For many disaster-prone areas in Metro Manila, the storm does not end when the floodwaters recede.
For one thing, a lot of health issues follow. Skin allergies, psoriasis, fever, colds, diarrhea, typhoid, dengue, and the resurgence of tuberculosis infection are among the health issues listed in a 2011 Asian Journal of Social Science study by Ateneo Sociology Professor Emma Porio, PhD. These health concerns lead many to forgo work until they recover and work itself is the primary reason why people from poorly-developed rural areas migrate to the overcrowded capital and take their chances at survival, often in the slums.
And there is hardly any calm even before the storm. Insecurity in housing and tenure and limited access to social programs and quality education are a daily realities, with or without the threat of typhoons.
The good news is that residents have learned to adapt to what Porio refers to as the “water-based lifestyle.” Constant renovations according to the rising and receding of flood waters are made on their homes with materials like planks of wood and concrete. For others, the wearing of rubber boots seems an effective enough solution for avoiding infection brought about by the dirty water.
The bad news is that this remains to be a short-term approach. It certainly does not spare residents from the effects of the next typhoon.
Moving out
According to the Commission of Population, urban population in the Philippines has increased by 4% annually from 2007 to 2010. One factor cited was internal displacement due to environmental disasters. As a country prone to calamities, there is a need to further strengthen urban development in the Philippines to adapt to climate change.
In the recently concluded Habitat III Conference in Ecuador held last October, countries drafted a New Urban Agenda which seeks to promote “sustainable urban development” in light of poverty and hunger alleviation.
Led by Vice President Leni Robredo and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council Director Avelino Tolentino, the Philippine delegation presented the Philippine Development Plan, which details developmental reforms in infrastructure and urban settlement aligned with international commitments, one of which was outlined at last year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP 21.
Habitat III takes into account the environmental effects of urbanization, cultivating a vision of “urban resilience” and mitigation of climate change.
Beyond the urban setting, the New Urban Agenda links its plans with rural development, fostering a relationship between the rural and urban towards the same goals.
Locally, the Department of Agriculture created the Philippine Rural Development Program with the aim to develop climate resilient agri-fishery sector for rural communities.
The program allocates projects devoted to environment protection while promoting rural development, such as the proposed Php 2.56 million-worth Bahurang Silag Fish Sanctuary Rehabilitation in Guinayangan, Quezon.
Other than national programs, the government receives foreign aid for disasters, rehabilitation, and development.
In the wake of Typhoon Yolanda, the Philippines received about Php 17.2 billion worth of foreign aid, with Japan having the largest contribution amounting to Php 27.9 B. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) says that the American government gave a total of USD 90.8 M assistance for Yolanda.
With over 30 international bodies that provide financial assistance to the Philippines, future plans, especially concerning climate change adaptation and mitigation, seem promising, but only with proper implementation and use of funds.
United in change
In 2015, German government agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), in collaboration with the Philippines’ Climate Change Commission (CCC), launched “Support to the Philippines in Shaping and Implementing the International Climate Regime II.” Funded by the German government, this project covers sustainable development and climate change adaptation.
Part of climate change adaptation is GIZ’s support for the Eco-town Framework—a plan composed of strategic units that analyze rural communities and come up with climate proofing solutions. Through this framework, the municipality of San Vicente, Palawan will build more weather stations and be introduced to different strains of crops that will be more resilient against changing weather conditions. As this protects the farm workers’ livelihood, developments such as the increased number of residents availing of insurance from PhilHealth and prevention of diseases like malaria serve to safeguard the inhabitants’ physical health.
The Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery received support from USAID and funding from the American government to build up farming techniques suitable for the changing climate as well. With most programs focused on education, classrooms that are better at withstanding calamities were developed in areas affected by Yolanda.
Apart from Philippine and international group partnerships, there are other efforts that aim to unify countries in reducing climate change-induced disasters.
The Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which President Rodrigo Duterte plans to ratify after his Cabinet’s approval, is said to be most beneficial to countries that are vulnerable to effects of climate change. The pact aims to limit the global temperature increase through efforts in renewable energy that will curb the use of fossil fuels.
It is through these joint international efforts that the problems brought by climate change are addressed, as foreign agencies supply the Philippines with funds and support for development programs.
Help from home
While foreign agencies have their own strategies, local agencies operate based on their own mandates as well.
According to Edwin Salonga, chief of the Disaster Risk Governance Division of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Policy and Development Planning Service, the Philippines continues to deal with climate change and disaster risk reduction as separate issues. In an interview, Salonga said that “in the Philippines, climate change adaptation is still under the purview of the Climate Change Commission and disaster risk reduction management is under the purview of OCD and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.”
But the government has been moving towards integration. The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has listed the Philippines among the countries that have responded positively to its call to integrate climate change and disaster risk reduction. The CCC and OCD have also forged a memorandum of understanding to integrate their mandates.
But while things may be looking up in terms of integration, Salonga maintains that there is much to be improved in program planning and execution. “Much of our attention is still on typhoons, earthquakes and similar [hydrometeorological] hazards, but we have not really taken much interest in slow-onset disasters such as drought,” he shared.
He also zoomed in on relocation, a clear post-disaster concern in vulnerable countries like the Philippines. Depending on the impact of certain calamities, affected residents tend to forgo relocation or even evacuation. According to Salonga, this is because their livelihoods are often based in their communities.
“Between safety and livelihood, a lot of people would still go back to their localities if there is still a sure source of income,” he said.
And so their new homes must meet these economic needs. But Salonga believes response must go beyond the economic. “The new locality [where people are to relocate] should have… services that are considered pertinent to a holistic well-being [and] may include health services, social services, educational services,” he said.
This is what it means to build back better.
