ANGARA CALLS ON YOUTH TO PARTICIPATE MORE IN NATION-BUILDING

MANILA-With the growing dissatisfaction with government and increasing disinterest of the youth to participate in democratic activities, Senator Sonny Angara has called on the youth, as future leaders and decision-makers, to be more active in nation-building to attain a more meaningful democracy in the country.

Angara has filed a resolution calling on the Senate to join the community of nations and parliaments around the world in commemorating the 7th International Day of Democracy (IDD) on Monday with the theme, "Engaging Youth on Democracy."

"This year’s observance of the IDD highlights the crucial role of today’s young people in building a better world. Totoo nga na ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan buhat ng kanilang talento, kakayanan at potensyal. Marapat na sa kanila natin ituro ang mga prinsipyo ng demokrasya na ating pinahahalagahan," the senator said in his sponsorship speech.

At present, we have the largest youth generation in human history with an estimated 1.8 billion youth aged 10 to 24, which is equivalent to a quarter of the world’s population. 

In addition, another quarter of the world population is composed of children under the age of 10.

Here in the Philippines, there is a total of 30.4 million Filipino youth aged 15 to 24, which accounted for 31 percent of the total population in 2013. 

Based on the April 2014 Labor Force Survey, among the three million unemployed Filipinos, half are from the idle youth.

"Many young people, in reality, are marginalized and deprived of the opportunities that our globalizing world has to offer. As lawmakers, this is an impelling reminder that the need to promote and protect the well-being of our youth is as urgent now as ever," Angara said.

He emphasized the need to continue to work towards universal access to quality education at all levels to provide our youth with the fundamental platform for their participation in the democratic process. 

"We have made strides in enacting landmark legislation in education and health. However, we need to pursue more measures that will optimize their physical, mental and emotional health so our young Filipinos will grow into strong contributors to our society," added the lawmaker, who is one of the authors of the Kindergarten law and the Universal Healthcare law.

Angara further noted that the youth's dissatisfaction with government and disinterest in democratic activities, particularly during elections where there is a low turnout among youth voters, can threaten the future of the country's representative democracy.

"As parliamentarians, we should be able to forge a stronger partnership with the Filipino youth if we reach out to them in the language that they understand and respond to, and through their channels. Information and communications technology and the prominence of new media have made it easier for us to gauge and elicit youth opinion on timely issues. We have better access in understanding their needs. We need to imbue among our youth a renewed sense of awareness and enthusiasm to participate in decision-making," said Angara, who is among the most active senators in social media.

He added, "We are called to strengthen our dialogue with the youth by being transparent, sincere and accountable, in order to restore their dwindling faith in our nation’s institutions and dispel their growing dissatisfaction and detachment in the democratic process."

Ecija drug pusher killed in shootout with cops

CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija – A suspected drug pusher in the watch list of the police was killed in a shootout with combined operatives from the provincial public safety company (PPSC) and local policemen in Peñaranda, Nueva Ecija Friday night.

          Senior Superintendent Crizaldo Nieves, provincial police director, identified the slain suspect as Ronaldo Balagtas alias Manok of barangay Purok Riverside, Barangay San Vicente, Gapan City.

          Balagtas  died on-the-spot.

         Superintendent Ricardo Villanueva, PSSC commander, has gained notoriety as a drug pusher in Peñaranda and neighboring municipalities in the fourth congressional district.

          Villanueva said Balagtas was selling shabu in Barangay Poblacion 1 when a police team led by PO2 Nestor Ison of the PPSC and Senior Inspector Rod Clemente of the Peñaranda police rushed to the area after being tipped off by a civilian informant.

          When Balagtas spotted the lawmen, he immediately rode his motorcycle and sped away while firing shots at them, triggering a running gunbattle.

          The lawmen caught up with Balagtas in an irrigation canal where he abandoned his vehicle and continue to exchange gunfire with them. He was eventually overpowered and shot dead.

          Lawmen recovered from the encounter scene a caliber 38 revolver, undetermined volume of drugs and the get-away vehicle. 

Tap P3.6 B travel tax collection to build restrooms so tourists won't 'self pee' anywhere - Recto

MANILA-Government was told to earmark part of its P3.6 billion annual travel tax collection for the building of roadside rest rooms so that local and foreign tourists bound for the “sun, sea, sand, shopping” destinations will not “self pee” anywhere.

Sen. Ralph Recto made the recommendation to Tourism officials Thursday during the Senate hearing on the proposed 2015 budget of the Department of Tourism (DoT).

Recto said that in many feedback surveys, the absence of clean toilets has been listed as a major complaint by travelers.

“When a tourist comes out of the plane, the first destination he goes to is the restroom.  So if we believe in the power of first impression, then we should make restrooms presentable,” Recto told Tourism officials led by DoT secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr.  

Recto said government should tap travel tax payments made by departing passengers, in building more restrooms “possibly under a joint venture scheme with local governments, state colleges, civic groups, tourism associations.”

As to source of funds, Recto said “government collects about P10 million in travel tax a day. Just a day’s collection can already build several comfort rooms.” 

One “priority area” where these should be built, Recto said, is along national highways.

“If you travel the whole length of the Pan Philippine Highway from Aparri to General Santos or to Zamboanga, eh mabibilang mo lang sa daliri mo ang restrooms owned and maintained by the government,” Recto said.

“The public toilet per kilometer ratio is one of the lowest in the world,” he said. “The last report I read is that there’s about 1 for every 1,000 kilometers.”

With the Philippines targeting 8.2 million foreign visitors and 51.7 million domestic tourists next year – which has been declared as Visit Philippines Year –  “then all the more that we should build more restrooms which can cater to more tourists,” Recto said.

While commercial facilities like restaurants and gas stations have toilets, Recto said the ideal situation is that one can have access to a toilet “without having to buy a burger.” 

“Maraming mga lugar na walang gas station o fastfood. So ano gagawin ng isang turista? Eh di malamang  ‘self pee’ na lang  kahit saan,” Recto said.

To address the lack of “roadside comfort facilities,” Recto urged the DoT of studying the possibility of offering equity to local governments, state schools, civic groups in building and maintaining “comfort stations that can have other functions as well.”

“Pwedeng maging pasalubong center o kaya isang lugar na pwedeng kunan ng tourist brochures. Pwedeng tayuan ng convenience store. State colleges, which have the land, can use one as a practicum area for their HRM or hotel restaurant management students,” he said.

He said these facilities can be self-sustaining and income generating. “You know some malls make money out of pay-per-use toilets.”

Recto, who is the Senate President Pro-Tempore, chairs the Finance subcommittee which hears the budget of the DoT and its allied agencies.

For next year, the DoT and its three attached agencies have a proposed budget of P3.8 billion.

Operating budgets of five DoT corporations will total P5.7 billion, but these are off-budget items not included in the General Appropriations Act.

One of the DoT affiliated corporations is the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) which is responsible for collecting the travel tax.

Under a Marcos-era law, the latter is imposed on departing airline passengers at the following rates:  P1,620 for an economy class passenger, P800 for certain types of travelers,  and P300 for dependents of  Overseas Filipino Workers.

Not all travel collections are retained by TIEZA as 40 percent is remitted to the Commission on Higher Education.  After mandated shares of other agencies are deducted, it is left with half of the collections, which it uses for its operations and to finance tourism projects.

The government will also be spending P16.3 billion to build or repair roads to tourist destinations and P10.2 billion to improve seaports and airports. The budgets for the two are, however, lodged in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) respectively.

Recto said DPWH should study the feasibility of including the construction of restrooms on public lots along the major roads they will build. 

Legarda Discusses Women Empowerment Issues with Japan PM Abe

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda stressed the role of women in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and raised the issue of economic empowerment of the female population during a group meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the World Assembly for Women in Tokyo, Japan.

Legarda, the only Philippine participant in the high level symposium, along with six other participants from Asia, had a meeting with Prime Minister Abe following the opening program of the assembly on September 12, 2014.

During his opening speech at the assembly, Prime Minister Abe said: “We must bring about a world in which all people, both women and men, shine. Japan will continue its support towards the resolution of issues involving women.”

Noting the Prime Minister’s statement, Legarda stressed the need to address the vulnerability of women to disasters during the group meeting, “We must address the vulnerability of women by empowering them and engaging them in disaster risk reduction and management, an area where Japan can help the Philippines.”

Legarda said that Japan has been a venue for important global DRR initiatives. In 2005, the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), a 10-year plan aimed at making the world safer from natural hazards through five priority actions, was adopted during the World Conference on Disaster Reduction held in Kobe, Japan.

In 2015, the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction will be held in Sendai, Japan, where there will be an assessment and review of the implementation of the HFA and nations will adopt a post-2015 framework for DRR.

“These conventions provide a venue where Japan can share its best practices and know-how in the area of disaster resilience and work in collaboration with other nations, including the Philippines, while recognizing the important role of women in the process,” said Legarda.

The Senator also called for greater support for women, especially housewives, who want to explore opportunities for additional income for their families.

“Women should have access to capital for micro enterprises for economic empowerment. We need to provide viable income alternatives to women and allow them to participate in livelihood and other economic activities,” said Legarda as she thanked the Prime Minister for Japan’s continuous development aid to the Philippines.

Japan is the Philippines largest source of official development assistance (ODA). Promoting women’s welfare is a top priority of Japan in extending development aid to developing nations.

Tap P3.6 B travel tax collection to build restrooms so tourists won't 'self pee' anywhere - Recto

MANILA-Government was told to earmark part of its P3.6 billion annual travel tax collection for the building of roadside rest rooms so that local and foreign tourists bound for the “sun, sea, sand, shopping” destinations will not “self pee” anywhere.

Sen. Ralph Recto made the recommendation to Tourism officials Thursday during the Senate hearing on the proposed 2015 budget of the Department of Tourism (DoT).

Recto said that in many feedback surveys, the absence of clean toilets has been listed as a major complaint by travelers.

“When a tourist comes out of the plane, the first destination he goes to is the restroom.  So if we believe in the power of first impression, then we should make restrooms presentable,” Recto told Tourism officials led by DoT secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr.  

Recto said government should tap travel tax payments made by departing passengers, in building more restrooms “possibly under a joint venture scheme with local governments, state colleges, civic groups, tourism associations.”

As to source of funds, Recto said “government collects about P5 million in travel tax a day. Just a day’s collection can already build several comfort rooms.” 

One “priority area” where these should be built, Recto said, is along national highways.

“If you travel the whole length of the Pan Philippine Highway from Aparri to General Santos or to Zamboanga, eh mabibilang mo lang sa daliri mo ang restrooms owned and maintained by the government,” Recto said.

“The public toilet per kilometer ratio is one of the lowest in the world,” he said. “The last report I read is that there’s about 1 for every 1,000 kilometers.”

With the Philippines targeting 8.2 million foreign visitors and 51.7 million domestic tourists next year – which has been declared as Visit Philippines Year –  “then all the more that we should build more restrooms which can cater to more tourists,” Recto said.

While commercial facilities like restaurants and gas stations have toilets, Recto said the ideal situation is that one can have access to a toilet “without having to buy a burger.” 

“Maraming mga lugar na walang gas station o fastfood. So ano gagawin ng isang turista? Eh di malamang  ‘self pee’ na lang  kahit saan,” Recto said.

To address the lack of “roadside comfort facilities,” Recto urged the DoT of studying the possibility of offering equity to local governments, state schools, civic groups in building and maintaining “comfort stations that can have other functions as well.”

“Pwedeng maging pasalubong center o kaya isang lugar na pwedeng kunan ng tourist brochures. Pwedeng tayuan ng convenience store. State colleges, which have the land, can use one as a practicum area for their HRM or hotel restaurant management students,” he said.

He said these facilities can be self-sustaining and income generating. “You know some malls make money out of pay-per-use toilets.”

Recto, who is the Senate President Pro-Tempore, chairs the Finance subcommittee which hears the budget of the DoT and its allied agencies.

For next year, the DoT and its three attached agencies have a proposed budget of P3.8 billion.

Operating budgets of five DoT corporations will total P5.7 billion, but these are off-budget items not included in the General Appropriations Act.

One of the DoT affiliated corporations is the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) which is responsible for collecting the travel tax.

Under a Marcos-era law, the latter is imposed on departing airline passengers at the following rates:  P1,620 for an economy class passenger, P800 for certain types of travelers,  and P300 for dependents of  Overseas Filipino Workers.

Not all travel collections are retained by TIEZA as 40 percent is remitted to the Commission on Higher Education.  After mandated shares of other agencies are deducted, it is left with half of the collections, which it uses for its operations and to finance tourism projects.

The government will also be spending P16.3 billion to build or repair roads to tourist destinations and P10.2 billion to improve seaports and airports. The budgets for the two are, however, lodged in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) respectively.

Recto said DPWH should study the feasibility of including the construction of restrooms on public lots along the major roads they will build.

PNP, PDEA RAID SHABU WAREHOUSE, ARREST 4 CHINESE NATIONALS

CAMP OLIVAS, CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, PAMPANGA- On September 12, 2014 at around 11:30 in the morning, joint elements of RAIDSOTF3, PDEA National Office, PDEA Region 3 and Intelligence Operations Section, RID3  conducted simultaneous search warrant operations in a warehouse at Greenville Subdivision, Brgy San Jose and Brgy Sindalan, all in City of San Fernando, Pampanga  which resulted in the apprehension of Jason LEE, 28 years old, Willy YAP, 26 years old,  Near Tan, 26  years old  and Ying Ying Huang @ Sophia, all native of Xiamen, China.

 

Recovered inside the warehouse were the following: more or less 725kgs shabu; 250kgs ephedrine still undetermined value and 29 sacks of undetermined substance to be examined at the PDEA laboratory. Also recovered were one (I) Montero; one (1) close van truck; one (1)  Toyota Fortuner; and, one  (1) old look Toyota Corolla.

 

Arrested persons and seized items are presently under the custody of PDEA National Office for proper disposition.

 

 

            PCSUPT PETRASANTA lauded the operating troops for a job well done and further stated that PNP PRO3 is continuously conducting pro-active operations and invigorates its efforts to wipe out all forms of illegal drugs in order to achieve its quest for a drug free Central Luzon.

San Jose City is Ecija’s crime capital --PNP report

SAN JOSE CITY – This northern Nueva Ecija city has emerged as Nueva Ecija’s crime capital, posting 561 crime incidents in the first eight months of the year, accounting for roughly 10 percent of the total crime volume in the province.

          Crime incidents in the city were more than the combined crime volume in Talavera and Guimba of 460.

The city emerged no. 1 with the most number of robberies (44), thefts (176), carnapping (38), homicide (14) and physical injuries (267). It was second to Cabanatuan in terms of rape incidents with 15.

          Cabanatuan recorded the most number of murders with 17 followed by Aliaga with 17 and Gapan City and Talavera with eight each.

The city was second only to San Jose in homicide cases with 11 followed by Talavera with nine.               

            Records from the Nueva Ecija Provincial Police Office showed that the province – involving five cities and 27 municipalities – recorded 5,652 crime incidents over the period of which 2,429 or 43 percent were solved and 4,250 (75%) were cleared.

          Senior Superintendent Crizaldo Nieves, provincial police director,  said a case is considered cleared when the suspect has been identified while it is deemed solved when a case has been filed in court.

          Of the 5,652 crime incidents, 2,916 were index and 2,736 non-index crimes. Index  crimes refer to crimes against persons such as murder, homicide, physical injuries, rape among others. Non-index crimes include those against  property such as robbery, theft, cattle rustling and carnapping.

          Of the index crimes, 2,013 (69%) were cleared while 1,158 (39%) were solved. For non-index crimes, 2,237 (81%) were cleared while 1,271 (46%) were solved.

          The province posted an average monthly crime rate of 30.35 per population of 2,068,962.

          Of the crimes, 130 were murder cases, 113 homicide, 1,520 were physical injuries, 120 rape, 279 robberies, 584 thefts, 165 carnapping and five cattle-rustling incidents. – Manny Galvez

Disaster Vulnerability of Women, a Pressing Concern—Legarda Tells Tokyo Forum on Women

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda will raise the issue of vulnerability of women to disasters at the World Assembly for Women convened by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, Japan.

Legarda, UN Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation for Asia-Pacific, is the only Philippine participant in the high level conference and will deliver the opening statement for a sub-group discussion on “A Society where Self-Determination of Women is Assured” on Saturday (September 13).

In sharing the Philippine experience in promoting women empowerment and closing the gender gap, Legarda will highlight the disaster vulnerability of women and encourage participants of the conference to turn such vulnerability into opportunities to get involved in disaster resilience and climate adaptation efforts.

“Nations are gaining progress in promoting gender equality and women’s rights, but challenges will never go away and in most communities, there are continuing barriers to women empowerment. The vulnerability of women to disasters is among the challenges that must be addressed with urgency,” she stressed.

Legarda said that as disaster risks abound amid the fast changing environment, disasters affect yearly about 200 million people all over the world, half of them women or girls.

When Typhoon Haiyan lashed Central Philippines last year, more than 3.5 million women and girls were affected. Of this number, 250,000 were pregnant and 169,000 were breastfeeding, which means they have distinct nutritional needs that make it tougher for them to cope with disasters. Moreover, their displacement from their homes put them at greater risk of sexual violence and of falling prey to human traffickers.

Legarda said it is important to make gender-sensitive and risk-sensitive development policies, plans and programs, and women must be empowered to be part of the overall strategy on disaster risk reduction and management.

“To empower women is to reduce their vulnerability to disasters. Women at the grassroots are already embracing disaster risk reduction as their cause and have been effectively at the frontline of disaster prevention and climate adaptation efforts. Their efforts to keep their families safe and make their communities resilient contribute to building a safer Earth,” she added

“Women have a wealth of capacities that need to be harnessed. We need to tap these vital resources to achieve sustainable development, reduce disaster risks and promote resilience in our communities,” Legarda concluded.

Legarda Represents Phl at World Assembly for Women in Tokyo

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda will share the Philippine experience in fighting for women’s rights and closing the gender gap as she represents the country in the World Assembly for Women in Tokyo, Japan from September 12-14, 2014.

The Conference will open on Friday (September 12) with statements from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, International Monetary Fund Chairman Christine Lagarde, and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and a dialogue with the First Lady of Japan, Akie Abe, and former First Lady of UK, Cherie Blair.

Legarda, champion of women’s rights and author of various related laws in the Philippines, is the only Filipino who will participate in the high level international symposium. At the Great Round Table on Saturday (September 13), she will deliver the opening statement for a sub-group discussion on “A Society where Self-Determination of Women is Assured.”

In his invitation message, Prime Minister Abe said that the symposium intends to “identify the challenges for women to shine and work together to generate and disseminate new ideas, which will help enlarge shining societies in Asia and the rest of the world.”

Legarda said, “It is a privilege to represent the Philippines in this assembly on women empowerment. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is known for advocating women’s rights. We support him in creating a ‘society where women shine’ and we are more than willing to share our country’s good practices and challenges with Japan and other nations to help improve the lives and secure the rights of women around the world.“

The Senator will share the Philippines’ achievements and challenges in promoting women empowerment, especially in the area of disaster risk reduction and management.

She stressed that the vulnerability of women to disasters is another challenge to women empowerment that must be addressed with urgency.

Legarda sponsored the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, which provides for a gender-responsive and proactive response in lessening the impacts of disasters and climate change.

The Philippines has a multitude of laws for the protection of women and Legarda authored and sponsored many of these including the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act, Magna Carta of Women, Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, and the Domestic Workers Act.

The World Economic Forum ranked the Philippines 5th in its 2013 global survey of countries successful in closing the gender gap. In South and Southeast Asia, the Philippines was number one in 2013—an achievement recognized at the Women in Parliaments Global Forum Annual Summit in Brussels, Belgium where Legarda also represented the Philippines and received the award on behalf of the country.

Busan gears up for world-class hosting of ASEAN-ROK commemorative summit

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The renowned port city of Busan, which is the world’s 9^th most popular international meeting city located in the Republic of Korea, is all set to provide a world-class hosting of the upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Republic of Korea (ROK) commemorative summit in December.

 

The summit, touted as a milestone marking the 25th Anniversary of the ASEAN-ROK Dialogue Relations, shall gather about 3,500 delegates including top leaders of 10 ASEAN member-countries, cabinet secretaries, entrepreneurs and media practitioners, according to Director Park Junwoo of the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit 2014 support team.

 

It will be held at the 46,458 square meter Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (Bexco) onDecember 11-12, 2014.

 

A landmark of Busan, Bexco is a top-notch exhibition and convention hub which has successfully held many major international events, including the 55,000-strong International Lion’s Convention in 2012. It has transformed Busan into a meetings, incentive, convention and exhibition (MICE) center.

 

Park, who spoke before some 30 media practitioners from ASEAN countries in the recent ASEAN-ROK media exchange program in South Korea, said various renovation works are currently being done at Bexco to ensure that venues for the top-level summit measure up with world-class standards. Renovations, which started in August, are targeted to be finished by November, in time for the commemorative summit.

 

Venue improvements include setting up decoration to present Korean modern style, and using economic and environmentally-friendly materials for walls and lights to create warm and friendly atmosphere.

 

Organizers also gear up for citizen effort to create welcoming atmosphere by forming group mindset between citizens, in the areas of environment protection, traffic etiquette and volunteer activities.

 

Park also mentioned that they are instituting safety, protocol and transportation support to ensure smooth operation of the meeting.

 

Main events during the commemorative summit would include summit meeting, bilateral meeting, CEO summit, cultural events, among many others.

 

This year’s ASEAN-ROK commemorative summit bears the theme “Building Trust, Bringing Happiness,” which Park said expresses stronger partnership of trust and friendship between ASEAN and ROK.

 

The partnership, he added, is now looking forward to another fruitful twenty five years in which the two sides go beyond bilateral dimensions and cooperate more closely to address regional and global issues of common interest.

 

The event in December will be the second ASEAN-ROK commemorative summit. The first was done in 2009 in the then celebration of the 20 years of dialogue partnership between ASEAN and ROK.

 

ASEAN member-countries include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. (William L. Beltran)

Building Resilience is an Attitude, Says Legarda at ADB Conference

MANILA-Amid the risks posed by climate change and extreme weather events, Senator Loren Legarda today said that a change in mindset is inevitable to be able to look at the opportunities in the face of threats.

“Building resilience is an attitude,” said Legarda at the Innovation and Learning in a Changing Asia Conference organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Legarda, UN Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation for Asia-Pacific, is a panelist for the session Natural Hazards and Climate Change. Her co-panelists are Mohan Munasinghe, Founding Chairman of the Munasinghe Institute for Development, Colombo and recipient of Nobel Peace Prize 2007 as Vice Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; Brahma Chellaney, Professor of Strategic Studies, Center for Policy Research Dharm Marg, Chanankyapuri, New Delhi; and Fr. Jose Ramon T. Villarin, President of Ateneo De Manila University.

“Citizens of the Asia-Pacific region are more likely to be affected by natural hazards than citizens of other regions. We have been warned of the risks posed by climate change to poverty alleviation, food security and economic growth. Faced with these difficulties, it is a must that development policies should be towards sustainable and resilient growth. We must find innovative solutions to existing problems,” said Legarda.

The Senator explained that policies should mainstream disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in development plans, programs and budgets at the national and local levels.

Moreover, people can venture into developing climate change adaptation expertise or in other related areas, because a study done by Environmental Business International, Inc. estimates that, in the next seven years, the annual market for “climate adaptation services” will grow by 12 to 20 percent per year, becoming a $700-million annual market in the United States and $2 billion globally.

She added that disaster risk reduction should be viewed as an investment and not as additional expense. For instance, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has calculated that if the government of Pakistan invests on DRR now, it is projected to achieve approximately 25 percent more economic growth for the year 2042.

“We must promote the scaling up of existing government programs to rectify the social and economic structures that breed disaster risk and trap the poor in the vicious cycle of risk and poverty. Meanwhile, the private sector is encouraged to put disaster resilience at the core of their business strategies and to promote green policies,” she stressed.

“We must reduce the vulnerability and exposure of our people and our economy to the impact of natural hazards. The road towards this goal may be tough, but with the attitude of resilience and a strong resolve, we will be able to weather the many challenges of the fast changing environment,” Legarda concluded.***

Please find attached Opening Statement of Senator Loren Legarda delivered today, September 10, 2014, at the ADB Conference "Innovation and Learning in a Changing Asia," held at the ADB Headquarters, Manila, Philippines.