PDRRMO Presents LGU Blueprint for Disaster Management and Climate Change

Cebu’s 51 local government units (LGU) will soon have its own disaster risk reduction management-climate change adaptation (DRR-CCA) plan before the end of this year, DRR-CCA project consultant said during the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council meeting held last March 22.

Project consultant Aloysius Mariae Cañete presented to the body the blueprint of the joint venture mainstreaming project Phase 1: Development of DRRM-CCA plans for 51 LGUs.

Along with Cañete, consultants for the mainstreaming DRR-CCA Local Governance Project include Angela Tiangco and Noi Vichon of Berkman International.

Cañete of A2D Project assured that their presentation will produce 52 DRRM-CCA plans and 52 contingency plans for 51 LGUs and one plan for the province of Cebu during the seven-month duration period.

Cañete added that every LGU will be involved in formulating its own disaster management plan.

DRR-CCA is a worldwide collaborative effort of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in reducing the vulnerability of communities and contributing to sustainable development.

Cañete said the project will be the first aligned and harmonized undertaking that is actually being done in the country, adding that they will use all available maps that are accessible and easy to understand.

Mae Elizabeth Ybañez of Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) said Cebu is the first province to have a GIS (geographic information system) supported raw database maps, currently with Provincial Planning and Development Office through an Australian grant.

GIS is a computer system for capturing, storing, checking and displaying data related to positions on the earth surface.

But due to the large size of Cebu Province, Canete said they will implement it through cluster approach, dividing the province into five clusters: North, Mid-North, Central, Mid-South and South.

Each cluster has specified LGU venue for trainings like Bogo City, Tuburan, Mandaue City, Moalboal and Boljoon, he added.

Angela Tiangco of Berkman International said most of the other provinces just integrate their DRRM plan with comprehensive land use plan (CLUP) plan and tourism plan.

Disaster Fund

Also during the meeting, PDRRMO head Baltazar Tribunalo showed the breakdown of their PDRRMO 2017 budget.

Bulk of the fund goes to disaster preparedness with 49 percent or P81.350 million; quick response fund is 30 percent or P49.8 million; recovery and rehabilitation is 11 percent or P18.959 million; and disaster mitigation is 10 percent or P15.9 million.

Tribunalo said there is an increase of 25 percent for 2017 PDRRMO budget as compared to the previous year. Provincial Information Office (PIO)

SOURCE: www.cebu.gov.ph