Newly installed Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor "Jonvic" Remulla urged local and regional governments in the region to "act now and act fast" on disaster risk reduction.

Remulla made these remarks during the Local and Regional Government Assembly of the 2024 Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) on Monday, hosted by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

"We hope that through this Assembly, we will secure everyone’s commitment to plan and execute decisive and urgent local actions on disaster risk reduction and management more expediently," Remulla said.

“We all need to act now. We have to act fast,” he stressed.

The Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction also highlighted the need to strengthen the role of local authorities in multi-hazard risk governance.

Remulla said the DILG, as the Vice Chairperson for Disaster Preparedness of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, is committed to continuing its efforts to enhance the capacities of local government units (LGUs) in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) and Climate Change Adaptation.

"As the Vice Chairperson for Disaster Preparedness of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, the Department of the Interior and Local Government will continue to enhance the capacities of local government units on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Climate Change Adaptation as mandated by Republic Act 9729 (Climate Change Act) and RA 10121 (DRRM Act)," Remulla said.

Philippine DRRM stats

He added that the DILG will continue to provide policy guidance, technical support, and capacity interventions to LGUs to ensure they are empowered and equipped to lead DRR efforts in their respective jurisdictions.

He reported that 87.87 percent of LGUs have developed their Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plans, while 71.05 percent have established their Local Climate Change Action Plans.

Additionally, 67.93 percent of LGUs have Contingency Plans, and 87.33 percent have approved Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction Plans.

As the Asia-Pacific region is one of the most disaster-prone areas globally, the APMCDRR, with the theme “Surge to 2030: Enhancing ambition in Asia Pacific to accelerate disaster risk reduction,” is the largest biennial gathering aimed at accelerating progress in reducing disaster risk in the Asia-Pacific region.