Disaster preparedness

Echoes From

BY JOHNNY DAYANG

Expectedly, President Aquino’s recent State of the Nation Address (SoNA) drew varying reactions from different sectors. Among his allies, his SoNA was a masterpiece. To his critics, however, it was a bare-faced deception.

To be fair, the President’s claims were based on records and facts and therefore, substantially true. The trouble is: he highlighted only the positive gains, but never mentioned, let alone admitted his fiascos, like the Mamasapano SAF 44 massacre and the Purisima melodramatic machination, and the earlier Luneta massacre of Hongkong tourists

In a scale of 1-10, however, PNoy may have scored a grade of 4 or 5, but not the superlative performance he painted. Truthfulness and candor may have earned him a higher score.

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Current initiatives to prepare Metro Manila for an expected strong earthquake that may hit it any time soon, only highlight the urgent need for our national and local governments to be prepared for disasters.

On such concern, Albay is way ahead of both the national and government units.  As Albay Gov. Joey Salceda puts it, disaster preparedness and their Zero Casualty goal during calamities are now part of the Albayano culture and way of life, “just like taking a bath.”

Phivolcs said a 7.2-magnitude tremor may shake Metro Manila any time soon and claim some 33,000 lives. MMDA and other Metro LGUs have already designated evacuation camps. They now also undertake  emergency drills to prepare people.

Salceda articulated the need for government “to level up on disaster preparations and mitigation initiatives . . . because it is our response that will always shape up human conditions.”

The United Nations has declared Albay as its Global Model in climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR), and Salceda its Senior Global Champion and spokesman on CCA-DRR. He also served as 2014-2915 Board chairman of the UN Green Climate Fund. These are credentials to be proud of.
 

He also explained that disaster preparedness is founded on capability building for all community elements, including individual families and institutions, and long-term infrastructure planning and execution.  

Albay has invested in strengthening infrastructures. Its multi-billion peso Albay GUICADALE (Guinobatan-Camalig-Daraga-Legazpi) Economic Township program was initially a geostrategic intervention to move people from risky areas to safer grounds, but is now fast shaping up as an economic development platform to transform its 64,000-hectare area into a sprawling business boom center.