Senator bats for 'disaster science' center to reduce calamity risks

A lawmaker has urged the creation of a Disaster Science Management Center (DSMC), which will help in mitigating the effects of natural disasters plaguing the country every year. In a statement issued Monday, Senator Edgardo Angara said the center will act as a "clearinghouse" of disaster-related data sourced worldwide, and will be funded by a public-private partnership. The DSMC will likewise act as a platform for international collaboration, Angara said, as foreign experts from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the Disaster Management Society of Taiwan (DMST) have already expressed their support for the initiative. "Disaster mitigation is key to reducing the effects of these inevitable natural disasters," he added. Angara was reacting to a recent study by the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Safety, which revealed that the Philippines is the top Asian nation in the study's World Readiness Index, which measures the susceptibility, coping ability and vulnerability of countries, among others, to natural disasters. "This report from UNU-EHS reveals that the Philippines is the third most vulnerable worldwide because of the frequency of [natural disasters] combined with the country’s ineffectual disaster preparedness programs," he added. Among other factors, the UN study likewise showed that the Philippines placed third worldwide in terms of exposure to disasters, and belonged to the list of top 15 countries with highest risks when it comes to natural calamities. The senator said that with the Philippines being no stranger to natural hazards, it should have effective disaster-preparedness programs in place, the DSMC included. "By now we should have put in place a comprehensive emergency response system and risk reduction program to minimize damage," he stressed. — JM Tuazon/RSJ, GMA News