At the start of the country’s first hosting of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) on Monday, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) appealed to members of the media to help advance a culture of risk reduction and resilience to the community.

In his message at the APMCDRR Media Reception on Monday, PCO Secretary Cesar Chavez noted that the media has the “power to influence the world in unimaginable ways,” including informing the about public life-saving information, as well as the dangers of disasters and calamities.

He echoed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s pronouncement in the recent ASEAN Summit that climate change is the biggest threat to the collective future of the region and the world.

“We must amplify this message, as it represents real risks and dangers to lives and realities on the ground. This existential threat deserves the best press coverage– that is, fair, but without fanfare,” Chavez said in his message, read by PCO Senior Undersecretary Emerald Ridao.

The Philippines is hosting the APMCDRR on Oct. 14 to 18 at Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

The gathering, convened by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, aims to facilitate the exchange of practical solutions, promote inclusive disaster risk governance, and enhance resilience in Asia and the Pacific.

In covering the landmark event, the PCO chief urged media practitioners to “communicate to influence comprehension, for communication alone is of no use if the public does not understand and if it does not lead to actions which serve the people.”

“I will end this with a simple appeal. In the coming days, let it be our shared goal as media practitioners to advance a culture of risk reduction and resilience in service of the community of nations,” he said.

Concept of community vital in enhancement of risk reduction

Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the concept of community plays a vital role in the development of disaster risk reduction strategies.

“Let’s not think of it as solely a political unit but a community unit. The feeling of our community, that’s where we live in the barangay,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the APMCDRR.

“That’s the only way that probably the community can get together to decide issues, to be more resilient, and to help each other in case of a calamity.”

Teodoro said the local government units have their own democracies and efforts in dealing with disaster risk reduction.

“It’s a matter of converging this, and vertical and horizontal connectivity between the agencies and us,” he added.

When asked about the early warning system in the country, Teodoro said, it is being improved constantly in terms of detection and information flow.

Adequate information gathered must be translated into actionable deeds for preparation to be cascaded down to the communities, he added.

Citing fake news and disinformation as the biggest challenges in disaster risk reduction and management, Teodoro urged media practitioners to give suggestions on how to prevent panics in times of disaster.

“Because can you imagine the amount of chaos a misinformation can produce in the face of a false or a misinterpreted warning by PAGASA,” he said.

As for livelihood programs in areas affected by natural disasters, Teodoro said, the government can afford temporary livelihood.

“We can afford it. But rebuilding capital goods for continuation of jobs, that’s a problem,” he said.

“And a lot of the jobs are due to private sector investments. So, it’s also private sector resilience that we need to take into account.”

APMCDRR security

Meanwhile, Southern Police District (SPD) Director Brig. Gen. Bernard Yang said they are fully prepared to ensure the safety and security of attendees of the APMCDRR.

Yang said he deployed a dedicated team of 269 officers with specialized units, including medical teams and Explosive Ordnance Disposal K9 units.

Before the conference began, the SPD attended series of critique sessions of Special Task Group (STG) Metro Manila Coordinating Conference for APMCDRR, where security plans were presented.

Yang and Assistant STG commander and Task Unit Security commander Col. Andres Simbajon Jr. also conducted a series of inspections. (PNA)