PANTUKAN, Davao de Oro- Davao de Oro Governor Dorothy Montejo-Gonzaga opened recently the Andam Action Center Resilience Hub in Pantukan, Davao de Oro.

The center is located at the compound of the Davao de Oro Provincial Hospital – Pantukan, and currently manned by four trained personnel from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).

According to PDRRM officer Joseph Randy Loy, additional manpower will be later deployed at the hub as it will address the four thematic areas of disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM).

“This hub is really envisioned not only in response, but it will cater to the four thematic pillars of DRRM, which are prevention and mitigation, disaster preparedness, disaster response and early recovery, and disaster rehab and recovery,” Loy said.

The PhP 3-million hub is also capacitated with radio based facility, fibre boat, and patient transport vehicles.

As a satellite office of PDRRMO, the disaster manager stressed that the hub will cater to coastal municipalities and other local government units requiring augmentation for emergency and disaster response.

“It provides pre-hospital care to victims of vehicular accidents and disasters supporting LGUs in need and making sure that proximity of our services are delivered given the "golden hour" for victims to survive,” he said.

During the blessing of the facility, Governor Gonzaga also distributed radio based equipment to all the municipal disaster risk reduction and management offices (MDRRMOs).

She also urged the MDRRMOs to propose to their mayors the establishment of such a facility in their locality.

Governor Gonzaga also encouraged the public to work together with the provincial and municipal DRMM offices towards a disaster resilient Davao de Oro.

“We really have to work hand in hand with the stakeholders because the role of the PDRRMO and the MDRRMO is not only to wait for natural calamities to happen, usually natural hazards.”