PHNO-HL: FROM ADRC: INFO ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION OF REPUBLIC OF THE PHL

FROM ADRC: INFO ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION OF
REPUBLIC OF THE PHL
MANILA, AUGUST 22, 2012 (ASIAN
DISASTER REDUCTION CENTER) ADRC's Information on Disaster Risk Reduction
of the Member Countries:
General Information:

Formal Name: Republic of the Philippines,
The Republic of the Philippines (RP) is located in Southeast Asia. It borders
the Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean on the east, the South China Sea on the
west and north, and the Celebes Sea and the coastal waters of Borneo on the
south. The Philippines constitutes an archipelago of 7,109 islands with a total
land area of approximately 299,764 square kilometers. The Philippines has a
tropical and maritime climate. It has two major seasons: the rainy season, from
June to November; and the dry season, from December to May. The capital is
Manila. The population is 88.57 million as of August 2007. The Filipino is
basically of Malay stock with a sprinkling of Chinese, American, Spanish and
Arab blood, and other ethnic minorities.
Overview of Disasters
Located along the typhoon belt in the Pacific, the Philippines is visited by
an average of 20 typhoons every year, five of which are destructive. Being
situated in the "Pacific Ring of Fire" makes it vulnerable to frequent
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Its geographical location and physical
environment also contributes to its high-susceptibility to tsunami, sea level
rise, storm surges, landslides, flood/flashflood/flooding, and drought.
Recent Major Disasters

Volcanic Eruption of Mt. Pinatubo (June 1991)

Volcanic eruption of
the Mount Pinatubo in June 1991 was the largest volcanic explosion in the 20th
century. It killed 640, affected 1,036,065. About 40,000 houses were destroyed,
and more than 70,000 houses were damaged.

Typhoon Durian & Mud Flow (November 2006)

Typhoon Durian hit the Philippines on 30 November to 1 December 2006 caused
torrential rains in the south Luzon Island, which triggered massive landslides.
Death toll is 1,399, and total affected is 2,562,517.

Luzon Earthquake (July 1990)

M7.6 earthquake occurred in the central Luzon killed 2,412, affected
1,597,553, and destroyed 100,000 houses with the estimated total loss of
US$250million.
Disaster Management System

Legal System

Promulgated on 11 June 1978, Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1566 entitled
"Strengthening the Philippine Disaster Control Capability and Establishing the
National Program on Community Disaster Preparedness" has created the National
Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC). PD 1566 has been the legal authority of
the NDCC in leading the collaborative efforts in disaster preparedness planning,
as well as disaster response operations and rehabilitation, both in the public
and private sectors in the country. In response to the urgent need to focus more
on reducing disaster risks, the NDCC has started to take on the challenge of
shifting its disaster management approaches and strategies from reactive
(emergency management, disaster response) to pro-active (disaster risk
reduction/management (DRR/M). Since 2008, the Government of the Philippines has
been working its way into the passage of a new DRM Act which shall be known as
the "Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction, Management and Recovery Act of 2009".
This Act provides for the development of policies and plans and the
implementation of actions and measures pertaining to all aspects of disaster
risk reduction, management and recovery, including good governance, risk
assessment and early warning, knowledge building and awareness raising, reducing
underlying risk factors, and preparedness for effective response and early
recovery.

Organization

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) is the highest
policy-making, coordinating and supervising body at the national level for
disaster risk management in the country. It actively carries out the notable
efforts of the governments and programs on disaster mitigation, preparedness,
response, and rehabilitation. The NDCC also serves as an advisory body on
disaster preparedness programs, disaster operations, and rehabilitation efforts
undertaken by the government and other stakeholders. It also recommends to the
President of the Republic of the Philippines the declaration of State of
Calamity in disaster-affected areas and the release of national calamity funds
as needed. The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) as the operating arm and
secretariat of the NDCC has the primary task of coordinating the activities and
functions of various government agencies and instrumentalities, private
institutions and civic organizations for the protection and preservation of life
and property during disasters and emergencies.

Plan

The NDCC has a National Calamities and Disaster Preparedness Plan (NCDPP)
which specifies the functions and responsibilities of each member agency in
times of disasters and emergencies, as well as, how concerted and coordinated
disaster control effort from the national down to the regional, provincial,
city, municipal, and barangay levels are being undertaken. The plan also
stipulates numerous disaster management activities that have to be undertaken by
concerned member agencies at the pre-disaster, emergency, and post-emergency
phases. A National Disaster Risk Reduction, Management and Recovery Framework
and Plan will be developed and formulated once the new DRM Act is enacted. The
new law shall adopt and adhere to principles and strategies consistent with the
international standards set by the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA). The NDCC,
through the OCD, and with technical support from the United Nations
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), and the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), has developed a long-term plan coined as the
Strategic National Action Plan (SNAP) on Disaster Risk Reduction (2009-2019) to
implement the priorities for action of the HFA. The SNAP is a roadmap
articulating priority programs and projects on DRR for the next ten years.
Approval of said plan is in progress.
Strategic
National Action Plan (SNAP) 2009-2019 (Click here to view all info
below)

ADRC Counterpart

Office of Civil Defense-National Disaster Coordinating Council (OCD-NDCC),
Department of National Defense


Country Report

Country Report 2011 (English Version, PDF file) Country Report 2009 (English
Version, PDF file, 0.45MB) Country Report 2006 (Japanese Version, PDF file)
Country Report 2006 (English Version, PDF file) Country Report 1999 (English
Version) Country Report 1999 (Japanese Version) Country Report 1998 (English
Version)

Disaster Information (The latest 10) • 2012/08/15 : Tropical Storm •
2012/08/07 : Heavy Rain, Flood • 2012/07/30 : Typhoon • 2012/06/28 : Flash
Flood, Landslide • 2012/06/12 : Flashflood • 2012/06/02 : Typhoon • 2012/02/06 :
Earthquake • 2012/1/5 : Landslide • 2011/12/25 : Flood • 2011/12/16 : Typhoon,
Flood
>>
View All

Copyright(C) 2008 ADRC All Rights Reserved


Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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