The Philippines is prone to natural disasters, particularly typhoons, floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis, lying

as it does astride the typhoon belt, in the active volcanic region known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, and in the geologically unstable region between the Pacific and Eurasian tectonic plates. The Philippines also suffers major human-caused environmental degradation aggravated by a high annual population growth rate, including loss of agricultural lands, deforestation, soil erosion, air and water pollution, improper disposal of solid and toxic wastes, loss of coral reefs, mismanagement and abuse of coastal resources, and overfishing. According to Greenpeace SouthEast Asia, the Philippines major historical river, the Pasig River is now biologically dead due to negligence and industrialization. Currently, the Philippines' Department of Environment and Natural Resources has been busy tracking down illegal loggers and been spearheading projects to preserve the quality of many remaining rivers that are not yet polluted. FLOODS, TYPHOONS AND CLIMATE CHANGE An average of 20 typhoons and dangerous storms arrive in the Philippines from the Pacific Ocean over the eastern seaboard yearly. The Philippines has been the unfortunate recipient of increased flooding from move powerful and dangerous typhoons in recent years. In 2009 Ondoy hit the Philippines. This was one of the most devastating typhoons in modern history with 73 dead and more than 300,000 people left homeless. It appears global climate change is dealing island nations some of the hardest blows. Many scientists and experts in world climate change predict additional calamities as the rise in average ocean levels from global warming and the effects of iceberg and glacier meltdown continue to grow. Unfortunately, the coastal areas of the world and island nations such as the Philippines are once again most at risk. All governmental and private entities responsible for large segments of the population should be prepared for these fateful natural disasters and put into force mitigation techniques to reduce potential risk and loss of life. These comprehensive and timely seminars provide the kind of training needed to better-prepare administrators and first responders. EARTHQUAKES AROUND THE WORLD AND IN THE PHILIPPINES Worldwide, over the last few decades, a marked increase in more powerful earthquake activity is painfully obvious. With the Philippines residing in the middle of the most active earthquake zone in the world, The Ring of Fire, it is incumbent and critical that officials and those responsible for large groups are required to be prepared for the inevitable unexpected upheaval, resultant damage and potential casualties. Information, preparation and understanding of these massive natural disasters is critical for the effective reduction in loss of life and limb. The carefully prepared and knowledgeable response from managers and first responders through effective training and preparation programs is an absolute necessity for earthquake response.

VOLCANOES Volcanoes are a fact of life in the Philippines. Most of the 7100 islands of the Philippines are actually of volcanic origin. There are 37 volcanoes in the Philippines, of which 18 are still active volcanoes. The most widely known volcanoes in the Philippines are Mt. Pinatubo, Mt. Mayon and the Taal volcano. These are all on the main island of Luzon. We all know the devastating effects of Mt Pinatubo. Erupting in June 1991, this powerful volcano produced the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century. Over 800 people were killed by the eruption, mostly by roofs collapsing under the weight of accumulated and saturated wet ash, a hazard that was largely exacerbated by the simultaneous arrival of Typhoon Yunya. Additional preparedness and knowledge of the dynamics of weight loading to roofs from this deadly mixture could have quite possibly saved hundreds of additional lives. Thanks to advance seismic activity analysis and the informed preparedness of the officials of the area, tens of thousands of people were evacuated from the immediate site prior to the eruption, thereby significantly reducing the overall death count. At the writing of this paper, the Taal Volcano is currently exhibiting signs of another eruption. Alert level two is currently in effect for Taal, which lies only 30 miles south of the Philippine capital city of Manila. Nearly 700 people have left their homes to stay in evacuation centers or with relatives. Obviously, volcano preparedness and the ability to respond effectively and properly to these entirely uncontrolled natural disasters is crucial. WATER RELATED DISASTERS AND THE NEED FOR WATER BASED SURVIVAL TRAINING The Philippines is a nation surrounded by water. Insomuch so, the nation sees many water-related accidents and disasters on a yearly basis. Literally thousands of people have been killed by ferry and boating accidents in the Philippines. Due to the fact we are a nation of 7100 islands, and many are not able to afford air travel or they are located too remote to an airport facility, ferry boats are the predominant mode for national travel. Bad weather, especially during typhoon season, poor maintenance, overloading of vessels -- especially during the Christmas season as families return to their villages for reunions -- and lax enforcement of regulations has brought many tragedies. TERRORISM AND BOMBING IN THE PHILIPPINES Like it or not our nation is subject to many terrorist and bombing incidents. We live in a diverse nation with many ideologies, political parties and those intent on promoting their agenda through the use of violence. Rebel organizations against the Philippine government, its citizens and supporters have made their objections and opinions known through the use of violence. The truth of the matter is that bomb scares are almost a daily incident in our country. The need for terrorism suppression and bomb analysis, search techniques and evacuation procedures are critical. We are proud to offer and coordinate, through a professional anti-terrorism and bomb prevention group, a one day comprehensive course structured specifically for this modernday reality. This course should be a prerequisite for all large municipalities and smaller local provincial government units.