Lacson: We should be ready

WHETHER or not the infamous pastor indeed was able to stop the quakes as they occurred in various parts of the Mindanao island, one thing's we have to know for sure -- we must brace ourselves for anything that can happen.

I don't want to sound eerie in anticipating the worst scenarios possible, but in disaster mitigation, preparedness is an aspect that can spare thousands of lives.

As of Monday, November 4, there are already 22 reported deaths caused by the series of earthquakes in Mindanao Since October 16.

Also with some towns placed under state of calamity and with an estimated 1 billion pesos worth of damage in the province of Davao del Sur alone, residents are said to be in dire need of first aid and medical attention, basic needs like food and water.

And worst, they need relocation away from their homes which have been destroyed by the earthquakes.

The latest report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council also details that a total of 331 persons are injured, two persons reported missing, 29,479 families, or 147,395 people are affected, and a total of 28,224 infrastructures in Regions IX, X, XI, XII, and BARMM were damaged from the earthquake.

While the occurrence of an earthquake remains to be one of the disasters that can be predicted easily, the knowledge that it can happen in these areas must serve as a tool in making local residents aware of the hazards and disasters that may strike anytime in their community.

It's hard to say that experience is the best teacher, for if and only when someone gets to feel and undergo something to be real can also become the best source of knowledge and motivation to know what needs to be done in cases such as this natural disasters.

Maybe, this is the mentality that most of us Filipinos have.

It is only when we get to see and feel that something is really happening is the time that we believe and start thinking of the counter measures that need to be planned ahead of time.

It is only we see buildings and infrastructures destroyed do we get to realize the importance of proper structural integrity and architectural design.

It is only when we see a number of lives taken do we get to realize that information and capacity building in times of disaster is as important as learning to read, write, and count.

It is only when we see our community wiped out do we get to feel the need to protect, rehabilitate, and conserve it.

It is always too late for the Filipinos to start knowing and acting.

Can we do better? Can we try planning ahead and anticipate all the risks that we must face? Can we do it as a community? As a nation?

I think we can. We should subject all our weaknesses and shortcomings to the aid of international organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme or UNDP.

The UNDP implements a project called "Strengthening the Resilience of Communities through Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM)", wherein the UNDP helps local communities advance human development by providing assistance on how these districts and villages are able to minimize the vulnerabilities from disaster and promote social resiliency.

Through CBDRM, the UNDP "helps the people identify and anticipate risks, plan and act collectively, and marshal their individual capabilities to overcome threats and shocks.

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