* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Plans exist but they aren’t being implemented
Natural disasters happen frequently in the Philippines, and in many villages they particularly affect poor communities living in disaster-prone areas.
“The Philippines has a very extensive national law on disaster risk reduction; it all looks good on paper, but one of the problems is the lack of skills, staff and funding to actually take the necessary measures in the communities where they are needed most,” explains VSO volunteer policy analyst Efrath Silver.
The national law on disaster preparedness covers a full range of measures, outlining what needs to happen from the national to the village level ahead of a natural disaster. This includes having a disaster contingency fund and mobilising volunteers trained for emergencies.
“The law is comprehensive but implementation is lacking and this is what I’m trying to figure out…why national policy on disaster prevention with lifesaving consequences is so difficult to put into practice.”
Understanding local concerns
Drawing on her professional background as a policy adviser in flood risk management, Efrath believes in the power of properly implemented disaster prevention measures, “Half of the Netherlands is flood prone but the last major flooding causing casualties was in 1953…"
