One of the more urgent tasks that needs critical attention is the adaptation activities in disaster management the country must undertake in responding to changing climate patterns. Recent years provide us with socially painful and economically damaging experiences that these natural events can create upon transformation into disasters. The onslaught of both extended the dry season and rainy season does not advance economic growth and creates additional social burdens.

The Philippines is vulnerable to droughts, flooding, and landslides that result from more frequent and severe El Niño and La Niña events. Rainfall is longer and more intense due to increased monsoon activities and severe typhoon occurrences that cause massive mass movements, debris flow, and flooding. The country is highly prone to natural hazards due to its topography, geology, and geographic location, which is at the edge of plate tectonics with active fault lines and volcanoes.

The Philippines ranks 12th among 200 countries and territories whose populations are most at risk from earthquakes, floods, tropical cyclones, and landslides (UN, 2009). It receives an average of 20 to 25 typhoons a year, apart from other natural disaster-causing events such as landslides and floods (International Federation of Red Cross, 2009).

The EM-DAT: OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database (http://www.emdat.be/) regularly compiles data on natural and technological disasters for every country from 1900 to the present and is intended to assist in rational decision-making for disaster preparedness, vulnerability assessment, and priority setting for national and international responses. Country profiles are sorted by number of persons killed, total affected people, and economic damage costs for every recorded disaster and the dates these occurred. A disaster is entered into the database with at least one of these criteria fulfilled: 10 or more people reported killed, 100 people reported affected, a call for international assistance, and declaration of a state of emergency.

Reviewing the past 20 years for the Philippines, most of these criteria were fulfilled and from 1991 to 2010, our records in this disaster database reflect a growing incidence and increasing numbers of total affected people and economic damages. Storm Uring in Ormoc City, November 1991 still tops the list of lives lost at almost 6,000. Storm Ondoy in Metro Manila, 28 September 2009 ranks highest in numbers of people affected at almost five million. The floods of 4 September 1995 accounted for the highest economic damage costs at US$ 700 million.

For this, we remain not fully prepared leading to innumerable losses in lives, livelihoods, infrastructure, and properties. The parallel negative economic impact of these events shows annual increasing figures in economic damage costs and re-allocates national funds that can be spent more for social servicing and livelihood assistance of the majority who are poor.

As the new set of government leaders takes over, it is with an oft-repeated hope for better governance that the country welcomes them as they assume their positions. There are also great expectations that this new set of leaders will have the energy and creativity to respond to a changing global context, climate and all.

National elections occur every six years. Unfortunately, disasters do not.