By Fayette C. Riñen Friday 18th of May 2012
CEBU CITY, May 18 (PIA) -- Over 100 local chief executives from the different municipalities, cities, and provinces in Central Visayas are expected to attend the "Tapatan on Disaster Preparedness and Climate Change Adaptation: A Call To Action" summit in Cebu on May 25, spearheaded by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
DILG 7 Regional Director Ananias M. Villacorta bared the activity, which serves as their agency’s response to the clamor from different sectors of society to strengthen the disaster preparedness efforts of local government units (LGUs) following the occurrence of various calamities in many parts of the country.
Villacorta added the activity is also in line with RA 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 and RA 9729, otherwise known as the Climate Change Adaptation Act of 2009.
Apart from the local chief executives of the 136 provinces, cities and municipalities in Central Visayas to include the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officers, targeted participants included representatives from the DRRM-CCA partner regional line agencies, civil society organizations, private companies engaged in disaster-related corporate social responsibility projects, leaders of communities at risks, media, and the agencies under the DILG 7.
The summit is the second of a series of summits to be conducted in the Central Visayas Region on May 25, with the Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue City as the venue.
The Tapatan on Disaster Preparedness is an offshoot of the success of the series of Tapatan activities last year focusing on the Full Disclosure Policy requiring LGUs to make public pertinent financial information.
DILG Secretary Jesse M. Robredo said the “Tapatan Roadshow” aims to increase the level of public awareness on potential and actual dangers and risks; understanding or knowledge about the dangers or risks that people face; public acceptance of the facts and realities about real threats and empower people to confront disaster when it happens; and, public involvement, thereby moving people from inaction to action, from callousness to sensitivity, from being passive to being active and from being mere witness to active participant.
“We want to develop a culture of preparedness among LGUs and the public so that the country would be able to respond more effectively and mitigate the adverse impacts of every disaster that hits the country,” Robredo further said.
Highlight of the upcoming summit would be the signing of the Pledge of Commitment by the participants for disaster preparedness to manifest their firm resolve to put in place their local disaster risk reduction and management and climate change adaptation plans.
The DILG will be holding a series of regional summits aimed to promote advocacy on the institutionalization of disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation and mitigation among LGUs nationwide.
The Philippines has been ranked as the third among countries worldwide that are most at risk to disasters in 2011, according to the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security study. (PIA7, Cebu)