Supermoon high tide just a preview

The flooding of low-lying communities last Monday and Tuesday was a portent of things to come.
The above-average high tide brought by the supermoon happens every year, usually around the fourth week of June. Tides a meter or higher than average high tide disturbed classes in sitio Paradise, barangay Looc in Mandaue City.
Pupils in the Cesar Cabahug Elementary School in barangay Looc, Mandaue City waded knee-deep in a mixture of sea water and rainwater.
Several other coastal and low-lying communities around Cebu and the country experience this annual inundation as part of the rainy season. With climate change expected to cause sea level rise of one-half meter to one meter, the inundation may be permanent.
Events like this gives us a sneak peek at the impat of climate change, especially for the island-province of Cebu and archipelagic Philippines.
Last Wednesday in Manila the report, “Getting a Grip on Climate Change in the Philippines” was presented to the public. It contained results of the Climate Public Expenditure and Institutional Review conducted by the World Bank, the Department of Budget and Management and the Climate Change Commission.
The results may not be surprising but they are startling, just the same.
According to the report, the Philippines as the world’s third most vulnerable country to extreme weather events and sea level rise, is already feeling the impact of climate change.
Cebuanos should take note of the report’s findings that the most serious consequences will be felt in coastal and urban areas through more intense typhoons, and storm surges on top of higher sea levels.
Climate change impacts are two-fold: calamities and slow-onset impacts.
Many government leaders still follow the old paradigm of disaster or calamity response rather than risk reduction and adaptation.
The new approach to disaster management is spelled out in Republic Act 10121 or the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Act of 2010.
At the heart of this policy shift is the allocation of 70 percent of the DRRM fund, previously known as calamity fund, for disaster preparedness and impact mitigation. The other 30 percent is set aside for disaster quick response.
Under the policy, five percent of a local government unit’s income should be allocated for DRRM.
The budget outlay may actually require even more than five percent to protect the people adequately from severe and more intense storms. If you consider the need for climate change-proofing of agriculture, fisheries and public works, the actual funding requirement may be higher.
The People’s Survival Fund Law (RA 10174) passed by Congress in August last year, which would support adaptation projects, should be immediately be funded.
It’s more dramatic to finance aid when a calamity strikes. But a more advanced response is needed by investing in climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.