ILOILO CITY (PIA) -- Anchoring on the theme "BIDAng Pilipino: Building a Stronger Filipino Well-being towards Disaster Resilience," the National Disaster Resilience Month celebration officially kicked off in the region on Saturday, July 1, at Bacolod City.
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) 6, which also chairs the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) 6, spearheaded the celebration and jumpstarted with the “Run for Resilience” activity in the early morning and was joined by over 300 participants.
This 3-kilometer run, which aims to raise public awareness regarding the NDRM 2023, started from the Provincial Capitol Grounds in Bacolod City.
OCD 6 recognized the top three finishers and gave special awards to the youngest and oldest runners while medals and certificates were given to the first 300 finishers of the run.
As part of the kick-off activities, the young people were also involved through the conduct of Regional Poster Making and Quiz Bee contests for Elementary and High School Learners at the Ayala Malls Capitol Central in Bacolod City.
These contests aim to exhibit awareness of DRRM among learners and high mastery among the contestants, deepen the appreciation and consciousness of the learners on DRRM, increase the advocacy and public awareness about DRRM, and provide incentives to select elementary and high school students who devote special moment in the mastery of DRRM context.
Grades four to six learners from the various schools’ divisions across the region were the participants of the quiz bee, while high school learners joined the poster making contest.
Rafael Monta of Crisente Chavez Christian School from the Schools Division of Guimaras topped the quiz bee contest, while Neil Anthony Alonday of Alimodian Comprehensive National High School from the Schools Division of Iloilo got first place in the poster making contest.
Both contests first placers won P5,000.00 and plaques of recognition.
Prizes worth P3,000.00 and P2,000.00 were given to the second the third placers, respectively, with plaques of recognition.
While two runners-up were also given a consolation prize worth P500.00 with a certificate of recognition.
The said contests were conducted in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) VI, the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental, and Ayala Malls Capitol Central.
Meanwhile, the OCD 6 also supported the conduct of the 2023 DRRM Expo which showcased the response capabilities of selected local DRRM offices as well as the uniformed agencies, and volunteer and private groups in Negros Occidental.
The said expo was opened to the public after the ribbon-cutting on July 1 graced by Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson at the Ayala Malls Capitol Central Activity Center in Bacolod City.
During this event, OCD 6 also turned over two sets of chainsaw equipment to the 53rd Engineering Brigade of the Philippine Army.
This equipment will be used by the said Brigade in times of disaster as part of their function to provide Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR).
On his part, Lacson said that the Province of Negros Occidental is committed to keeping abreast and adhering to science-based systems, tools, and opportunities to effectively address disaster risk reduction and to protect and minimize the risk to responders.
“I urge every Negrense to actively participate in disaster preparedness. Know for yourself and your families the important safety procedures, and create methods of communication and emergency preparations for your community, so together we can create a resilient Negros Occidental that can survive the unwelcome disasters that come our way,” he stressed.
To note, Executive Order No. 29, series of 2017, designates the month of July of each year as the National Disaster Resilience Month throughout the country and mandates the conduct of activities relative to building disaster resilience.
The theme of this year’s celebration emphasizes the importance of collaboration of all Filipinos to overcome the challenges of this pandemic and prepare ourselves for new emerging disasters toward building a safer, adaptive, and resilient future.
OCD 6 Officer-in-Charge and RDRRMC 6 chairperson Ma. Aletha A. Nogra expressed her gratitude to all the stakeholders in the region for their support and collaboration toward building a safer, adaptive, and resilient future for the Western Visayas and the entire nation. (EAD/FRG/PIA6)
