MANILA, Philippines — Candidates in the upcoming barangay elections should invest in disaster prevention and preparedness to build resilient and secure communities, government and disaster risk reduction officials said Thursday.
Barangays, the most basic units of government, play a vital role in disaster preparedness and prevention due to their local knowledge, quick response capabilities and engagement with communities.
The Philippines is set to hold the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on October 30, marking the first village elections since 2018.
“Those running for office or wish to be re-elected, this is a good opportunity to strengthen the institutionalization of our prevention and mitigation efforts,” National Resilience Council executive director Silvestre Barrameda Jr. told reporters in Filipino on the sidelines of “Barangayan Para sa Kalikasan at Batang Matatag” forum.
“Whether they win or lose in the elections, what is invested today will undoubtedly benefit our fellow citizens and communities,” he added.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary Carlos Primo David also stressed that disaster preparedness, early warning systems and suitable technology for flood mitigation should be the top priority for barangays.
Mami Mizutori, the head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, emphasized the need to “put money in reducing risks of disasters before they become devastating disasters.”
“Of course, we need to respond, we need to prepare better… We need to prevent better,” she said.
Barangays at risk
The Philippines has over 42,000 barangays, spread across 145 cities and 1,489 municipalities.
DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga pointed out that barangays are “most vulnerable” to extreme events and that multiple hazards are also “most likely to be underinvested in.”
“This puts them more at risk,” Yulo-Loyzaga said.
“Local governments need to be engaged in the crafting of context-specific and responsive policies, programs and actions that put people and the environment that sustains them, first,” she said.
The environment chief added that the government should adopt a comprehensive risk management strategy that is centered on prevention, rather than on relief and response.
“We are dealing with the lives and properties of both our rural and urban communities,” he said.
Under the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, barangays are responsible for setting the direction, development, implementation and coordination of disaster risk management programs within respective territorial jurisdiction.
Barangays also serve as the primary platform for outcomes in the vision of securing community resilience as outlined in the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan and the National Framework Strategy on Climate Change.
The resilience targets of the Strategy Framework of the Philippine Development Plan also depend on barangays and other local government officials.