PDRRMO Prioritizes Building of Disaster-Proof Evac Centers

Underscoring the need to mitigate and reduce disaster risks, the Cebu provincial government allocated P21 million for the construction of ‘calamity-resistant’ evacuation centers in priority areas of Cebu province.

This was revealed in the proposed budget by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) during yesterday’s Provincial Development Council meeting.

The PDRRMO budget proposal, higher than this year’s budget of P166 million, includes four thematic areas: P85.412 million for disaster prevention and mitigation; P54.300 million for the quick response fund (QRF); P38.887 million for preparedness; and P2.4 million for recovery and rehabilitation.

Disaster prevention and mitigation is further divided into three: the establishment of an early warning system, insurance coverage for agriculture crops and stocks, and the establishment of multi-purpose evacuation centers.

DPWH engineer Divinagracia Malolot identified four evacuation sites for the towns of Asturias, Dalaguete, Medellin, Camp Lapu-Lapu and in Cluster LGUs, which includes Bantayan and Camotes Islands.

According to Tribunalo, the evacuation centers will have sleeping quarters, comfort rooms, wash rooms and common kitchens.

When not utilized as evacuation centers, it can be used as a place for the communities’ meetings or general assemblies.

The disaster prevention and mitigation fund also includes an allocation of P25.990 million for the establishment of integrated and multi-hazard early warning and disaster response system and P21.372 million for insurance coverage.

Also, the Provincial Government plans to continue last year’s practice of insuring farmers’ crops and livestock with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation.

With the budget proposal getting the nod from PDC chairman Governor Hilario P. Davide III, it will be submitted to the Cebu Provincial Board for approval, before it gets included in the Annual Budget for 2018.

cebu.gov.ph