LGUs not prepared for earthquakes

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo said the LGUs are prepared in responding to typhoons and flashfloods but not to earthquakes.

To address this, the Dept. of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is rolling out the Seal of Disaster Preparedness (SDP).

The SDP Robredo said would measure a local government unit’s (LGU) disaster preparedness based on measurable parameters.

In a press conference yesterday at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC), Robredo said the DILG is still developing the capacity to respond to earthquakes.

“What happened in Negros Oriental tells us how ready we are. Nung binagyo yung Negros Oriental at Cagayan de Oro, handa ang Negros Oriental kasi hindi ito masyadong apektado. Pero nung lumindol ang Negros Oriental, hindi tayo handa dun,” he said.

Robredo said aside from the regular earthquake and fire drills, geohazard mapping is important for each LGUs to identify the risk areas.

“Iiwasan ang mga lugar that have higher risk… Yun naman pong gawa na (infrastructures), atin pong i-retrofit,” he said.

Robredo also said that they want to measure data on disaster risks and compare it with preparedness to help LGUs come up with disaster risk reduction management plans.

Robredo said they distributed hazard maps to the LGUs provided by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and they already have the checklist of organization of disaster risk reduction councils in all LGU.

SDP, he said, will certify which LGUs are ready or not.

The DILG will award the seal, as well as a cash incentive, to local governments that could respond to disasters, as prescribed by Republic Act No. 10121 (Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010).

RA 10121 allows the use of 70 percent of the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Fund (DRRM) , formerly known as Calamity Fund for disaster preparedness and mitigation.

Robredo also said they will issue a new memorandum circular that an LGU’s authority to use 70 percent of the DRRM fund would be witheld unless they are awarded with the SDP.

The DILG also produced a “redundancy protocol” after killer flash floods hit Cagayan de Oro. This means warnings for bad weather or advice for evacuation can flow through two channels that begin either from top to bottom (from DILG to the mayor) or vice versa.

Yesterday, DILG in Region 7 gathered mayors and other town and city officials of the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor for the Tapatan on Disaster Preparedness and Climate Change Adaptation: A Call to Action.

DILG 7 Assistant Director Elias Fernandez said that 112 or 82 percent of LGUs have Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils.

On the other hand, DILG has also awarded 75 LGUs with the Seal of Good Housekeeping with 26 of it coming from Cebu./correspondent carmel loise matus