EdAngara.com - The Official Website of Senator Edgardo J. Angara

Senator Edgardo J. Angara urged government to immediately adopt mitigating measures to cushion the ill effects of El Niño phenomenon, which is likely to develop around October to December this year.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration (PAGASA), the last quarter of 2012 might be prone to the El Niño phenomenon. The agency further warned that if this phenomenon continues without any strong policies in place, Filipino rice farmers will likely suffer because of its possible adverse effects on the country's rice production.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara underscored the importance of the bill institutionalizing the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in facilitating disaster response, especially following the recent devastation caused by the southwest monsoon.

Angara, author of the measure, said ICT through social media played a big role in information dissemination, rescue operations, and relief efforts during the last week.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara said that disaster preparedness and risk reduction measures should be prioritized in the 2013 budget deliberations.

“We must look into the government’s disaster management plan and make sure that risk mitigation and adaptation are prioritized in next year’s budget, so that we could put them into action as early as possible,” he said.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara called on the House of Representatives to pass their counterpart measure on the Early Years Act (EYA) once Congress reopens in July for the benefit 12 million Filipino children zero to four years old.

"EYA will make early childhood education a national responsibility to equalize opportunities available to all Filipino children," said Angara, head of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture and author of the measure.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, chair of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology and Congressional Commission on Science Technology and Engineering (COMSTE), underscored the importance of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) in disaster governance.

“We should take full advantage of technology to reduce disaster vulnerability. There is a system that can monitor rain in real-time, as well as a low-cost wave monitoring system that automatically sends an alarm when there is an indication of vertical acceleration,” he explained.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, Chair of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, underscored the need to improve the country's water management system to help us cope with the destructive effects of climate change.

“Over 30 government agencies have a say in how the water sector are managed resulting to a very inefficient setup where resources are handled differently throughout the country,” said Angara.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara and Senator Franklin M. Drilon will lead the Philippine Delegation to 20th Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) from January 8-12 at Tokyo, Japan.

The four-day event hosted by the National Diet of Japan will address regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific, as well as matters of common concern in the areas of politics, security and the economy.

The forum will especially zoom in on disaster preparedness and nuclear energy safety.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara underscored the importance of crafting a comprehensive, information-driven plan which the Philippines should implement to deal with natural disasters brought about by climate change.

Angara, Chair of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, cited a recent report from PAGASA entitled “Climate Change in the Philippines” showing projections for 2020 and 2050 with dry seasons getting drier and wet seasons getting wetter.