Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda on Tuesday, October 10 has called on local government units (LGUs) to craft a disaster preparedness program that would ensure the primordial safety of children during times of disaster. 

Legarda made the call following the release of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report that showed the Philippines ranking first in terms of the number of children displaced due to storms and third for floods. 

The study showed the Philippines topping the survey with India, placing second, and China placing third. 

“The UNICEF has called our country the epicenter of the crisis,” Legarda lamented in a statement.

“While it is true that we are prone to disasters, our number of displaced children is also a function of our planning and our ability to ensure that our population stays within the limits of nature,” she said.

“I call on all the local government units (LGU) to ensure that their disaster preparedness can measure up to a standard that shows a deep and abiding concern for children's rights, the reduction of their vulnerability, and their welfare before, during, and after natural disasters,” the lawmaker said.

In its report “Children Dispaced in a Changing Climate”, the UNICEF said an estimated 9.7 million children in the Philippines were displaced due to weather-related crisis during the past six years. The country ranked the highest among 44 countries included in the list.

“Children are among those who suffer the most when they are displaced in times of disasters,” Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov, UNICEF representative to the Philippines, said.

“They experience stress, lose days in school, get sick and become more prone to exploitation and abuse. We need to strengthen efforts to protect children at risk and support those already displaced,” Dendevnorov further said.