Aid efforts slowed by poor roads
Investment in hard assets needed
MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Under a reforming president, the Philippines emerged as a rising economic star in Asia but the trail of death and destruction left by typhoon Haiyan has highlighted a key weakness: fragile and patchy infrastructure after decades of neglect and corruption.
Authorities fear the storm that tore through Leyte province has killed thousands. Morethan 600,000 people have been displaced. Low rates of insurance in the Philippines mean the disaster is likely to sap government finances but analysts say it might not slow growth significantly because of the small role the affected region plays in the wider economy.
Haiyan’s devastation underlines the pressing need to spend more money to build hard assets such as more roads, ports and power lines — not only to improve living standards but also to better withstand the storms, earthquakes and other natural disasters that strike the country with numbing regularity.
There isn’t a way to access these places TRINH NGUYEN, ECONOMIST
The Philippines had the lowest percentage of paved roads when compared with neighbours Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore, according to data compiled by foreign business groups in the Philippines in 2010. It also had the worst scores in other key indicators such as fixed phone lines, households with power and electricity lost in transmission.
“It’s hard to prepare for the worst storm in the world,” said HSBC economist Trinh Nguyen. “But at the same time one of the issues now is there isn’t a way to access these places that are severely hit. The roads are not there.”
The Philippines is the country most at risk to natural hazards, according to U.K.-based risk analysis firm Maplecroft. The country loses $1.6 billion dollars a year on average each year because of such disasters, according to the Asian Development Bank. Haiyan, likely the most powerful storm on record, was one of 20 typhoons that hit the country each year and arrived as it was still recovering from a 7.2 magnitude quake in October that killed 220.
Despite the challenges posed by natural disasters, President Benigno Aquino III has managed to steer the economy into one of Asia’s fastest growing, raising hopes millions would be pulled out of poverty. Quarterly growth has risen as high as 7.8 per cent this year, outpacing China. Reflecting improved finances, Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch have given the country an investment grade credit rating, allowing the government to borrow money more cheaply.