Put Children and their Families at the Forefront of Preparedness and Resilience: A Call to Whole-of-Society Actions in the Wake of Disaster Events in the Philippines

In the aftermath of successive typhoons, excessive rainfall, and flooding in the Philippines, a devastating 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Central Visayas region on September 30, resulting in the loss of over 60 lives, including children, and displacing thousands of families in Cebu and neighboring provinces.

This series of disaster events has exposed young children to harm and continues to make them and their families vulnerable to post-disaster trauma. The ongoing aftershocks and tremors pose a significant challenge, and the country is bracing for more typhoons until the end of the year.

Under such dire circumstances, young children need specialized attention due to their heightened vulnerability and diminished survival capabilities. Regrettably, young children are often overlooked in post-disaster needs assessments and are frequently marginalized within the ‘vulnerable population’ in terms of post-disaster rescue, recovery, and rehabilitation efforts.

ARNEC strongly supports ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of young children in Central Philippines, as well as in the rest of the country, at all times.

We call for a whole-of-society multisectoral approach to prioritise young children and their families in preparedness, protection, and resilience measures co-led by the National Government and local government units in the Philippines, with the support of the private sector, civil society, development partners, and donors, particularly in poor, hard-to-reach, and disadvantaged communities.

ARNEC, in collaboration with partners ECCD Council, UNICEF Philippines, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) based in Cebu, Plan International Philippines, and Save the Children Philippines, will continue prioritising young children and their families in the context of disaster events and changing climate exacerbating the poly-crisis facing our youngest citizens.

We firmly believe that putting young children and their families first in preparedness and resilience measures is the right course of action towards inclusive and resilient Philippines.