Republic of the Philippines: Incidents and Measures In the past 20 years, at least 31,835 Filipinos have reportedly been

killed and 94,369,462 have been affected by nat ral disasters and cala!ities, accordin" to a #eport by the $hilippine %ational #ed &ross' (hese nat ral disasters and cala!ities consist of typhoons, !onsoon rains, earth) akes, volcanic er ptions and landslides' In a report released by the &iti*ens+ ,isaster #esponse &enter -&,#&., a non/"overn!ent or"ani*ation that pioneered and contin es to pro!ote co!! nity/based disaster !ana"e!ent in the $hilippines, startin" in 2005, disaster fre) ency has sho0n a do0n0ard trend' 1 t in 2011, it shot p by !ore than 502 // fro! 202 to 431 -nat ral as 0ell as h !an/ind ced disasters.' &onte3t ali*in" the devastatin" effects of nat ral disasters that affected the $hilippines in the past decade, the %ational ,isaster #isk #ed ction and 4ana"e!ent &o ncil ca!e o t 0ith the follo0in" report sho0in" the n !ber of cas alties as they relate to the n !ber of nat ral disasters per year5 Number of Natural Incidents 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 200 200! 200" 200# 200$ 2010 2011 108 62 60 112 125 66 221 233 248 215 245 3"4 Casualty 641 511 233 331 1,289 98 1,418 219 815 1,262 195 1%"#!

7"ain it sho0ed a spike in the n !ber of those affected as 0ell as the n !ber of nat ral disasters that str ck the $hilippines in 2011' 7ltho "h there are a n !ber of la0s relatin" to liability 0hen it co!es to ) asi/delicts, the one 0hich e!phasis on nat ral disaster is #ep blic 7ct -#7. 10121' It 0as enacted on 4ay 21' 2010, and is kno0n as the $hilippine ,isaster #isk #ed ction and 4ana"e!ent 7ct of 2010, a ne0 la0 0hich transfor!s the $hilippines+ ,isaster 4ana"e!ent 8yste! from &isaster Relief and Response to'ards &isaster Ris( Reduction) P& 1 !! &entered aro nd the ha*ard and the i!pacts of a disaster ,isasters &7%%9( be avoided R* 10121 $roactive approach in !ana"in" disaster riks I!pacts of disatsers can be red ced by addressin" the root ca se of disaster risks

4ost of the plans 0ere on the provision of relief "oods and :!phasis on stren"thenin" people+s capacity to absorb stress, infrastr ct res !aintain basic f nctions d rin" a disaster and bo nce back better fro! disasters ;overn!ents priority5 ,isaster #esponse %ational and local "overn!ents 0here reactive to disasters ;overn!ent+s priority5 ,isaster #isk #ed ction

< st over a !onth after the enact!ent of #7 10121 on 4ay 26 2010, (yphoon =1asyan"> devastated #e"ions III, I?/7, ? @ %&# fro! 12/15 < ly 2010 leavin" 102 persons dead, 114,905 fa!ilies affected and al!ost 368 !illions of pesos of da!a"e to properties '

7nd less than a !onth after ,##4 7ct 0as operationali*ed by the approval of its i!ple!entin" r les and re" lations on 8ept' 26, 2010, 8 per (yphoon =< an> 0reaked havoc in #e"ions I, II, III, &7#, I?/7 @ %&# fro! 16/21 9ctober' 7s a res lt, 46 persons 0ere killed, 426,962 fa!ilies affected, and esti!ated 12 billion pesos 0orth of da!a"e to properties 0ere recorded' 7t the start of 2011, contin o s torrential rains bro "ht abo t by the (ail/end of the cold front 0hich lasted fro! ,ec 29, 2010 to <an ary 30, 2011 ca sed severe floodin" affectin" a total of 411,126 fa!ilies in #e"ions I? and 7#44A killin" 65 people and da!a"in" properties at an esti!ated 0orth of 686 !illion pesos' 7 series of stor!s also affected the co ntry in the !iddle of year 2011' 9n 4ay 8 to 11, (ropical 8tor! =1eben"> hit %&# and #e"ions III ,I?/1, ?,?II, ?III leavin" 35 persons dead, 83,632 fa!ilies affected, and da!a"es 0orth !ore than 2'2 billion pesos' 9n 4ay 20/28, (yphoon &heden" affected several re"ions of the co ntry' 4 lives 0ere spent, 91,666 fa!ilies affected and an esti!ated 14 !illion pesos 0orth of da!a"e to properties recorded' (he lin"erin" effects of the Bo0 $ress re 7rea felt in #e"ions C, CI, CII and 7#44 fro! 4ay 31 to < ne 19, 2011 has res lted to incessant rains 0hich ca sed several notable disaster incidents s ch as the floodin" in &otabato also d e to the 0ater hyacinths that clo""ed the river' (he heavy rains bro "ht abo t by the B$7 also ca sed the flash flood in ,avao &ity' For these related incidents ca sed by the B$7, 25 lives 0ere lost 0hile a total of 95,965 fa!ilies 0ere affected and an esti!ated 0orth of !ore than 540 !illion pesos 0orth of properties 0ere da!a"ed' (8 Juaning visited the co ntry fro! < ly 25 D 28 affectin" #e"ions I, II, III, I?/7, ?, C, the %&# and &7#' 7s a res lt, 66 people died' 255,129 fa!ilies 0ere affected and an esti!ated 4'4 billion pesos 0orth of da!a"e to property 0as recorded' 9n 7 " st 21 to 29, (yphoon 4ina affected #e"ions I, II, III, ?, ?I, the %&# and &7# leavin" 36 individ als dead, 95,540 fa!ilies affected, and al!ost 2'09 billion 0orth of property da!a"e' +o' the ,o-ernment handles suc( disasters .i)e) pre-enti-e measures% catastrophe mana,ement and restoration policies/ 1' 9n ter!inolo"ies5 (he $hilippines follo0s the inter!ational set of definitions on disasters' %o0, 0e %9 lon"er se disaster management per se b t se it 0ithin the conte3t of risk reduction' ,## // disaster risk red ction ,#4 // disaster risk !ana"e!ent, 0hich incl des the ele!ents of act al disaster response 2' Instit tionally, the %ational ,isaster #isk #ed ction and 4ana"e!ent &o ncil -%,##4&., for!erly the %ational ,isaster &oordinatin" &o ncil -%,&&. is the !ain a"ency responsible for this, thro "h the 9ffice of &ivil ,efense actin" as its secretariat or e3ec tive ar!' Eo0ever, the !ain players in ,## and ,#4 are the Bocal ;overn!ent Fnits -B;Fs.

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0hat or,ani1ation is responsible for the mana,ement of each natural disaster e),) tsunamis% floods% earth2ua(es% -olcanic eruptions% a-alanches% cyclonic storms in your country3 1y la0, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is in char"e of disaster prevention and disaster !iti"ationA the Department of Interior and Local Go ernment (DILG) for disaster preparednessA the Department of Social !or" and De elopment (DS!D) for responseA and the #ational $conomic and De elopment %uthority (#$D%) for recovery and rehab' 1 t all of the! conver"e in the %,##4& str ct re 0hich is replicated do0n to the ! nicipalities and co!!ittees in the baran"ays -B;Fs.' 0ho 'ould be held liable if people4s li-es and properties are dama,ed due to ne,li,ence or 'ron,fulness in natural disaster mana,ement3 :ssentially, everyone'