The Resiliency of the Philippines

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, resiliency or resilience is the ability of

something to return to its original shape after it has been pulled, stretched, pressed, bent, etc.
Connecting this to our country, how resilient Philippines is? How do we cope when there's
incoming natural disasters like typhoon? Do you think we can adapt immediately and be resilient
enough if that time comes?

Based on what I have researched, the following examples are the most resilient and well
prepared countries, Qatar is the world’s top ranking country on the index, being the country least
likely to be affected by a natural disaster, and with relatively strong performance regarding
resilience to a natural disaster. Malta takes the number two spot, although the country has a
relative weak coping capacity compared to Qatar. Saudi Arabia, which is also unlikely to be
affected by a natural disaster, has a relatively strong performance in susceptibility. Barbados
takes the number four spot – the country has its weakest performance in adaptive capacities.

European countries, such as Iceland (#6), Sweden (#9), Norway (#10) and Finland (#11)
are strong performances in all categories, while the susceptibility for the latter three is
considerably higher than the top performers on the list. Egypt performs relatively well,
predominantly due to its low exposure. The UK comes in at #40, with a relatively high exposure
level offset by strengths in all social dimensions. Next are the least resilient countries. The
highest scoring countries include Vanuatu, Tonga, the Philippines Guatemala and Bangladesh.
These countries are all highly exposed, with all countries faring relatively poorly in the social
dimensions that offset the effects of a natural disaster in the region. The countries all lack a
means of coping, with few countries able to adapt to the dangers posed by natural disasters
today, or in the future. The people in the countries remain vulnerable.

The Philippines is a developing country. Natural disasters frequently occur across the
world, affecting both developed and developing countries. However, some countries are more
vulnerable than others. The vast majority of lives lost or affected by natural disasters are in
developing countries. The reasons for these events occurring is Poor governance, external
sanctions, poverty, and foreign debt which force farmers to burn wood for fuel and to engage in
unsustainable farming techniques that drive deforestation and consequently slope processes.
Poverty results in migration to urban areas, usually in unsafe areas, the consequences of which
can be disastrous. Just like landslides. Let's focus in our country, the housing is poorly built and
can be easily damaged in the event of a disaster, we are not equipped with early warning
systems, and we have few assets and a weak social safety network to help cope with disasters.
We all know that our country is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, which means that our
country is really prone to natural calamities. The Philippines is in fact the country that's most
exposed to tropical storms in the world, this must also mean that we should be resilient enough
for the damages that may happen. For us to achieve this goal, we must improve emergency
training for distant local governments, enforce building codes and make sure that money
earmarked for infrastructure ends up helping those whose homes are the most vulnerable.
Located on the Ring of Fire and in a main alleyway for typhoons, the Philippines will never be
disaster-proof, experts say. But it can cut the risk if what I have said earlier will come true, if we
have enough financial support. In other words, the government or our country rather, should
have the means necessary for rebuilding and emergencies.

Lack of money. This is the main reason why we are not "Natural calamity ready". The
main barrier preventing people from preparing for disasters, according to a study by the Harvard
Humanitarian Initiative. Next is mental health, since we face many natural disasters, the trauma
that it gives is inevitable for others. With this, we will go back to lack of money again, only few
have access to mental health services or being treated for mental health issues. If these needs will
be filled, we will surely be resilient enough to lessen the damages the natural disasters cause
early dissemination of warnings and efficient evacuations to promote a “zero casualty” approach,
ways to prevent or cut the risk of casualties. There are plenty of things we can do, but most of us
doesn't really care about these issues, unless, they are directly affected by it, this is one of our
problems. And this should stop now. To be resilient, everyone must know what to do and must
do what they know.
 Air Pollution

I'll start my speech with a short story...

In my neighbourhood, a middle aged man died of pneumonia, but he is not a smoker.
What do you think is the reason of this? In this case, air pollution is the main suspect. Air
pollution refers to the release of pollutants into the air that are detrimental to human health and
the planet as a whole. Today, I’m going to talk about the causes and effects of air pollution and
will share some ways on how to eliminate or lessen its effects

Air pollution, if not taken care of, can be disastrous and kill not only humans but also
other species on the world. In fact, over 40 percent of the population are at risk of disease (such
as heart and lung diseases, strokes, and even cancer) and premature death because of air
pollution, according to American Lung Association estimates. People in areas exposed to air
pollutants are said to commonly suffer from pneumonia and asthma. Since harmful gases like
chlorofluorocarbons are released in the atmosphere, the ozone layer will go thin and will let
harmful UV rays enter the earth which is dangerous to everyone. Other disastrous effects of air
pollution are acid rain, worsened global warming and so much more.

Air pollution is very harmful to us but there are ways to lessen its effects. According to
John Walke, director of the clean air project, most air pollution comes from energy use and
production. Burning fossil fuels releases gases and chemicals into the air. A large amount of
fossil fuels are burnt in order to produce electricity. In that case, you can save the environment
by saving energy and reducing the number of fossil fuels to be burned. You can also use
renewable energy resources like solar, wind, and geothermal energy since they are natural and
doesn't cause air pollution. There are also other ways that can help reduce air pollution such as
using public transportations or carpooling. By travelling in groups, we can lessen the emission of
harmful gasses on the air. You can also try to lessen the use of gas in your household. Burning
leaves, trash, and other materials also contribute to air pollution why don’t you want to recycle
your wastes?

So all in all, air pollution is a very serious issue in our environment and should be taken
care of immediately before it's too late. We shouldn't rely too much on the government alone
because after all, it's not only the government's fault why this issue exist. We must learn from the
lessons the nature gives us and care more about our environment. We are all in the same planet
so we are all in this together.