By By Patricia Bianca S. Taculao
During the first talk on disaster resiliency made possible through the collaboration of the University of the Philippines Diliman Resilience Institute (UPRI) and Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH), Dr. Emmanuel Luna, director of education of UPRI, discussed that disaster preparedness should span more than one hazard.
“It helps if you’re ready for all kinds of calamities that could happen, given our situation in global warming, rather than taking a specific route and only preparing for one incident,” Luna said.
In commemoration of the National Disaster Resilience Month, UPRI-NOAH held the seminar that focuses on the shift from disaster awareness building to disaster resilience, as well as the roles that different sectors can play.
Following the theme “Kahandaan sa Sakuna’t Peligro Para sa Tunay na Pagbabago,” the talk covered four areas of disaster risk reduction and management, especially with the ongoing threat of climate change.
Key points established in the lectures are concerned with disaster prevention and mitigation, disaster preparedness, disaster response, and disaster rehabilitation and recovery.
“The UPRI-NOAH lecture series aims to bridge the gap between the need for proper knowledge and technology to become more resilient and the different sectors that will benefit from the information such as LGUs, NGOs, and others,” said Associate Dean of Research of the College of Science Giovanni Tapang.
Apart from embedding the idea of being ready for whatever calamity may ensue, Genaro Cuaresma, director of the Institution Building Office of the UPRI, also highlighted different sectors of society such as the academe, and the different communities found within.
Mahar Lagmay, the executive director of UPRI, also explained the science and information behind disaster resiliency.
“Filipinos should have access to useful information that can help them adapt to climate change and other developments,” he said.
The forum, held at UP Diliman’s College of Science auditorium on July 30, hopes to enable Filipinos on how to adapt to climate change and disaster risk reduction to promote resilience in the Philippines.
For more information, visit the University of the Philippines Diliman Resilience Institute (UPRI).
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