Sen. Marcos: Now more than ever, we're on our own

Senator Imee R. Marcos has called for urgent action to improve disaster preparedness in the Philippines. The country faces a challenging week, with four typhoons – Marce, Nika, Ofel, and Pepito. This string of storms highlights the nation's ongoing struggle with severe weather and flooding, an issue that Marcos says demands immediate attention.

She also highlighted a recent Harvard Humanitarian Initiative survey, which revealed the country's preparedness score of just 19.2 out of 50, far from sufficient given the frequent natural disasters.

Marking the 11th anniversary of Super Typhoon Yolanda, which claimed over 6,000 lives, the senator stressed the need for an immediate national climate strategy and stronger disaster preparedness." Every year, we're battered by storms and floods. If we don't take action now, we will all remain at risk. Three to five typhoons are still to come. There's still time to climate-adapt our homes, at least to some extent."

She emphasized the importance of improving infrastructure, particularly in high-risk areas, and called for developing green infrastructure solutions, such as reducing non-permeable surfaces, protecting wetlands, and improving mangrove forests.

Meanwhile, during the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell pulled no punches, saying that the climate crisis is fast becoming an economy-killer.

At the event, the international community discussed climate resilience and financing, yet the election of U.S. President Donald Trump may jeopardize these efforts. Trump has indicated intentions to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, and his administration is expected to reduce support for UN climate initiatives. Some U.S. states and private sectors may continue efforts, but experts warn that these steps might be insufficient without federal backing.

"While the rest of the world also struggles with climate change, and experts are willing to help us, we can only count on our own volition and action to adapt to this new normal. The new Trump administration will be far less generous to the UN and other world organizations. Even new loss and damage programs are now at risk of defunding," she stated. (PR)