Asian leaders to visit Manila for disaster summit

MANILA -- Leaders from across Asia are coming to Manila this week discuss disaster risk reduction.

Senator Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate committee on climate change, Manila will host the Consultative Meeting for Asian Parliamentarians on Disaster Risk Reduction.

Legarda explained that the Asia-Pacific region is more prone to being hit by natural disasters.

Quoting a United Nations report, she said the region is four times more likely to be hit by calamity than Africa, and 25 times more likely than Europe and North America.

“It is alarming to note that from 2000 to 2008, the region's share in global-disaster deaths increased to as much as 83 percent,” she added.

The parliamentarians' meeting will focus on legislation to promote disaster-risk reduction and disaster-resilient development.