WB, UN report: To avert disasters, govt should fix itself first

An aerial shot of Haiti and the adjoining Dominican Republic shows a clear partition between parched land and a patch of greenery. A landmark report by the World Bank (WB) and the United Nations (UN) says the difference goes beyond the color of foliage. In a WB technical briefing before the Philippine Senate on Thursday, the team leader of the report, Apurva Sanghi, said the picture also depicts the state of politics in the two countries. “Deforestation is the visible difference but the quality of institutions is the less visible one," says the 250-page report titled “Natural Hazards, Unnatural Disasters: The Economics of Effective Prevention," which tackles disaster prevention from an economic as well as a political standpoint. The report points out that the institutions of Haiti – a country which has been more severely battered by storms than the Dominican Republic – “have withered from decades of misrule." In an interview with GMA News, Sanghi said countries like the Philippines should fix their institutions – and strengthen their political party systems in particular – as one of the first steps to disaster prevention. "The longer the political party is in power, and all things being equal, they are more responsive and accountable to the citizens at large. And that's what tends to reduce mortality from disasters, like any development issue," Sanghi said. He cited empirical evidence that show a correlation between the life of a country’s political parties, among other things, and disaster-related mortalities. Poor PHL political system Since democracy was restored in the country in 1986, the Philippines has seen the mushrooming of political parties and its politicians’ seasonal shifting of alliances. The report of Sanghi’s group reminds world governments not to pay mere lip service to democracy. “Good institutions are associated with political competition more than voting alone," it said. "Good governance would lead to better management of our resources, and therefore, if we have a strong political system that is accountable to the people, then we can have more transparency and accountability in the disbursement of our resources for disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation," said Senator Loren Legarda in another interview with GMA News. Legarda – a senator who ran on a pro-environment platform in her previous vice-presidential and senatorial bids, under different political parties – hosted the presentation of the WB and UN report. Aside from political systems, the report emphasizes the importance of institutions such as the media, engineering groups, and neighborhood associations, which will expose the public to divergent views. The report proposes other measures that include:

• making information about hazards and risks, such as maps of flood plains and seismic fault lines, easily available;
• allowing property values to reflect hazard risks; and
• providing adequate infrastructure and other public services.

'Creeping disaster'' The introduction of the report to the Philippines comes at a time when the country is bracing itself for a “creeping disaster" brought about by the La Niña phenomenon, an erratic weather pattern that is expected to bring about heavy rains even in summer. (See: Govt braces for La Niña, readies assistance for farmers, fishermen) Last week, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon “Dinky" Soliman said that as early as now, strong winds that bring giant waves have dealt a blow on the capacity of small-scale fishermen to fish. The WB and UN report shows it is the poor, not the rich, who bear the brunt of hazards and disasters. Experts that GMA News interviewed in 2010 – a year after unprecedented floods inundated a metropolis of 15 million people – said over 150,000 households remain exposed to killer typhoons like 2009’s Ondoy. (See: One year after Ondoy, many still living in danger zones) These households stand on risk-prone locations like riverbanks and lakeshores. “The poor will willingly move to safer locations if their incomes rose or if public transport became more reliable. Many governments in poor countries struggle to provide such services, and until they do, the poor will remain vulnerable," the WB and UN report said. “That many measures do not work well together in poor countries explains why they have more disasters," it added. Antonio La Viña, an environmental policy expert and dean of the Ateneo School of Government, last year said Filipinos are not any safer from the time Ondoy struck. “The same circumstances which worsen the impacts of heavy rains are still present, and the same institutions with their inherent weaknesses will be responding," he said. La Viña expressed confidence that the DSWD and other local government units “are better prepared this time." “But overall, I expect a repeat of Ondoy," he said. “Of course, I will jump with joy if I am proven wrong!"—JV, GMA News