Government is working to protect the public from the effects of La Niña, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said on Monday.

In his third State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Marcos announced that more than 5,500 flood control projects have been completed and many other projects are being constructed across the country.

“Isa na rito ay ang Flood Risk Management Project sa Cagayan de Oro River, na magbibigay ng pangmatagalang proteksyon sa mahigit anim na raang ektarya ng lupa at animnapung libo nating mga kababayan. Isa pa ay ang proyekto sa Pampanga Bay na magsisilbing karagdagang lunas sa mga pagbabaha,” the President said.

Part of the government’s flood-control efforts was the January launching of the “KALINISAN sa Bagong Pilipinas,” a program that enlists the help of barangays in large community clean-up drives.

In five months, more than 40,000 tons of waste were collected by some 22,000 barangays in the country.

“Inaasahan ko ang tuloy-tuloy na suporta ng mga lokal na pamahalaan sa paglilinis ng ating pamayanan,” the President said.

“Bilang halimbawa rin dito sa Maynila, nagsimula na ang malawakang pagtutulungan upang Bigyang Buhay Muli ang Ilog Pasig,” he added.

The President also highlighted the importance of ensuring public readiness against disasters, noting that the various Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) units will continue to ensure that communities are prepared for any eventuality.

Part of the preparations is building important infrastructures that will serve as protection and coordination centers, particularly for government relief efforts.

“Within the past two years, almost a hundred evacuation centers have already been built. While in January of this year, we started the operations of our Disaster Response Command Center, which shall serve as the central hub for the government’s disaster response efforts,” the President said.

Due to the country’s inherent climate vulnerability, the government has advocated for heightened climate responsibility and justice on the global stage, thereby securing a seat on the Board of the Loss and Damage Fund.

“And further, the Philippines has also been selected as host country to that fund. This will require an enabling law from Congress to confer the legal personality and capacity to the Board,” the President pointed out.

“This welcome development shall complement all our other climate adaptation and mitigation measures, and give us a strong voice to access the needed financial assistance for climate-related initiatives and impacts,” the President said. PND