Challenges for Building Resiliency in the Philippines- Amidst disaster ruins

Although being a part of Pacific Rim, the Philippines have not worked seriously about the building resiliency issues in the countermeasures against natural calamities, comparing to other Pacific Rim allies Indonesia, Taiwan and Japan. The recent mega earthquake experience in the Philippines is 1990 Central Luzon (Baguio) Earthquake, whilst other allies have made the building resiliency issues as one of the central agenda in the work of disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) based upon the lessons in Japan (1995, 2011), Taiwan (1999), and Indonesia (2004, 2006, 2009).

Meanwhile, the recent calamities- particularly water and wind related disasters alerts the formation of peoples settlement including building resiliency and site development of the residential area. Also, sudden earthquake happened in Visayas in 2012 and 2013 sometimes give wake-up calls for the building code and its implementation. The lecture shows the outcome of the recent calamities in the Philippines, and clarifies the challenges of building resiliency of the DRRM governance in the Philippines. The lecture will show examples of 2011 Tropical Storm Sendong (Cagayan de Oro and Iligan), 2012 Southwest Monsoon (Metro Manila), 2012 Typhoon Pablo (Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental), 2013 Southwest Monsoon (Cavite), 2013 Bohol Earthquake (Bohol and Cebu), then 2013 Typhoon Yolanda (Leyte and Samar).

Key words: Building Resiliency, Pro-Active/ Mitigation, Multi hazard, Land-use Plan, LGUs (Local Government Units)