Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has called on the government to adopt a more proactive and strategic approach to crisis management, emphasizing the importance of early intervention and thorough planning.
In a livestream on his social media account, Cayetano said governance becomes more effective when potential risks are identified and addressed before they escalate into full-blown crises.
“Alam natin na kung hindi man crisis, y’ung potential for crisis [naroon.] That’s why maraming bansa [ang] nag-create ng separate crisis committee kasi you have to continue governing, but you also have to have your contingency plans and the actual reaction whether relief iyan or on-the-spot reforms,” he explained.
The senator stressed the need for government agencies to review past actions and learn from previous mistakes to avoid repeating them.
“Napakaimportante ng review at rewind. Bakit? Para hindi mo maulit yung problema. Para hindi maulit yung mali. A problem should be met by a solution, not with a bigger problem,” Cayetano said.
He warned that failure to learn from past errors could result in recurring and more severe issues, underscoring the role of accurate data in shaping effective responses.
“If we don’t learn our lessons, we’ll keep having bigger problems. Kung mali ang facts natin, mali rin ang conclusion natin,” he noted.
Cayetano also highlighted that crisis preparedness should not follow a uniform approach, pointing out that different regions face unique challenges that require tailored solutions.
“Hindi pwedeng ‘one size fits all’… kailangan personalized iyan. Kailangan nakatutok iyan sa sitwasyon ng lugar,” he said.