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Sunday, August 10, 2025 Vol. 20 No. 301
P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 12 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK
CRISING TO THE CHALLENGE Women wearing rain gear walk beside a toppled billboard in Quezon City on July 19, 2025, as Tropical Storm Crising exits the northern Philippines. The recent storm highlights the ongoing challenges faced by disaster-prone communities. Initiatives like HANDA Pilipinas, led by the Department of Science and Technology, aim to strengthen disaster preparedness and resilience through innovative technologies and early warning systems, helping reduce damage and protect lives during such events. AP/AARON FAVILA
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By John Eiron R. Francisco
AGUIO CITY—Ranked among the world’s most disaster-prone nations, the Philippines endures yearly threats from typhoons, earthquakes, floods, and volcanic eruptions that disrupt millions of lives and livelihoods. Yet experts say the country is now better equipped to respond to such calamities than in previous years.
“Given the developments, we are much better prepared now than before,” Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. said on Thursday during the Luzon leg of HANDA Pilipinas in this city located in the Cordillera mountain range. The nationwide initiative, spearheaded by the department, seeks to strengthen disaster preparedness and community resilience through science, technology, and innovation (STI) solutions. Government disaster monitoring agencies—including the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration (PAGASA), and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Unocha)—have reported measurable improvements in disaster response over the past decade. For instance, Typhoon Haiyan, locally known as Yolanda, remains the most devastating typhoon in Philippine history. The 2013 super typhoon claimed more than 6,300 lives, left over a thousand missing, and injured nearly 29,000 people. It destroyed more than 550,000 houses, damaged nearly 590,000 others, and caused an estimated P95.48 billion in damage, with Eastern Visayas among the hardest-hit regions. Continued from A1
VISITORS at the HANDA Pilipinas booths learn about hazard mapping, landslide sensors, and other innovative solutions designed to mitigate risks from typhoons, earthquakes, and floods, helping build stronger and more resilient communities. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE DOST-CORDILLERA ADMINISTRATIVE REGION
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 57.1970 n JAPAN 0.3890 n UK 76.8899 n HK 7.2870 n CHINA 7.9645 n SINGAPORE 44.5841 n AUSTRALIA 37.2810 n EU 66.7317 n KOREA 0.0414 n SAUDI ARABIA 15.2416 Source: BSP (August 8, 2025)