Japan has a total of nine ongoing projects in the Philippines aimed to strengthen the country’s disaster management capacity and dedicated to structural and non-structural support to vulnerable sectors, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said on Wednesday.
JICA made this announcement this as nations all over the world mark International Disaster Risk Reduction Day this October, stressing that “JICA will continue to share Japanese expertise on disaster preparedness, resilient infrastructure, and other sustainable disaster management measures.”
The Japanese-funded projects include the Flood Risk Management Project for Cagayan River, Tagoloan River, and Imus River; Flood Risk Management for Cagayan de Oro River; Cavite Industrial Area Flood Risk Management; Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement; Master Plan and Feasibility Study on Flood Control and Drainage in Davao City; Development of Extreme Weather Monitoring and Information Sharing System in the Philippines; Improvement of Flood Forecasting and Warning System for Cagayan de Oro River Basin; Disaster Risk Reduction Capacity Enhancement Project Phase II; and Capability Enhancement for High-Quality Weather Observation, Forecast, Warning and Information in the Philippines.
JICA Philippines Senior Representative Ohshima Ayumu noted that the pandemic showed that structures and systems can be affected severely.
“We aim to continue working with the Philippines towards strengthening disaster risk reduction and management. This way, people become better prepared in addressing the gaps and impact of future natural disasters in their lives,” he said.
Recently, JICA signed a JPY50 billion post-disaster, stand-by loan (Phase II) agreement with the Philippines to ensure that contingent funds are available for the Philippines’ response to post-disaster recovery, not just in cases of natural disasters but also in public health emergencies.
Both the Philippines and Japan are geographically prone to natural disasters due to their location on the Pacific Ring of Fire.
The Philippines, according to the World Risk Index of 2019, was cited as one of the top countries vulnerable to disasters.
“Hazards are part of life, and we aim to continue working with our Philippine counterparts to promote disaster resiliency and safety among Filipinos,” the JICA official said.