GENERAL SANTOS CITY (16 January 2014) – Months after making his promise to improve the disaster response of the city, City Mayor Ronnel Rivera introduced a new and improved City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CDRRMC) headed by action officer Dr. Bong Dacera.
In a meeting on January 9, Mayor Rivera reorganized the CDRRMC as well as detailed out the council’s proposed projects for the year 2014.
Mayor Rivera first disclosed that the new CDRRMC will be divided into four sectors -- Disaster Prevention & Mitigation, Disaster Preparedness, Disaster Response, and Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery -- to diversify and extend the council’s functional services in times of looming threats of disaster.
Each of the sectors will be supervised by a technical working group (TWG) constituted by selected City Hall departments and some government and non-government offices.
The City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) will be heading the Disaster and Prevention and Mitigation Sector while for the Disaster Preparedness, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will take the helm.
The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) will head the Disaster Response, while the Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery will go to the City Engineer’s Office (CEO).
Aside from the re-structuring of CDDRMC, Dacera also bared the action plans of the council for this year in reference to the data given by the French Development Authority (FDA).
Taking valuable lessons from his recent visits to the typhoon hit areas in the Visayas, Mayor Rivera, City Administrator Arnel Zapatos and City Councilor Dominador Lagare III developed a disaster resilient community which included the creation of rapid response program, community monitoring for all hazards and risks’ formulation of contingency plans, early warning system and conduct of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) on Disaster Risk Reduction/ Climate Change Adaptation to schools and other institutions.
According to the mayor, this is just part of the city’s effort to prepare the city for incoming calamities as well as make sure that the local government can effectively respond to disasters that would hit the city.
“It is important that not only do we prepare for the incoming disasters, it is also important that the LGU can still function despite being hit by calamities and we can still serve the people especially when it comes to rehabilitation after a catastrophe,” the mayor said.
Dacera included on the action plans of CDDRMC for this year the generation of hazard and risk maps for General Santos City, improvement of emergency operation center, establishment of MRCR hotline and DRRMC Call Center, emergency safety assistance capacity, and establishment of the DRRMC database and system for rapid damage and needs assessment.
He also outlined that the local government of General Santos City will have a joint venture with Smart Telecommunications and PLDT Group of Companies to initiate a 6-month project called “Noah’s Ark Project” for this year to help the city mitigate disasters related to flooding.
Councilor Lagare who was present in the meeting also said that he and City Councilor Arturo Cloma are currently drafting a comprehensive ordinance that will serve as the “bible” for the CDRRMC.
Before closing, Mayor Rivera emphasized that he will be taking charge of the entire operation of the CDRRMC to create a safer and healthier General Santos City for its constituents as part of his banner program, CLEAN GenSan (Creating a Livable Environment for All Generals towards Nation-building). (GENSAN INFO OFFICE/ Ian John M. Lagare)
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