The Philippines is no stranger to extreme climate-related disasters—from volcanic eruptions, flooding, and to devastating typhoons every year. Amidst a time of multiple risks and uncertainties posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and other calamities, there still lies the big challenge for disaster preparedness, especially for harnessing disaster-resilient infrastructures.

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) underscores the criticality of national infrastructure in facilitating the smooth provision of humanitarian response, connectivity, transport, and utility services to affected communities. This includes access of displaced persons to safe and sturdy evacuation centres that can withstand strong winds and heavy rains, floods, and other hazards. We echo the call of the President urging the Congress to increase the budget allocation for the construction of temporary but durable shelters for people in need.

Similarly, as schools and other public buildings are being used as refuge in the immediate emergency period, the CHR also supports the move of a number of Senators to improve the quality of schools and classrooms by ensuring that funding and structural requirements are adjusted accordingly, guided as well by government procurement and audit rules.

The Commission emphasises too that once the situation stabilises and if and when evacuation zones become accessible and safe to return to, evacuees should be assisted to relocate and begin the process of recovery. Alternatively, where return is not a preferred or viable option, evacuees may require longer-term assistance from the government to enable their integration or relocation in the area of refuge.

As we observe the 13th Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week this 19-25 November, the onslaught of the recent typhoons affirms that climate change looms to be the biggest threat to the country and that it can exacerbate the risks associated with viruses and other disease. Our current experience shows that the Philippines has no other choice but to invest more in strategic resilient development rather than solely on reactive recovery efforts.

The present calamities also highlighted the relevance of a human rights-based approach throughout all stages of the disaster management cycle, and that solution lies in gaining a deeper understanding of multiple and intersectional risks associated with climate and other disasters. ###