A tip to ensure reelection!

If mayors make disaster preparedness the No. 1 priority of their three-year tenures, our people would better survive the calamities that befall them each year.

But these local executives don’t, so our people continue to suffer heavy losses from the 20 or so typhoons that devastate the country annually. In terms of governance, this not only makes our mayors seem quite ineffectual, it also perpetuates the national saga of “years of neglect.”

Perhaps our mayors could use a few suggestions from experts on how disaster preparedness can actually contribute to raising their political capital, help ensure their reelection to office and where to find local and international funding for disaster preparedness projects.

—JAMES RIMONTE,  

Communication & Governance, 

Asian Institute of Journalism

 & Communication,

Greenhills, San Juan City,

Jimrim9@gmail.com