Capitol takes Pride in Bogo’s Nomination in Int’l Award

The Province of Cebu took pride of Bogo City’s nomination to the 2015 United Nation Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Bogo City and program proponent first Lieutenant Ben Fredrick Rodriguez through its family disaster preparedness program was in the 33 long listed nominees for the award.

Governor Hilario P. Davide III said the nomination recognized the effort of the province on reconstruction and rehabilitation and disaster preparedness.

“We all know that Bogo City is at the forefront of this effort… We are happy and proud of what the city of Bogo has done, thus far,” he said.

The 2015 UN Sasakawa Award posted a “record of 88 nominations from 44 countries,” according to its website: www.wcdrr.org/sasakawa. The awarding was held in Sendai, Japan last week. However, the entry failed to make it to the top three finalists.

Bogo City’s disaster preparedness program is called Information Management in Preparation for Disasters or “I.M. PrepareD.”

Designed to capacitate the frontline sector in disaster preparedness, the program was institutionalized through an ordinance.

It caught the attention of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Austure Panadero who recommended it to be replicated in the region.

The DILG then nominated Bogo City and Bogo City and first Lieutenant Ben Fredrick Rodriguez to the prestigious Sasakawa Award, which was also won by San Francisco, Camotes Island in 2011.

The program requires each family, barangay, school and business establishment to post in a noticeable area in their facilities the evacuation maps, emergency index, and emergency kit checklists.

The families were also ordered to frame an evacuation map approved by the local disaster risk reduction and management office, communication plan, and provide storage for food and water enough for three-day consumption.

www.cebu.gov.ph