Bogo City Among 2015 UN Sasakawa Winners in Disaster Reduction

(PIA-7) – The City of Bogo is one of the 33 winners of the 2015 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction.

The UN Information for Disaster Reduction (UNIDR) announced this during the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction at the Sendai International Center in Sendai, Japan on March 17.

All the 33 winners that came from different backgrounds and contexts were recognized due to their outstanding contributions to disaster risk reduction.

Bogo City’s flagship program on Information Management in Preparation for Disasters or “I.M Prepared” Program, a system of disaster preparedness measures that starts with the family gets the Sasakawa recognition.

Bogo Mayor Celestino Martinez Jr. said the “I.M. Prepared” program aims to change the mindset of the people from reactive to proactive and it encompasses beyond government’s existing mechanisms in addressing preparedness issues down to the family level through baseline data, family interaction and drills, capacity building, barangay information and education drive in schools.

Martinez said a ready local government unit (LGU) can only be achieved if the families are ready as well while they deserve the best service from the government.

According to Martinez, most LGUs invest more on expensive equipment and trainings for rescue teams but undermine the basic and essential DRRM service which is family preparedness.

As a taxpayer, Martinez claimed that no one should be exposed to hazards. If you prioritize on disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) response alone, it is tantamount to saying that one should first be carried away by flood water or screaming for help before the government can serve you, said Martinez.

Another advantage of family preparedness is that the LGU can maximize its resources efficiently, said the mayor.

Meanwhile, the four-strong Sasakawa Award Jury used a criteria to select the final short-list of nominees, assessing how influential, extensive or encompassing, permanent and innovative the nominees actions are.

The winning Sasakawa Laureatte Allan Lavel, is a disaster risk researcher and consultant based in Costa Rica.

Born in Britain but based in the Americas for most of his career, Lavel is a highly respected researcher and practitioner in disaster risk reduction.

His work spans four decades, adopting a multi-disciplinary and holistic approach. He has also authored a number of publications and has presented papers in 42 different countries.

Lavel on the other hand, has pledged his commitment to coordinate with the City of Bogo and the province of Cebu through governor Hilario Davide Jr. for possible development and replicating the Bogo DRRM practice in other local government units.

The UNIDR stated the 2015 Sasakawa Award attracted 88 nominations from 44 countries including the Philippines which placed its official bet on Albay Province.

Bogo’s ‘I.M Prepared” program has been hailed as one of the best practices in DRRM by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) which also nominated Bogo to the Sasakawa Award.

Because of the city’s commitment to DRRM, the DOST said it would donate a hybrid monitoring system while Phivolcs said it would also set up a state-of-the-art solar-powered earthquake monitoring system that allows the transmissions of data every microsecond.

Bogo City’s local disaster risk reduction and management officer Ben Frederick Rodriguez, has been trained on weather forecasting and the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center by Pagasa-Visayas.

Bogo is currently formulating its localized weather forecast in Cebuano under the supervision of Pagasa-Visayas, the only LGU in the Visayas capable of such. (mbcn/fcr/PIA7/with reports from Ben Frederick Rodriguez/Bogo City)