Survival expert calls on Filipinos to strengthen disaster readiness at home

“Preparedness is love in action. Protect your family with a disaster kit.”

- By MARTIN SADONGDONG.

This was the core message of survival expert Jerry Vicente S. Catabijan, head of Nuvali Preppers, as he spoke about how every family can protect themselves by preparing a disaster kit especially amid recent powerful earthquakes that struck Davao Oriental, Cebu and other parts of the country.

Catabijan led the session “The Essentials of Survival: Building the Right Disaster Kits for Every Situation” during the “Shake, Grab, Go!,” a public event on disaster preparedness held on Saturday, Oct. 18, at the UP College of Architecture, University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City.

Organized in partnership with Pinoy Prepper Bazaar, PrepperED, Disaster Intelligence Inc., UP Resilience Institute, UP Vanguard—Makati Chapter, Nuvali Preppers, Sgt. Prepper, and Preppers of the Philippines, the event gathered survival enthusiasts for a full-day learning experience on disaster readiness and community resilience.

Catabijan, who holds an Executive Master’s in Disaster, Risk, and Crisis Management from the Asian Institute of Management and serves as an auxiliary volunteer with the Philippine Air Force’s 505th Search and Rescue Group, emphasized that preparedness begins with a mindset of anticipation.

“When you build a disaster kit, apply the anticipatory mindset. Always ask, ‘What if?’ By thinking ahead, you anticipate hazards before they strike,” he said.

He explained that hazards can be natural like earthquakes, floods, typhoons, or pandemics, or human-induced such as industrial accidents, war, or cyberattacks.

He said that what turns a hazard into a disaster is vulnerability, or one’s exposure and lack of capac-

ity to respond. “High vulnerability plus low capacity equals disaster,” he said.

Catabijan underscored a simple truth: “During and after a disaster, remember Y.O.Y.0. — You’re On Your Own.”

Four essential preparedness kits