Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr. today outlined the Department of National Defense’s strategic priorities for managing large-scale disasters, emphasizing proactive anticipation, streamlined response, and meaningful public-private collaboration during a high-level dialogue on earthquake resilience.
Speaking at “Engineering Resilience: Building to Last Towards a National Public-Private Partnership for Earthquake Resilience,” Teodoro shared insights drawn from over four years of reviewing the operations of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).
The Defense Chief stressed that government efforts must focus heavily on pre-disaster planning, strategic supply positioning and safeguarding critical infrastructure.
“I’ve given a strict directive that they should concentrate on anticipation and response to those disasters that we can anticipate, coordinate government response to areas which are affected or which may be affected,” Teodoro said. He highlighted ongoing inter-agency cooperation that allows vital supplies to be prepositioned across regions for immediate deployment.
Teodoro framed the NDRRMC and OCD as facilitators tasked with helping the private sector maintain essential services during major catastrophes. Drawing on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, he urged business leaders to help shape strategies for keeping critical systems—such as 24/7 banking, information technology and cyber infrastructure, operational during severe earthquakes.
“How we can help you, how we can have structured engagements and partnerships with you… that is where we want to structure our engagement to a sustainable one, a purposive one, and one with definitive outcomes,” Teodoro noted, asking the private sector for leadership in managing shared risks.
While advocating for higher standards, Teodoro cautioned against ungrounded government regulation, particularly from officials lacking business experience. He warned against blindly copying international guidelines that place heavy financial loads on local businesses without offering support.
“Government regulation shouldn’t be a cut-and-paste from any OECD or whatever best practice organization, where funding doesn’t come in anyway, and the private sector is left to bear with the costs of compliance,” Teodoro warned, adding that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
The dialogue was organized by Special Envoy for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga alongside the OCD to gather input from key disaster resilience stakeholders across the public and private sectors.