The Philippines needs more policies and programs to protect women and children as they are the ones most vulnerable during post-disaster situation, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Loyzaga said. In the recent High-Level Panel on Accelerating Gender-Responsive Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, she stressed the importance of investing in gender-inclusive development programs for the protection of women and children. Loyzaga tackled the intersectionality of vulnerability that is linked to women's many roles and social identities, the influence of disasters on gender equality in the Philippines, the nation's measures to rectify any inequities. “For inequality of women in the Philippines, we realize that loss of livelihood, shelter, access to safe water, sanitation, education, as well as capital for livelihoods continuing post-recovery, these are all part of the impacts that disasters have had on women in the country,” said the environment secretary. “Therefore, we need to address both mental health, as well as specific issues that are related to age and social status of women that are affected by disasters,” she went on. In addition, Loyzaga highlighted a 2022 report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) that showed there were 1.83 million Filipinos working abroad, with 60.2 percent of them being women. She clarified that this indicated that these women were exposed to risks not only abroad where they worked, but also in the Philippines. Their family who live in the Philippines are likewise affected by the societal effects they encounter abroad. She also took note of two Philippine laws that recognize the unique vulnerability of women, and how the country invests in their resilience – the Republic Act (RA) 9710 or the Magna Carta for Women, and RA 10121 or the Philippine DRR and Management Act of 2010. “The Magna Carta for Women guarantees women and the marginalized sector access to food security, shelter, credit, social services and protection, including the maintenance of their cultural identities,” the DENR said. “Meanwhile, the Philippine DRR and Management Act of 2010 highlights the integration of gender and social inclusion in all disaster management policies of the country.” The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), according to Loyzaga, has been developing and updating its DRR mainstreaming framework, which includes a gender DRR checklist for all government programs and projects, while the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has implemented the collection of sex-disaggregated data and gender-related information in reporting. “We do need to invest both in the transdisciplinary understanding of vulnerability, particularly gender-based vulnerability, and the multiple roles that women play in order for us to understand how risk may cascade through those roles and address the vulnerability once and for all,” Loyzaga said.