President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. emphasized on Friday the need to strengthen efforts to address climate change in the Philippines as the country marks the 11th anniversary of Super Typhoon Yolanda – the strongest typhoon ever recorded to hit the country in 2013.
In a statement, President Marcos said the impact of recent typhoons, such as Kristine and Leon, serves as a reminder to the Philippines and the Filipino people of the lessons learned from Super Typhoon Yolanda.
“Our ongoing crucibles remind us that the powerful lessons brought by the strongest typhoon in history should not be lost with the passage of time. Heeding these is the best way to honor the lives lost,” President Marcos said.
“As the most disaster-prone country in the world, we cannot do otherwise. We do not have the luxury of ignorance, inaction, and complacency. Thus, we must intensify our efforts to mitigate and adapt to the challenges of climate change and urgently abate our vulnerability to disasters,” he added.
President Marcos also underscored the need to empower the communities, strengthen the local government units (LGUs), and ensure the swift delivery of relief and aid to all those in need.
The President emphasized that communities must be better prepared for typhoons and able to rebuild stronger afterward, enhancing resilience beyond previous levels.
“And after making sure that the communities brace better against typhoons, that they can build back better after, by making them more resilient than before. Calamities are teaching moments, and every one that came after Yolanda delivered a payload of lessons that instructed us how to improve our response,” he said.
“Since then, we have strengthened institutional bulwarks against calamities, which our countrymen have matched with increasing care and compassion for those affected. It is also because of this bayanihan of our race that the pain of victims is assuaged and the rebuilding of homes and livelihoods is accelerated,” he added.
The Chief Executive expressed gratitude to international communities and various organizations for their kindness and generous support for the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda, which helped restore normalcy to their lives after the devastation.
“Their response reaffirmed a tenet civilization must uphold when one nation faces an emergency or an existential threat—that no man is an island, indeed. All unfulfilled commitments made in the past for Yolanda rehabilitation are responsibilities we fully assume,” he said. | PND
