Brunei eyes RP disaster response system as model

The Crown Prince of Brunei expressed interest in making the Philippines a model for his country’s disaster response and mitigation system during a visit to the Office of Civil Defense yesterday.

Dr. Anthony Golez, OCD deputy administrator, said Prince Haji Muhtadee Billah visited the operations center of the National Disaster Coordinating Council in Camp Aguinaldo yesterday morning to look into the measures being done in times of disasters and natural calamities.  

"Bumisita siya dito sa loob ng operations center, nakita niya kung paano natin ginagamit yung mga sistema, gagawin din nila sa Brunei Darussalam, kokopyahin nila (He visited our operations center, he saw how we used the system and he said they will replicate it)," he said.

Golez said Brunei has just put up a disaster coordinating council, chaired by the prince, who is also a senior minister at the office of the Prime Minister.

"Interesado din siya, gusto malaman kung ano ang sistema ng NDCC, particularly sa avian flu, kasi isa sila sa avian flu-free countries, together with Singapore and the Philippines, so gusto nilang malaman kung paano natin nakakamit yung avian flu-free country status at anong measures ang ginawa natin (He was particularly interested in our response to avian flu, because Brunei, like Singapore and the Philippines, is avian flu-free), " he said.

Golez said Billah also asked how the government manages foreign donations.

Brunei was one of the foreign donors during the deadly mudslides at Guinsaugon in St. Bernard, Southern Leyte and the Quezon tragedy, he added.

Golez said two years ago, a minister from Brunei whom he met at the Department of National Defense remarked that they do not have a disaster operations center in their country despite having the resources.

During his visit here yesterday, Billah was received by Golez, defense undersecretaries Antonio Santos and Ernesto Carolina, and other OCD officials.— James Mananghaya