TACLOBAN CITY, March 3 (PNA) -– Mayor Alfred Romualdez remarked that it is time that the entire eastern seaboard of the Philippines starts “planning and anticipating ahead that climate change is here and it has happened.”
“Climate change is really taking effect to many, even to some, sooner than they expect. Tacloban is always hit by typhoon but never this strong and we expect it to be more frequent. If it happened before, it can happen again,” he said during Sunday’s briefing following the visit of Margareta Wahlstrom of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR).
The mayor added that preparation is a necessity for the next generation.
In line with this, he disclosed that in the next couple of days, they will be able to see the general preview of the master plan that is being prepared for the city with the help of international communities and urban planning experts.
“It is one process that we are doing and this will address the different aspects of the city in terms of shelter economy, traffic and all the other facilities. It is important that we maximize potentials, plan out carefully so they can have something to look forward to and work altogether in the next 50 years,” he stated.
Romualdez’s view on climate change was shared by Commissioner Yeb Sano of the Climate Change Commission as he stated that they are now working closely with the city government here as they wanted to make Tacloban City a model for the rest of the country in terms of recovering after disaster.
“It is important that the way Tacloban recovers from this disaster becomes a model for the rest of the Philippines without any other towns or cities having to experience what Tacloban has experienced,” he said.
He added that he was impressed on the kind of progress Tacloban has after Yolanda.
“I have been to many disasters before and what I see here in Tacloban is something that should inspire our country because we see the that they are recovering faster than many other communities in other disasters,” he stressed as he lauded the clear vision that provides direction to the city’s recovery. (PNA)