LGUs urged: Prioritize disaster preparedness

CEBU, Philippines - In order to avoid more casualties should another calamity hit the region, it is important to make disaster preparedness and resiliency a top priority of local government units, shared two experts in the field.

International Rescue Committee (IRC) country director for the Philippines Suzanna Tkalec and former San Francisco, Camotes mayor Alfredo Arquillano, Jr. spoke before an audience of representatives from government, private sector and the academe in a forum organized by Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) entitled “Building Disaster-Resilient Communities.”

Tkalec lauded Filipinos for their strong response to super typhoon Yolanda and other disasters that hit the country last year, specifically in the Visayas region like the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that jolted Western Bohol last October 15, 2013.

However, she stressed the need for the government to define its functions and duties carefully when it comes to natural calamities as it has the most important role in disaster preparedness and resilience.

Arquillano, for his part, boasted of the micro-organizational system that San Francisco has been strengthening as the reason behind the zero casualty rate despite being one of the most hit LGUs in northern Cebu.

“Thank God, our hard work in educating our people, conducting regular drills paid off. In spite of  the damaged houses, we are happy to have achieved zero death,” the disaster risk reduction champion addressed the forum participants.

But he admitted that there is “still a lot of work to be done” by enhancing the current system to do more in preparing for the next disaster.

Under the term of Arquillano as mayor, San Francisco bagged the prestigious 2011 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva on May 14 owing to the “purok system,” an ancient community empowerment system that they mastered.

He added that before Yolanda hit, they have reinforced the information dissemination activities and designating contingency measures that paved the way towards achieving zero casualty.

“How did we prepare for Yolanda? It took years of work and putting disaster risk reduction a top priority. Why? Because it’s about the people. So nganung di man nato i-prioritize? It continues to be a challenge to all of us,” Arquillano said.

With this, he urged other local government  units to do the same and make disaster risk reduction a major consideration and not just merely implement Republic Act 101211 or the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council for compliance.

“Building Disaster-Resilient Communities” is the second tranche of the Understanding Choices series with two already set to complete the series.

President Aquino also directed members of his Cabinet to prepare a detailed roadmap for effective response to disasters before the onset of the rainy season in June.

Earlier in February, Malacañang vowed to build permanent structures in the Visayas that was severely hit by Yolanda through “adoption of new emergency alert protocols for storm surges, floods and landslides; strict implementation of no-build zones along coastlines; and higher standards for disaster resiliency of buildings and infrastructure.”

It has prioritized the setting up of an all-weather communications  system, including satellite phones and mobile communications kits, to “ensure uninterrupted connectivity despite power service interruption.”

“The Philippines and other disaster-prone countries must break the cycle of prediction, devastation and rehabilitation by adopting the principle of build-back-better and being more productive,” said Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr.

“In order to build back better, reconstruction and rehabilitation must be needs-based and grounded on concrete realities at the grassroots level... For this reason, (rehabilitation czar) Panfilo Lacson has prioritized local government units that have done their homework in preparing a post-disaster needs assessment analysis and corresponding rehabilitation plan,” he added.

Yolanda tore across the Visayas on Nov. 8 last year, killing 6,200 people and leaving nearly 2,000 others missing. It also destroyed or severely damaged 1.1 million houses, leaving more than four million people homeless. — (FREEMAN)