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A ray of sun in a rainy day

On June 30, 2010, President-elect Benigno Simeon C. Aquino II was sworn in as the 15th President of the Republic. A day earlier, the PAGASA forecasted that it would be rainy that day but many defied the warning and still went to the Quirino Grandstand to witness the inauguration ceremony. The ceremony went well and the weather was cooperative – no rain, just a bit cloudy and humid. The extremes would have spoiled the whole event.

People from all walks of life joined the incoming President in Luneta for the event. Many came from the provinces, … Continue Reading

Who should bear the brunt of disasters?

As I’ve said in my previous article, one of the missing links in our disaster risk management efforts is the involvement of the insurance market in ensuring faster recovery and reconstruction without necessary impinging more financial harms to victims of disasters, both for individuals and communities. Based on our experiences, poor victims – farmers, small and medium enterprises, and poor families – are left at their own to rebuild and restore their damaged physical assets. Even government’s destroyed infrastructure facilities suffer much from inadequate repair and maintenance assistance to the point that they pose abnormal and inefficient community … Continue Reading

Rainy season, La Nina and disasters

The PAGASA recently announced that the rainy season is here. It is a good news to many – an indication that water basins would be replenished anytime soon to ensure sustained supply of water specifically for irrigation and power generation. The rainy season brings promise to farmers who suffered income and production losses due to intense drought for the past 3 to 4 months. If rains come moderately during the planting and growing periods especially for rice and corn farmers, our farmers could hope for a good harvest by the end of the year. … Continue Reading