ILOILO CITY (PIA) -- The various national government agencies and local government units in Western Visayas presented their respective safety and preparedness measures for this rainy season.
These were introduced during the recent Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) 6 Disaster Preparedness Committee meeting, June 24.
The Disaster Preparedness is a committee under the RDRRMC 6 vice-chaired by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) 6 and composed of 30 member agencies and offices.
LGOO VII Christian M. Nagaynay, DILG 6 Local Government Capability Development Division (LGCDD) chief, said during the meeting that “the incidents and several disasters experienced by the region have been devastating and an eye-opening experience for us to look at our approaches in terms of preparedness.”
In a memorandum, dated May 24, 2022, issued by the RDRRMC 6 regarding the preparedness measures to be undertaken by the council’s member agencies, LGUs, non-government organizations, civil society organizations, private sector, the general public, and other partner stakeholders.
The same was cascaded to all the LGUs in the region through a memorandum issued by the DILG 6. The agency also regularly updates the LGU preparedness activities based on "Operation L!sto" protocols and recently conducted coaches’ training orientation for the disaster preparedness manual for localized weather disturbances.
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) 6’s preparedness efforts include an information dissemination campaign regarding the rainy season through OCD 6 RED Alert program with a resource person from PAGASA Iloilo Radar, and the regular inventory of non-food items (NFIs) at their regional warehouse, among others.
To further highlight the advocacy, OCD 6 will lead the celebration of the National Disaster Resilience Month 2022 for this July 2022 with the theme: “Sambayanang Pilipino, Nagkakaisa tungo sa Katatagan at Maunlad na Kinabukasan.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 6 assures sufficient stocks and conducts a regular repacking and inventory of family food packs (FFPs) and NFIs in the regional warehouse and other prepositioned sites.
Based on the report, a total of 21,055 FFPs are currently stocked on the mentioned sites and are ready to be augmented to LGUs in case needed.
For the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) 6, digital technology is being employed through a recently launched incident reporting application called Project SIGNAL. This was developed in partnership with the Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 and OCD 6.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), through its Iloilo Station Radar, regularly disseminates daily weather forecasts, issuance of rainfall and flood warnings, and other advisories.
Other RDRRMC6 member agencies also presented their preparedness measures geared on their respective mandates.
With such plans and measures, Nagaynay pointed out that these should be cascaded and contextualized based on the situations of the LGUs.
“We are used to a very broad approach
that our constituents are not much familiar with in their respective context. So, we are contextualizing disaster preparedness so that it's easier for them to appreciate and realize the manner and the matter of addressing these disasters,” he explained.
Some of the LGUs present during the meeting presented their respective Public Service Continuity Plan, Crisis Management Plan, Local DRRM Plan, and assets on standby in case of emergencies and disasters.
According to PAGASA, some 10 to 15 more tropical cyclones are expected to enter or develop in the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) from July to November this year. (AAL/FRG/PIA6)