MANILA, Philippines — Philippines introduced the concept of “Bayanihan” to improve their response to natural disasters during this year’s crisis management conference, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said Thursday.
In a speech, MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim said through the Bayanihan concept, experts from other countries would exchange ideas to reduce the loss of life and assets during natural disasters.
“Wherever labor exchange takes place, Bayanihan is present. By working together, a proactive plan can be formulated for future disaster management activities among cities and countries,” Lim said during the 2019 Crisis Management Conference in Makati City.
Lim said MMDA will also share its efforts in helping victims in the April 2019 earthquake that struck Pampanga.
“May mga experiences tayo kung saan ang MMDA nagpadala ng contingent sa pampanga, at nakatulong tayo makapagsalba ng buhay at i-she-share naitn ito,” Lim told reporters after his speech.
(We will share our experiences where the MMDA deployed its contingents in Pampanga and we helped save lives.)
In April this year, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake rocked parts of Luzon including Metro Manila. More than ten people were killed in Pampanga due to the tremor.
Michael Salalima, Focal Person for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and head of MMDA’S Metropolitan Public Safety Office, showed the Metro Manila Earthquake Contingency Plan or Oplan Metro Yakal Plus, “which covers inter-agency roles, before, during and after the ‘Big One.’”
The plan was simulated during the recent Metro Manila Shake Drills led by MMDA in the past five years.
Members of government and organizations from Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, and Mongolia, attended the conference.
The Crisis Management Conference 2019 was spearheaded by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government but this year the Philippines hosted the event.