Many Cebu LGUs still unprepared

CEBU, Philippines - While a number of calamities already struck Cebu province the previous years, particularly in 2013, only a number of towns and cities have contingency plans in place in case a disaster strikes.

Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office Chief Baltazar Tribunalo Jr. said that around 30 to 35 percent of the 51 towns and cities of Cebu are actually prepared with their disaster plans.

While he did not specify which, Tribunalo said there are towns and cities, specifically those hit by super typhoon Yolanda last November 8, that only have verbal contingency plans.

He said this kind of plan, which are not documented, are not considered proper contingency plans.

Based on Republic Act 10121 (Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010), contingency planning “is now a living document which is updated and used in all the different  priority areas of DRRM. Learnings from past experiences and complementary actions between and across areas should be taken into consideration in developing contingency planning at all levels.”

Tribunalo said contingency plans are different from the Disaster Risk Reduction Management plans since the former are more specific since they require hazard-specific preparations.

He said that this means that the local government unit has separate contingency plans for typhoons, earthquakes, landslides and other forms of disasters. The DRRM plan, on the other hand, is a general preparation that covers livelihood and other priorities of the government.

Tribunalo said his office continues to assist LGUs that do not have the said plans and that they have also met with their town and city counterparts as the PDRRMO came up with a provincial-wide contingency plans. 

He reiterated that the lack of contingency plans for an LGU is a violation of Republic Act 10121.

The said law sets that having contingency plans is one of the key activities directed at an increased efforts of the “DRRM and the CCA (Climate Change Adaptation) capacity of local DRRM councils and offices and operations centers at all levels.” (FREEMAN)