The Philippines confronts an average of 20 typhoons annually, with some becoming super typhoons, killing thousands of lives, and leaving billions worth in agriculture and infrastructure damages.
Simply put, Capstone-Intel believes that by improving the country’s flood resilience through actionable solutions that bring awareness and protection to the Filipinos, the nation can achieve a promising future not only for the environment but also for its continuous economic progression.
“Boosting a community’s capacity to withstand floods also involves enhancing its social, human, natural, and financial quality of life, in addition to its physical capabilities to perform well in the industries it supports,” said Atty. Nic Conti, Capstone-Intel Corporation’s Chief of Public Affairs.
Conti pointed out that the Philippines has been tolerant of how floods and typhoons wreak havoc in the nation due to its lack of awareness of the severity of the long-term damage these may have caused to their day-to-day living.
“It has become a custom that we are always unprepared whenever there are strong typhoons every year. That’s why we have a number of casualties. Although the rainy season has been truly a part of our climate, our people deserve better ways to face it. The number of lives lost, and casualties are no longer acceptable because they may be prevented if we have enough initiatives to offer,” he noted.
“In these times and opportunities, we should strengthen our flood response such as by strengthening information dissemination in far-flung areas that are often hit by disasters and scaling up waste management awareness among citizens and large corporations to ensure floodways flow smoothly,” he added.
According to Conti, the national government should also establish a separate entity attached to National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) that mainly focuses on mitigating floods in order to control their impacts on the country, adding that its economic implications will soon burden the lives of Filipinos.
“The Philippine government should form an agency attached to the NDRRMC that gives emphasis to solving the long-standing problem of flooding in the country. This includes gathering all industry experts to formulate actionable solutions that trigger the eradication of severe risks of flooding not only in the lives of Filipinos but also in the economic sector,” Conti emphasized.
“Floods are too rampant in cities that drive investments, and flooding extremely affects agriculture, which is the backbone of the Philippine economy. If we don’t take this seriously, our industries will suffer rigorously. It’s a domino effect,” he added.
