Press Release
October 19, 2009

ANGARA EYES CREATION OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT TRAINING CENTER

Senator Edgardo J. Angara is pushing for the creation of a Disaster Management Training Center (DMTC) to improve the country's disaster prevention capability and put in place a swift and appropriate disaster response mechanism to lead recovery and rehabilitation in the wake of calamities.

"What we ought to learn from this experience is that we need to put in place a more efficient disaster prediction and response system. This could spell the difference between a simple weather disturbance and a catastrophic environmental and human disaster," said Angara who concurrently chairs COMSTE and the Senate Committee on Science and Technology.

During the recent monster storms that hit the country, the Philippines had little ability to forecast the strength of winds and rains which caused the late mobilization of evacuation efforts and early warning systems.

"Little life-saving preparatory work was done. Our inability to fully understand the complexity of weather events is as a blind spot for us. We could have prevented severe loss of life and property had we been more prepared," he said.

Angara, together with PAG-ASA, has sought the assistance of Hyogo Prefecture in Japan to create the Disaster Management Training Center which will be established in Baler, Aurora. The center will develop plans and programs aimed at reducing social, environmental and institutional vulnerability and promoting sustainable human development.

"Because of its experience in dealing with the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake, Hyogo Prefecture is in the best position to offer assistance to this training center in the form of professional expertise, technology and equipment," said Angara.

The Aurora DMTC will operate as a model in capacity building and institutional development of local officials, policy makers, professionals and academic organizations and individuals in a multidisciplinary approach to Disaster Risk Management (DRM).

He added, "Through ADMTC we can better protect lives and properties from future disasters by enhancing and developing human, technical, and institutional capacity through training and staff development of the wide range of stakeholders and actors working on disaster risk reduction."

"The recent tragedy is just a sample of things to come. The prevention of any threat to the well-being of the public is a continuing challenge. As a nation, we need to be ready to respond immediately and swiftly if and when any individual's life is in danger," said Angara.

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