EDITORIAL
Navigating through the storms
On March 22, 2024, PAG-ASA officially declared the start of
the warm and dry season. We were caught off-guard when the
dry season turned out to be extremely hot, resulting in the
cancellation of classes or a sudden shift to online learning.
Several LGUs were forced to declare a state of calamity as the
heat index reached dangerous levels. Bohol was not spared, as
the damage was evident in the agriculture sector, prompting the
provincial legislature to declare a state of calamity.
Early this month, PAG-ASA announced that the El Niño
phenomenon has ended. The declaration would have been a
great relief from the sufferings and inconveniences of the hot
season had it not for the warning that La Niña remains likely
(about 69% chance) by the July-August-September 2024 season.
The 2023 Philippine Development Report released by NEDA
paints a sobering picture. While the number of deaths attributed
to disasters per 100,000population has decreased, the number of
missing persons and directly affected persons has increased. This
data underscores the importance of comprehensive land use and
climate action plans. The 2023 targets for Comprehensive Land
Use Plans (CLUP) and Local Climate Change Action Plans were
met at 51 and 86 percent, respectively. However, targets for
Comprehensive Development Plans remain unmet in all regions,
except in regions 8 and 12. It’s clear that we need to do more to
protect our communities.
The preceding data shows that our localities are still highly
vulnerable to natural disasters, as almost half of the LGUs do not
have land use plans. It may be recalled that the aftermath of
Typhoon Odette exposed the lack of or poor implementation of
land use plans, as we have seen the extent of damage and the
number of deaths in coastal communities built on supposedly no-
build zones. While most LGUs already have their Local Climate
Change Action Plans, implementation remains a challenge since
the hands of most LGUs are tied to a meager budget.
As we move forward to face another challenging month of
floods and typhoons, we can only hope and fervently pray that
Mother Nature will be kinder to us. During past disasters, we
suffered a lot as our disaster-preparedness plans and calamity
funds were no match for nature’s wrath.