I’VE just finished hosting and designing the strategic communications plan for the Asean Ministerial Conference on Disaster Resilience. As Asean chairman this year, the Philippines hosted the two-day conference in Pasay City. The Philippines’ role as leader isn’t just because of its cyclical chairmanship. The Philippines brings a particular perspective to disaster risk management, one that is seen as transformative by both the United Nations and our neighboring countries.
As one of the world's most disaster-exposed countries, we have experienced the devastating consequences of typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and droughts, and we have learned from them. The experience of Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in 2013 remains a powerful reminder of how quickly a disaster can overwhelm communities, disrupt essential services and demand an extraordinary mobilization of national and international support.
Our repeated exposure to natural disasters has also taught us something fundamental — preparedness and prevention are investments in stability, not simply expenses incurred before a disaster. On paper, the Philippines gets high marks. We’ve institutionalized some reforms and strengthened our approach through anticipatory action, risk-informed planning, early warning, localized preparedness and resilient recovery.
The Philippines even has a landmark law, Republic Act 12287, or the Declaration of State of Imminent Disaster Act, that gives a legal framework for anticipatory measures based on forecasts and pre-disaster risk assessments, the law strengthens the government's ability to mobilize resources and undertake proactive interventions before an imminent disaster. Instead of waiting for impacts to happen before acting, institutions can use scientific information and risk assessments to make earlier decisions. Resources can be mobilized sooner. Communities can be better prepared. Potential losses can be reduced.
But legislation alone does not create resilience. Its effectiveness will depend on local implementation, institutional coordination, financing, local capacity, and the ability to translate policy into action on the ground. So from an “urbanista” point of view, the mayors we elect matter a lot. While national and regional directions align, with a clear understanding of the need for stronger early warning systems, empowered local governments, risk-informed investments, nature-based and engineered solutions, and meaningful public-private partnerships, much of the implementation is acted on by local actors.
The outcomes of the Asean Ministerial Conference is centered on a commitment to move the Asean from primarily responding to disasters toward anticipating risk, strengthening resilience, and translating commitments into measurable action. The Manila Declaration that was adopted by the ministers focused on accelerating the Asean Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response Work Program, shaping the post-2030 agenda, and improving monitoring, evaluation and accountability for disaster resilience.
How do we turn these plans and commitments into solid action? From an urbanite’s point of view, early warning needs to connect with evacuation routes, safe buildings, accessible public services and local government capacity. We can do a lot as individuals. In our own households and work places, we all must devise and practice our evacuation plans. There must be a good level of awareness and risk knowledge in every person. This could be repeatedly drilled in school. Or it could simply be part of parenting. My dad taught us to always look for and be near the exit in an enclosed space. He also taught me how to minimize risk during a stampede. Skills which I, fortunately and unfortunately, used during the Itaewon tragedy a few years ago.
While we need localization of disaster resilience, such as giving local governments authority and funding, integrating communities, civil society, businesses, and academia, and modernizing public protection systems, our cities need investments in science-based, engineering solutions to mitigate disaster risks. I’ll skip the obvious rant on public infrastructure to prevent floods. A lot has to be said about building more resilient architecture and structures. The principle of Build Back Better must be practiced. For Philippine cities, this connects recovery with safer housing, resilient infrastructure, livelihood protection and long-term urban development. Building codes and zoning bylaws exist, but we must make sure that people do not live in no-build zones such as river banks. The true measure of recovery is not how quickly we replace what was lost, but whether we have changed the conditions that made the loss possible.
There is no doubt that the Philippines, at least in Metro Manila, is rolling with anticipatory action. We saw majority of school days canceled in all of August and early September, not because of strong storm signals, but because of flood and landslide risks brought about by the habagat, or southwest monsoon. Here’s hoping next season, our public infrastructure becomes effective so we don’t have to cancel school and work, as these come with economic impacts too.
For Metro Manila, resilience is also an Asean concern. It is our country’s political and economic center, a major gateway for trade, finance, transport, telecommunications and people. When its roads, ports, airports, power systems, water networks, or digital infrastructure are disrupted, the effects do not stop at city or national borders — they can ripple through regional supply chains and economies. Building a resilient Metro Manila, therefore, is not simply about protecting one megacity from the next earthquake, flood, typhoon or heat wave. It is about strengthening one of the Asean’s critical urban and economic nodes.
If the Asean is to navigate our future together, we must build cities that can withstand shocks, protect their people, keep their lifelines running, and recover better. Regional resilience begins where people live. For the Philippines, that means making Metro Manila resilient not only for its millions of residents, but for the wider Asean community whose prosperity is increasingly connected to it.
