Adaptation measures in the Philippines

Michael Lim Ubac in the Philippine Daily Inquirer: In the wake of floods and landslides in various parts of Mindanao, Visayas and the Bicol region, Deputy Speaker Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada III sought the early passage of House Bill No. 3528, otherwise known as the “People’s Survival Fund (PSF),” on Friday. The proposed measure will help local government units (LGUs) adapt to climate change.

The bill seeks to establish a long-term, predictable fund dedicated to adaptation programs of local governments and communities. It aims to put up a "rewards" fund, which gives incentives to LGUs actively instituting local adaptation programs. Tañada said he preferred to call HB 3528 as the “Depensa (defense) Bill.”

In a statement, he pointed out that Nathaniel Servando, deputy administrator of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, had attributed the abnormal weather pattern—which has caused flash floods in a large swath of Mindanao and Bicol, and caused landslides in Leyte—to climate change.

“Communities must be properly equipped and prepared to help themselves in order to respond to the disasters brought about by this phenomenon. It must also put forward a climate change adaptation strategy, which must be properly funded,” he said.

Heavy rains experienced in the Bicol region and the Samar-Leyte area have forced thousands of people to leave their houses in mountainous and low-lying areas for fear of flash floods and landslides. In the provinces of Southern Leyte and Eastern Samar, flooding spawned by non-stop rains displaced at least 4,253 families or 20,706 people from eight towns….

Mayon volcano in Bicol, shot by Barrera marquez, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license