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Pulse Asia: 56% Pinoys want early warning vs disasters


Nearly six of 10 Filipinos want the national government to prioritize early warning mechanisms as part of disaster preparedness efforts, according to a survey by pollster Pulse Asia. In a survey conducted Feb. 24 to March 6, Pulse Asia said 56 percent of Filipinos prefer early warning over other options like the stockpiling of relief goods and identifying and fixing evacuation centers. "For nearly six in 10 Filipinos (56 percent), the national government should prioritize early warning mechanisms as part of its disaster preparedness program – an opinion articulated by near to sizable majorities across geographic areas (50 to 65 percent) and socio-economic groupings (49 to 65 percent)," it said. Mindanao, however, is an exception, with only 38 percent supporting this view, according to Pulse Asia. The survey also showed:

    * 19 percent of Filipinos favor the prioritization of stockpiling of relief goods; * 16 percent would like the government to focus on identifying and fixing evacuation centers; and * 10 percent think the government should prioritize the purchase of equipments like rubber boats and life jackets.
For the most part, levels of support for these different initiatives across geographic areas and socio-economic classes do not vary much from the overall levels. "However, Mindanao residents are more in favor of government prioritizing the identification and repair of evacuation centers than Filipinos in general (29 versus 16 percent)," Pulse Asia said. Unaffected by typhoons Some 73 percent of the respondents interviewed for this survey were not affected by any typhoon, heavy or continuous rains since October 2010. Across geographic regions, 15 percent in the Visayas to 33 percent in Metro Manila say they were affected by these calamities while across socio-economic classes, figures range from 12 percent in Class ABC to 30 percent in Class E. Across provinces covered in the March 2011 survey, a majority of those in Cagayan (63 percent) report being affected by such calamities, with 43 percent of them saying some of the properties inside their homes were destroyed, 36 percent reporting the destruction or loss of their livelihood and 26 percent claiming some parts of their houses were destroyed. "Among those who were affected (27 percent), most say they did not receive any form of assistance or service from the government to help them cope with the effects of these natural calamities," Pulse Asia said. Seven in 10 of those affected by these calamities since October 2010 claim they did not receive any service or assistance from the government to help them cope with the effects of such calamities (70 percent). Majorities in every geographic area (61 to 86 percent) and socio-economic class (69 to 70 percent) failed to receive any help from government. The most often-cited assistance received by those affected by the calamities is relief goods (26 percent). More of those in the rest of Luzon report having received relief goods compared to those in the Visayas and Mindanao (34 percent versus 11 percent to 14 percent). 'Most important form of assistance' Among those who did receive some form of help from the government, 77 percent consider relief goods to be the most important form of assistance extended to them by the government. Those who received some form of government assistance as a result of the calamities they experienced since October last year, 26 percent say they got such help within one to two days after the calamity hit them. Some 23 percent did so within 24 hours and 20 percent report that it took a week before they got help. Also, 14 percent say it took either three to four days or more than a week before government assistance reached them while 3 percent got help within five to six days. Insufficient assistance As with the assistance considered by the respondents to be the most important help they received from the government, 61 percent say such relief/assistance was insufficient. This was a view shared by majorities across geographic areas (57 to 63 percent) and socio-economic classes (57 to 68 percent) – while 64 percent consider the other forms of assistance they received to be effective. "The latter sentiment is expressed by at least half of those in the different geographic areas (50 to 100 percent) and socio-economic classes (60 to 73 percent). In contrast, 39 percent say the relief/assistance they received was sufficient for their needs while 17 percent are of the view that the other forms of assistance they received were not effective," Pulse Asia said. The survey fieldwork was conducted using face-to-face interviews. At the time the survey was conducted, the following developments dominated the headlines:
    (1) The impeachment proceedings against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez at the House of Representatives; (2) The congressional investigations into the plea-bargaining agreement entered into by former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Comptroller Ret. Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, as well as the alleged corruption involving former high-ranking military officials per the testimonies of former AFP Budget Officer Ret. Lt. Col. George Rabusa and former COA Auditor Heidi Mendoza; (3) The diplomatic row between the Philippines and Taiwan over the deportation of 14 Taiwanese nationals to China; (4) Government efforts to save three Filipinos facing execution in China for drug trafficking; (5) The commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the EDSA Revolution; (6) The evacuation of Filipinos in Libya amidst the ongoing civil unrest in the country; (7) The earthquake in New Zealand that took the lives of several Filipinos; (8) The replacement of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary, the confirmation of some presidential cabinet appointees, the proposed filing of administrative charges versus the Land Transportation Office Chief for alleged complicity in the failed takeover of the LTO’s information technology systems contractor Stradcom in December 2010 and the appointment of a new AFP Chief of Staff; and (9) The continuing increase in the prices of petroleum products and the prices of other commodities.
The survey is based on a sample of 1,200 representative adults 18 years old and above, with a ± 3% error margin at the 95% confidence level. Sub-national estimates for each of the geographic areas covered in the survey (Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) have a ± 6% error margin, also at 95% confidence level. — LBG/KBK, GMA News
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