VIRAC, Catanduanes (PIA) — After three years of implementation, the Philippine Red Cross ceremoniously handed over the reins of its Community Readiness in Bicol (CRIB) program to the local communities and its chapter at the Catanduanes State University Gymnasium on Monday, Nov. 20.
CRIB program aims to enhance communities’ knowledge and awareness of disaster risk reduction and management, creating individuals who are self-organized and able to build collective actions with the goal of establishing a culture of preparedness and reinforcing networks within a community, as well as strengthening the capacity of the Catanduanes Red Cross chapter in providing effective and timely assistance to affected and at-risk populations.
During the ceremony, Governor Joseph C. Cua lauded the PRC’s implementation of CRIB program which started in January 2020 and is slated to end this December.
According to Cua, the turnover of the CRIB program signifies not just the completion of the program but the beginning of a new chapter adding that “it also symbolizes the empowerment of communities to stand tall in the face of adversity, to weather the storms with courage and resilience”.
PIA5/Catanduanes: Ninety (90) youth volunteers finish the three-day camp conducted by Philippine Red Cross on November 10-12, 2023 at Bagamanoc Rural Development High School. (EABagadiong)
He also thanked the Red Cross for being one of the first to offer aid after the onslaught of Typhoon Rolly, which displaced a lot of Catandunganons.
The project’s turn-over ceremony marked the end of the project in 20 communities in the municipalities of Baras, Viga, Panganiban, Bagamanoc, and Pandan. After the program, it is expected of the communities to be able to adequately respond to needs of their communities in times of disaster, and for the Catanduanes Red Cross to be more effective and equipped in carrying out their duty.
Meanwhile, 90 Red Cross youth volunteers from five schools in Panganiban, Viga, and Bagamanoc towns completed the fourth leg of the Red Cross Youth Camp 2023. During the three-day camp, participants were immersed to basic volunteer orientation training, values formation and team building as well as life-saving skills such as first aid and basic disaster management.
They will be an extension of the Philippine Red Cross in their respective schools, reliable leaders and trained first aiders ready to respond and lead. (PIA 5/Catanduanes)
