Filipinos are better prepared for natural disasters than seven years ago, but material investments and social support still need to be improved, according to a study. national survey conducted between February and March 2024 by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI).
On average, Filipinos’ self-reported disaster preparedness level increased by 42%, as shown in the HHI Survey on Disaster Preparedness and Perceptions of Climate Change in the Philippines.
The average score – 19.2 out of 50 points – was an improvement over the 13.5 out of 50 achieved in a 2017 study conducted by HHI using the same methodology and instrument.
“For a country as vulnerable to disasters as the Philippines, [however,] this is not enough,” said Vincenzo Bollettino, director of the HHI Resilient Communities program and co-lead of this study.
“A score of 19.2 highlights both progress and areas that need urgent attention,” he said in a Nov. 7 press statement.
“The score suggests that Filipinos are only conducting 38.4% of the types of disaster preparedness activities needed to be prepared,” he added.
Of the five objective measures of disaster preparedness, Filipinos scored highest in information (4.9 out of 10) and lowest in social support (2.3 out of 10).
In terms of specific social support activities, less than a quarter of Filipinos are members of a group or association (23%) and are aware of their local disaster risk reduction and management officers (16%).
Social support too rejected to 2.3 in 2024 by 2.7 out of 10 in 2017.
While many Filipinos discuss emergency plans as a family (58%), less than a third prepare their respective disaster management plan (20%), Go Bag (27%), adequate supplies of regularly taken medications (32%), and first aid. equipment (33%).
As for the regions, the The Cordillera Administrative Region (24.0 out of 50), Central Visayas (21.5), and Western Visayas (21.4) reported the highest levels of preparedness. In contrast, Davao Region (17.3), Negros Island (15.8), and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or BARMM (15.1) reported the lowest levels of such preparedness.
The Philippine capital Metro Manila is in eleventh placee in terms of level of disaster preparedness (19.1) and slightly below the national average (19.2). It is also one of the regions with the least progress in disaster preparedness over time, with its preparedness score increasing by 22%, or 3.4 points from 15.7 points in 2017.
“The [National Capital Region] is the heart of the Philippine economy and home to a significant portion of the country’s population, yet is routinely hit by natural disasters,” said Mr. Bollettino. “Increasing disaster preparedness is critical.”
The Philippines does have that the highest disaster risk in the worldbased on the 2024 WorldRiskReport.
As HHI Research Director Patrick Vinck said, “Improving the Philippines’ disaster preparedness requires investing in local leadership and leveraging technology to improve early warning and community engagement systems, among other critical measures.”
“This must be accompanied by investments in resilient infrastructure, local capacity and anticipatory actions,” he said in the same press statement on November 7. – Patricia B. Mirasol