MANILA, Philippines -- Even as the country reels from the devastation caused by cyclones, President Macapagal-Arroyo will push for a $5-billion fund to help developing countries recover from disasters spawned by climate change at this week's summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Thailand.

Leaders of the 10-member Asean, including Ms Arroyo, will gather at the Thai resort of Hua Hin later this week for a summit.

Ms Arroyo's economic adviser, Albay Gov Joey Salceda, said the President would put forward the creation of an Asean adaptation fund to give cash-strapped developing countries' easy access to a pool of funds in times of disasters.

"The President will issue a strong message on this. There should be a parallel structure for an Asean adaptation fund,'' he said at a Malacañang briefing. "How can we have strong voice in Copenhagen if we're not united in our own neighborhood? We should start in our own backyard."

Salceda said this would be similar to the Chiang Mai fund, set up by the 10 Asean countries plus China, Japan and South Korea, to provide emergency liquidity during a financial crisis through bilateral-currency swap arrangements.

"At a certain point, we need to have a similar arrangement for disaster and the effects of climate change, so we won't be scrambling for funds when the need arises,'' he said.

Ms Arroyo is scheduled to fly to Thailand on Friday for the two-day summit that kicks off Saturday.

Weather officials had blamed climate change for the unusually heavy rain dumped by tropical storms "Ondoy'' and typhoon "Pepeng'' that inundated Metro Manila, and triggered heavy flooding and landslides in the rest of Luzon, killing hundreds of people and damaging billions of pesos worth of crops and infrastructure.

Ms Arroyo has ordered the creation of a reconstruction commission to assess the impact of the powerful storms and seek fresh aid, specifically grants, to rehabilitate the country.

Salceda said the toll of climate change on the economy this year could break the average impact it had per year from 2001 to 2008.

"From 2001 to 2008, the average impact of climate change reached 0.15 percent of GDP (gross domestic product). If we add up all estimates of damage by the typhoons, it may reach 0.61 percent of GDP this year. This is four times the average from 2001 to 2008,'' he said.

As this developed, Sen. Richard Gordon has called for sustained relief and rehabilitation efforts to ease the plight of those dislocated by typhoons and help put the country?s economy back on track.

Noting that traders were among those severely displaced, Gordon has proposed the use of government-owned vacant lots and buildings as relocation sites for manufacturers and entrepreneurs.

"Shoe manufacturers and other businessmen, particularly in Marikina and Laguna, have already lost income and possible profits because they are unable to continue manufacturing their products as floods remain in several areas," he said.

The lawmaker, a strong advocate of volunteerism in disaster mitigation programs, lamented that the spate of typhoons disrupted the flow of trade and commerce, requiring immediate and sustained government intervention.

Gordon, also Philippine National Red Cross chair, said unutilized lots and empty buildings of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and other government agencies can be used by entrepreneurs ?so they can get back to business in time for the Christmas season."

He described as ?good spots? PEZA?s buildings in Laguna, especially those along the South Luzon Expressway, all accessible to traders. One of them is a building in Biñan, Laguna, previously occupied by Japanese car maker Nissan which has been vacant for more than 10 years now.

"Now we see opportunity for the traders to continue with their businesses,? Gordon said and urged local executives of Marikina and Laguna to immediately coordinate with PEZA.

"I urge the PEZA to consider this proposal right away so that we could help traders get back to business immediately. With this, more workers could get back to work and earn the income they need to start with the rehabilitation process," he added.