PH loses P5B annually due to natural disasters — OCD
Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Assistant Secretary Rafaelito Alejandro IV says that the Philippines is losing P5 billion annually due to natural disasters and is set back economically by 10 years. In an interview with The Manila Times during the visit of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., at the Cararayan Naga Elementary School in Tiwi, Albay on Nov. 18, 2025, Alejandro underscored the importance of immediate rehabilitation to recover from the impact of natural calamities. Alejandro said that disaster preparedness should be taken seriously by the people to prevent if not to lessen the number of casualties. Alejandro also lauded the local government units in Bicol for implementing pre-emptive evacuation resulting in few fatalities despite the onslaught of Super Typhoon 'Uwan' (international name Fung-wong).
VIDEO BY RHAYDZ BARCIA
Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe Visit our website at [https://www.manilatimes.net](https://www.manilatimes.net/)
00:00We experienced two major typhoons in succession, yung Tino and then Uwan.
00:08But they have two different stories.
00:12One is that it hit Central Visayas, yung Tino, and the center of gravity for that typhoon was Cebu in Negros Island.
00:24Specifically, the urban centers of this region.
00:30So there was massive floodings, urban floodings, and although warnings were issued, it resulted to hundreds of casualties.
00:43That's why we're still finding out how we can further improve our early warning in urban areas.
00:54Because highly urbanized cities is treated differently because more or less we have subdivisions there, big housing areas, concrete houses.
01:12And the other typhoon, the Uwan, which hit Region 8 and Bicol, specifically Catanduanes, Camsur, and Cam Norte.
01:26These are basically rural areas, wherein the population is different.
01:37And houses are very vulnerable to wind and rain damage.
01:46But despite the strength of Uwan, we had close to zero casualties in the Bicol region.
01:56We only have one in Catanduanes, and I think one in Albay, but it's still for validation if it's related.
02:07And then I think one or two in Camsur.
02:10So those are the two different things that happened because two major typhoons.
02:17There was pre-emptive evacuation in both, but the response for the Bicol region was very exceptional.
02:26Why is it exceptional?
02:28Yeah, people cooperated.
02:31The LGUs knew how to implement pre-emptive evacuations.
02:37Then the big city?
02:38No, they executed pre-emptive activities, or pre-anticipatory actions.
02:47So they were more prepared, I would say, compared to the Central Visayas, which we think was prepared, but they did not expect.
02:58The only difference, I can say, is that the Bicol region is really, because of experience, they are really preparing for the worst.
03:09Kaya, when the storm hit us, they were prepared.
03:18How much money we are losing for the impact of disaster, Anwadi?
03:24I cannot give the exact figure, but this is what I can say.
03:31Every time a typhoon hits an area, you go back 10 years, you lose 10 years of your gain.
03:45That's why immediate rehabilitation is very critical.
03:51Immediate recovery is mandatory, so that you can recover immediately, and you don't lose the number of years that you have worked on.
04:03So, on the average, we lose, I think, minimum of 5 billion annually.
04:11So, annually, that's the very main, but it's, we have numbers, but I don't just have it now, but it runs to billion.
04:24Sir, do you think that the disaster preparedness of Bicol region should be replicated throughout the country to lessen the impact of disaster and the casualty?
04:36Yes, definitely, because Bicol is the pioneer for preemptive activities, specifically preemptive evacuation, and other regions should replicate, and almost all are actually would like or are actually doing it, but it takes time to be, to be, to make it as part of the system.
05:05So, we hope that this best practice will be replicated and applied in regions or provinces that will be hit by future typhoon.
Be the first to comment