Vice President Sara Duterte has urged families in Cavite to resort to building more resilient homes as risks of natural calamities remained inevitable.

In a speech on Sunday, Duterte said residents must take time to consider natural disasters that often hit the Philippines.

“Kapag tayo ay nag-design at nag-iisip kung saan natin ilalagay ang ating mga bahay ay iniisip din natin ang tubig baha, lindol, at hangin dala ng bagyo (When we design and think where to place our homes, we should also think of floodwaters, earthquake, and typhoon winds),” she said.

She noted that the house structure must withstand the brunt of calamities.

“Dapat ay maging resilient ang pag-iisip natin kung saan tayo maninirahan at saan tayo maglalagay ng ating mga bahay at kung anong klaseng disenyo ng bahay ang gagawin natin (We should think with resilience in setting our home, the location of our house, and even its design),” she added.

Duterte said having this consideration is a significant, especially since the country faces an unpredictable set of typhoons each year.

“‘Yun pong bagyo hindi na po mawawala sa ating bansa yan. Lagi po yan dadaan, A-Z ang pangalan. Taon-taon dadaan, mayroong malalakas na bagyo, mayroong mahina. Ang problema ay hindi natin nape-predict kung saan dadaan at minsan mahina siya (Storms will never be gone in the country. It’s always there, with its name from A-Z. It annually traverses, there are strong typhoons, and weak ones. The problem is we cannot predict its path, as well as its strength),” she said.

Duterte, meanwhile, led the distribution of family food packs to over 5,000 residents in Cavite who were affected by Severe Tropical Storm Paeng.

These included 3,000 residents in General Trias and 2,500 residents in Imus City, who suffered from the devastating winds and floods during the Paeng onslaught while it traversed Luzon.

The OVP partnered with the local government of Cavite to distribute the aid to affected residents. (PNA)