Philippines makes climate change resolutions

25 January 2011 [MediaGlobal] In the Philippines, floods and landslides marked a traumatic entry into 2011. Affecting more than 1.3 million people and causing approximately $28 million worth of property damage, the calamity of these disasters attests to the devastating consequences of poor urban planning, especially with the emerging hazards of climate change.

Set along the Pacific typhoon belt, the 7,107 islands that comprise the Philippines are persistently besieged by natural disasters. Last year’s 11 tempests caused massive destruction, especially October’s category-five “super” Typhoon Megi assault on Manila and the nearby provinces of Isabela and Cagayan. Within a month, floods submerged these regions before they had a chance to recover.

Just after the December holiday season, another heavy downpour incited flashfloods and landslides, turning New Year preparations into rescue operations. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported a human toll of 53, which included deaths from drowning, electrocution, and from the collapse of a chromite mine tunnel outside of Butuan City.

“This brought to the fore the institutional weaknesses of the country’s urban management systems,” pointed out UN Human Settlements Programme (UN Habitat) spokesperson Sharad Shankardass. “These problems were compounded by climate change, requiring a completely new dimension to urban planning and management.”

The recent calamities are the worst that the country has seen in decades. A tragic 2006 landslide wiped out the village of Guinsaugon in Southern Leyte, killing more than 1,000 people. In September 2009, flashfloods devastated Manila in the aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy, which poured down an alarming 455-millimeter rainfall in 24 hours, surpassing the 250-millimeter record of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina.

The persistent vulnerability of urban areas is due mostly to the lack of useful data for reliable planning, implementing faculty for mandated strategies and programs, and a central institution for urban planning and management, explained Shankardass to MediaGlobal.

Urban centers in the country evince poor structural planning, with deficient drainage systems and waterways, inadequately-constructed infrastructures, and unregulated settlements. In terms of atmospheric facilities, most of these cities lack early warning devices and compatible equipment to project impending risks.

“These problems were compounded by climate change, requiring a completely new dimension to urban planning and management,” Shankardass stated.
The downpours are especially ominous, considering the La Niña phenomenon, an unusual increase of heavy rainfall, which the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) forecasts to peak in the first quarter of 2011.

UN Habitat has urged local government units to develop two mandated plans – the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) and the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP). With the country’s decentralized governance system, these inclusive plans must reach out to all relevant sectors in the development process, including demography, land use and administration, infrastructure, utilities and socio-economics.

“A pertinent starting point could be determining the roles and responsibilities of all identified actors to assist in mapping what actually happens and what needs to happen to provide a safe city,” said Sarah Mecartney, UN Habitat Programme Manager for the Pacific.

To set things in motion, UN Habitat introduced its pilot CCCI-SUD-Net project in Sorsogon City, aimed at improving disaster risk mitigation with climate change adaptation. Mecartney explained that the learning from this project will be used to improve capacity building among urban governments and communities to best manage pre-disaster and post-disaster conditions.

The UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) has also forwarded the 2010-2011 World Disaster Reduction Campaign in Asia and Pacific. Dubbed “Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready!” it gathers together leaders in urban and environmental risk reduction planning on building safe infrastructures and protecting ecosystems, while mitigating the effects of natural calamities. The province of Albay has pledged a zero casualty for this project, and so far managed to protect its residents during the recent storm. “The campaign is due to receive more expressions of support from the Philippines,” said Dizery Salim of USIDR.

With global efforts streaming into the country, the call now is directed to leaders and communities to dedicate a national resolve towards building safer cities, homes, and economic centers.