levine says this may not be enough. What we need is a "public process of truth-seeking"which will require another layer - an "independent blue ribbon committee" made up of people who have no personal agenda, he noted. . The recent flood has shown a gap - the lack of lower-level personnel trained in action on the ground. This "blue ribbon committee" or a group that it will deputize, will assist in setting up systems for monitoring, project delivery, calamity fund disbursement, local scenario planning. It would help oversee implementation of the Disaster Risk Reduction Plan, and support the LGUs, which, at this stage unarguably need considerable training and technical support. As soon as the LGUs are fully equipped with capacities to implement the Plan, it will phase out. Considering the threats from global warming, and the fact that most of us have short memories, we will need continuing advocacy - organizing citizens’ forums, monitoring post-Ondoy operations, and inculcating the "art of remembering".This will forestall possibility of falling into a state of complacency in the face of disasters that are yet to come. My email is florangel.braid@gmail.com .