Achieving 'zero-casualty' goal

With back-to-back typhoons like “Tino” and “Uwan” hitting our country, and with the reality of climate change becoming increasingly evident through stronger storms, it is prudent not only to hope for the best but also to be constantly prepared for the worst.

- FORMER SENATOR ATTY. JOEY D. LINA

The value of preparedness was demonstrated during one of the strongest typhoons to hit in recent years. No casualties were reported when Typhoon Ferdie (international name: Meranti) battered Batanes in 2016 and destroyed an estimated P445 million worth of houses, school buildings, infrastructure, and agricultural products.

People in Batanes, who seldom worry about typhoons because of their sturdy stone houses, viewed “Ferdie” as the strongest in modern times. This was corroborated in southeastern China, the next area hit by “Ferdie” after it left the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), as Xinhua News Agency described it as “the most powerful to hit Fujian province in at least 67 years,” or since 1949 when meteorological records began with the founding of modern China.

Attaining the goal of “zero casualty,” as exemplified in Batanes, ought to be the mindset of all local government units (LGUs). Disaster preparedness is among the criteria used to assess whether an LGU deserves to be awarded the Seal of Good Local Governance, an offshoot of the Local Government Performance Measurement System that I established to accurately rate LGU achievements when I was DILG Secretary.

With objective criteria for assessing excellent performance, local executives are given due recognition for their efforts not only in fulfilling their regular duties but also in pursuing creative and innovative ways to efficiently carry out their roles as local managers: to utilize funds prudently, improve the lives of their constituents especially the poor, and ensure public safety, among others.