Solidum urged to strengthen DOST to minimize the impact of disasters
Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri called on Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. to strengthen the county’s science sector to minimize the negative impacts of disasters.
Zubiri made the call during the plenary deliberation of the proposed P24.67 billion budget of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and its attached agencies for 2023.
The call came before the Upper Chamber ended its marathon plenary debates on the proposed 2023 P5.26 trillion national budget early this morning.
Zubiri said Solidum should strengthen the DOST response time, particularly the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), to minimize the impacts of disasters in the country.
The Senate chief said the DOST, together with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), should speed up the process of capacity building of the local government units (LGUs) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Mindanao on climate change resiliency.
“Because of severe storm ‘’Paeng’’, many of us in Mindanao were affected. For many years, we used to boast that Mindanao is typhoon free,’’ he stressed.
Zubiri said many LGUs are not prepared because they thought that they would never be hit by typhoons.
‘’But we are now hit by typhoons every year. I think it is up to you guys, the DOST and the NDRRMC, to train and capacitate the LGUs,” Zubiri added.
He also asked the DOST to work on a geohazard map to indicate the hazard susceptibility of areas in Bukidnon and other areas in Mindanao.