KIKO: ON DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

"I am apprehensive that we will be caught unprepared for the onslaught of another typhoon that is already on its way to Manila. Typhoon Neneng, although of lesser intensity than typhoon Milenyo, will be able to cause worse damage to lives and livelihood if we are not prepared for it. Similar to hurricane Katrina's carnage and, previously in the Philippines, typhoon Rosing's destruction, Metro Manila, Albay, Sorsogon, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal suffered the most from typhoon Milenyo's wrath. We cannot discount the fact that the Office of Civil Defense and National Disaster Coordination Council has tried its best to offset the carnage. And there's really no point in pointing fingers and laying blame on what was not done and what is not being done to alleviate the situation.

However with typhoon season still here, it would serve the public's interest for Meralco and TransCo to hasten its efforts in restoring normalcy and fixing the remaining 570 of the 6000 broken electric poles. NDCC and DSWD should also be ready to provide relief efforts to the elderly, women and children especially. Meralco and TransCo will need to rehabilitate its power transmission systems to ensure that a repeat of last weekend's power failure will not happen. The lack of electricity hampered relief efforts and communication efforts to reach the greatest number of victims.

We also need to hold accountable companies that conduct irresponsible marketing. We in the Senate will assess the plan to regulate billboards that pose a hazard to motorists and pedestrians, infrastructure. It may not be necessary to pass new legislation however we can find legal means to hold companies accountable."