DoST, Congress working together on disaster risk reduction
THE Department of Science and Technology (DoST) convened a high-level forum and a three-day exhibit of the 2024 Handa Pilipinas in the Philippine Congress, a disaster risk reduction campaign of the department. The event took place at the South Wing Annex, House of Representatives in Quezon City on Jan. 22 to 24, 2024.
The 2024 Handa Pilipinas showcased the different advanced and developed science technologies and innovations for disaster prevention and mitigation developed by the various DoST agencies.
Bearing the theme “Innovation in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Exposition,” the DoST aims to communicate the significance of investing in disaster science technologies and innovations that help prevent the risks brought by natural hazards.
Lawmakers and legislative staff supported the DoST in building a comprehensive approach to the utilization and application of technologies and
innovations that can save lives, protect livelihoods and preserve assets amid the occurrence of disasters.
“The Handa Pilipinas initiative of the DoST serves as both a call to action and a desired state, acknowledging the need for proactive measures in a nation vulnerable to geological and hydrometeorological occurrences,” remarked Carlito Marquez, Bohol first district representative and chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology in the Lower House.
According to Marquez, the Philippines took the spotlight on the World Risk Index for two consecutive years by gaining the highest overall disaster risk among 193 countries. With this, he recognized the need to take controllable actions against real-life threats.
“Through this engagement, we demonstrate how policymakers and scientists influence each other’s way of doing things. Truly a game-changer,” DoST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said.