Information on Disaster Risk Reduction of the Member Countries
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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 ¡ÈPacific Ring of Fire¡É 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 ¡ÈStrengthening the Philippine Disaster Control Capability and Establishing the National Program on Community Disaster Preparedness¡É 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 ¡ÈPhilippine Disaster Risk Reduction, Management and Recovery Act of 2009¡É. 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
ADRC Counterpart