MANILA, (PIA) — The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) announced plans Saturday to develop a comprehensive communications toolkit for disaster reporting, following a series of six typhoons that struck the Philippines in just 23 days.
“This toolkit will serve as a shared resource for journalists and government communicators, strengthening data gathering and information dissemination systems,” PCO Assistant Secretary Julius N. Leonen said during a media workshop at the Philippine International Covention Center in Pasay City.
The initiative comes as the Philippines grapples with what President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. dubbed the “K-L-M-N-O-P typhoons” — Kristine, Leon, Marce, Nika, Ofel, and Pepito — which brought severe flooding and storm surges to multiple regions.
It can be recalled that the United Nations Environment Programme has identified the Asia-Pacific region, including the Philippines, as the world’s most disaster-prone area, with the country registering the highest in the world risk index (WRI) in the 2024 for the third straight year. The WRI covers 193 countries including all member-states of the United Nations and 99% of the world population.
The toolkit, part of the Marcos administration’s broader disaster preparedness and prevention-mitigation strategy, will focus on delivering scientific and data-driven information to the public through media channels.
“Media communications play a pivotal role not just in disseminating information, but also in fostering public trust and mobilizing communities during crises,” Leonen said.
The initiative brings together experts from PAGASA-DOST, DILG, the Philippine Navy, and the Office of Civil Defense, along with experienced disaster coverage journalists. (JCO/PIA-NCR)
(Photo by Jumalynne V. Doctolero/PIA-NCR)
