Gov´t agencies link arms to promote Disaster Risk Reduction in Forum
Mike Banos
August 17, 2009
Following the disastrous rains and floods which pummeled the region earlier this year, government agencies charged with coordinating disaster risk reduction came together in a forum as the culminating activity for National Disaster Consciousness Month with this year´s theme, "Pag Alerto, Malayo sa Peligro".
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) under Regional Director Leon M. Dacanay Jr. and the Office of Civil Defense under RD Carmelito A. Lupo , executive officer of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council initiated a DRR forum as a strategic venue to generate disaster-related issues and concers and come up with mitigation measures.
Headed by the Regional Development Council (RDC) chaired by Governor Jurdin Jesus Romualdo of Camiguin and the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) chaired by P/C Supt. Danilo T. Empedrad, the DDR Regional Forum was held July 31, 2009 at the Pearlmont Inn, Cagayan de Oro City to promote further collaboration among stakeholders and brought in 65 representatives from regional and local government, private sector, NGOs, and the academe.
Dacanay stressed that the DRR guidelines allow the users to enhance sub-national planning by recognizing risks posed by natural disasters, assessing the vulnerability of the population, economy and the environment to hazards, and determining appropriate measures to reduce and manage risks.
Among the key presentations of the one-day affair were the Strategic National Action Plan for DRR in the Context of Hyogo Framework for Action and the State of DRR in the Philippines; Rain-Induced Landslides and Flood-prone Areas in Region 10; Earthquake, Tsunami and Volcanic Hazards; Global Warming and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigating Measures; Weather Forecast, Seasonal Weather Outlook and Weather Causing Phenomena Affecting Mindanao and the Philippines; Disaster Risk Mapping of Barangay Carmen: Flood and Fire; Mainstreaming Disability (as one of the vulnerable groups) Prevention and Intervention in Disaster Response Activities; and Guidelines in Mainstreaming DRR in Development Planning.
From the inputs presented during the presentations, the two councils identified key issues and concerns for immediate resolution or reference to to appropriate entities for follow-through action and monitoring. Among the key identified were the following: increasing incidence of flooding and watershed degradation, illegal mining, shift from annual food crops to plantation crops threatening food security, lesser priority of disaster mitigating projects by the LGUs, poorly designed and substandard infrastructure projects not resilient to disasters; limited access and unavailability of databases that supports DRR; limited advocacy and capability of LGUs and concerned entities to undertake DRR; and the need to strengthen networking and collaboration along DRR.
Police Chief Supt. Cecil Ezra Antonio Sandalo, Sr. aptly ended the long-day forum, stressing how "We cannot be rightfully called the stewards of nature unless we can translate our plan, our talk into work and action".
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The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) under Regional Director Leon M. Dacanay Jr. and the Office of Civil Defense under RD Carmelito A. Lupo , executive officer of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council initiated a DRR forum as a strategic venue to generate disaster-related issues and concers and come up with mitigation measures.
Headed by the Regional Development Council (RDC) chaired by Governor Jurdin Jesus Romualdo of Camiguin and the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) chaired by P/C Supt. Danilo T. Empedrad, the DDR Regional Forum was held July 31, 2009 at the Pearlmont Inn, Cagayan de Oro City to promote further collaboration among stakeholders and brought in 65 representatives from regional and local government, private sector, NGOs, and the academe.
Dacanay stressed that the DRR guidelines allow the users to enhance sub-national planning by recognizing risks posed by natural disasters, assessing the vulnerability of the population, economy and the environment to hazards, and determining appropriate measures to reduce and manage risks.
Among the key presentations of the one-day affair were the Strategic National Action Plan for DRR in the Context of Hyogo Framework for Action and the State of DRR in the Philippines; Rain-Induced Landslides and Flood-prone Areas in Region 10; Earthquake, Tsunami and Volcanic Hazards; Global Warming and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigating Measures; Weather Forecast, Seasonal Weather Outlook and Weather Causing Phenomena Affecting Mindanao and the Philippines; Disaster Risk Mapping of Barangay Carmen: Flood and Fire; Mainstreaming Disability (as one of the vulnerable groups) Prevention and Intervention in Disaster Response Activities; and Guidelines in Mainstreaming DRR in Development Planning.
From the inputs presented during the presentations, the two councils identified key issues and concerns for immediate resolution or reference to to appropriate entities for follow-through action and monitoring. Among the key identified were the following: increasing incidence of flooding and watershed degradation, illegal mining, shift from annual food crops to plantation crops threatening food security, lesser priority of disaster mitigating projects by the LGUs, poorly designed and substandard infrastructure projects not resilient to disasters; limited access and unavailability of databases that supports DRR; limited advocacy and capability of LGUs and concerned entities to undertake DRR; and the need to strengthen networking and collaboration along DRR.
Police Chief Supt. Cecil Ezra Antonio Sandalo, Sr. aptly ended the long-day forum, stressing how "We cannot be rightfully called the stewards of nature unless we can translate our plan, our talk into work and action".
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