Japan agency seeks early warning system talks with Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — After back-to-back typhoons battered the Philippines, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has expressed interest in initiating consultations with the country to strengthen early warning systems.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. met with JICA President Tanaka Akihiko on Wednesday, November 2 0, during a courtesy call.

Tanaka said the Philippines’ approach to flood management and its preparedness for tropical cyclones is “exemplary.” 

He said that despite six storms hitting the Philippines in quick succession — with some overlapping — the country reported relatively low casualties.

It shows that the country’s disaster response system works more effectively than other nations, he added.

“In comparison with many other developing countries and in comparison with many advanced nations, I believe the Filipino management of the floods and typhoons in many ways [is] exemplary,” Tanaka said. 

For this reason, he said improving disaster risk reduction efforts by consulting with countries like the Philippines aligns with Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba priorities. 

“We would like to have deeper consultations with the government of the Philippines. Prime Minister Ishiba emphasized that disaster risk reduction is one of his priorities,” Tanaka told Marcos.

As of Thursday, November 21, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) recorded 12 deaths as a result of Typhoons Nika, Ofel and Pepito. 

This figure was much larger when Severe Tropical Storm Kristine and Typhoon Leon ravaged the country, reporting 162 deaths as of November 12. 

How the country suffered 

While the past three typhoons may have caused fewer deaths, they left Filipinos grappling with extensive destruction. 

The combined impact of these typhoons caused billions of pesos in infrastructure damage, affecting homes, roads, bridges, and schools. Agricultural lands were also inundated, destroying crops worth billions and disrupting the country’s supply of rice and fish.

According to the NDRRMC, Kristine and Leon damaged 207,876 houses, with losses amounting to P3.38 billion.

Meanwhile, Typhoons Nika, Ofel, and Pepito damaged an additional 51,921 homes. In total, 1,785 infrastructure projects sustained damage across all these storms, with roads and flood control systems bearing the brunt of the destruction.

All in all, these infrastructure damages cost over P12.59 billion.  

Agricultural losses are another story. Around 12,653 hectares of crops were flooded and damaged, and more than 138,000 farmers and fisherfolk were also affected by these storms. 

What did Marcos say?

Marcos agreed with Tanaka’s idea of engaging in closer consultations, saying that new technologies such as early warning systems are important to develop considering intensified climate change effects.

“The early warning is becoming more and more important because we have noticed that whereas before, the usual typhoon season, when a storm is maybe two or three days away, even if [it] becomes a storm surge, it slowly develops,” he said. 

Currently, the Presidential Communications Office has partnered with JICA to establish the Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting system, aiming to digitalize state-run PTV-4 and develop an Emergency Warning Broadcast System.

JICA is also one of Japan’s government agencies providing trillions in loans for the Philippines’ transportation projects, including the North-South Commuter Railway, Metro Manila Subway Project, Light Rail Transit Line 1 Cavite Extension, and Metro Rail Transit Line 3 Rehabilitation Project.