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Philippine Star  "Preparedness" No amount of preparation could have saved northeastern Japan from the triple whammy of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown. Japan, used to powerful earthquakes  and tsunamis and aware of the risks of nuclear power, is ahead of many countries in terms of disaster management. Yet no one expected the magnitude of the disaster  that struck on March 11, 2011. The quake and tsunami left nearly 16,000 people dead and over 2,500 still missing. Property damage and economic losses have been  placed at hundreds of billions of dollars.  Apart from an occasion to mourn the dead and missing, the annual commemoration of the event has become a reminder to the world of the urgency of disaster  preparedness. The Philippines, like Japan, lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire and is prone to powerful earthquakes.   [full text] Sun.Star Cebu  "Salonga and the best" FORMER senator Jovito Salonga had long faded from the political ...

Inquirer  on climate change accord UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon described the global consensus [climate change accord in Paris] as a “defining moment on a long journey,” a historic passage from  contentious debate to communal action meant to save this planet we all call home. [...]  While the accord may be imperfect, it provides a helpful precedent for future efforts, US President Barack Obama said, adding that “The Paris agreement establishes  the enduring framework the world needs to solve the climate crisis.” [full text] Sun.Star Cebu  on Duterte and controversy DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who is running for president in 2016, continues to be a magnet for controversies in this electoral joust. The latest one is when he  responded to Liberal Party (LP) standard bearer Mar Roxas, who refuted his claim that Davao is the safest city in the country. [...]  This is not the first time that Duterte responded wildly to a criticism. After ...