Marcos urges ASEAN to strengthen disaster cooperation

President Marcos has called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to strengthen cooperation on disaster resilience, citing that the risks confronting the region are "changing faster than ever." At the ASEAN ministerial conference on disaster resilience held recently at the Conrad Hotel in Pasay, Marcos highlighted initiatives to bolster disaster preparedness, early warning systems, and anticipatory action, while also improving coordination and mutual assistance among member-states. Among the proposed initiatives is the "Manila-ASEAN Strategic Protocol for Emergency and Comprehensive Transformation (Manila-Aspect Framework)," which aims to enhance disaster response and coordination within ASEAN. Marcos also cited the government's enactment of the "Declaration of State of Imminent Disaster Act," which empowers the state to mobilize resources in anticipation of highly probable and imminent disasters. Citing the 2024 report "Strengthening ASEAN Multi-Hazard End-to-End Early Warning System for Natural Disasters," Marcos pointed out gaps among ASEAN members in knowledge, communication, and hazard detection and monitoring capabilities. The conference, held from September 15 to 16, is set to conclude with the "Manila Declaration on Advancing ASEAN’s Disaster Resilience Agenda Towards 2030 and Beyond."