2 Camotes kids speak before UN

CEBU, Philippines - Two kids from the small town of San Francisco, Camotes, Cebu sat among the stakeholders and officials of the United Nations during its Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction in Geneva, Switzerland last May 12.

Tricia Pleños, 14, and Andre Soon, 15, spoke before the international audience about their participation in the disaster-reduction activities in their community.

“Ilang gi-state na apil gyud sila sa mga activities sa among municipality especially sa disaster reduction,” San Francisco Vice Mayor Alfredo Arquillano, who received the $20,000 cash prize and trophy for winning the Sasakawa Award, told The FREEMAN.

“Diha sila sa mura’g presidential table, after giving their brief statement, they also answer questions from the representatives among the 25 role model cities that attended the event,” Arquillano said.

The vice mayor said that apart from a child representative from Kenya, only Pleños and Soon were the kids at the event.

As to why they were chosen to represent their town, Arquillano said their municipality promotes child-centered disaster-risk reduction management.

He added their town also invested in the production of hazard maps, establishment of early warning systems and construction of drainage in flood-prone areas and conducted earthquake drills, among others.

The town’s Purok System, which mobilizes residents from sitios up to the municipality as a whole to address the vulnerability of every barangay, has been cited by the UN, the vice mayor said.

The current population of the town is estimated to be 46,000.

Arquillano said he also spoke before the 25 representatives of the cities from the different countries of the world.

“Think big, start small. An island of solution, San Francisco, Camotes,” he said, which was quoted by the Secretary General of UN.

Arquillano said it is now his responsibility to mobilize more the people of his town, as well as neighboring communities, to become more resilient against disasters. (FREEMAN)