Salceda: PH just jumping from disaster to disaster

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—The governor of a province that has gone through some of the country’s worst storms appealed for continuing help for areas that had been ravaged by past disasters and now facing the wrath of Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” saying disasters are directly linked with increasing poverty.

Joey Salceda, a known economist and governor of Albay province, said the national government should focus on helping build resilient communities that would not only survive disasters, but also continue to be productive.

“We are just jumping from one disaster to another,” said Salceda at the launching here of a learning exchange between Albay and Compostela Valley on disaster preparedness, a project funded by the Asian Development Bank.

“We haven’t fixed yet what has already been destroyed and now, are we just waiting for it to be destroyed again?” Salceda said.

He cited the case of Albay which he said has not been getting enough support after being hit by Tropical Storm “Juaning” in July 2011 because the national government is dealing with one disaster after another.

Juaning wrought some P3.7 billion in damage on Albay.

Salceda enumerated some of the disasters that has kept the national government preoccupied—Tropical Storm “Sendong” in 2011, the 2012 earthquake in Negros Oriental and Typhoon “Pablo.”

He said disasters have a way of increasing poverty.

In Bicol, he said, poverty incidence went up by 4.2 percent after Juaning and monsoon rains struck.

“We need something that creates jobs,” said Salceda. “Disasters create poverty,” he said. Germelina Lacorte, Inquirer Mindanao