PDRRMO’s new chief starts today

CEBU, Philippines - The new chief of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office will assume office today.

Baltazar Tribunalo Jr., head of the Task Force Paglig-on, a group mandated by the Provincial Capitol to man and monitor the rehabilitation of typhoon-hit areas in Northern Cebu, will take over the post left by PDRRMO former chief Neil Angelo Sanchez.

Sanchez resigned as PDRRMO chief last March and opted to leave government service in order to focus on his private life and establish his own business. He was in public office for 16 years.

Shortly after Sanchez’s resignation, Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III made a public pronouncement that he would be appointing Tribunalo to replace the Capitol’s disaster head.

Davide earlier explained that he decided to put Tribunalo, who used to work as program adviser on climate change, in the position because his expertise is in disaster preparedness.

However, Tribunalo could not assume the position that time because of the one year ban for losing candidates. He ran as councilor in Balamban in May 2013 elections.

Tribunalo said he has been doing the duties as part of the disaster’s office even before he could assume the position.

“Gov told me nga ugma na May 15. Last day man ron sa pag-ban. Without that nagtrabaho na man ta. Ang ako ani, wa may nausab. But it will be better if it’s official,” he said.

Tribunalo said that one of his plans for the PDRRMO is to review the organizational structure and expand the membership of the PDRRM Council in adherence to the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, which aims to strengthen the country’s disaster risk reduction and management system, and provide for the disaster risk reduction and management framework and plan.

PDRRMO, Tribunalo added, will also link with the National Economic and Development Authority, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

“We have to create a network with them so as we can maximize the skills and expertise in terms of emergency response,” he said.

Tribunalo is also eyeing on establishing a disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation learning center for PDRRMO’s programs, trainings and sharing of practices in rescue operations.

PDDRMO set aside more than P100 million as disaster risk reduction management fund for this year which 70 percent of it will be utilized for mitigation and capacity building.— (FREEMAN)