15 February 2022, SAN FRANCISCO – The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco together with San Francisco-based non-profit group Pilipino Senior Resource Center (PSRC), UP Visayas and Holy Name University of Bohol, held webinars on 3 and 4 February 2022 to encourage Filipino diaspora in the Pacific Northwest to support the “Building Back Better” framework in the wake of Super Typhoon Odette’s devastation in the Philippines in December 2021.
“Given the problem of cyclical natural disasters in the Philippines, there is a need to prioritize building sturdier and more disaster-resilient shelter and infrastructure in our communities,” Consul General Neil Frank R. Ferrer said in his remarks.
Consul General Ferrer encouraged the Filipino diaspora to support their families back in the Philippines to build better and stronger structures that could withstand disasters. He noted the contributions of 4 million Filipino Americans in the U.S. who sent over USD 11 billion in cash remittances to the Philippines of the more than USD 33 billion total cash remittances from overseas Filipinos all over the world despite the pandemic in 2020.
The webinars organized by PSRC president Dr. Joaquin Gonzalez III in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration and U.S. Agency for International Development, gathered over 250 participants consisting of local residents from Iloilo and Bohol, local government officials, including disaster risk reduction and management officers, architects’ associations, members of the academe, non-profit organizations, and Filipino American organizations from Washington state, Oregon, Utah and Northern California, among others.
Local government executives presented the extent of Typhoon Odette’s destruction and underscored the need for communities to cooperate with the local government, international institutions, and civic organizations to implement “build back better” plans.
Bohol Governor Arthur Yap noted that over 200,000 houses were destroyed, and 85,000 others partially damaged in the province in the aftermath of the super typhoon. The typhoon ravaged through communities and settlements that were immediately submerged in water.
“With century-old communities destroyed, the question now is how to re-engineer and build back these communities,” Governor Yap said, adding that there is an urgent need to rebuild resiliency centers in danger zones. He noted that evacuation centers were not spared from the massive destruction wrought by Typhoon Odette.
Iloilo Mayor Jerry Trenas presented the city’s data warning systems and disaster management measures, such as pre-disaster recovery planning, provision of livelihood projects, localization of risk reduction measures, among others.
IOM consultants presented model structures and houses that could withstand strong typhoons and accommodate the immediate needs of families while rural bank LifeBank presented microfinance programs that can help families avail themselves of loans to rebuild sturdier houses.
Typhoon Odette struck the Philippines last December 16, 2021, killing 409 people and leaving USD669 million (approximately PHP34 billion) worth of damaged homes, agriculture, and infrastructure.
The United Nations calls for USD 107.2 million (PHP5.5 billion) aid to the Philippines to meet the most urgent humanitarian needs of typhoon-hit communities for the next six months under the Humanitarian Needs and Priorities-based plan. END
Build back safer messages presented during the webinars
Bohol’s evacuation centers not spared from Typhoon Odette’s wrath
A corrugated galvanized roof panel wrapped around an electric post