Gadgets ready, but disaster command center roof leaky

The consolidated disaster command center of Cebu City is starting to take shape with the procurement of new equipment for its operations.

But the building that will host the command center may need to develop more resiliency to rains.

Tables and other office furniture, additional computers and tablets procured by the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CCDRRMC) has started to  arrive, said operations head Alvin Santillana.

But before they could start setting up the furniture and gadgets, Santillana admits that their office in barangay Mambaling needs to undergo repairs, especially to fix leaking roofs.

Santillana added that even their private donors like the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) and Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (Rafi) wants assurance that their office and command center is ready to accommodate donated equipment for disaster preparedness and response.

The repair of the command center is set to be funded from the unspent Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Fund or calamity fund of 2012.

Of the P105 million savings from last year’s calamity fund, only P20 million has been transferred so far to the calamity trust fund.

And the trust fund is starting to get depleted said Santillana. He is now urging the speedy transfer of the 2012 calamity fund savings to the trust fund to make the disaster operations center fully operational.

Under the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction Management Act of 2010 (RA 10121), unspent calamity funds are no longer reverted to the general fund of the local government unit (LGU).

The law mandates LGU the to create a special trust fund where this unspent calamity fund will be deposited. Appropriation of the trust fund is exclusively for disaster risk reduction projects and activities.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wanted a disaster command center established to serve as the consolidated command center for disaster and emergency responders.

Additional computers and tablets, and office fixtures were already delivered last week.

Santillana said the tablets will be assigned to their field inspectors to allow real time reporting of the status of a disaster and for their data base recording.

“Na delay ta sa uban nato nga purchase kay lisud kaayo ang pag process. Mag na depende sa funds availability,” he said during a press briefing held at the mayor’s office conference room yesterday afternoon.

(Some of our purchases are already delayed because of difficulty processing the requirements and the availability of funds.)

Santillana is hopeful that ones the P105 million fund transfer is completed, they could already start next month the procurement of huge monitors for the command center. /Doris C. Bongcac, Chief of Reporters