“Disasters happen when we forget this very important message from a campaign from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction or UNDRR which is there’s no such thing as natural disaster, only natural hazards. Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, tropical cyclones, and even climate change are natural hazards. This is part of natural phenomena. What makes it not natural is when these natural hazards become a disaster.” – Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum, Jr.
“Every year, between 600 and 800 natural disasters occur, some small and localized, others affecting several countries and many thousands of people,” writes Bob Hansford, disaster risk management advisor at Tearfund, a Christian relief and development agency.
Those natural disasters are most likely to happen in countries located in “The Ring of Fire.” That is what respected scientists call that thin region of dynamic volcanic and seismic activity around the rim of the Pacific Ocean.
“The activity is the result of the movement of the tectonic plates, the surface crust on which our world is formed, which slowly grow and butt against one another causing cracks that allow deeper molten rock to rise to the surface through what we call volcanoes. Any movement of the plates creates seismic activity we know as earthquakes,” wrote Lindsay Bennet in her travel book entitled Philippines.
Unfortunately, the Philippines – a country with more than 7,100 islands – is in this rim, sometimes called the circum-Pacific seismic belt. Disasters are not just waiting to happen; they happen every now and then.
As Kathleen Tierney, director of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado, puts it: “The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone places on Earth. They’ve got it all. They’ve got earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, tropical cyclones, landslides.”
The Philippines is more susceptible to the consequences of climate change. As the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) puts it: “The Philippines is extremely vulnerable to the ravages of climate change.”
Secretary Renato U. Solidum, Jr. of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) agreed. “The most vulnerable suffer the most,” he pointed out during the Mindanao Leg of the recent “Handa Pilipinas: Innovations in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) exposition in Cagayan de Oro City. “But we also see an opportunity to change this narrative. We need to take a firm stand to reduce our vulnerabilities and to reimagine a new brand of Filipino resilience.”
With a coastline of 18,000 kilometers, the Philippines is very vulnerable to sea level rise. “A continuing rise in average global sea level would inundate parts of many heavily populated river deltas and the cities on them, making them uninhabitable, and would destroy many beaches around the world,” said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group of 2,000 scientists which advises the United Nations.
The DOST exposition has the theme “Enhancing Resilience and Sustainability for Mindanao.” The primary objective is to educate and empower various stakeholders and the public with over a hundred innovations and technologies that have the potential to boost the region’s economy and improve the lives of its over 26 million people.
“As we aspire to grow our economy here in Mindanao, we need to protect our resources and our wealth by reducing climate and disaster risks,” Solidum pointed out.
Several major disasters have struck Mindanao, including Tropical Storm Sendong in 2011, severe El Niño effects from 2015 to 2016, earthquakes in 2019, and heavy rainfall-related incidents in 2022. All these disasters resulted in a significant number of casualties and property damage.
While these events were caused by natural hazards, does that mean a disaster will automatically occur? The answer is no, Solidum said.
“Disasters happen when we, as the government, as a community, and as an individual fail to anticipate, prevent, mitigate, and prepare for natural hazards. Disasters happen when we fail to make use of the available and reliable scientific information to guide our planning, decision making, and action. Disasters happen when we fail to work together in responding to its consequences and impacts,” Solidum said.
Why is it imperative to foster resilience, particularly in Mindanao? What exactly are we gearing up for?
Solidum explained that primarily, Filipinos must recognize that disasters are undoing the strides in development. Few things erode progress as swiftly and comprehensively as disasters do, capable of obliterating years of advancement in an instant.
He added that consequently, as the country strives to bolster the economy in Mindanao, safeguarding the resources and wealth necessitates a concerted effort to mitigate climate and disaster risks.
Solidum also emphasized that the Philippines continues to hold the distinction of being the most vulnerable nation in terms of natural hazards and climate change.
Recently, the World Risk Report 2023 affirmed the country’s vulnerability, ranking it first among 193 countries for the second consecutive year. Climate change is exacerbating the intensity and unpredictability of existing hazard events, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable communities.
“But we also see an opportunity to change this narrative,” Solidum urged. “We need to take a firm stand and commitment to reduce our vulnerabilities and make our own redefined and reimagined Filipino brand of resilience. And we cannot do that alone. We need the whole-of-society to make our vision of safer, adaptive, climate and disaster-resilient Filipino communities towards sustainable development a reality.”
More importantly, Solidum emphasized that the Philippines, renowned as an archipelago of risks, has seen its fair share of disasters in Mindanao.
“Although, we Filipinos are often known as victims of disasters. Today, with our innovations, we become victors,” he said.
Through science, technology, and innovation, the science chief said that Filipinos can embrace a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, with research and development as the foundation.
“Disasters happen when we, as a government, as a community, and as individuals, fail to anticipate, prevent, mitigate, and prepare for these natural hazards. Disasters occur when we fail to make use of available and reliable scientific information to guide our planning, decision-making, and action,” Solidum said.
Katherine Richardson, a climate scientist at the University of Copenhagen, urged: “We have to act and we have to act now. We need to realize what a risk it is they are taking on behalf of their own constituents, the world’s societies and, even more importantly, future generations.”
