A bill that requires the creation and regular updating of hazard maps will complement the recently signed Declaration of State of Imminent Disaster Act, as it will allow the government to assess and prepare for calamities, Parañaque 2nd District Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan said.
Yamsuan, in a statement on Tuesday, said that House Bill No. 4035, or the proposed National Multi-Hazard Mapping Act, aims to produce different hazard maps for every city and municipality in the country, and eventually integrate these into disaster risk reduction efforts and local development planning.
If enacted, this will help government agencies decide and act better whether there is a need to declare a state of imminent disaster, in accordance with Republic Act No. 12287, which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently signed. ‘While disasters cannot be prevented, it is possible to mitigate their impact by understanding their behavior and adopting science-based and data-driven strategies. One such approach is hazard mapping,’ Yamsuan said.
`Multi-hazard maps’
‘Multi-hazard maps would provide our DRRM (Disaster Risk Reduction and Management) councils with effective tools in implementing the Declaration of Imminent Disaster Law. On top of being helpful for land use planning, these maps would aid the DRRM councils in pinpointing the most vulnerable areas where preemptive action should be urgently carried out to help save lives and reduce losses before a calamity strikes,’ he added. If HB No. 4035 is enacted, the following agencies will be tasked to conduct hazard mapping for each locale:
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
National Mapping and Resources Information Authority (Namria)
Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA)
Climate Change Commission (CCC)
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC)
local government units (LGU)
‘The term ‘multi-hazard map’ as used in this Act shall refer to a map that identifies the vulnerabilities of each LGU to threats, such as but not limited to landslides, flooding, sea level rise, storm surges, volcanic eruption, and earthquakes,’ the bill stated.
‘The multi-hazard maps shall be updated by the DENR, in coordination with the concerned LGU, every three (3) years,’ it added.
Under the bill, the DENR will be in charge of maintaining a national registry of multi-hazard maps.
‘To ensure the effective use of the multi-hazard maps, the DENR, in coordination with NAMRIA, DOST, PhilSA, CCC, NDRRMC, and other relevant agencies, shall develop and implement a comprehensive plan to ensure their accessibility and proper use across the country,’ he said.
‘This plan shall include, but not be limited to a nationwide information drive, training programs for local officials, disaster response teams, and community leaders, and other similar efforts,’ he added. According to Yamsuan, the bill aims to build on what the Project Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) has achieved in identifying areas that would be affected by natural disasters.