00:00In the face of the constant storming of the country,
00:04the Department of Budget and Management decided that the government has sufficient resources
00:09to help our fellow countrymen.
00:13And aside from talking about the funds, one of the questions now is
00:16how prepared are the Filipinos for calamity?
00:20The answer is found in the news center of Kenneth Paciente.
00:25The preparation of the Filipinos for calamity has increased
00:30under the leadership of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.
00:33This is based on the results of the survey of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative or HHI.
00:38According to the Presidential Communications Office,
00:41the survey showed that the self-reported disaster preparedness of the Filipinos
00:46has increased by 42% compared to the previous years.
00:49The HHI collected data from 4,608 Filipinos from all regions
00:55from February to March of 2024.
00:58It showed an average score of 19.2 out of 5 measures of preparedness for calamity,
01:03planning, training, preparation for equipment, information, and community support.
01:09This is higher than the 13.5% result in the first study of the HHI in 2017
01:15that used the same methodology and instrument.
01:18Even so, because the Philippines remains one of the most vulnerable countries
01:22in natural disasters, the HHI still gave the need to strengthen
01:27the efforts of the country in preparing for the disaster.
01:30Support and leadership are still important, especially in areas like local leadership.
01:35Using technology to develop early warning systems,
01:39community coordination, building strong infrastructure,
01:43and strengthening anticipatory actions.
01:46President Marcos Jr. first gave the effort of the government
01:50to address the effects of the calamity caused by the climate change.
01:55In the face of the next typhoons in the country,
01:58the DBM assured that the government is ready to help the affected areas.
02:02This is also due to the President's directive that the back-up fund is always ready
02:07for the needs of the affected areas.
02:09Through the DBM, the QRF was able to lower the amount of P30 billion
02:13to the government agencies until October 24.
02:16Half of it was already used, but other agencies like the DSWD
02:20were exhausted due to the calamity.
02:23Despite this, the contingent fund of P7 billion can still be used.
02:28Government agencies can also use their unprogrammed appropriations
02:32and local government support fund to augment their QRF.
02:36Kenneth Paciente, for Pambansang TV, in Bagong, Philippines.
Comments