DOST holds expo on innovations in risk reduction and management at WTC
THE Department of Science and Technology (DOST) recently held an expo at the World Trade Center in Pasay City with the theme, “Handa Pilipinas: Innovations in Risk Reduction and Management Expo 2022.”
It said that hazards cannot be stopped but people can arm themselves “with knowledge, skills and technology.” This can be done by identifying the risks, developing a plan “to protect ourselves and our families.”
According to the World Risk Report 2022, the Philippines is the most vulnerable country to natural hazards as it lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire where earthquakes usually occur, and 20 to 25 typhoons ravage the country every year. This leads to damage to infrastructure and livelihood.
According to the same report, only 17 percent of the Filipinos are prepared and the way to prepare them is to “re-educate people on risk reduction and response.”
The three-day event, which was held from November 9 to November 11 discussed the science, technologies, and innovations that “could potentially save our lives, keep us from harm of natural disasters.”
DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. disclosed that according to the World Bank, “1.2 percent to as much as 4.6 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product or GDP is lost annually due to the damages brought about by typhoon,” thus the development gain of the country is limited.
The Philippines placed the highest of the 193 nations in the World Risk Index as the country most at risk and exposed to natural hazards and the adverse effects of climate change.
“We cannot do away with the Philippines being exposed to the natural hazards and the effects of climate change, but we can do something about it to lessen the impacts of the stress,” Solidum told the audience. The report, he said, covered the elements of exposure, vulnerability, susceptibility, and lots of coping capacity.
Among the guests who graced the occasion were Aklan 1st District Rep. and chairman of the House committee on Science and Technology, Engr. Carlito Marquez; DOST undersecretary for regional operations, Engr. Sancho Mabborang and DOST undersecretary for Research and Development, Dr. Leah Buendia. Other guests were inventors, Pasay City local chief executives and some industry stakeholders.
Mabborang said that recent research showed that the Philippines is known to be one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.
“It is unimaginable how we met the impact of these hazards brought by the loss of lives and livelihoods and disrupted our society and ultimately our economy,” Mabborang said.
On the other hand, Marquez as the event’s guest speaker said that the United Nations “is warning us that the time is running out as greenhouse gasses are surging at record levels never seen before.” These greenhouse gases, he added, are responsible for warming the planet and triggering extreme weather events.
Marquez explained that human activities have raised the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide content by 50 percent in less than 200 years. “In 2020, the Covid-19 crisis slowed down the global economy and decreased the global carbon dioxide emission by about five percent,” he disclosed.
The event also highlighted inventions, technologies and innovations that contribute to risk reduction and response to hazardous calamities like typhoons and earthquakes.