Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.
THE Philippines is geographically situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire and the typhoon belt, making it no stranger to natural phenomena such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and tropical cyclones. Using the Philippine catastrophe risk model, direct losses from typhoons and earthquakes are estimated at P177 billion every year, based on a 2020 World Bank report. Between 2015 and 2018, the average yearly spending on disaster-related response, recovery and reconstruction activities amounted to approximately P92 billion, based on WB's public expenditure review on disaster response and rehabilitation in 2020. Now, imagine investing that sum for disaster preparedness, prevention and mitigation measures instead. Much scientific research can be conducted, and technology-based applications can be developed to save lives and protect properties.
"Earthquakes do not kill people, but the collapse of buildings and other structural damage do." This is what the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DoST-Phivolcs) constantly underscores in talks on disaster risk reduction. Phivolcs is a service institute of the DoST that is principally mandated to mitigate disasters that may arise from volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other related geotectonic phenomena. With their 24/7 operations, an average of 20 earthquakes are recorded per day. In the past 400 years, there have been around 100 destructive earthquakes that have killed and injured people, mostly through structural damage. Remember the Hyatt Terraces Hotel in Baguio City?
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