Visit of Japanese officials to beef-up disaster risk management

By Jerome Carlo R. Paunan

Monday 16th of July 2012

MAKATI CITY, July 16 (PIA) -- The recent visit to the city by government officials and businessmen from Yokohama City, Japan will strengthen the disaster risk management and business initiatives of Makati, Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay said in a press statement.

City councilors and acting city administrator Marjorie de Veyra welcomed the delegation from Yokohama composed of seven city councilors and six businessmen at the New Makati City Hall.

Yokohama City is the host city to the headquarters of CITYNET, an organization that works toward solving the common challenges encountered by cities in making the environment livable, sustainable, and healthy. Makati is head of the disaster cluster of the organization, and Binay is its second vice president.

Binay said such visit and sharing will boost economic and disaster resiliency capacities and programs of both cities. “We, as Asian cities, need to work together in fighting the devastation climate change is doing to our environment,” the mayor said. He added “CITYNET has been at the forefront of the advocacy for making cities disaster resilient for more than two decades now.”

During the visit, de Veyra presented an overview of the city and its various programs and services, while the city council shared disaster preparedness and resiliency initiatives to the delegates. The Makati and Yokohama officials and businessmen also explored possible areas of investment and mutual cooperation.

With the support of CITYNET, Makati has accomplished its Climate Disaster Resiliency Initiative Capacity Building Program, C2C Technical Advisory Services and Study Visit on Solid Waste and Liquid Waste Management, Climate Action Plan, and Comprehensive Climate and Disaster Risk Management Master Plan through the Climate and Disaster Resiliency Initiative (of CITYNET, Kyoto University, etc.), among others. Makati has been an active member of CITYNET since the 1990s.

Makati’s disaster resiliency and preparedness initiatives have gained international and local recognition. It was named the “Role Model City” and “Campaign Champion for Making Cities Resilient” by the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction in May 2011, and one of “East Asia’s Climate Resilient Cities” by the World Bank in 2008.

Makati has also won the Gawad KALASAG (Kalamidad at Sakuna Labanan, Sariling Galing ang Kaligtasan) Award as Best Local Disaster Coordinating Council for the Highly Urbanized City category in the National Capital Region from 2006 to 2011, making it to the Hall of Fame twice. It was also adjudged the nation’s Best Local Disaster Coordinating Council for Highly Urbanized City category in 2006, 2010 and 2011. (ICRD/RJB/JCP-PIA NCR)