 |
After 8 years now, once again a super typhoon (Odette) had been back and destroyed places in Siargao, Dinagat Island, Bohol, Cebu, Palawan, and nearby provinces. Most of the people's livelihood in these places is tourism and agriculture which have been heavily affected by the pandemic for two years now.
Strong typhoons often hit the Philippines, in fact, an average of 20 typhoons pass through the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) every year according to Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). But why despite all of this and for the longest period of time typhoons are still a big problem for the Filipino people; the slow response of government aid in times of calamity is still difficult, preventive measures are still lacking. Basic necessities like food, water, electricity, and communication are always the big problem after the strong typhoon devastation. With that, the government has yet to formulate a most sustainable solution that would ease these "centuries-old" problems.
How long will Filipinos endure this situation? The Philippine government has been relying on “Filipino resilience” which has been too much abused. The Philippine government should have a comprehensive preventive and mitigation plan; a before and after action plan in times of typhoons. The Philippines has PAGASA has early detection technology; to warn people on which area the typhoon will landfall, how strong the wind is, the amount of rain that will possibly fall on a particular area, and to determine which area will be heavily affected by issuing an [warning] alert level through National Telecommunication Commission; an early warning message sends through cellular phone to each individual in the area under the monitoring of PAGASA in times of typhoon.
The current government system in handling calamities such as typhoons is now outdated. What [we] needed is holistic change; Congress should create laws that would prevent and mitigate the effect of the typhoon through long-term science-based solutions. Rapid response during disasters in times of floods and typhoons is a must. The government should have large funds for relief operations so that our countrymen do not beg for help to survive. Chainsaws, satellite phones, big generators, and water filtration facilities. these are only a few ideas that will help expedite the recovery of the affected area.
There are a lot of brilliant minds roaming around Congress yet the problem seems a not priority to talk about maybe because we don't demand or they don't listen. Filipinos are brave, Filipinos are strong, and Filipinos are resilient. Come to think of it, behind those smiles is suffering, and behind those prayers is a calling of change.
Image reference: archived.boston.com
Post a Comment
0 Comments