AC villages to strengthen disaster awareness campaign

Sunday 17th of June 2012

ANGELES CITY, Pampanga June 17 (PIA) -- Barangay officials here together with the Angeles City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (ACDRRMC) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) recently conducted disaster awareness and response campaign in their respective communities to ensure they are better prepared in case a natural disaster strikes the city.

At the same time, village chiefs mapped out plans to carry out their respective local disaster risk reduction and management programs so the city will be conferred with DILG’s new award, the Seal of Disaster Preparedness (SDP).

According to DILG City Director Myrvi-Apostol Fabia has come up with SDP to help reinforce the disaster preparedness system in the country.

The DILG will award the seal, as well as a cash incentive, to local governments which have developed the capability to respond to disasters, as prescribed by Republic Act No. 10121 (Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010).

Like the Seal of Good Housekeeping, which the DILG awards and which local governments use to avail of the agency’s Performance Challenge Fund, the SDP authorizes local governments to use 70 percent of their calamity fund to buy equipment or organize disaster-response training.

The city barangay officials affirmed their commitment to the ACDRMMC’s instructions and the DILG’s directive, particularly for preparing their respective communities against flooding in the upcoming rainy season.

Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan said that compliance with the DILG’s proposals for local disaster preparedness is an utmost priority in order to address certain disaster issues especially in the months ahead.

“Barangays are the front-liners in our community,” he said.

Pamintuan stressed the need for the village officials to be always ready with their disaster risk reduction and management plans, including the evacuation of residents.

He ordered barangay officials to follow disaster protocols, install early warning systems, conduct regular drills and exercises, and prepare their constituents in addressing the adverse effect of disasters.

“It’s in months like June and July that we experience heavy rains and typhoons in the Philippines, which is why we are preparing all fronts to assure the safety of our citizens and mitigate the effects of disasters or calamities,” the mayor said.

Recently, all LGUs of Central Luzon attended the Tapatan Roadshow on Disaster Preparedness and Climate Change, also sponsored by the DILG at the Oxford Princess Casino, Clark Freeport Zone.

The ‘roadshow’ aimed to create concrete and decisive measures in preparation for disasters and adopt measures in order to prevent their occurrence as well.

During his welcome remarks, Pamintuan shared how disasters like that of the Mount Pinatubo eruption of 1991 created opportunities for the city to be prepared for even more devastating calamities.

He also said that, other than preparedness, Angeles has been staunch in its efforts to prevent disasters altogether.

“Here in Angeles City, we have begun planting bamboo trees along the Abacan River which will help prevent soil erosion.

Additionally, every first Saturday of the month, we also descend in our main waterways, the Sapang Balen Creek, and clean it of garbage and refuse to prevent flooding during heavy rains,” says Pamintuan during his speech. (CLJD with reports from AC-CIO)