Senator Loren Legarda on Tuesday expressed "deep concern" over the statement released by the United Nations Children's Fund that the Philippines has now topped India and China in the number of children displaced by storms and floods.

"The UNICEF has called our country the epicenter of the crisis," said Legarda. "While it is true that we are prone to disasters, our number of displaced children is also a function of our planning and our ability to ensure that our population stays within the limits of nature.

"I call on all the local government units to ensure that their disaster preparedness can measure up to a standard that shows a deep and abiding concern for children's rights, the reduction of their vulnerability, and their welfare before, during, and after natural disasters," she added.