BAGUIO CITY – The city council summoned officials of the city disaster risk reduction and management council (CDRRMC) and other emergency response groups to appear during one of the regular sessions of the local legislative body to present their plans and programs and to ascertain whether or not the city is prepared to timely respond in an appropriate manner for the occurrence of natural or man-made disasters.
The council decision to invite city disaster officials was agreed upon after Councilor Ellaine D. Sembrano, chairperson of the council committee on health and sanitation, ecology and environmental protection, submitted a proposal for the local legislative body to summon them to shed light on the preparedness of the city during natural and man-made disasters, especially with the onset of the rainy and typhoon seasons.
Sembrano wants that concerned city disaster officials must brief the new set of city councilors on what are the plans, programs and strategies that have been put in place to ensure that the city is prepared for the occurrence of any untoward incidents that will affect the safety and health of city residents in the coming typhoon months.
Councilor Peter Fianza suggested that the invitation to the concerned city disaster officials should be done after this month which is the celebration of national disaster consciousness month because there are numerous activities in relation to disaster awareness and preparedness that have been lined up that makes them busy at this time.
He added city councillors must also actively participate in the numerous activities that have already been scheduled not only by the city government but also other concerned regional and national agencies on disaster consciousness for them to assess and evaluate the competence and readiness of city disaster officials.
According to him, joining the activities allows city officials to determine the preparedness of the CDRRMC and its partners and for them to identify deficiencies by which the council can summon the concerned disaster officials to explain.
It was learned that the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in the Cordillera, in partnership with other regional line agencies and local governments, have lined up numerous activities in relation to disaster preparedness during the whole month of July for the celebration of disaster consciousness month.
Fianza asserted it will be fair for city officials to first attend the various disaster consciousness activities lined up for this month before making conclusions whether or not the local disaster council is ready for any calamity that may occur in the city.
By Dexter A. See