Philippines: All provinces directed to mainstream DRR in planning activities

Tacloban City - President Benigno Aquino III has issued Administrative Order No. 1 directing all provincial government units to adopt and use in their planning activities the guidelines on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction in sub-national development and land use/physical planning.

Administrative Order No. 1 directs the local government units particularly provinces, to adopt and use the DRR guidelines to enhance natural disaster risk reduction efforts in the local development planning process.

The LGUs are also directed to follow the disaster risk assessment methodology introduced in the DRR to ensure proper siting of development undertakings and to enable the identification of areas at risk to natural disaster and appropriate mitigation measures.

Through AO No. 1, President Aquino directed the NEDA to conduct capability-building activities at the local, regional and national levels towards the DRR Guidelines in the development usage of the process and to provide copies of the same to the LGUs.

Further, President Aquino also directed all departments, agencies, bureaus and instrumentalities of the government to provide technical assistance as maybe necessary to support DRR-enhanced local planning.

The President noted that the Philippines, due to its location and geographic landscape, is considered as one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, experiencing an average of four disasters per year or a total of 373 disaster events triggered by natural hazards from 1905 to 2006.

The integration of a disaster management strategy in the development planning process at all levels of governance is seen as an effective tool to reduce the country's vulnerability to natural hazards. (PIA 8)