Country must fortify evacuations centers, President Duterte tells lawmakers
President Rodrigo Duterte asked lawmakers
to prioritize the construction of sturdy evacuation centers to provide shelter
to vulnerable population during disasters. Photo by PND.
The government should prioritize the
construction of sturdy evacuation centers to provide shelter to vulnerable
population during disasters, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte said on Tuesday as
he asked lawmakers to act on it.
“Alam mo, it is high time that government
consider really, of course, in the government units facing the Pacific Ocean,
gamit na gamit ito na we build a strong structure, stronger than a typhoon that
would come their way para mapuntahan ng mga tao, and maybe small rooms with
many comfort rooms where people can really stay for a while,” the President
said in a public address on government response on the coronavirus pandemic.
At present, schools and public buildings are
being used as evacuation centers, which the President said creates “an aberration
in the movement or in the development” of governmental functions and education.
“Iyan nga ang sanang tugunan ng Congress,
Senator Bong Go, kasi pagka itong ganitong a deluge, they tend to go to places
for shelter and relief,” he said.
Assessing typhoon damages, the President said
that despite the ferocity of the weather disturbances, the government was able
to manage the disaster well because of the commendable performance of security
forces and government agencies.
The President said that comparing the impact of
Typhoons Rolly, Siony, Tonyo and Ulysses to previous typhoons, the damages and
casualties left by the recent calamities were comparably smaller, adding that
this is due to the administration’s extensive preparations prior to the
typhoons’ impact.
“But despite of its fury, we were able to
manage. Hindi naman… I know that it leaves a bad taste in the mouth to say that
minimal ang namatay. Pero hindi kagaya ng Ondoy,” he said.
President Duterte praised government troops for
their rescue efforts, lauding Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana for taking the
lead in the planning and deployment of government personnel.
The government’s initiative to buy new equipment
for security forces such as rubber boats has helped save more lives during
rescue operations, he pointed out.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo
AΓ±o, who is also present during the meeting, said the impact of the typhoons
was mitigated by the President’s order for government agencies to conduct early
coordination and planning as well as deployment of troops and other personnel.
Striving for zero casualty in calamities in the
future, AΓ±o said government agencies including the Department of the Interior
and Local Government (DILG), National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council (NDRRMC), National Irrigation Administration (NIA), and the Philippine
Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services (PAGASA) are committed to
further improve their disaster management and strategies.
On November 1, Super Typhoon Rolly,
internationally known as Typhoon Goni, battered the Bicol Region and Southern
Luzon. It was followed by Typhoons Siony and Tonyo.
And on November 11, Typhoon Ulysses,
internationally known as Typhoon Vamco, devastated Quezon Province, Central
Luzon, and the Bicol Region with heavy precipitation and strong winds.
The successive typhoons that ravaged the country
left billions worth of damages in agriculture and infrastructures in its wake.
(PND)
